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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 offers exceptional comfort and superior noise cancellation, making it an ideal choice for air travel and extended listening sessions. Although more expensive, they also provide a more intuitive set of built-in controls. The Skullcandy Hesh ANC, while more affordable, still maintains decent sound quality and comfort but falls short in mic quality and may not be as suitable for calls and meetings. However, they do offer slightly longer battery life for extended use. Both have a foldable design for portability, support AAC codec for better audio quality, and feature active noise cancelling to reduce external noise. Choose Bose for best-in-class comfort and noise isolation, or Skullcandy for a budget-friendly option with satisfactory performance. 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 Skullcandy Hesh ANC
- The Skullcandy Hesh ANC has no clear advantages over the Bose Quiet Comfort 45.
Key differences
Phone Calls
8.0
5.3
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is very good for phone calls, while the Skullcandy Hesh ANC is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
9.3
6.0
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Skullcandy Hesh ANC is only fair.
Noise Reduction
10.0
8.7
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 is best in class for noise reduction, while the Skullcandy Hesh ANC is very good.
Cost
$260
$135
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 has a price of $260 and the Skullcandy Hesh ANC costs $135.
Build Quality
8.5
7.0
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 has very good build quality, while the Skullcandy Hesh ANC has good build quality.
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Key similarities
Music
6.4
6.7
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC and Bose Quiet Comfort 45 are both only fair for music.
Gaming
5.5
5.6
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC and Bose Quiet Comfort 45 are both poor for gaming.
TV and Video
5.8
5.8
The Skullcandy Hesh ANC and Bose Quiet Comfort 45 are both poor for TV and video.
Battery
22.5 Hours
23.0 Hours
The Bose Quiet Comfort 45 has 22.5 hours of battery life. The Skullcandy Hesh ANC has 23 hours of battery life.
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How the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 and the Skullcandy Hesh ANC compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Bose Quiet Comfort 45 | Skullcandy Hesh ANC |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$260 | $135 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Bose | Skullcandy | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | September 1, 2021 | December 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired + Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 8/10 | 5.3/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.6/10 | 5.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.8/10 | 5.8/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.4/10 | 6.2/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 22.5 Hours | 23 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | No | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 3 Hours | 1.6 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.1 | 5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 10/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | No | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | No | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 7.4/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 8.5/10 | 7/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 10/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 235.8 Grams | 226.7 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Waterproof Rating | |||
Waterproof Rating | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Bose Quiet Comfort 45
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Dig into reviews and images
What HiFi?
What HiFi? | November 2022
"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."
Skullcandy Hesh ANC
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphonecheck
Maike Paeßens | 2021
"Skullcandy’s Hesh ANC are compact, wireless over-ears for everyday use that are tuned for bass and designed to suppress or amplify ambient noise as required. In addition to Bluetooth 5.0, optional tracking via the Tile app is supported so that these headphones can be found if they get lost."
Get a great deal on the Bose Quiet Comfort 45 or the Skullcandy Hesh ANC
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 Skullcandy
Skullcandy is an American, consumer-oriented, earbuds and headphones manufacturer with 20 years of market experience. They sell a wide variety of, budget-friendly and unique, wired and wireless products that are sure to please the vast majority of users. Among their most popular offerings, the Crusher headphones, includes a pair of actual subwoofers inside the cups which makes the bass extra prominent for a unique and extra fun sound.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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