Bose announced its latest headphones by forming a defensive phalanx against Sony and Apple, holding earcups like riot shields and chanting, ‘Shh!’ so loud it became a whisper. Executives promised next‑level quiet, a phrase that implies there’s a leaderboard for silence and someone is speedrunning naps.

I’m told this model cancels noise, regret, and at least three AirTag beeps from the next table. The marketing video shows a blender, an infant, and a crypto bro disappearing into a hush so thick it should have calories.

Apple responded with an eyebrow raise measured in milliamps; Sony bowed so politely the noise floor blushed. Bose simply said it’s not competing, it’s fending, like a medieval village warding off a dragon named Ecosystem with a +2 headband of silence.

I took them to the subway, because benchmarks beat bedtime stories. The train screeched, a busker harmonized with a jackhammer, and the headphones pulled a neat trick: they didn’t just cancel sound, they negotiated a cease‑fire with entropy.

I searched for best ANC over-ear headphones 2025 and the results fought in my browser like brands in a WrestleMania of whispering. Bose’s new cans add Body‑Slam Mode: press once to suplex a leaf blower into the void.

On a plane, the headphones auto‑detected hope and lowered it to a safe volume. They also auto‑paired with a USB-C airplane adapter for two-prong seats, then demanded I call my mother because the cabin pressure of guilt was too high.

Bose touts a transparency mode so precise it lets you hear your future self asking why you didn’t buy earplugs in 2003. Battery life is rated in layovers, with fast charge measured in ‘boarding groups you will miss anyway.’

I prefer patterns to press releases, so I ran the usual: latte frother at DEFCON 2, neighbor drilling at existential frequency, and a spreadsheet of small talk at a networking event. The headphones canceled 97% of “So what do you do?” and 112% of “Let’s circle back,” which violates math and I applaud the courage.

Compared to Sony, Bose trades a dash of spa‑day bass for a handshake with reality; compared to Apple, it avoids turning your head into a glossy museum for aluminum feelings. There’s no crown to twirl, just buttons that click like honest answers in an industry allergic to them.

The app claims privacy with a toggle labeled “Absolutely.” Tap it and a second toggle appears labeled “Eventually.” Tap that and a third appears, “Coming Soon,” which is corporate for “We brought vibes.” I smiled quietly, because platforms call themselves communities right up until moderation shows up with a broom and a thousand unpaid hours.

Price? It’s the classic it‑costs‑less‑than‑silence‑more‑than‑peace riddle, hovering in that moral gray between airline Wi‑Fi and a replacement charger at the hotel kiosk. There’s a bundle that includes a case, a cable, and a rumor that your roommate will stop microwaving fish.

Will this fend off Sony and Apple? Maybe; it certainly fended off my neighbor’s open‑concept trombone and the part of my brain that checks email on crosswalks. In a market where everyone screams innovation, Bose weaponized a whisper—and if that fails, they’ll just turn the volume on ‘Shh!’ up to eleven, which is also how I’ll fend off the comments when they call themselves a community.