I test headphones for a living — these are the headphones you should buy for office use
While ANC, comfort and sound quality are important to everyone, there are a couple of things that are useful when you use your headphones with a work computer.
Perhaps the Bluetooth connection on your work computer is locked down, and you need something you can plug into the 3.5mm connector on the tower. Maybe there's no way to charge your headphones, and you need something that can work without battery power when you're at work.
That's where the Bose QuietComfort Headphones come in, with their standout feature — a passive wired mode. Thanks to the cable that comes in the case, you can use them with your work computer, whether you've got battery power or not.
Bose's less expensive pair of headphones might not have the premium luster of their Ultra cousins, but they've got that all-important passive mode for when the battery dies. The sound is good and the ANC is excellent as well — the perfect office package.
I was chatting to a computer-bound office-working friend the other day. They have locked down machines at work, so they can't connect their Bluetooth headphones for work calls, and neither can they listen to music on their phone, because phone use is prohibited. They're allowed to use Spotify through the browser, however.
So they asked me, "what headphones should I buy that I can use at work? I don't want any of those cheap little earbuds, and I'd like to be able to use them if the battery dies." I didn't need to think for very long at all before the QuietComfort Headphones came to mind.
I imagine that there are many other people in a similar situation to my locked-down office friend as well — so here's why you should buy Bose's mid-range headphones.
Beyond their passive noise and wired connection, there are plenty of other reasons to pick up a pair of Bose QuietComfort Headphones. There's the excellent ANC, which keeps out the noise of your busy office like little else.
They might not have the same ANC as their more expensive co-star, the QuietComfort Ultra, but they block out loads of noise regardless. They'll keep that humming AC machine out of ear's reach, and the chattering gossipers next to the watercooler are completely gone.
Activate transparency mode for when you need to talk to a colleague, and then turn the ANC back on when you're done. Need to be available at all times? Just use the passive mode, and you won't need to worry that you're going to miss anything — or the battery dying.
Their call quality is amongst the best as well, so you'll be more than fine for all those big work calls you need to make with important people. The mic quality is good in both wired and wireless mode, so no need to worry if you can only use one.
They're comfortable, too, so you can wear them for a longer workday. I've found them super comfortable for long periods, especially while I was stacking them up against the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
Their case is small, so space in your bag/briefcase/plastic bag isn't an issue when you're packing for work. They fold nice and small, and the case is one of the most compact around. It's boring to look at, no matter which color headphones you choose, which is a shame, but it's protective all the same.
There is one thing that you need to remember going into ownership of the QuietComfort Headphones — their fairly lackluster battery life. The ANC can't be turned completely off, only switched to transparency mode. That means you only get 24 hours of charge out of the headphones, which isn't fantastic.
The wired passive mode does make up for this issue, but it's still worth bearing in mind that you'll have to charge them more often than other options.
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