Monday, 13 January 2020 12:25

REVIEW: NCH 700 - Bose challenge Bose Featured

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After a period with one of the best noise-canceling earphones on the market, Quiet Comfort 35 II, an entirely new model arrives - the 700. Can this defend a pricetag that is more than a thousand NOK up? 

Originally published in Norwegian 29 October 2019

It`s a factthat earphones may be used in many different ways. The home editions usually have priority with high resolution and top quality, often long line and large jack plug, and can even be electrostatic. Such big beasts are not suitable for to carrying around, so for those who are on the go there are models that can fold and slip intothe bag. Some are investing in earplugs, a solution that takes up very little space but does not have the greatest sound quality, and which is more likely to damage the hearing than those with large bells lying outside the ear. Finally, we have today's category, noise canceling earphones, perfect for use with noisy mashines, and are ideal on board aircraft or speedboats. This is the category where Bose NCH 700 belongs.

Bose is a long-time audiophile company. Doctor Amar G.Bose designed the legendary 901 loudspeakers that scattered indirect sound with eight equal speaker elements, and only one that gave direct sound. It was these loudspeakers I bought when started taking sound quality seriously, so I immediately accepted when I was offered to try out a new product. Bose has always had words for finding creative solutions, and it's very easy to see what they find in most fields. HeadFi is a priority to Bose - they even have a pair of sunglasses that sing. But let's stick to traditional earphones this time ...

 

Interference suppression

I have the old top model QuietComfort 35 II, which has very good noise reduction. I was shocked at how well this concept worked when I heard the first time at the end of the nineties. The system is based on capturing the sound in the surrounds with a microphone and transmitting it in a counter phase, eliminating the external sound. The first editions of earphones after this principle did very well remove what was of sinusoidal, present tones, but escaped more through the brutal transients. The Bose QuietComfort 35 generation was a big improvement. Other manufacturers are also stepping up, so the competition for best noise reduction has been fierce. So there is every reason to have soaring expectations when Bose comes up with a new and more expensive model.

This 700 model has a prettier, and perhaps more robust, design than the earlier model. And similar to QuietComfort, they come in a sturdy, neat case so it's easy to take care of them. The earlier model had to fold out, something you soon became friends with. But Bose dropped this with the Model 700, where you twist the mussels 90 degrees for listening / unpacking.

Bose innovation

Unpacking 700 was straightforward, and the challenge was to connect them to music sources. This is done with the help of an app. When you start this and turn on the earphones, it will be arranged automatically and a lady will notify you in English via the earphones once you have connected. This woman also tells you how many hours you have left of battery capacity. We talk about 20 hours of playing time when they are full, and it may be nice to know how long you can keep on listening  when you go out for a ride. A bit fancy, but basically like most other earphone pageants nowadays.

I checked the sound immediately when I went through it, and compared it through my playlists in Spotify. Well, at least as good as the QC35 II that I was used to, maybe a little better bass, and a little more resolved at the top. But not the big win, that is to say, until I connected them to the earphone jack on my Oppo 105 silver turntable. Now the Model 700 is great for use with a mobile phone or PC, but here is a sound potential that qualifies for use also at home. A formidable bass you can't avoid being impressed by, and great resolution upwards. I was especially impressed with the way Bryan Ferry "Dylanesque" and Erykah Badu "Baduism" were conveyed. So except that I do not have a bluetooth in my main setup, and the supplied cable is only about 1 meter, I do not feel the need for a better earphone for use in my livingroom.

We might expect better sound when we get a new model available, but this is not just the reason for a model change. As usual, Bose has been very innovative, and created some almost "magical" features in the user interface.

Step by step noise cancellation is perhaps what I liked best. For those who have heard QuietComfort 35 II, it is pretty much the same. But it can be a bit daunting to have full noise reduction at all times, and it is strictly not always necessary either. The new model has divided this into ten steps, so you can tailor the cushioning according to the situation you are in.

Another great feature is that you can mute both noise canceling and sound when someone wants to talk to you, by touching your left earcan. After a few seconds, both the sound and noise cancellation vanish, and you will be able to hold a conversation. When this is over, you just need to swipe a finger over the earphones, then sound and noise cancellation attentive to the initial settings.

You also released pushing buttons to turn the volume up or down, touching the stroke next to the right clam fastener, and the volume changes. And to fast forward to the next tune, swipe your finger horizontally along the clam - so you don't have to scroll through your phone to find it.

 

Conclusion

There are many earphones out there, for different uses. But if you need good noise cancellation and appreciate brilliant functionality, you can`t og wrong With this New Bose. And best of all, the Bose 700 also has a sound quality that exceeds what you would expect from the regular streaming services. With a good cord (or blue tooth on your amplifier), you can have more than usable good sound  from Your main system.

The price is about NOK 4200, but I find this to be fair in what you get for the money. Have a nice trip and enjoy the sound.

 

Read 3846 times Last modified on Saturday, 24 December 2022 13:55
Arve Åheim

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