So you're googling a comparison between two ANC headphones. Fair enough. Except one of them is dead.
Bose discontinued the QuietComfort 45. That means if you find one in a shop, you're essentially buying a museum piece. Spare parts – maybe, maybe not. Support – maybe, maybe not. The usual song and dance from big corporations – sell a million units and move on to the next model.
We didn't discontinue the VMK20. Jasse's ears – which are insured, by the way – won't let us do that until the product is genuinely replaced by something better.
Honest Comparison
Let's give Bose credit where credit is due. The QC45 was a good headphone. Comfortable on the head, solid ANC, familiar brand. Bose has been making ANC headphones longer than Henri has been trying to keep his Alfa Romeo running – which is a very long time.
ANC: The Bose QC45's noise cancelling was excellent in its day. The VMK20's four-mic ANC system with an ADI chipset does the same job. It doesn't quite reach Bose's absolute peak, but the difference is small. And honestly – neither one silences children. Nothing silences children.
Sound quality: This is where the VMK20 pulls ahead. The Qualcomm chip, Class AB amplifier, and Jasse's tuning make the sound warm and detailed. Bose has always been a bit "safe" with their sound. Not bad, but not the kind that gives you goosebumps either.
Battery: The VMK20 lasts 45 hours. The QC45 lasted about 24 hours. This isn't even a contest. With the VMK20 you can listen for nearly two days straight before needing a charge. Why you'd listen for two days straight is another question entirely.
Price: The QC45 cost around €300-350 new. The VMK20 costs a fraction of that. The money you save is enough for, say, 47 grilled sausages at a sausage stand. We did the maths.
Why Valco?
Three words: repairability, price, honesty.
When the Bose QC45's ear cushions fall apart – and they will – good luck hunting for spare parts for a discontinued product. The VMK20's cushions pop right off and you order new ones. Jasse and the rest of the service team will fix the unit in Kajaani if anything goes wrong.
The VMK20 has a fabric cover designed by Lauri Lumme. It doesn't make you sweat like Bose's faux leather in summer. Small thing, but after a three-hour Teams meeting, it's a big thing.
Multipoint connection works out of the box. Phone and laptop at the same time. ANC works independently from Bluetooth with its own button. So you can use noise cancelling without music – like at the office, where whoever invented the open-plan office really deserves some kind of award for crimes against humanity.
And every VMK20 purchased funds 0.000001% of our Death Star. Bose doesn't offer a comparable space programme.
Who Should Pick the Other One?
Here comes the part where we're supposed to compliment the competition.
If you specifically want Bose's latest model – the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones – that's a different conversation. Bose's ANC is still among the best on the market and the spatial audio features are good. It just costs three times as much. If money's no object, Bose makes great headphones. We're not going to argue otherwise.
But if you're specifically comparing to the QC45 – don't buy a discontinued product. That's like buying Henri's Alfa. Looks great in the car park, but servicing it is a nightmare.
Summary
| | VMK20 | Bose QC45 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Alive | Discontinued |
| ANC | Good | Good |
| Sound quality | Jasse's tuning | Safe |
| Battery | 45h | 24h |
| Repairability | In-house service in Kajaani | Good luck |
| Price | Affordable | Was expensive |
The VMK20 costs less, lasts longer, sounds better, and can be repaired. The QC45 is a discontinued product with a limited future.
The choice is yours. But Raimo recommends the VMK20. Raimo also recommends the Mercedes-Benz W124, but that's a different article.
