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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 headphones offer superior comfort, excellent noise isolation, and are a great choice for air travel. They include active noise cancelling technology and are able to connect wirelessly and with a wire. On the downside, they are bulkier and have a premium price.
The Moondrop Nekocake earbuds are more budget-friendly, compact, and offer satisfactory noise isolation without active noise cancelling. They are entirely wireless, making them well-suited for exercise, but may not provide the same level of sound quality and comfort as the Bose.
Consider your primary use—whether it's for travel, exercise, or casual listening—and the importance of noise cancellation and comfort against the cost. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Bose Quiet Comfort 45
Very good for phone calls
Best in class for air travel
Excellent for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Moondrop Nekocake
The Moondrop Nekocake has no clear advantages over the Bose Quiet Comfort 45.
Key differences
Music
6.4/10
5.7/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is only fair for music, while the Moondrop Nekocake is poor.
Gaming
5.5/10
4.6/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 and Moondrop Nekocake are both poor for gaming, though the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is somewhat better.
Phone Calls
8.0/10
6.1/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is very good for phone calls, while the Moondrop Nekocake is only fair.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
9.3/10
7.7/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Moondrop Nekocake is good.
TV and Video
5.8/10
5.0/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 and Moondrop Nekocake are both poor for TV and video, though the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is somewhat better.
Noise Reduction
10.0/10
7.0/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is best in class for noise reduction, while the Moondrop Nekocake is good.
Battery
22.5 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 has 22.5 hours of battery life. The Moondrop Nekocake has 3 hours of battery life.
Cost
$260
$39
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 has a price of $260 and the Moondrop Nekocake costs $39.
"If you want a set of wireless over-ear headphones you can put on, deploy noise-cancelling on your commute or at your desk and largely extinguish the outside world for up to 24 hours, the Bose QC 45 has the edge over most of the competition at the price."
"What sets the Nekocake apart from its competition at this price point is the Moondrop Link app that allows the user to change the tonal balance of the Nekocake. This makes sure that it’s versatile enough to suit different sonic preferences while allowing some customization of controls."
Get a great deal on the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 or the Moondrop Nekocake
About Bose
Bose is an American audio equipment manufacturer based out of Framingham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1964 by Amar Bose with the goal of creating a speaker system that could accurately recreate the sound of a concert hall, Bose has become one of the most prominent players in the modern consumer audio market due to the premium feel of their products and their wide brand recognition.
About Moondrop
Moondrop is a Chinese brand of smart audio equipment, portable audio players, earbuds and headphones started in 2015. During the last few years they have become one of the major players in what is lovingly referred to as the Chi-fi market, the bulk of Chinese companies that have managed to actually compete with the western manufacturers in both prices and superior quality. Products such as the Blessing II, Chu and Kato are among the most popular offerings of the brand, more popular among those users that wish for good quality audio that won't break the bank. Besides audio, the brand also works in what they call the ACGN field (Animation, Comics, Games and Short Novels).
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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