Bose NC700 headphones terrible call quality

[rezilient]

One of the main reasons I bought the Bose 700s is for the great call quality that everyone has been raving about. I tested them initially while speaking to a colleague and when I entered a restaurant (nearly empty) he could hardly hear me. When I got into my car and switched to my vehicle Bluetooth he said it was way better. At home I performed many more tests like leaving voice messages on my own voicemail and the call quality is the worst I've ever experienced. Without any background noise my voice is muffled and unclear. With very low background noise you can only hear faint words but nothing discernable.  I made sure it was the only Bluetooth device connected and made sure the audio is not coming through the phone microphone. I also tried all noise cancelation settings from 0 to 10. These are going back to the store immediately if this is as good as it gets. Testing with Samsung Note 9. 

[rezilient]

I called Bose customer support and spoke to the representative. We compared how it sounds with my Note 9 microphone versus the 700's and she agreed the 700's sound like trash, especially when I turned on some artificial background noise she couldn't hear me at all.  She said to try it on another device but unfortunately I won't have access to another phone (iPhone) for about 1 week.  What else can I try?

[phat78boy]

I know this may not help fix your issue, but I can tell you my device sounds outstanding. I am using a Pixel 3 XL, but I have also tested from a Pixel Slate, Dell XPS 15, Samsung S10+ and a iPhone XR. If you have updated it to the recent firmware and still have issues, I would ask for a replacement. 

[rezilient]

Ok so it's not an Android thing. 

I tested my old Plantronics Legend headset with my same phone and it sounded crisp and clear. Miles and miles better than the 700. So I think I got a defective unit. Any idea if it's possible to like hard reset them just as a test? 

[Zoe_C]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for posting and welcome to the community, I am sorry to hear that you are having trouble with your Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700. I would be more than happy to help with this today, I would suggest trying a product reset.

To reboot your headset:

1. Disconnect all cables from the headphones
2. Connect one end of the USB cable to a USB-A wall charger or computer that is powered on
3. Press and hold the Power/Bluetooth® button while connecting the small end of the USB cable into the USB-C port on the right earcup
4. Release the Power/Bluetooth button when the Bluetooth light blinks blue

I hope this helps, please let me know how you get on!

Kindest regards,

Zoe C - Community Support 

[ElChupacabra]

Just for reference, I also use a Note 9 device and though I am not deeply impressed when it comes to blocking out background noise for the other caller, it is far from being bad. Had a direct comparison with the Plantronics 8200 UC and my voice was clearer on the Bose (I got told). Both block sound out completely when you are not talking but letting through (quite a bit of) background noise when you talk.

Not sure if it helps...would definitely try to get a replacement.

[Elhillo]

I also have large issues with bad call quality with

my NC700 - which was the main reason why I decided to “upgrade” from my qc35ii. The sound cuts off and there’s a predominant disturbance noice. It literally sounds like someone is tap dancing during phone calls and tele conferences. The sound quality for the receivers are so bad that the headphones are unusable. I am currently using an iPhone but haven’t experienced the same issues with my qc35ii or other bt headphones/earbuds. The headphones are updated with be latest firmware and I have tried to fix this by reinstalling, reboot/reset the headphones and also disconnected all other bt devices with no success. Bose have said they will replace my headphones so I hope my pair was defective and that the call quality really is “state of the art” for bt headphones as claimed. 

[Gmanwf]

I have to say, my microphone quality comes and goes. Consistently when I use my softphone at work: Cisco UC Integration for Microsoft Lync, no one can hear a word I am saying. When using lync/skype for business, the quality is outstanding, most of the time. Sometimes the headphones are completely distorted and I end up sounding like a robot. There is no discernible reason for why this happens. I only got a firmware update today, so maybe it will be fixed. Will take time to test. I guess so few people have these and use them for business that I won't get any corroboration for some time.. When using my iphone, the mic quality is intermittent. Sometimes I have to yell, other times I can speak at a normal volume. The only setting I can see that might have an effect is the self voice. Will push this setting up and down and see what happens.

[Elhillo]

I am experiencing similar issues with call quality on my replacement pair; The call quality was ok for several phone calls until it suddenly started to ‘drum’ again during calls when someone was talking, the hacking noise was back. It is so disturbing to the people I’m calling that the headphones cannot be used. As soon as I switch to the phone’s mic, the hacking, static noise stops. I also tried to change the own voice setting, even disconnect my second device the headphones was paired to and power off all other Bluetooth devices around, but with no success. Finally, I did a reset of the headphones which temporarily seemed to solve the issue. On my next call, the incoming sound suddenly lowered after a couple of minutes and I could almost not hear the person I was talking to, then after a minute, the volume was back to normal. 

[rahul445]

Hi Bose Team,

Its been 7 days since I bought NC700 and I face many problems with the product. I bought the headphone because of the promise of great call quality and this product fails to deliver. The call quality is terrible. My voice is muffled and not clear on the call. There is a static noise every time I join a call and it an overall terrible experience. The experience got miserable when I connected the headphones to my laptop and the phone. Simple functions like invoking Siri don't work. I have selected the Auto Power off as never but still, the headphone turn off every 10 mins. The app is of no help when it comes to solving this issue.

Do you have a solution other than rebooting the device??