If you can afford it, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are a fantastic all-around choice for everyone. This is a fantastic substitute for the Sony WF-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Pro. The level of noise cancellation is up to you, and you may take advantage of premium features like automated ear recognition. These earphones have an IPX4 grade, which qualifies them as a good exercise partner.
It seems like the search for the ideal noise-canceling earphones will never stop. For iPhone owners, the Apple AirPods Pro are the obvious choice, but Bose wants you to think about their QuietComfort Earbuds as well. These earphones are worthwhile, whether you’re a diehard Android user or an ardent Apple lover. The price of Bose’s noise-canceling headphones reflects the company’s conviction that they are nothing short of brilliant. To evaluate how the Bose QC Earbuds stack up against the fierce competition, we used them for a week.
How do the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds feel to wear?
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are stylish but clunky, and they are available in black or white. The style is discrete with delicate curves, like the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Bose received a lot of criticism for the ridiculously large, initial true wireless earphones. Bose’s QC Earbuds have been shrunk, but they still stick out from the ear more than other competitors.
The earphones fit within a large charging case that has a matte black finish. The casing is simple to clean simply wiping it with a cloth, which you should do a few times a week because it quickly gathers oils. The casing has four Lights that show how much battery is left. Between the two earbud cutouts inside, there is a button that may be pressed to manually start pairing mode.
The earphones enter pairing mode when you open the case for the first time. Download the Bose Music app for the best experience. This is necessary to swiftly switch between devices, change control settings, design a unique EQ, and modify ANC levels. By double-tapping the left earbud, you may cycle among the three fast favorite ANC/transparency mode levels that you have set.
Which Bluetooth codecs are supported by Bose QuietComfort Earbuds?
The QuietComfort Earbuds employ Bluetooth 5.1 and work well within a nine-meter range, just as the Bose Sport Earbuds. You won’t have to worry about connection dropouts whether you use the earphones indoors or outside or while working from home.
The QuietComfort Earbuds, like other contemporary wireless Bose headphones, offer SBC and AAC as the Bluetooth codecs. The high-end AAC codec is easily supported by iOS, which is great news for iPhone users. Android struggles to reliably stream via AAC. If inconsistent streaming quality gets to be too much of a pain, you may always force SBC from the developer settings on your Android phone.
How long does the Bose QuietComfort earbuds’ battery last?
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds survived 5 hours, 29 minutes with active noise cancellation turned on when we subjected them to a steady 75 dB output until the batteries died. This is better than average for ANC true wireless earbuds, outperforming the Sony WF-1000XM4 but not the AirPods Pro.
With only 15 minutes in the case, you can fast charge the earphones, giving you 120 minutes of playback. Two hours are required to complete a full charge cycle for the earphones, and three hours are required to fully charge the case using USB-C. The case also supports Qi wireless charging, although the speed is limited by your particular mat.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds’ noise-cancelling capacity.
The active noise cancellation of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds is a major benefit for people who commute frequently. It successfully quiets down continuous droning noises like the roar of an engine and the grind of a railway car to sound up to 90% quieter. The earphones’ ability to effectively block out the noise produced by my stationary bike arrangement astounded me. When I ride my bike normally, the resistance mechanism shakes the entire apartment, but when I have the Bose QC Earbuds’ ANC set to 10, I scarcely hear anything.
You may modify the sliding scale from levels 1 to 10, which also affects the transparency mode and ANC in the opposite direction. The amount of ambient passthrough audio increases when the ANC intensity is reduced. It took me a while to understand this because, when compared to its rivals, the ambient noise mode sounds rather decent. It sounds among the most realistic transparency hearing implementations, and I prefer it to others like the Nothing Ear 1.
The sound quality of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds.
As you can see above, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds have a strong frequency response and closely fit our consumer curve. The majority of listeners will appreciate this sound profile, which is common among other premium consumer headsets. Like with any headset, the sound quality depends on how well the earbuds fit your ears. Three ear tip sizes from Bose—small, medium, and large—should fit the majority of ear canals. This is necessary for both effective active noise cancellation and superior bass reproduction.
Midpoints, highs, and lows
The Bose QC Earbuds are excellent for listening to Kishi Bashi’s song Honeybody because they accurately recreate the bass notes even during instrumentally hectic sections (1:42). Only a few seconds later, the boosted high-midrange helps the high-pitched “Ohs” stand out from the joyful hubbub. Sometimes, like in the song Speaking Terms by Snail Mail, treble notes are overemphasized. Lindsey Jordan’s voice is more difficult to hear from the cymbal impacts than it should be if you skip to the end of the second hook at 2:20.
Can you make calls on the Bose QuietComfort earbuds?
Although it can get you through phone calls, the earbuds’ microphone system isn’t the finest we’ve heard from a TWS earbud, but it’s still adequate. The microphone array of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds never causes speech comprehension problems, however there is some little distortion.
Please take a time to listen to our microphone recording and provide feedback on its sound quality. This aids our readers in understanding how it sounds in relation to a sizable index of goods.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds: Should You Buy Them?
If you can afford it, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are a fantastic all-around choice for everyone. Although this is pricey, its adaptability lessens the financial hit. After all, you can utilize this as you workout, participate in a conference call, and commute every day.
Although many people like the flat, simple look of Bose, not everyone may prefer the huge housings. If every centimeter counts, take into account that the casing is large compared to other ANC true wireless earbuds. Also, most of us honest nine-to-fivers find it difficult to justify the cost. Thankfully, other high-end Bose headsets frequently go on sale, so given enough time, it’s probable that the QC Earbuds will as well.
In place of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, what should you purchase?
You can get the AirPods Pro (1st generation) for a lot less if you possess an iPhone and aren’t yet hooked on the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. If you download the Bose Music app, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds give a fluid user experience on either mobile operating system, but it’s not as seamless as using either of the Apple AirPods on iOS 14. Our article, Apple AirPods Pro (1st generation) vs. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, compares the two headsets.
Those who can afford it could want to get the AirPods Pro (2nd generation) instead. Although not by much, these earbuds outperform the earlier model and include new capabilities. You may use the Adaptive Transparency option, which functions similarly to the QC Earbuds II’s Aware Mode with Active Sense from Bose. In the second-generation AirPods Pro, you also get better ANC and a somewhat bassier sound. The casing and buds are protected against light water splashes thanks to its IPX4 grade. In order to make the casing easier to locate within a room, Apple also inserts a speaker on the bottom. Moreover, the second-generation AirPods Pro are a tad less expensive at $229 on Amazon.
