Noise cancelling 700 headphones stuttering on Windows

[Everdusk]

Hello all! I've just bought a pair of noise cancelling 700 headphones, and after some reading noticed that (surprisingly) there is no bose specific support for Windows in regards to their app. Even so, I was able to connect the headphones to my PC (Win 7) without a problem and updated firmware to version 1.3.1, the latest according to the updater.

My problem is that I get very persistent, very annoying stuttering issues with the headphones whenever they reproduce audio, from youtube videos to games, regardless of audio configuration used.

Is this problem caused by my OS? Need I do something specific to remedy it? I read in a similar post related to Android and QC 35 that downgrading the firmware helped, but I have not been able to find a way to do this on a Windows computer. 

I have also read that it could be an issue related to pairing with multiple devices, but my PC is the only device paired with the headphones thus far.

Any advice provided will be much appreciated.

[Jeff_G]

Hello Everdusk, 

Thank you for reaching out via the Bose Community. Welcome to the site. 

I'm sorry to hear you are having issues using your Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 with your Windows computer. 

While the app is only compatible with iOS and Android, there is no reason why you can't connect your headphones to other devices that support A2DP audio streaming, handsfree profile, and headset profile. 

The issue described, may be related to how the headphones are interacting with the sources on your computer, and I'd encourage you to make a note of which sources have what effect. 

Can you also confirm if you are connected to more than one device at a time? and does the issue only occur on the computer? 

I'll look forward to your reply. 

Kind regards, 

Jeff G - Community Support

[dimschlukas]

Hi Everdusk

Glad you pointed this problem out here.
i for myself bought as well a new pair of Bose 700 headphones and i'm currently appearing the same issues like you described. I hope for a solution here.

[Jeremytlv]

Exactly the same issue. There are many of us having the same problem. All drivers are up to date Used to have the problem with my Qc35 + Surface Pro 4, removing hands free solved the issue. Now with my NC 700 + new desktop PC with BT 5.0 the trick won't work unfortunately. every time the headset moves it creates a stutter. All drivers are up to date. Please help I bought this device mainly for work not to use on my smartphone (on which it works flawlessly I have to say) 

[Keith_L]

Hi Jeremytlv,

Thank you for posting and welcome to the community. I'm sorry to hear you are having trouble using your headphones with your windows device.

We do have a helpful guide available for using Bluetooth devices and computers HERE. I would recommend giving this a read and trying the troubleshooting suggested there.

Let me know how you get on.

Kind regards,

Keith L

[Everdusk]

Sorry for taking so long to come back to the thread. I was away for some time and it took longer than I would have liked to run some test on the headphones and my devices.

Here's what I've found out thus far:

Android TV (Sony Bravia X90F up to date on the OS) Works perfectly. The only strange thing is that the automatic sleep warning that triggers a few minutes before the TV turns off triggers the stutter. Turning the headphones off and on fixes this problem.

Samsung Note 10+ Up to date on the OS: They work perfectly.

Huawei Y6 2019: They work perfectly, so long as the phone doesn't move too much (although I blame that particular stutter on the phone's bluetooth rather than the headphones personally. Be advised that that may be my bias against this phone speaking because I found it's back fingerprint reader so **bleep** annoying and I never did find out just what the problem was here).

Back on my Win 7 computer, I don't think I mentioned on my first post that my bluetooth was a Ugreen USB antenna, since my motherboard didn't have any integrated (if it helps any). I've also noticed that here, streaming stuff  on the computer (youtube and netflix) doesn't trigger it as often or as fast as games, but that loud sounds or heavy bass triggers it almost instantly.

I've had very little stuttering with voice usage (discord, rol20, zoom, skype) although there is still some to mention. The microphone, on the other hand, is unusable (I've been told its only a loud continous sharp noise coming out the other end).

I hope these observations help solve our collective issue. Thanks for the interest and support!

Merry Christmas.

[tarungaur]

Hey people from Bose Team, 

Stop giving nonsensical generic answers.

I just bought the 700 headphones today and the stuttering is there on multiple sources. From YouTube to Spotify to Mobile Apps. I have tested on MacOS (3 versions). 

It is very clear you guys have added firmware (in the name of AR and what not) and the headphone has become too complex. It is clear the processing is unable to keep up with the streams. The product is over priced, and clearly needs some work. Ask the dumb developers in the firmware team to simplify the code base and focus on core set of features - playback. 

I am using Mac Mojave with 32 GB RAM, and a 100+ mbps Internet Connection up/down. There is no reason for the music or video (audio stream) to stutter. 

Fix the **bleep** product. For 400+$ I feel cheated. 

[User-117dcd]

I do have the same problem with stuttering with WIN 7.

I agree that there is no point anymore in being nice. Skip the "read our troubleshooting guide" and "but Win 7 is no longer supported" excuses and get to work and release an update or an easy way to downgrade the firmware back to when it was working.

I am recommending the Sony XM3 to my friends now, because the Bose 700 is not worth its money.

[SplatMan_DK]

Brand new headset. Connection my Android phone works, but connecting it to my Windows 10 laptop produces nothing but stuttering sound.

The setup of the product using the dedicated app was a nightmare to begin with, with numerous errors. But to be unable to use the headphones with my beefy Windows 10 laptop is ... a surprising disappointment.

It's a 6-core 12 thread Lenovo P72, so processing power is not the issue. This is clearly a BT connection issue.

It would be nice if we could get some response from Bose that isn't just generic templates from outsources support agents. Can someone escalate this, so it actually gets addressed? It's not the cheapest piece of gear out there, so I honestly expected better.

[Bonstradamus]

I ordered these shortly before self-isolation while working from home began; I was looking forward to have a clear, noise-cancelling audio/mic source for all the video-meetings I need to be taking.

The stuttering and constant disconnection of the headset with my Surface Pro 4 laptop has made these practically useless. A huge disappointment for such a big cash drop.