Bose QuietComfort 45 vs Shure Aonic 50

Short answer: both are discontinued, so this only matters if you are buying used. Used, the Shure Aonic 50 is the better pick: it ranks #133 of 429 over-ear headphones by sound quality (rated 3.9/5), against #166 (rated 3.7/5) for the Bose QuietComfort 45. If you want one new, the Dan Clark Audio E3 ranks #1 at $2,299.

The case for the Bose QuietComfort 45: Excellent noise cancelling and a comfortable, light 0.5 lbs (240 g) build. The tradeoff: Discontinued.

What the Shure Aonic 50 does well: Measured response gives it a very good Harman preference score of 79 with a 2.57 dB spread. The tradeoff: Discontinued, so it is mainly found used.

Buy the Shure Aonic 50 only if you find one used in good condition; both are discontinued, and it is the better rated of the two. For a new speaker, start with the Dan Clark Audio E3 instead.

Want more options? Browse the full Headphones rankings.

Specifications Side By Side

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• Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs Bose QuietComfort 45
• Bose QuietComfort 20 vs Bose QuietComfort 45
• Shure Aonic 4 vs Shure Aonic 50

Prices on this page were last checked October 13, 2026 at 3:17 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

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The Two Headphones In Full

Bose QuietComfort 45 Wireless Discontinued eBay

Pros: Excellent noise cancelling and a comfortable, light 240 g build. The measured tuning scores 76 on the Harman scale with a 2.29 dB spread, with clean bass about 2 dB above target that extends to 20 Hz and mids close to neutral.

Cons: Discontinued. A 9.1 dB dip near 8.7 kHz and an upper treble lift make cymbals sound uneven, and the original release had no EQ beyond a later bass and treble slider. There is no high resolution codec beyond AAC.

Full Bose QuietComfort 45 review and specifications →

Released	Sep 2021 (5 years ago)
Active Noise Cancelling	Yes
Battery Life	24 hours
Bluetooth Codecs	SBC, AAC
Bluetooth Version	5.1
Built-in Microphone	Yes
Connection	Wireless and wired
Deviation From Target	2.29 dB standard deviation
Form Factor	Over-ear
Harman Preference Score	76 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Sub-bass Extension	Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+2.1 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	-0.63 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)
Weight	0.5 lbs (240 g)

EQ preset to match the Harman target

Set a preamp of -2.2 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	-1.4 dB	0.70
Peak	161 Hz	-2.2 dB	1.15
Peak	5,490 Hz	-7.7 dB	2.06
Peak	4,242 Hz	+3.5 dB	0.24
Peak	2,328 Hz	-5.2 dB	2.15
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-7.0 dB	0.70
Peak	8,352 Hz	+2.9 dB	1.93
Peak	390 Hz	+0.5 dB	2.32
Peak	6,508 Hz	-1.0 dB	5.04
Peak	70 Hz	-0.1 dB	1.97

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the Bose QuietComfort 45 (oratory1990 measurement)
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Bose QuietComfort 45 vs Bose QuietComfort 25
  • Bose QuietComfort 45 vs Bose QuietComfort 35 II
  • Bose QuietComfort 45 vs Bose QuietComfort 20

Shure Aonic 50 Discontinued eBay

Pros: Measured response gives it a very good Harman preference score of 79 with a 2.57 dB spread. It uses 1 x 50mm dynamic.

Cons: Discontinued, so it is mainly found used. An 8.3 dB peak near 11.9 kHz can make cymbals and sibilance sound sharp. The 4.6 dB bass lift can sound boomy and mask midrange detail.

Full Shure Aonic 50 review and specifications →

Released	Apr 2020 (6 years ago)
Back	Closed
Connection	Bluetooth
Deviation From Target	2.57 dB standard deviation
Driver Type	Dynamic
Drivers	1 x 50mm dynamic
Form Factor	Over-ear
Frequency Response	20Hz - 22kHz
Harman Preference Score	79 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ)
Impedance	39 ohms
Sensitivity	97.5 dB/mW
Sub-bass Extension	Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.2 dB at 30 Hz)
Tonal Tilt	+0.17 (negative is warmer, positive brighter)
Weight	0.7 lbs (334 g)

EQ preset to match the Harman target

Set a preamp of -5.4 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by AutoEQ from its measured frequency response.

Filter	Frequency	Gain	Q
Low shelf	105 Hz	+5.8 dB	0.70
Peak	471 Hz	+5.1 dB	0.74
Peak	129 Hz	-6.0 dB	0.68
Peak	5,309 Hz	-4.3 dB	2.71
Peak	2,908 Hz	-3.6 dB	5.04
High shelf	10,000 Hz	-1.6 dB	0.70
Peak	1,894 Hz	-1.5 dB	3.19
Peak	51 Hz	-1.3 dB	2.33
Peak	78 Hz	+1.1 dB	2.48
Peak	3,742 Hz	+2.0 dB	6.00

• Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
  • AutoEQ results for the Shure Aonic 50 (oratory1990 measurement)
• Head-to-Head Comparisons
  • Shure Aonic 50 vs Sony WH-1000XM4
  • Shure Aonic 50 vs Shure Aonic 3
  • Shure Aonic 50 vs Shure Aonic 4