 "Noise Master Buds Max")
Pros:
Balanced and enjoyable sound output tuned by Bose
Decent ANC and Transparency performance
Neat design, comfortable to wear for long
Sturdy build with IPx4 sweat resistance
Impressive battery backup, support for quick charge
Dual-pairing support, wear detection
Good call quality
Cons:
Scant sound tweaks in the companion app
Lacks 3.5 mm Aux connector
Pricing can be more competitive
Price: Rs 9,999 to Rs 11,999
Rating: 4/5
Noise Master Buds Max is the second product from the company to bear the ‘Sound by Bose’ stamp. The first, without the Max suffix, was actually a pair of TWS earbuds, and contrary to what the name may suggest, the Master Buds Max are actually wireless headphones. Yes, proper on/over-the-ear headphones! Also, this is not a Bose product but one that has been tuned by engineers from the popular audio giant. So ‘Sound by Bose’ may not necessarily mean it sounds like Bose. Or does it? Let’s find out.
Noise Master Buds Max - Build, design and comfort: 8/10
These Noise headphones look fairly premium due to the finish, and come in three elegant colour options - Titanium, Silver and Onyx. Though largely made of plastic, the build quality is quite solid and the weight is perfectly acceptable at 262 grams, given the presence of ANC circuitry and a high capacity battery. It has an even matte finish all over except for the back of the ear-cups that have a bit of gloss with concentric circles to make it look like a vinyl disc.
The height adjustment is smooth and the ear-cups are foldable when one needs to store it away. Speaking of storage, the fancy carry case showcased on its product page isn’t bundled along. Instead, you get a basic fabric pouch that can protect it from dust and some soft scratching at best. The ear-cups are nicely padded and the same goes for the headband; don’t think the earpads are user replaceable though. The markings for the left and right side are distinct and present inside the cups.
The clamping force is just right for a comfortable fit over the ears without the headphones wobbling when you move around. They can be worn for a couple of hours at a go without any sweating around the ear or discomfort. Speaking of sweating, these are one of the very few headphones that offer ingress protection. It has a modest IPX4 rating that should make them sweat-proof if you choose to take them along for a walk or to the gym. However, it would be best to avoid using them outdoors during monsoons.
Quick Reads
View AllThe ear-cups provide a good seal and admirable passive noise isolation. Physical buttons for power/playback/pairing, volume and ANC toggle can be found on the right ear-cup along with a status LED, while a USB-C charging port is present on the left ear-cup. One notable absentee here is a 3.5 mm stereo jack to use these headphones in wired mode if it runs out of battery. The buttons are fairly easy to access and offer a soft keypress. Touch controls aren’t available here but I didn’t miss them either.
Noise Master Buds Max - Key features: 8/10
The most striking feature of the Noise Master Buds Max is of course the involvement of experts from Bose to tune them. The codec support on these Bluetooth 5.4 headphones is decent with LHDC 5.0, SBC and AAC codecs compliance. LDAC or aptX would have been nicer as they are more commonly supported by most devices, but LHDC has also gained a lot of ground this year. Multi-point support is available and this product can be paired with two devices simultaneously; that works well.
Wear detection is also present but the sensor is present only inside the right ear-cup. It pauses the audio when you take off the headphones and resumes when you wear it again. However, it won’t work if you just lift the left ear-cup to have a quick chat. You get hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) here along with a transparency mode to let ambient sounds through. The company claims that the ANC can block up to 40 db of noise. Each ear-cup hosts a 40 mm dynamic driver and there are five microphones in total for calling and ANC.
One needs to download the Noise Audio app available on Android and iOS and sync these headphones with it to get the most out of these cans. It lets you tweak the sound output, enable/disable certain features, switch between different ANC modes, update the firmware and a couple other things. The app has a clean layout and is easy to use but has very limited functionality, especially for tuning the sound. It still seems to suffer from a hangover of the earlier Noise Master Buds and yet to warm up to the presence of the Max model though it supports it.
Noise Master Buds Max - Performance: 8/10
The wireless range is perfectly fine with the headphones retaining a strong connection at 10 metres with a clear line of sight and even with a concrete wall in between. The default sound signature, though not neutral, is nicely balanced. It is genuinely well-tuned out of the box and it would be safe to say that experts from Bose were indeed involved in the process. Now, it’s a good thing that the default sound is good as the app offers minimal sound tweaks. You just have a 3-band equaliser that lets you do only as much. Best to stick to the default output.
Continuing on the sound quality, the bass is tight with just the right thump. Bassheads may find it inadequate but it is spot on. The mids are reasonably good with clear vocals and decent instrument separation but tend to tangle with the highs at the upper end of the spectrum. The highs are sharp and have ample sparkle but could have been tempered slightly better, especially the S sounds. The detail in sound is acceptable for the segment, but the soundstage isn’t too broad, and the sound feels a tad centred. Switching on Spacial Audio from the app makes things a little better.
Having said that, the sound quality of these Noise headphones is very pleasant and enjoyable across various genres of music. If you do not like boosted bass, you will like it even more. When consuming voice-heavy content, the dialogue clarity is quite good and there’s ample punch in action sequences too. The Master Buds Max are fairly loud and perfectly audible around the 50% mark in quiet areas and I don’t remember going beyond 75% even when outdoors. There was no noticeable lag in audio and video when watching videos on popular OTT platforms.
The sound output stays consistent with or without ANC or Transparency enabled. Speaking of ANC, it isn’t class leading but effective at cutting out several low frequency sounds but not so much with midrange frequencies. So when you enable it on a flight, it dampens the engine sound but you can still hear a bit of chatter. There are two ANC modes - Max and Adaptive, with the latter doing a slightly better job though it takes a little longer to take effect. One thing I would like to mention is that the passive noise isolation on these Noise headphones is quite good and in several cases you may not need to turn on ANC.
The Transparency mode here is pretty good to stay aware of your surroundings, listen to announcements or have a quick chat with your headphones on. The sounds feel fairly natural, but boosting vocal frequencies a little would have made things even better. The overall ANC performance is decent but not as good as that on the Sony WH-CH720N that now sells for a few thousands less.
Noise Master Buds Max - Call quality: 7.5/10
The call quality on these headphones is pretty good, especially in quiet areas. Your voice is transmitted clearly to the person on the line, and the other person is perfectly audible too. In noisy areas, the noise suppression algorithm and the microphones array does minimise ambient noise but cannot eliminate it entirely. It does impact the voice clarity just a little but not enough to severely impact the conversation. These headphones can very much be used for calling even on the move.
Noise Master Buds Max - Battery life: (8.5/10)
The numbers are impressive in this department. The company claims a battery backup of 45 hours with ANC on and 60 hours without it. While I did not test the battery backup individually with ANC on and off, the headphones did last for close to 50 hours with about 5 hours of ANC and Transparency use. With close to 3 hours of daily listening, the battery can easily last for a fortnight, and you may only need to charge it twice a month. I can happily live with that.
It takes just about an hour to charge the Noise Master Buds Max fully with a standard USB-C charger. In case, it is almost out of juice and you are in a rush, a quick 10 mins charge can give you close to 10 hours of audio playback with ANC off. That should easily take you through a day of heavy listening on any domestic return flight before you find a charging point again. These are very good battery figures overall.
Noise Master Buds Max - Price, verdict and alternatives
The Noise Master Buds Max was priced at Rs 9,999 at launch (a month ago) in India with a one year warranty but now sells for Rs 11,999. The company should have stuck to the launch price as it is more apt for what it offers. At 2k higher it runs into a higher level of competition from the likes of Sony and Sennheiser that may be a bit too hot to handle. They are often spotted under 10K in online sales. So keep an eye out for that if you intend to buy these.
Now to answer the most pertinent question - do these sound like popular Bose models? No they don’t but they do exhibit shades of Bose in the way they are tuned. Bose or no Bose, they do sound good for a pair of wireless headphones priced around 10K with a crisp and punchy sound output. It is a good looking product that is comfortable to wear for long, offers more than decent ANC and Transparency performance, good call quality and close to 50 hours of battery backup.
The only real competition in this segment is the Sony WH-CH720N that sells between Rs 8,000 and Rs 9,000 these days, and offers comparative sound quality and battery backup and better ANC performance. If you prefer a bit more Bass in your sound, you will like the Sony more and if you like a more balanced output, the Noise Master Buds Max would be a better fit. Choose one depending on your taste and not what others prefer.