Bose QuietComfort Headphones - Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Active Over Ear Noise Cancelling and Mic, USB-C Charging, Deep Bass, Up to 24 Hours of Playtime, Black

Why it's worth it

Bose QuietComfort headphones are among the most comfortable over-ears you can buy, with strong active noise cancellation and up to 24 hours of battery. This is a team gift — the kind a whole department pools for when a manager is retiring or has had a genuinely hard year.

If your boss flies, this is the gift they'll remember. Bose built its reputation on cancelling the low drone of an airplane cabin, and the QuietComfort line is still the reference point for comfort on long wears. Plush over-ear cushions and a padded band mean six hours in seat 14C doesn't leave sore ears. That's the specific complaint frequent travelers have about competing headphones.

The battery holds up for a coast-to-coast round trip. Bose rates them at up to 24 hours with cancellation on, and a 15-minute USB-C top-up buys about 2.5 more hours. There's also an included audio cable with an in-line mic, so a dead battery on the tarmac doesn't mean silence — plug in and keep going.

From our review of 7 gifts for your boss

What we like

• +If your boss flies, this is the gift they'll remember
• +The battery holds up for a coast-to-coast round trip
• +Quiet and Aware modes cover the open-office case as well as the airplane one
• +As a group gift, this hits the note the Emily Post Institute recommends

What to know

• –Over-ears are wrong for some people
• –It's a lot of gift for one person to give