Intercom systems are unsung heroes of live production. They are a microcosm of tech teams, and they get relied on the most and appreciated the least. Once you get to the point that intercoms are necessary, it’s hard to imagine trying to accomplish anything without them. Over the years, I have tested many intercom units, and at the end of the day they are all similar. But one of the things that can enhance most intercom units is an excellent intercom headset. For years I have wondered what would happen if you put active noise cancelling on a solid intercom headset. Bose has answered that question with the SoundComm B40. Built on the legendary Bose noise-cancelling technology pedigree widely relied upon in the aviation industry, the SoundComm B40 is an intriguing addition to the intercom headset market.
The Bose SoundComm B40 is my new favorite headset.
The Test
For this review, I received a SoundComm B40, single-ear version. I picked this for two reasons: first, I couldn’t imagine the active noise cancellation would have any value in a single-ear model. Second, I wanted to test it in a high-noise environment—translation stage camera operator. I am old-school, and I learned that if you have a camera on your shoulder, your head is a point of contact, and having an ear cup between my head and the camera destabilizes that point. So I had the least-likely-to-succeed system in the most hostile environment. In my mind, this is the worst, or maybe best, possible use case.
How did it perform?
If you want to read up on the tech specs of the SoundComm B40, I did a first impression article based solely on the specs, which you can read. For this article, I want to focus on how the SoundComm B40 performed.
I would be lying if I didn’t say I was utterly blown away with how good this headset is. Nothing I can say would do it justice. I expected to be completely underwhelmed by this unit, especially with the single ear cup. I couldn’t believe that it would be anything worth discussing, and I could not have been more wrong. The SoundComm B40 is my new favorite headset. I don’t remember the last time I was on stage with the band and heard everything coming from the director. Our stage is loud enough that using the intercom is similar to poorly speaking a second language; sometimes, you recognize just enough of the words to get the gist, but you don’t get it all. With the SoundComm, that wasn’t the case. Each word was crystal clear, and I didn’t even need to put an earplug in my off ear. On the mic side, my director said I was a little soft on his end, but it was within tolerance. Considering we spent no time trying to dial in the bodypack to this headset, I find that acceptable.
Downsides?
There aren’t downsides to this headset, and the issues I have with it are not unique to this headset nearly as much as they are inherent in active noise-cancelling technology in general. I would have these issues with any active noise-cancelling unit, not just the Bose. First, all active noise cancelling requires power, so the SoundComm has a little battery pack with an on/off switch. I don’t love that you need batteries to make it work because it’s just one more failure point. However, I do love that if the battery is dead, you only lose the active noise cancelling, and the rest of the headset works like normal. I don’t think there is any way around needing battery power to make the active noise cancelling work, every active noise cancelling headphone I have used required batteries. I would qualify this not so much a downside as an understood requirement.
I do love that if the battery is dead, you only lose the active noise cancelling, and the rest of the headset works like normal.
Similarly, if you have ever used active noise-cancelling headsets at all, then you are familiar with the odd sensation caused by activating the active noise cancelling. Your brain thinks the lack of low-frequency sound results from a pressure differential between your inner and outer ear, and it causes a sensation similar to diving into deep water or being in an airplane, but just a little. It’s not bad enough that it’s painful or even uncomfortable, but it’s slightly odd. And for some people, it’s off-putting. For most though, after a few moments you don’t even notice. This sensation is the cost of doing business with active noise cancelling. Every active noise-cancelling headset I have used, regardless of brand, does this, and the SoundComm is no exception. The payoff is the SoundComm does cancel an insane amount of noise. So, for me, this is not an issue.
Conclusion
Bose is a premium brand, and as with all premium brands there is an inherent cost associated. The SoundComm B40 retails for $849. Is it worth it? Tough call, that’s a high price tag, but this is undoubtedly the best intercom headset I have ever used. I would say if it is mission-critical and has to work within your environment, then yes, 100%. If you are in a quiet room to begin with, however, then the diminishing returns may not justify the price tag. Despite the high price tag, I think this is an excellent unit for your stage camera operators or people in loud areas. In fact, it might be a good option for just a few of your people who are in the loudest environments. Lastly, I can’t stress enough: this was a single-ear unit, so I can only imagine that the double-ear unit would perform even better still.
