The quiet revolution. Bose's new noise-cancelling headphones point to a growing market for peace in a hectic world.

Byline: JUSTIN CONNOLLY Technology Editor

TWENTY years ago, headphones did one thing. You plugged them into something and listened to your music. That was pretty much it.

Now they have become one of the most useful bits of tech we own. We use them for phone calls and video meetings, podcasts, films and gaming. And, increasingly, we put them on to listen to nothing at all.

Bose has just unveiled the next generation of its QuietComfort headphones, so it feels like a good moment to reflect on how much has changed.

The original QuietComfort consumer headsets appeared way back in 2000, bringing clever tech developed to make flying less noisy. Put them on, flick a switch and the drone of an aircraft engine disappeared.

A quarter of a century later, noise cancelling is one of the main reasons many of us buy headphones.

The new QuietComforts cost PS299.95 and arrive in the UK on August 13 at bose.co.uk.

They promise better adaptive noise cancelling, spatial audio, lossless listening over USB-C and a new Cinema mode designed to make dialogue clearer when you're watching films.

The battery life is 24 hours, and unusually they're cheaper than the headphones they replace. The previous QuietComfort launched at PS349.95.

Bose isn't alone, of course. Sony's excellent WH-1000XM6 (PS349, sony.co.uk) are among its biggest rivals and they have spent years fighting Bose for the noise-cancelling crown.

When Apple's AirPods first appeared in 2016they looked faintly ridiculous -- like somebody had cut the wires off a pair of Apple's old EarPods. Then everyone bought them.

The latest AirPods Pro 3 (PS219, apple.com/uk) can change how much outside noise they let through automatically, reduce particularly loud sounds and even work as hearing aids for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Nothing, meanwhile, has turned its headphones into something of a fashion accessory. Its transparent Ear earbuds show off the electronics inside, while its Headphone (1) (PS249, nothing.tech) over-ear headphones look unlike anything from Bose, Sony or Apple.

All of which perhaps explains what's happened.

Headphones used to be an accessory for another gadget. You bought a new Walkman, Discman or iPod and a pair came in the box. Now they're gadgets in their own right.

A good pair can follow you through almost an entire day. Podcasts on the morning commute. Video calls at work. Music at lunchtime. A film on the train home again.

And then, perhaps most importantly, five minutes of glorious silence when you've just had enough of everybody.

Smartphones are still the most important gadgets we own, but headphones might have quietly become the most personal. After all, your phone connects you to the world. And your headphones are there to help you shut it out.

CAPTION(S):

Nothing Headphone (a)

Sony's WH-1000XM6 headphones

Apple AirPods Pro 3