Background: I’m an audiophile who is about $4.5k deep in his stereo setup so it is surprising to say this but I really dig these earbuds. Bose usually targets non-audiophiles as their sound signature is a “sculpted” V shape whereas audiophiles look for neutrality or a straight line across the frequency spectrum.
The Value Proposition: With that in mind, I think people overestimate the ability of more expensive wireless options like the Sony and Senhesier to deliver that neutrality, regardless of earbud/over-ear design. Most of us use iPhones as music players which don’t accept hi-res wireless codes and are a PIA to use with wired headphones without carrying around a radio shack/dongle city. These Bose look like a comparatively good value: at $200 they undercut the companies mentioned above that have ANC earbuds which are $280 and $250. That it just more than I want to spend on a pair of earbuds, which typically have a short shelf life anyway due to loss, poor build quality, depleting battery life, and rapidly changing tech…
Sound: these are a far cry from the first Bose I owned, the OG quiet comforts in middle school with the battery box built into the 3.5mm cable. Dynamic range, note-to-note distinction, and tonal accuracy are improved significantly. They’re much more musical even if detail retrieval isn’t top of the line. But how could it be with standard AAC, SBC codecs? Moreover, even if they did have more advanced codecs like APT-X HD and LDAC, my iPhone is my mobile music player and doesn’t accept them anyway. So really unless you’re on Android, paying for them is a waste of money. You’re not getting the data. Overall; sound signature is controlled, bass heavy, and musical if not neutral. I can live with it for a mobile solution because I do critical listening at home due to the inherent compromises of mobile, which leads to my next point nicely.
Active Noise Cancellation: This is where these earbuds shine. Whether you’re living in the city, commuting to work by train, dealing with construction, trying to mow the lawn, whatever: these babies block out the world with the best ANC I’ve heard in an earbud and you are immersed in your music. I accidentally turned on my 1100W stereo in the next room to 50% volume with a butt dial and had no idea it was playing while wearing these. Without this quiet space, you’re wasting your time trying to hear the music in detail. That is why I think these are an incredible value proposition that make sense for a mobile solution.
Battery: It’s fine, expected 6 hours without the charging case. That is better than Apple by several hours. I expect to have these for 3 years and then upgrade to something with longer battery life as technology improves and lithium ion depletes with age.
Calls: They’re great, I use them for Zoom calls almost every day. If they could connect to multiple devices at once that would be cool, but it is no dealbreaker.
Build Quality: Last but not least, audiophiles know that with consistent use wear and tear happens so we prioritize a robust build that will hold up with thousands of hours of listening. These things deliver. I’ll take the bulkier case with a stronger hinge. The slightly bigger earbuds are fine because they’re built solidly. I just can’t get on board with the chintzy Apple/Beats products that look like they’re built from dollar store plastics, like they’re going to fall apart in 6 months. Same thing for cheap alternatives from Anker and similar budget brands (you get what you pay for).
Wrap Up: mobile music listening is full of compromises and I think Bose has created an excellent product that delivers where it counts. If you want to do critical listening, do yourself a favor and invest in a pair of open-back headphones and amp at home or better yet a stereo setup you can enjoy with others. What Hi-Fi is a good, accessible place to start for recommendations and Stereofile is more advanced. For everything else, when I’m running around doing errands, on the plane next to a screaming baby, or just trying to cut down the noise of traffic/construction while working, these will deliver nicely. Plan to keep, will update in 1, 6, 12 months
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Updated 10/2022: I’m happy other buyers found this review useful. Forgot to update this sooner, needless to say, still love these babies - the version 1’s - and they would still be the wireless buds I would spend my money on today inclusive of new models.
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This Item  Bose QuietComfort Earphones, 2020 Model, Soapstone | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $149.98 | -20% $199.00 List: $249.00 | -33% $99.95 List: $149.95 | -17% $148.99 List: $179.00 | -16% $15.96 List: $19.00 | $299.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 12 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Tech Geeks | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| connectivity tech | Bluetooth 5.1, HDMI | Wireless, Bluetooth, Apple H2 Chip | Wireless | Wireless, Bluetooth | Wired | Wireless |
| headphones form factor | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear | Open Ear |
| noise control | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | sound isolation | — |
| headphones jack | usb | — | 3.5 mm Jack | — | Lightning | No Jack |
| cable feature | Without Cable | With USB-C Cable | Without Cable | Without Cable | Retractable | Without Cable |
| control type | Voice Control | Call Control, Volume Control, Media Control, App Control, Voice Control, Noise Control, Siri | Voice Control | Siri | Volume Control, Call Control, Voice Control | App Control |
| water resistance | water resistant | water resistant | water resistant | water resistant | not water resistant | water resistant |
| material | Silicone, Plastic | Plastic | Silicone | — | Plastic | Plastic |
| model name | QuietComfort Earbuds | AirPods Pro (2nd Gen, 2023) | Live Pro 2 | AirPods | EarPods with Lightning Connector | Bose Ultra Open Earbuds with Immersive Audio, Open Ear Wireless Clip on Earbuds for Comfort, OpenAudio for Awareness, Up to 48 Hours of Battery Life, Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition |
Way better than the AirPods Pro???
[Update 12/3] - They just added volume controls which is a really big deal. I'm leaving at 3 stars until they can add multi-point and because I discovered a super annoying "feature" that perhaps is only a problem with my pair. I've added it to my list of cons - Transparency Mode/ANC Level 0, Ouch my Ears!Disclosure: This review comes from someone that mainly listens to Hip Hop, Metal, Dubstep, or Reggaetón. So my standard for audio may differ from others.Also I will be comparing these to 4 other in-ear headphones.1. Bose SoundSport Wired In-Ear Headphones (Pictured far left)2. Google Pixel Buds (Pictured second from the left)3. Bose SoundSport Wireless (Pictured second from the right)4. AirPods Pro (not pictured)Let me start by saying that I want to give these a higher rating but 3 stars is how I honestly feel based on how they are priced and the gripes I have with them. My standards may be too high.PROS• Comfort. Just what you would expect from Bose. The new ear tips make them more comfortable than the SoundSport Wireless and just as comfortable as the SoundSport Wired. They are also very secure and not as heavy as I was expecting despite their size.• ANC. The Noise Cancelling is top notch! Arguably better than AirPods Pro. The transparency mode/passthrough is also great when ANC is set to 0. But I would argue that it sounds a bit more natural on the Air Pods Pro. THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE PAYING FOR, and it’s almost worth it.• Sound. For me, the sound is far superior to the Air Pods Pro. They have way better bass and the sound signature is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Bose. They sound way better than Bose SoundSport Wireless and are on par if not better than SoundSport Wired. It really depends on the device you are connected to though. For some reason the buds sound way better (louder) on my Pixel 4a than my iPhone Xr. I’m not 100% sure why but my guess would be that the iPhone Xr only supports Bluetooth 5.0.• Charging. Qi Wireless and USBC charging make these feel modern and extremely convenient. Making them on par to the Pixel Buds and AirPods Pro• Touch controls. Really nice to have feature and I am glad its there. But the execution is lacking compared to Pixel Buds. So much so, it's almost a con. [Update] 12/3. These now have volume control straight from the Ear Buds!CONS• The case. It’s unreasonably large and only offers 12 additional hours of charge. Compared to the Pixel Buds and AirPods Pro, which offer a significantly smaller case and longer charge times, this is a bit embarrassing for Bose to not offer something competitive in this area for the price point. I also prefer a magnetic lid vs a push button.• Independent use/functionality. I can confirm that you can use either bud independently. But you lose functionality depending on which one you are using. The touch controls are almost on par to the Airpods Pro, with one exception, you can’t go back a track. However, the Bose QC earbuds really start to show their poor execution when you use the buds individually. If you take one of the earbuds out, the music will stop as anticipated. When you place the removed earbud in the case, the bud still on ear will make a sound like it’s powered off; however, when you play your media on your device, the sound will come through the earbud still in your ear, even if the other bud is in the case. This sounds cool and all until you realize that certain touch controls are assigned to only one bud or the other. Only using the left bud causes you to lose the ability to answer calls, play/pause music through touch controls because those features are assigned to the right bud only. Only using the right ear causes you to lose the ability to forward a song/hear battery level or toggle between 3 customizable ANC settings because those features are assigned to the left bud only. The Pixel Buds have the best touch controls by far, which allow you to use basically all the same controls on either bud, and allows you to lower and increase volume while the Bose QC earbuds do not. With that said, you can still accomplish all of the above through the Bose Music App. [Update] everything I've said about this is still true but I left out one major limitation. The mic only works on the right earbud, making the left bud unusable on its own for phone calls. Which may be why you can only invoke the voice assistant with the right bud. Not a huge gripe for me, but I've seen a lot of contradicting statements on this functionality and wanted to provide as much detail as I could come up with.• Multipoint. This by far is my biggest gripe. This is such a great feature present in the Bose SoundSport Wireless, but the feature is sadly missing on the QC Earbuds. The feature allows you to seamlessly switch between two devices, and even toggle up to 7 devices right from the device. The new app required to use the QC Earbuds also doesn’t really make it easy to switch devices on the fly. This makes switching between devices feel cumbersome and not modern at all. Especially considering that Apple just added similar functionality to the AirPods Pro (only supported with other apple products).• Find my buds. Also missing here. I was really hoping these had this feature as I anticipate misplacing them often. Feature present in older Bose earbuds, Pixel Buds, and AirPod Pros.• Price. The pricepoint is way too high considering how much the AirPod Pros do better than the QC Earbuds. In a battle of Sound and ANC, Bose takes the clear win. But when it comes down to features/functionality, AirPods Pro is the clear winner for me.• [Update 12/3] Transparency Mode/ANC Level 0, Ouch my Ears! . I've discovered that some sounds are amplified through the earbuds when using them with Noise Cancelling set to 0. The setting is supposed to allow you to hear your surroundings which works fine. But if you leave them in your ear to and are not listening to music or on a call, some sounds are way too loud and kinda hurt my ear. 😢 (Examples. Shutting a car door, clinking sounds, or glass breaking). Basically I cannot leave them in my ear when not in use because I'm afraid one day some unknown sound will cause damage to my ear. This is very inconvenient, especially because carrying the case around is also inconvenient due to its size. So I basically only use them exclusively around my house when consuming media. I then immediately take them off. I honestly feel like taking another star off because of this.Conclusion: The perfect earbuds don’t exist. These almost checked all my boxes. I love the buds for their comfort, amazing sound, and superior ANC. I really like how they look despite their larger size. But for the price I expect to have all the features, with no compromises. I don’t really understand why Bose would release these with the present limitations and lack of features from previous devices. With all of that said, I would still rate these above the other earbuds solely based on Sound and ANC.My ratings based on these factors: Age, Form Factor, Sound, Price, Functionality1. Bose SoundSport Wired In-Ear Headphones (Pictured far left) – 5 Stars (not comparable), perfect wired in-ear headphones at the time with great sound and comfort. Worth every penny if you can find them at the original price.2. Google Pixel Buds (Pictured second from the left) – 2 Stars (somewhat comparable), Best touch controls by far, but they really hurt my ears, and the sound is just okay. Totally overpriced at $180.3. Bose SoundSport Wireless (Pictured second from the right) – 2 stars (not comparable), I loved having them around my neck at all times and the Multipoint feature is awesome. But the build quality was terrible, and the sound was okay. Pricing wasn’t terrible for what they offered, but the build quality makes them hard to recommend.4. AirPods Pro (not pictured) – 3 stars (Most Comparable), AirPods Pro are jam-packed with amazing features in such a tiny form factor. They truly are kind of magical. But for me the sound quality was not worth the price tag ($220).5. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds – 3 stars, amazing sound and ANC, but lacks in the features department quite considerably. I think pricing them at $220 would have easily bumped these up to 4 stars for me and would make them extremely competitive against the AirPods Pro. At that pricepoint I would gladly trad off features for better sound and ANC. If Bose is somehow able to patch in some of the missing features through software updates I will update my rating. But I'm thinking it may comedown to hardware limitations. So for now, it's 3 stars and I'm still on the hunt for the perfect earbuds. :(
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020Color: BlackVerified Purchase
There is an awful lot to like about the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds. I will break down the good and the bad below but, suffice to say, these are possibly the most polarizing ear buds I have ever had on. I guess that makes it the perfect set of buds for 2020. Here is the breakdown:
Full of compromises but not when it comes to ANC.***Update***
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020
The good:
-Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): We can just get this out of the way. If you want best in class noise cancellation on an earbud, these are the set to get. Period. I have the class leading Sony ANC earbuds, the new Technics, the Samsung Galaxy Live, and have spent extensive time with the Airpod Pros. All have solid ANC but none can approach a good set of over ears. My over ear Sony WH-1000XM3's put them all to shame when it comes to turning off the outside world. I am not ready to say that these Bose buds can duplicate that level of ANC but it is close. When you get a good seal and have the adjustable ANC level on 10, the world is gone. I was out hanging Halloween decorations a couple weeks ago and my neighbor across the street was mowing his lawn. It looked comical. It appeared that he was mowing with the mower turned off. I couldn't hear it. Once I realized the trick the ANC was doing, I strained my ears to really focus and try to hear anything. Nothing. Finally, I plucked an earbud out and there it was, loud lawn mower. If great ANC is the mission, stop right now, and just buy these.
-Sound: Like all Bose products, these sound great. A few years ago, I would be raving about them. They have the classic signature Bose warm tonality, nice solid bass, a full mid section, and crisp resonating highs. However, after using products from Klipsch, Sennheiser, B&O, and my other afformentioned ANC earbuds, either my taste in sound has changed or my expectations have. I recently received a set of new wireless earbuds from Shure and they sound unbelievable. The detail and sound stage are amazing. These just don't sound as good. They are better than any of my buds from Samsung or Jabra for sure and in the same arena as the others. For this price, I guess I was hoping for more. One challenge may be that Bose doesn't give you the ability to customize your sound. You can customize your ANC experience just not your sound. It has to be the way Bose wants you to hear them. Frankly, this is a stunning omission. They have a great app. Just not sure how or why you leave that out. Maybe someday an update can remedy this. In the meantime, these buds sound great. Just know that at this price, there are earbuds that sound a bit better out there.
-Connection / Pairing: As you would expect, these come with the latest and greatest chip set as well as Bluetooth 5.1. To pair just download the Bose Music app and follow the directions. You will be all set in maybe ten seconds. Range is great. 30 plus feet through walls. All is exactly as you would expect from a high end set of buds.
-Intangibles: Bose gives you a very fancy auto pause they call auto transparency. Pluck a bud from either ear and the others ANC turns off. Pretty slick but there isn't a regular touch pad transparency mode. Weird. You get quick charging (5 minutes on nets 2 hours use) via USBC and Qi wireless charging. Good stuff.
The bad:
-Form factor: There is no other way to put this. These Bose buds are big. HUGE actually. While everyone else is going small, Bose went big. Some of this must be to accommodate the internals of the buds themselves. I am also guessing that, in order to get a good seal, like an over ear, they determined that they needed the extra size. Oddly, in spite of this size, they are quite comfortable and lightweight. So, while I am hitting Bose for an overall negative here, if you can live with the look, you will not mind how they feel. One more note here, you really need to try all three sets of wings as you need to get a good seal in order to experience their magical ANC.
-Battery life: Not a negative but definitely NOT a positive. Less than six hours on bud for me. That's in line with my other ANC buds but you would think Bose could squeeze a little more out of these since they are like satellites hanging out of your ears. Further, the case is large. I took a couple pictures next to my other buds for perspective. You only get two more charges there. Should be at least three. There is an external LED battery life indicator which is well done. All and all just should be better.
-Controls: For buds this big, Bose should let you control everything here. Instead, you have very limited pause/play, ANC controls, etc. No volume. No track control. These are big omissions. Pretty much means your phone always need to be at your side. Just not acceptable.
The Wrap:
Listen, I have been pretty hard on these. I feel like at $279, I should be. However, I will say this. After a few days, I 100% planned on returning these. Yet, here I am a couple of weeks later and they haven't left my side. I am not sending them back in spite of all of their shortcomings. They sound great but, more than anything, when you hit the ANC on these, the world around you vaporizes. These days, I can live with an awful lot of compromises in order to make that happen. Cheers to the Bose team on making a classy yet odd looking set of buds that give you world class ANC.
***Update*** I have lived with these now for a few weeks. The things I hit these for still bother me but my original 4 star review is being moved to a 5 star. There are a few reasons for this. First, while huge, I just love wearing these. They are super comfortable for long sessions. They don't jam into your ear canal but simply push against it. The Bose design team deserves a lot of credit here. They are just really well made. Something I didn't fully grasp when I wrote my initial review. Plus, they actually look kind of cool. Secondly, as I said originally, the ANC really is amazing. Every day I use them I am more and more blown away. They just literally make the world disappear. Lastly, they sound great. I still long for an EQ option in the app but I don't really miss it in real world use. Here is the bottom line; I have a drawer full of high end earbuds and headphones. For the last few weeks, I grabbed my Samsung Live Buds once. Every other day I have reached for these. They are just simply the best buds I own. That doesn't mean that my prior criticisms aren't reasonable. It just means that everything these do well they do really well. They aren't inexpensive but, if you can pull it off, I highly recommend making the investment.
***Update 2.0***So one of my major gripes just got a little better. Bose just updated their app and it now includes a toggle to add volume controls on bud. You will find this toggle in your settings. Simply flip volume control on and you can now swipe up and down on the right bud to control volume. It is very well done. There is still some work to do on this front but we are getting there. Keep up the support Bose.
One more update here that I think is relevant. In the last few months, I have added both the Master and Dynamic MW08's and Bowers and Wilkins new buds to my arsenal. Both cost more. The Bose represent themselves very well in this premium group. Both the M&D's and the B&O's sound a bit better. The B&O's are actually shockingly good in the way they sound. However, none of them hold a candle to what these can do with ANC. They are just so good at removing the world around you. Of ANC is the objective just buy these. You deserve it!
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MiguelReviewed in Mexico on November 8, 2021
Grandiosos , pero sólo para un nicho muy específico
Color: BlackVerified Purchase - MoeReviewed in Saudi Arabia on July 16, 2024
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Color: WhiteVerified Purchase - Parmesh ChopraReviewed in India on December 12, 2020
The most comfortable, phone call making earbuds of 2020
Color: WhiteVerified Purchase
IN BRIEF - if you can afford it, excellent balanced sound (no bass heavy stuff), best noise cancellation in all earphones, best fitting earphones in the world. Marvelous for gym also as they're sweat resistant. Mic only on right earbud seems a drawback. Bose music app is very basic. No equalizer offered too.Parmesh ChopraThe most comfortable, phone call making earbuds of 2020
Reviewed in India on December 12, 2020
Bought these before Diwali after a lot of research. Absolutely loved them. I use them while taking long walks or editing videos while attending a workshop simultaneously.
THE MOST USEFUL FEATURE
The microphone embedded on the right earbud is unbelievably powerful. It cancels external noise during phone calls and focuses only on your voice. And all this while just being a tiny insertion in your ear. Remarkable. Almost hard to believe at first.
COMFORT AND FIT
Bose gives you three tip sizes to adjust on the eaebubds before you start using them. Finding right tip is not optional. It is compulsory if you wish to experience active noise cancellation. Please note that once you get your ear tip size right, noise cancellation feature comes into play only then. And the noise cancellation is very very powerful. It is the best among the rest.
ONCE IT FITS, IT WON'T COME OUT OF EAR
I jog, I run, I jump. My earbuds remain intact inside my ears. Grip is unbelievably firm. The lever fits so well in the ear. No chance of it popping out anytime. But please note you have to find your correct ear tip size before comfort and fit points stated by me become true for you.
THE GOOD ABOUT THESE
The best feature in these as per my usage and observation is their ability to make your voice heard to the listener on a phone call in a noisy environment. So in my case I walk along traffic on a busy road in Gurgaon. But when I call using the earbuds, it is silky smooth. I hear the audio of the person at the other end as swiftly as they hear mine. I double check with everyone when starting a call in traffic and they all have said they don't think I'm in traffic at all as my voice goes through super clear even after noise reduction. Excellent technology.
Another great feature is double tap on earbuds to pick call without having the need to touch smartphone. And automatic playing of a YouTube video after a call in case you were watching before.
Yet another remarkable feature, if not the most powerful one among all competitors - best noise cancellation for earbuds. Their noise cancellation and audio output gives a run for money to a full size over ear headphones. The overall experience is outstanding.
THE NOT SO GOOD
Bass lovers might be disappointed. The audio print of these earphones is neutral. They deliver naturally sounding crisp audio. No treble heavy or bass heavy.
THE BAD
Microphone is embedded only on right earbud. So if you wish to wear only left one, you can't take calls.
You can't keep right earbud inside the case and insert only left earbud in your ear to listen to music. The right earbud has to be taken out of the case and kept outside if you only wish to use the left one.
Prolonged usage might cause burning sensation in ear.
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