Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II offer a whole new level of silence MSRP $299.00 Score Details DT Recommended Product “Quiet and comfortable really are the best words to describe Bose's latest buds.” Pros Cons If there’s one company that has become synonymous with noise cancellation, it’s Bose. And with the company’s latest earbuds — the $299 Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II — Bose is clearly looking to solidify that reputation.
Design If you generally liked the design of the first-gen QuietComfort Earbuds but found them a bit bulky — as we did when we reviewed them — the new model is a big step in the right direction. Everything about them is smaller and lighter, including the charging case. The large, locking clamshell from the first generation has been replaced with a smaller, rounded, flip-top design that looks a little like the Google Pixel Buds Pro case, albeit still substantially larger.
Another consistent feature is the IPX4 rating. That means the QCE II are capable of handling sweat or some rain, as long as you wipe them clean after a workout.But the QCE II lack wireless charging, a strange omission considering the first-gen model had this feature and cost less too . When I asked why, a Bose spokesperson told me it was in part because of the smaller case design, and because wireless charging doesn’t matter to many people.
The controls also are very good. I generally prefer physical buttons, but I admit that being able to swipe your finger up and down the QCE II’s surface is a way more intuitive process for adjusting volume than using a single button. Apparently, Apple thinks so, too, as it has added the same feature to its second-gen AirPods Pro.
Granted, the earbuds’ firmware can be updated, and Bose hasn’t ruled out adding these features in the future. But there’s no word on if or when that will happen. The fact that Bose hasn’t ventured beyond SBC and AAC codec support reinforces that it’s not after that crowd anyway.But what’s new, and what I think makes all the difference, is that Bose now includes the ability to adjust the earbuds’ EQ inside the Bose Music app. You get four helpful presets , but you can also modify each of these to suit your tastes using a three-band set of sliders.
The Sony offering, while excellent for a set of ANC headphones, couldn’t touch the QCE II. They let in what I perceived as roughly twice the amount of sound. The Pixel Buds Pro faired better, as you might expect from earbuds that totally seal your ear canals, but they too couldn’t quite obliterate those engines the way the Bose could.
Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: WIRED - 🏆 555. / 51 Read more »
Source: DigitalTrends - 🏆 95. / 65 Read more »
Source: DigitalTrends - 🏆 95. / 65 Read more »