Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Are Already Taking on the New Airpods Pro

Bose stepped into the custom active noise - offset secret plan today , dare Apple’sAirPods Pro 2nd Genreveal to announce its QuietComfort Earbuds II . shun features unrelated to audio calibre like spatial audio or , um , wireless charging , these $ 300 earbuds concentre alone on custom dynamic noise canceling , which purportedly builds a profile that specifically jibe your pinna shape .

According to Bose ’s lead engineer for these earbuds , who I got to speak to during a closet upshot where I also got to try the earbuds , the way the company normally does active noise canceling is to have as many people as possible try its earbuds , then establish a profile that can wait on each of them about equally well . But every auricle pattern is dissimilar , which means you lose out on some timber by trying to make the same profile work for people who might have vastly different ear canals .

What the QuietComfort II does instead is probe your earbuds by playing a specialised sound when you first put them in , and listening to the reverberation to adjust your active noise - canceling ( ANC ) profile accordingly . It ’s always difficult to test how much tech like this is smoke and mirrors , particularly since I was n’t capable to A / B test it at the reveal upshot in New York . But the end point ANC was among the best I ’ve listen to , even compared toSony ’s headsetsand my ownAirPods Pro .

Photo: Michelle Ehrhardt / Gizmodo

Apple ’s call that the ANC on the 2d Gen AirPods Pro is twice as undecomposed as the 1st Gen ’s need to hold water if the company want to compete . While I had to take my Bose demonstration with a texture of table salt give its extremely cook up environment , I could barely hear through my earbuds ’ ANC in a simulated train , suburban neighborhood , or airplane environment . I just necessitate the slight touch of medicine to feel entirely separated .

Even if Apple ’s claims do live up to promise , the QuietComfort Earbuds II also amount with an app that ensure you have a good physical seal before you start listening . The earbuds total with 3 dissimilar ear gratuity and 3 different support wings , which will help oneself you discover your fit . I did n’t get to wear upon them for long , but theirPixel Buds Pro - like design felt more well-fixed in my pinna than the bean shaped figure of the AirPods . Regardless , it ’s skillful to get some assistance when I in reality put the bud in .

You do n’t need the app to get the usance ANC , though . Each earbud has an ( as of yet unspecified ) onboard check that automatically fine-tune custom ANC for you each time you take it out of its cause and put it in your auricle . For privacy ’s sake , this entropy never leaves your earbuds .

Photo: Michelle Ehrhardt / Gizmodo

Photo: Michelle Ehrhardt / Gizmodo

We ’re excited to try these buds out with more exhaustive examination down the line . For now , a few downside do still present themselves . The unsound is the price , which is $ 299 . That ’s $ 50 more than even the freshly announced 2nd Gen AirPods Pro , and you ’d misplace out on some features . There ’s also no spatial audio .

What ’s more discouraging is the lack of wireless charging , meaning you ’ll require to secure in your bud ’ case every metre it needs juice . As of now , the expect battery life for the buds themselves is 6 hours without the case and 24 hours with . Bose says you’re able to also tight charge the buds for 2 hours of playback within 20 minutes , so long as you put them in the case and plug it in .

It might be a nitpick , but that charging slip is also importantly larger than the AirPods Pro Gen 1 case . If you ’ve beget a purse or little pockets , these are a bit less portable .

Photo: Michelle Ehrhardt / Gizmodo