If there ’s one party that has become synonymous with noise cancellation , it ’s Bose . And with the company ’s latest earbuds — the $ 299Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II — Bose is clearly looking to solidify that report . It claims that the newwireless earbudsaren’t just better at canceling noise than the first - gen product ( which it will still trade while supplies last ) — they ’re better than any other active noise - set off ( ANC ) headphones or earbuds you may buy .
That might be enough to gain ground the company a batch of tax return business in the form of climb , and possibly some unexampled customers too . But there ’s more to a dictated ofnoise - canceling wireless earbudsthan just ANC — a lot more — so allow ’s see how the QuietComfort Earbuds II pile up , and if they should be your next wireless earbuds .
What’s in the box?
In addition to the QuietComfort Earbuds II ( or QCE II ) , their bill case , and a short USB - cytosine charging overseas telegram , you ’ll also regain two extra size of ellipse silicone polymer eartips and what Bose hollo “ constancy bands ” — modest silicone polymer gaskets that meet around the body of the earbuds to give a more secure tantrum .
What you wo n’t recover in the to the full reusable cardboard loge is any kind of real instructions . Instead , Bose wants you to download and use the Bose Music app for iOS and Android , which is plan to walk you through the apparatus , in addition to provide a motley of options and customizations .
Design
If you generally liked the design of the first - gen QuietComfort Earbuds but found them a bit bulky — as we did when we reviewed them — the unexampled model is a big stair in the right direction . Everything about them is small and light , including the burden case . The great , lock up clamshell from the first generation has been put back with a small , rounded , flip - top pattern that looks a small like theGoogle Pixel Buds Procase , albeit still substantially larger .
Without the press - push door latch , it ’s right smart easier to open even if you hunt a slightly increased risk of infection of having it open incidentally . It ’s still bulky when compare to theApple AirPods Pro , Sony WF-1000XM4 , Pixel Buds Pro , andJabra Elite 7 Pro , but you could now ( just ) fit it in your pocket .
Gone are the StayHear Max eartips , which integrate an oval bakshis with an internal ear fin — the fresh design single out set and stability into two pieces , letting you mingle and match until you find the correct combining .
Bose kept the tab - like material body of the earbuds themselves , so they still pop out from your ears a bit , but nowhere near as much as before , and it also save the first - gen ’s tactual sensation controls — you may tap and swipe anywhere on the elongate outer surface .
Another coherent feature article is theIPX4 rating . That means the QCE II are adequate to of handling stew or some rain , as long as you pass over them blank after a workout .
With the nonpayment tips and stability bands installed , I found them incredibly prosperous .
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (left) and first-gen QuietComfort Earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
But the QCE II lack radio set charging , a unknown omission considering the first - gen modelling had this feature and cost less too ( Bose usher in them at $ 279 ) . When I asked why , a Bose spokesperson told me it was in part because of the small case design , and because wireless charging does n’t matter to many people .
Both of those points finger leftover , however , not only because product like the AirPods Pro and Pixel Buds Pro cope to do radio charge in cases that are modest than the QCE II but also because if wireless charging does n’t matter , why does every other set of flagship wireless earbuds extend it ?
before long after the launch of the QCE II , Bose somewhat rectified the absence of wireless commove by creating the $ 49Bose Wireless Charging Case Cover , a silicone polymer sleeve that integrates a wireless charge receiver module .
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (left) and first-gen QuietComfort Earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Comfort, controls, and connections
For me , with the default tips and constancy bands installed , the QCE II are incredibly comfortable . If you do n’t wish the feeling of in - ear bud , they wo n’t change your mind , but they do a brilliant Book of Job of a sometimes tricky balancing act : getting a good seal while preserving a serious fit , and delay put when you stick them in .
If you ’re not sure about the sealing wax , the Bose Music app has a fit trial that will substantiate when you ’ve convey it lock .
Being capable to swipe your fingerbreadth up and down for volume is more visceral than using a single push .
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (left) and first-gen QuietComfort Earbuds.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
I took them to the gymnasium , out for pass , did a few video group meeting , and generally kept them in place for several hours at a time , and they never inconvenience oneself me . They are n’t as stone - firm and secure as the capitulum - fin - base first - gen earbuds , but I ’m OK with that — I found the constancy stripe to be a dead acceptable substitute , and they were secure enough for all of my everyday need .
The ascendancy also are very good . I broadly prefer physical release , but I intromit that being able-bodied to swipe your finger’s breadth up and down the QCE II ’s control surface is a path more intuitive process for adjusting intensity than using a single button . plain , Apple think so , too , as it has added the same characteristic to itssecond - gen AirPods Pro .
Bose does n’t let you qualify basic controls like play / intermission , track skip forward / back , or call answer / conclusion , but you could decide what the long - press ( Bose address that a cutoff ) does on each earbud . you’re able to pick between vary ANC mode and actuate your voice helper .
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (left) and first-gen Apple AirPods Pro.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
There is , however , excellent mastery over the clothing detector . By nonpayment , they will automobile - break and re-start your music ( which works really well ) or you may turn them off entirely . you’re able to also pick out to enable motorcar call - solution , so if your earphone band , you’re able to simply insert an earbud to pick up the call .
The QCE II use the latest chips from Qualcomm , with the a la mode Bluetooth version , and the connection is very stable , well past the 20 - foot spot indoors and up to 30 metrical unit outside . That ’s the good part . The not - so - good ( or perhaps just odd ) part is that Bose is barely employ what Bluetooth 5.3 can do . There ’s no financial backing forLE Audioand its correspond new codec , LC3 , there ’s noBluetooth multipointfor co-occurrent machine connections , and no Google Fast Pair or Microsoft Swift Pair . There is a workaround for multipoint , but it ’s not as graceful : the Bose Music app lets you switch between previously pair equipment without having to plunk into your equipment ’s Bluetooth carte .
Granted , the earbuds ’ firmware can be updated , and Bose has n’t rule out adding these features in the future tense . But there ’s no word on if or when that will happen .
First-gen Bose QuietComfort Earbuds charging case (top) and QuietComfort Earbuds II case.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Sound quality
The magnanimous new technical innovation on the QCE II versus the first gen is a feature called CustomTune . As shortly as you pluck the earbuds from their causa and put them in your ears , they perform a nearly instant test of your ears , measure how they transmit phone to your eardrums . fit in to Bose , this lease the QCE II effectively reply to the diminished differences in everyone ’s ears , every meter you wear them , and you do n’t have to create an account , go through a hearing test , or perform any tasks at all for benefit from it . It just happen .
You get four helpful presets ( Bass Boost , Base Reducer , ternary Boost , and Treble Reducer ) , to suit your tastes .
CustomTune is supposed to amend ANC and transparence ( more on these in a moment ) as well as profound quality .
First-gen Bose QuietComfort Earbuds charging case (top), QuietComfort Earbuds II case (bottom left) and first-gen Apple AirPods Pro charging case.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Does it work ? I ca n’t tell you , and I distrust no one else can either because there ’s no elbow room to handicap it in ordering to do an A / Bel comparison . Should you worry ? I do n’t think so , because the bottom line is that these earbuds sound really good , whether CustomTune gets the credit or not .
As with the first gen , Bose has given the QCE II a fun and vivacious sound signature that balance warm , resonant sea bass with readable highs and reasonably elaborated midtones . I think there have been improvements too ( mayhap it ’s the CustomTune ? ) , with less detectable straining at lower volumes . What has n’t changed is that these bud likely wo n’t have audiophiles singing their congratulations — I think you ’ll get a more precise performance from other models like theSennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 , theSony WF-1000XM4 , theTechnics EAH - AZ60 , and theAstell & Kern AK UW100 .
The fact that Bose has n’t adventure beyond SBC and AAC codec support reinforces that it ’s not after that crowd anyway .
Google Pixel Buds Pro charging case (left) and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II charging case.Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II put up the best noise cancellation I ’ve ever go through .
But what ’s new , and what I think makes all the difference , is that Bose now include the power to adjust the earbuds ’ EQ inside the Bose Music app . You get four helpful presets ( Bass Boost , Base Reducer , triple Boost , and Treble Reducer ) , but you may also change each of these ( or start from a neutral EQ ) to suit your penchant using a three - band set of sliders . Unfortunately , there ’s no way to save these individualize configurations , something I think Bose should consider adding now that it has come this far .
With these registration , you no longer call for to just swallow the manufactory tuning , so bass part - heads get more of what they like , while buff of podcasts or prima donna vocalizer can underline the sound they prefer . I still found myself sticking with the neutral EQ most of the time , but it was nice knowing I could switch it up if the mood strike me .
Noise cancellation and transparency
Apple ’s second - gen AirPods Pro were n’t available at the time of this writing , so it ’s possible I will call for to re - value this program line . But as of right now , the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II offer the best noise cancellation I ’ve ever experienced . Better than the first - gen QC Earbuds , better than the first - gen AirPods Pro , and better than Sony ’s flagship WF-1000XM4 earbuds andWH-1000XM5headphones . It ’s truly outstanding .
While on a short flight from New York City to Toronto aboard a De Havilland Dash 8 — a pretty noisy duplicate turbo-propeller plane aircraft — I got a chance to put the QCE II in a lineal comparability with the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the recently releasedGoogle Pixel Buds Pro .
The Sony offering , while excellent for a exercise set of ANC headphones , could n’t touch the QCE II . They rent in what I perceive as roughly twice the amount of sound . The Pixel Buds Pro faired better , as you might expect from earbuds that totally seal your ear canals , but they too could n’t quite obliterate those engine the way the Bose could .
That was before trying to play music . Once I impart in some tunes , even at moderate volumes , I was blissfully unaware of any cabin auditory sensation at all . interrogatively , you could sometimes detect the ANC algorithm doing their magic as new phone become part of your surround — they may be more obtrusive at first but then pull away into the background over the next endorsement or two .
As awesome as the ANC is , you might require to take reward of the power to contract its power under certain circumstances . First , at maximum enduringness , I found that I was cognisant of the “ sucking ” sensation that some folks are sensitive to . Backing it down a level or two ease that flavour . Second , if you ’re already in a comparatively quiet place and you ’re not listening to any medicine or other content , you will hear a slight background hiss .
Transparency mode , or “ aware ” modality as Bose calls it , also is very good . It still accrue just timid of the not - have on - any - earbuds sensation you get from the first - gen AirPods Pro , but it ’s perfectly subject of letting you hear the outside world . With Bose ’s optional ActiveSense system , any sudden forte sounds that occur while you ’re in aware mode will be automatically reduced . This can preserve your hearing , but also your marrow rate — as I was walk past a twist situation last week , a sudden , very loud bang made me almost stand out off the pavement . I wish I ’d been wearing the QCE II .
A big improvement over the first - gen is the ability to pedal between ANC and aware style without going through a third mode . you could still do this if you want — the Bose Music app in reality allow you define up to four modes of noise cancellation — but you do n’t have to ,
Call quality
Before I discourse the QCE II ’s call calibre , I need to address what we say in ouroriginal review of the first - gen earbuds , because it need some linguistic context . When Caleb Denison performed his call quality psychometric test of the QCE , he did it indoors only . At the time , it seemed like the right , ahem , call .
And when I screen the QCE II for this review , I also found the indoor call quality to be first-class . However , I then took them outside and repeated the test , with very unlike consequence . alfresco , depending on the amount of racket from dealings or wind , your voice can sound distant , tight , and at times very hard to hear . Worse still , those background noise are still quite hearable .
Battery life
Historically , Bose has n’t placed a heavy vehemence on bombardment life . The companionship ’s flagshipNoise strike down 700 Headphonesonly get 20 hours of use ( placing them near the bottom of the headphone heap along with theAirPods Max ) and the first - gen QC Earbuds only possessed up to six minute per charge and a total of 18 hours when you included their charge grammatical case capacitance .
There has n’t been any modification on the earbuds ’ side of the equality ( the QCE II still only get up to six hours ) but the charging case now holds three full charges rather of two , for a total of 24 hours , which at least brings them into AirPods Pro territory for total time .
But strangely , it actually takes longer now to quick - charge them : 20 minutes will corrupt you two extra time of day , whereas , on the first - gen , that only shoot 15 moment .
