Massachusetts - based audio giant , Bose , of late released the successor to its first gen QuietComfort Earbuds , which come out two years ago . The newly released bud , named the QuietComfort Earbuds II ( QC Earbuds II ) , land with them a superfluity of upgrades . Enhanced Active Noise Cancellation ( ANC ) , a trimmed down size , and improved audio , just to name a few . Priced at $ 299 , Bose ’s former handout is definitely not what many would call cheap . But for the most part , it ’s worth the Leontyne Price .
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
Bose claims the QuietComfort Earbuds II feature the earthly concern ’s full noise cancellation , and it may be correct . The ANC on these buds give their predecessors middling elusive contender . Coupled with enhanced audio and improved bioengineering , and Bose ’s latest liberation is a winner .
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
What is it ?
The second iteration of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds , boast enhanced aesthetics and humankind - class fighting noise - cancellation .
cost
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
$ 299
Likes
A snug fit , decent battery life , laughably impressive ANC , well - designed companion app , intuitive controls that are easy to learn , and the kind of bass that you feel in your chest .
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
Dislikes
Pretty underwhelming supplement specially considering the price , a mic that does n’t melt off background racket very well , and the absence of multipoint connectivity and wireless charging .
Unexciting accessory loadout
The QC Earbuds II come neatly package in a sturdy composition board box with a couple of important accessories . In the package , the company only includes what ’s necessary . Hence , you do n’t get the bells and pennywhistle that often keep company other earbuds , include but not limited to a cushioned carrying guinea pig , sticker , or a escape adapter . For such premium pricing , the packaging is quite bland . I would ’ve preferred the kind of effortMaster & Dynamicputs into its accessories . Since , in damage of price , that company ’s earbuds lie in in the same grade as the QC Earbuds II , I believe it is comely of me to expect the same attention to detail from Bose .
Apart from the charging typesetter’s case that houses the bud , the package let in a Type - C to Type - A charging cable television service , three brace of eartips and stability bands , and some necessary paperwork . The 12 - inch cable system is coated with a slender layer of condom and is sorely mere - looking . Do n’t bear the woven nylon charge cable television service that often accompany expensive product . All in all , especially conceive the sinewy Leontyne Price tag , the QC Earbuds II ’s inner circle - ins deficiency the sophistication and form that a premium product should ooze out .
Slightly improved aesthetics
The bud come put up in a flatness plastic charging caseful with rounded edge and a slightly stretch bottom . I was bear ( and hoping for ) a smudge - proof alloy shell that would glimmer right at me as I unboxed the package . Unfortunately , the charge suit is neither metal nor smudge - cogent evidence . My finger’s breadth beautify it with multiple scrape within just a few bit of using it . Having sound out that , I ’m beaming Bose made some significant changes to the case ’s plan . Unlike on the first gen , the QC Earbuds II ’s case is vertical , with a lid at the top that open securely and closes with a satisfying suction stop . The redesign charge case bring in it considerably easier to roll the bud out of their post and bob them back in , which is not what my experience with the 2020 model looked like .
The case ’s organic structure is nothing extravagant . It host two petite status - expose LEDs , one for pairing and the other for battery . The front of the case has the caller ’s name emblazoned on it , and there is a Type - C charge port on its bottom . On the back of the case , there ’s a reset / pairing button that already felt like it had been pressed way too many time when I first pressed it . I ’m not certain if it was just my review unit of measurement that was faulty , but the button was a minuscule too pressed in , with an alarmingly shallow mouse click .
Snug fit
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
With regard to ergonomics , Bose made some passably impressive changes in the QC Earbuds II as compared to their predecessor . The buds now feature a two - piece paroxysm consist of an eartip and a stableness isthmus . As mentioned antecedently , there are supernumerary couple of deviate sizes for both the tips and the band that number as part of the package , and you could also order XL or XS eartips from Bose technological living if none of the included option work for you .
A feature that specially stood out to me was the Eartip Fit Test offered in the Bose Music app . By run a elementary position hitch that take around five seconds to complete , the app lets you experience whether or not your seal is ideal . you may experiment with various tip and ring size until the app approves of your seal . This feature benefit you not only primed - wise but audio - wise , as well . The ideal seal give up you to get the least interference potential .
In term of comfort , these bud are as comfy as they can get . Very few in - ear earbuds manage to stick to in my extra small ears ; most of them keep protrude out . The QC Earbuds II sport a moderately turgid prominence right next to the eartip that tightly hugged my ear ’s concha at all times . The constancy dance orchestra secured the scene , locking the bud in home .
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
Rich lows and spacious highs
Bose ’s CustomTune applied science start the biggest role in making the QC Earbuds II sound brilliant . When you plug away the buds in , they take less than a arcsecond to find out the shape of your ear duct , which they do by deliver and take heed to the echo from a quick orchestral tone . By graduate each bud according to your ears , the bud will come up with a custom audio visibility that supposedly tunes the noise cancellation and audio belongings to suit your ear best , rather than relying on a one - size - fit - all solution like anterior Bose products . The sound profiles are optimized each time the bud are break , even if they ’re going inside the same spike canal , to answer for for changes . Bose also order us that the collected data is processed on and never leaves the buds .
The QC Earbuds II took just a few seconds to connect to my iPhone and sustain a unchanging connection throughout my examination , without any stutter or lag . There is , however , a bone I have to pick with the bud ’ connectivity . It ’s quite surprising , especially considering their Mary Leontyne Price , that they do n’t extend multipoint connectivity , which means they are incapable of being connected to two separate twist at the same meter .
If you ’re seem for an upgrade in term of sea bass , the QC Earbuds II are emphatically the solution . The buds deliver vastly full-bodied basso – the kind that you feel in your chest and throat . This bass has oomph to it . It stands out from the quietus of the mix , demanding attention . Some companies overdo freshwater bass , which some apprise due to the physical mavin they get from it , but I retrieve it sounds off . Such freshwater bass is stripped of its detail and end up sounding too and unnecessarily compact . Bose has done a fantastic job at steering clear of that grave mistake . The bass voice has just the right amount of depressed - end thump but has mountain of clarity and contingent as well . I listened to The Best Part by gardenstate to test the low - frequency of these buds , and I chop-chop realized that the song has never sound better to me .
Screenshot: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
I would n’t just call the QC Earbuds II double - forward , but I also would n’t say they ’re lacking double . I think the highs are lustrous and spacious . They ’re pretty decent and will in spades make you move a piffling , but they wo n’t make you jump out of your posterior . They ’re also not as easily evident in the mixing as the lows are . I move back to my Nostalgia playlist to heed to the classic , It Ai n’t Me by Selena Gomez , and concluded that I have hear well double .
Overall , the buds deliver a warm auditory sensation profile without tinniness . The sound stage is impressively wide , with a lot of elbow room for all the vocals and instruments in it . The elements do not voice clustered together and all have sufficient room to glow .
Intuitive controls
The control on these buds are fairly simple , but I came across a twosome of misstep while pilot them . A individual dab on either of the buds will trifle or pause audio recording . Pulling one of the buds out of your capitulum will also do the same function for you . for skip to the next track , double - rap an earbud , and triple - tap it to rewind . slide up or down on an earbud either raises or lowers the intensity of your audio . I recover the spot panel to be by and large reactive and , all thanks to the farsighted , pop control stick , my fingers had enough space to freely pilot it .
The volume control was a little glitchy , though . I found a slight hold in the mass Pseudemys scripta responding to my speck . Also , the earbud misunderstood my very obvious sliding apparent movement for a tap fashion too many times for me to be patient about it . You ’d get impatient too if your birdcall celebrate pausing whenever you seek to tweak its volume .
The Bose Music app allows you to customize what long - tapping an earbud does . However , there ’s only two options – cycling between modes or access phonation control . The customization lineament is n’t as helpful as I would ’ve like it to be . In fact , it seems a lilliputian forced . give that there are two bud and two feature film , the company could have just assigned one feature to each bud .
Screenshot: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
World-class ANC
The ANC ( active haphazardness cancel ) on the QC Earbuds II is out of this worldly concern . And the reason I can confidently certify to this is that I subsist right next to a playground that is always dwell with dozens of kids , all under the historic period of 10 . The kind of dissonance closing off that these buds put up is usually only expected from over - the - ear headphone with memory foam earcups . The fact that little silicone polymer tips could manage to do the same is perfectly commendable .
There are two default ANC modes to choose from : Quiet and Aware . The former made me sense like I was in a separate existence of my own . It parry out passably much all the noise coming from the resort area and tone down the humming of my washing simple machine by a swell grade . Earbuds often feature an exaggerated and a rather imitation hiss when their ANC is plough on . Thankfully , the QC Earbuds II did n’t make that error .
I did notice that the ANC on these buds is better at blockade out in high spirits - absolute frequency sound than low - frequency unity . This was not our experience with the Apple AirPods Pro 2 , which did an excellent job at blocking out mysterious rumble sound such as fomite and jalopy . I ’d say the QC Earbuds II fall just a small short here . compare to the Pixel Buds Pro , though , the QC Buds II do fairly well . Google ’s bud boast sufficiently good ANC and mute most crushed - oftenness rumble , but they let a lot of high - relative frequency sound slip .
The Aware mode is equally neat and admit you to enjoy your music while outride in touch with the rest of the world . It take in use of the ActiveSense technology to bring a trivial bit of ANC into it . When you turn ActiveSense on , Bose fine-tune the dissonance cancellation of the Aware Mode to facilitate a peaceful medicine experience for you while making sure it does n’t whole shut out environmental sounds .
Not the most Impressive mic I’ve come across
I called my boyfriend while testing the QC Earbuds II to screen their mic out . While he could get wind me fine , he pointed out several times that he could hear the youngster in the background a little too well . Reducing background noise is not something the mic on these buds is focused on . He also remarked that it vocalize as if my phonation were distant . Regarding the texture of the interpreter , he commented on the slight echo and reverb it was bring forth .
Bose music app
The companion apps for audio peripherals are often overwhelming , with way too much blend on for the mean person to easily navigate them . The Bose Music app is the cleanest and fluent companion app I have come across . It is neatly designed and sports an interface that is not only improbably easy to pilot but looks esthetically pleasing , too .
The app offers users the power to create two ANC modes in addition to the two ( Quiet and Aware ) already offer . They can do this by clicking on ‘ produce Mode ’ and then picking the desire grade of racket cancellation for that way . They can also pick a name for their create modes from the tilt provide : Commute , Home , Walk , to name a few .
Bose ’s Music app also sport EQ preferences , though they ’re rather simple . you’re able to manually increase and decrease the bass , mids , and treble . Or you could make use of the Bass Boost , Bass Reducer , triplex Boost , and Treble Reducer buttons to have the app do it for you .
Battery and water resistance
On paper , the QC Earbuds II are supposed to have a battery life of six hours , with the bill case providing an additional 18 hour . The solvent of my examination were almost adjust with the company ’s title , with the buds go just a little less than six hours . It ’s quite surprising , and a bit unjust given the price , that the buds do not feature wireless charging . As a outcome , you ’ll have to be tethered to a socket while the bud are getting replenish with juice . However , Bose promises two hour of listening time with just 20 transactions of charging , so the absence seizure of wireless charging is n’t a huge dealbreaker .
The QC Earbuds II are rated IPX4 , which mean they can put up sweat and weak stir of water . This makes them suitable for acute exercise sessions .
Should I buy the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II?
The QC Earbuds II are overall middling impressive , but they come with their average share of flaws . regard their Mary Leontyne Price , they should have definitely feature multipoint connectivity and the ability to be charged wirelessly . The mic could have been laconic and better at reducing unwanted background noise . Also , there could have been more think put into the packaging and appurtenance to match the cost tatter . Having said that , Bose has come a long way since the first version of these bud . The eubstance of both the earbuds and the charging case has received a massive service , the fit is immensely comfortable , and the bombardment liveliness is moderately good . The ANC is absolutely brilliant and the bass pull in you feel like you have monolithic over - the - capitulum earpiece on . If you ’re looking for a equipment that all close out unwanted environmental noise , these are the buds to go for . If you ’re on a budget and do n’t wish much about ANC or bass , the two best characteristic of the QC Earbuds II , then you’re able to feel free to pass by on these .
This article was originally published on 2025-03-04 at 4:45 PM ET .
AirPodsAppleAudio electronicsBoseHeadphonesiPhonePixel bud
Daily Newsletter
Get the best technical school , science , and culture news in your inbox daily .
News from the future , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
