Bose is one of the biggest names in personal audio, so when it releases a new flagship pair of true wireless earbuds, we stand up and take notice. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II claims to have the “world’s best” active noise cancellation and excellent sound quality that has made the brand a household name.
At $279, they’re priced to compete with other flagship sets, like the Sony WF-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Pro 2. Though we haven’t tested Apple’s flagship set, the QuietComfort Earbuds II offer the best active noise cancellation of any pair of headphones or earphones we’ve tested. In that silence, the sound quality shines and impresses in its own right. There are a couple of shortcomings to be aware of, but taken as a whole, this is a splendid set that does an excellent job of letting you listen in peace and quiet.
Specifications
- Current Price: $279 (Amazon)
- Key Features:
- World’s Best Active Noise Cancellation
- CustomTune Audio
- Aware Mode
- Adjustable EQ
- Fit: Comes with 3 sizes of eartips and 3 sizes of stability bands to personalize the perfect fit to your ear
- Materials:
- Earbuds: Plastic, gold plating, sweat and water resistant (IPX4)
- Eartips: Silicone
- Case: Hard plastic
- Microphones: 4 microphones in each earbud
- Technology:
- Bluetooth range: Up to 30 ft
- Bluetooth version: 5.3
- Codec: SBC and AAC
- Chipset: Qualcomm® S5 Audio SoC
- Battery:
- Battery life: Up to 6 hours
- Earbud charge time: 1 hour
- Charging case charge time: 3 hours
- Quick-charge time: 20 minutes for 2 hours
- Battery charge method: USB-C
- Battery type (earbud): Lithium-ion
- Battery type (case): Lithium-ion
- Automatic on/off feature to preserve battery
- Dimensions & Weight
- Earbuds:1.2" H x 0.68" W x 0.88" D (0.22 oz each)
- Charging case:2.61" H x 2.34" W x 1.05" D (2.11 oz)
- USB cable:12"
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II - What Is It?
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II have been in the hopper for some time, and now that we’ve arrived I’m pleased to say that they’re worth the wait. In terms of design, you can certainly see some of that familiar design language, but the buds are smaller, more reliable, and most importantly, offer much-improved sound quality and ANC.
Taking them out of the box for the first time, the first thing I noticed was how much smaller the new charging case is. The original QC Earbuds has a large case that was hard to carry in a pocket for long periods of time. The new model doesn’t have the smallest surface area, but I found it to be easier to carry than either the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 or the Sony WF-1000XM4.
The earbuds themselves are also much improved. The originals were already a bit large at the time of their release and over time had become noticeably bulkier than the competition. The QC Earbuds II features the same oval stem, but are much smaller and snug in the ear. They’re still bigger than the AirPods Pro but are an overall better, more fashionable fit.
The set also comes with a refined comfort system. Each pair of QC Earbuds II comes with its own FitKit consisting of silicone ear tips and retention rings (stability bands) to help them stay snug in the ear. It’s worth taking the time to try each size (small, medium, large) to find the right balance between sealing off the air and holding in place comfortably. A proper seal is pivotal to achieving the best sound quality and ANC performance, but when you find the combination that works best for you, they become some of the most comfortable and secure true wireless earbuds on the market. Even with vigorous movement, they stayed locked in my ears, blissfully blocking out the sounds of the outside world.
The buds use touch controls for navigating tracks, calls, and controlling volume. Tapping either earbud will play or pause tracks and answer calls. Double or triple tapping navigates tracks or ends calls. Sliding your finger up or down the faceplate turns increases and decreases volume. These controls were mostly quite reliable, but they could be a bit sensitive and pause a track that I meant to skip at times. Part of this is just learning how to best use the earbuds, and I didn’t find them to be any worse than other flagship earbuds with capacitive touch in this regard.
Battery life remains six hours, like the original, and this can vary depending on your listening volume. The charging case increases total playback time to 24 hours, which equates to three full recharges. The buds support fast charging, and 20 minutes in the case can return up to 2 hours of listening. There is no wireless charging, which is disappointing for the price, but this may not matter if you’re not already committed to a wireless Qi charger for your electronics.
Disappointingly, the QuietComfort Earbuds II are one of the only earbuds I’ve tested in the last several years that do not support independent use of both earbuds. The left earbud is tied to the right, so you can’t simply swap earbuds if you run one dry listening to an audiobook. Putting the right earbud into the case disconnects both buds, so swapping earpieces to extend battery life isn’t an option here.
The buds offer app support, and it’s a useful way to customize the sound and intensity of the active noise cancellation. Inside the app, you can access a three-band equalizer or swap between four preset EQs (bass enhance/reduce, treble enhance/reduce). These in-app EQs can be hit or miss for how they degrade the sound, but the implementation here is great. The default sound is very bass-rich, but I was able to drop that slightly and increase the highs for more clarity. It’s definitely worth taking the time to play with because it’s very hard to make these earbuds sound “bad” even with custom settings.
The app also offers a suite of other features, including an eartip fit test, the ability to create custom ANC/transparency modes, disabling wear detecting, and swapping between Bluetooth connections. The latter is a middle-ground to multipoint pairing, which is set to come along with aptX support in an update next year.
There are lots of features, but it’s disappointing that multipoint and high-res codecs weren’t available for launch and are planned to release in 2023. At the current price, those missing features put these otherwise excellent earbuds at a disadvantage to the competition.
At least in supporting features — the QuietComfort Earbuds II absolutely nails the basics of sound quality and ANC. Bose is known for delivering superior sound that’s crafted for mainstream listeners. That means plenty of bass but also rich details to cater to different genres of music. Likewise, its QuietComfort products are largely considered some of the best ANC headphones and earphones available today. These earbuds do nothing to harm that excellent reputation and are extremely impressive.
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II - Listening and Daily Use
I saved my impressions of the sound quality and ANC performance for this section because these are earbuds designed to be lived with. And as such, they’re designed to be customized to exactly your taste. I lived with these buds for a good two weeks and I can’t see myself switching from them any time soon.
The out of box sound is very full and rich with bass. The bass isn’t bloated and doesn’t intrude on the mids or highs, so the earbuds don’t sound muddy at all. I was impressed by just how low it reached, too. These are earbuds with definitely rumble and punch, so whether you’re listening to The Hills by The Weeknd or using them to level up an alt in Elder Scrolls Online, you’ll find plenty to enjoy.
Bose is known for its mids, and that definitely comes through here. Vocals come to the front of the mix and there’s a bit of an edge to them. I really like this sound, both for vocals as well as instruments and even spoken word. While singers sound lush and natural, spoken word has an almost etched quality. You’ll have no trouble hearing the person on the other end of calls, even if it’s over Discord in the middle of an intense match.
Highs, on the other hand, shine through but aren’t sharp. Bass-centric tunings often leave clarity by the wayside, but Bose did a great job of tuning these to remain clear and detailed without ever touching the in-app EQ. Treble extension isn’t the most prominent, so I did find it worthwhile to tweak up the highs a little bit to bring out some extra air in the sound and to raise the volume of cymbals a touch.
The overall impression is very positive. These earbuds sound fantastic, even without aptX support. I wound up using a custom EQ that tweaked up the sub-bass rumble, dropped the mid-bass a touch, and raised the highs for a clear, expansive sound. With it, I’ve listened to everything from hip-hop to prog-rock to violin and piano-driven classical. There is nothing the QuietComfort Earbuds II can’t handle. These are some of my favorite-sounding true wireless earbuds of all time.
The ANC performance is next-level. Bose has tuned active noise cancellation to target some of the middle and high frequencies other earbuds avoid, so they’re more effective at canceling out voices, keyboards, and HVAC systems than other earbuds I’ve tested, including the Sony WF-1000XM4s, a set that I previously considered the best available for true wireless active noise cancellation.
Well, move over Sony. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are the new reigning kings of true wireless ANC. The improved mid-range cancellation does a fantastic job of quieting down offices and cafes, really anywhere people may be talking. It’s surprising how good it actually is (I may have even said “wow” the first time.
The earbuds also have an excellent Aware Mode that reverses the microphones so you can hear your surroundings. The quality of the sound is very natural, so much so that you may even forget you’re hearing through earbuds instead of naturally. They also intelligently scale down very loud noises so you’re never having your ears blown out by a loud bang or slam (which happens to me often in a house with four kids under eight).
Oddly, you can’t disable ANC. Within the app, you can create your own customized mode with a Noise Cancellation slider, but turning it all the way down simply turns on Aware Mode. While I almost always want ANC enabled anyway, it would have been nice to be able to turn it off to save on battery life.
The earbuds excel at the fundamentals, which leaves me reaching for them as my daily carry, but I definitely wish they supported independent listening. I tend to wear my earbuds for long stretches and often run the right earbud dry. Having to put them back in the case for 20 minutes isn’t a big deal, but it is an inconvenience other earbuds don’t force me to experience.
Likewise, I wouldn't pick these up just for gaming. They don't offer a low latency mode, so you'll experience noticeable delay in fast-paced shooters. For MMORPGs and slower-paced games, this is no big deal, and they can work well there.
Final Thoughts
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are an excellent pair of noise-canceling earbuds. There are a couple of odd quirks, like the inability to use the left bud without the right and the lack of wireless charging, but they sound fantastic and have the best active noise cancellation of any true wireless earbud we’ve tested. At $279, those shortcomings could be decision-makers for single-bud users, but if you want stellar ANC and outstanding sound quality, they deliver in a big way.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Some articles may contain affiliate links and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
