Well I received my Bose 700s yesterday. I compared them to my XM3s an I’m pretty jazzed with the B700 First the ear cups are smaller than the XM3. But they fit my ear very well. So here’s the weird thing although the XM3 have a larger cup I was more comfortable with the Bose. The leather is so soft and for some reason they didn’t make my ears heat up like the XM3. On the XM3 I get some pressure on the lower rear cup that annoys me after a few hours. I did not get the same “pressure” while using the B700 although it was just one night. I tested the XMs for three days while driving across country last month. I’ll be using the Bose this week as we take another cross country trip. I know most people care about airplane use but I like driving.
The Bose look and feel smaller they even appear lighter. I can lay my head down on these and sleep as they don’t stick out so far as XMs. I guess for me the Bose just fit better than the XMs on my head.
Sound is much louder and clearer on the Bose, with a very tight sound profile. In past XM reviews people said the XM base was great and punchy. Well maybe it’s the Bose Profile that appeals to me cause I think the B700 are much more crips in the highs and clear thumps in the lows. I could adjust the sound with the Sony EQ settings But in this first Impression no EQ is being used. Straight out of the box, the Bose sounded awesome.
Noise canceling; they both sound the same to me IMO. Turn them on and “Pow” all backgrounds sounds mute out. IMO they sound the same both work well.
Controls are better on the Bose. Ive always struggled with my XMs volume, next track swipes. I would sit the swipe, swipe, swipe and getting it right 50% of the time. Well maybe I’m trained now but the Bose gave me absolutely no issues with the swipe. Up, down, skip, pause it all worked first time without many re-swipes.
Battery life XM says 10 more hours.
Case is a push because the geometry you have to go through with the XMs. But the XM case is smaller if that matters to you.
USB C charging On both, push.
So for me and my ears, the Bose are a keeper and my XM3 will be gifted. But it could be the “New” factor so I’ll give’em A week or two.
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Third day update: an annoying feature has come up. The ear cups twist/flop around much to easy. This resulted in the headset falling off unintentionally. Not an issue when sitting but bend over to pick something up and they may slide off. However I’m increasingly loving the crisp sounding highs and lows. They sound really good to me. And match with my iPhone talk is superb.
The Bose look and feel smaller they even appear lighter. I can lay my head down on these and sleep as they don’t stick out so far as XMs. I guess for me the Bose just fit better than the XMs on my head.
Sound is much louder and clearer on the Bose, with a very tight sound profile. In past XM reviews people said the XM base was great and punchy. Well maybe it’s the Bose Profile that appeals to me cause I think the B700 are much more crips in the highs and clear thumps in the lows. I could adjust the sound with the Sony EQ settings But in this first Impression no EQ is being used. Straight out of the box, the Bose sounded awesome.
Noise canceling; they both sound the same to me IMO. Turn them on and “Pow” all backgrounds sounds mute out. IMO they sound the same both work well.
Controls are better on the Bose. Ive always struggled with my XMs volume, next track swipes. I would sit the swipe, swipe, swipe and getting it right 50% of the time. Well maybe I’m trained now but the Bose gave me absolutely no issues with the swipe. Up, down, skip, pause it all worked first time without many re-swipes.
Battery life XM says 10 more hours.
Case is a push because the geometry you have to go through with the XMs. But the XM case is smaller if that matters to you.
USB C charging On both, push.
So for me and my ears, the Bose are a keeper and my XM3 will be gifted. But it could be the “New” factor so I’ll give’em A week or two.
____________
Third day update: an annoying feature has come up. The ear cups twist/flop around much to easy. This resulted in the headset falling off unintentionally. Not an issue when sitting but bend over to pick something up and they may slide off. However I’m increasingly loving the crisp sounding highs and lows. They sound really good to me. And match with my iPhone talk is superb.
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