Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds, Nearly Perfect | Review

The Queitcomfort Earbuds are Bose's first step in the field of True Wireless Earphones with Active Noise Canceling (ANC). In the past, the US company has already made TWS products, and obviously also noise-canceling headphones as all fans will know. But this model is the union of the two worlds and, let's say it right away, the result is phenomenal. They are not perfect, too bad, but they are among the best TWS ANC earphones you can buy today.

Bulky, but necessary

The Earbuds are not small, far from it. In terms of size and shape they resemble the Sony WF-1000XM3, which however are slightly smaller. The external body is slightly curved, so as to follow the shape of the head. If you want a discreet pair of headphones, the new Bose aren't for you. There are no particularly distinctive elements, if not a series of holes behind which the microphones are hidden that allow activating active noise cancellation.

The rubber cap extends laterally, and there are three dimensions in the package : small, medium and large. However, all the measurements are above average, and the reason is that you will have to be able to occlude the ear canal without having to insert the cap fully into the ear. get excellent passive noise cancellation just by wearing them. And they are made in such a way as to find the right position with a simple gesture.

They use Bluetooth 5.1 and four microphones detect surrounding noises to activate the ANC. The case is also quite bulky, but on the other hand it is very ergonomic. A firm pressure on the opening button unlocks the mechanism and the lid opens autonomously. A button on the surface between the two earphones allows you to activate the pairing (when first switched on, they will enter directly into pairing). Five white LEDs indicate the charge status of the battery inside the case which can be recharged via the USB-C port on the back.

Super ergonomics!

The small and discreet earphones are comfortable to disappear in a pocket, but are often inconvenient when it comes to safely taking them out of the case and inserting them into your ears. In fact, these Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds are more uncomfortable to carry, but the ergonomics are phenomenal.

When the case is open, the two earphones protrude far enough from the surface to allow you to securely grasp them between the fingertips and take them to the ear. The movement to store them is also very comfortable; the well in which you will have to insert them is large and two strong magnets attract the earphones to the correct charging position.

To wear them, simply insert them in your ear and rotate them counter-clockwise a few degrees. You will feel how the cap will anchor to your ears in a strong and secure way. They look like the Sony XB-700 in this case, a pair of headphones designed for sportsmen. This system ensures excellent passive insulation, as well as avoiding losing them when you move, or even if you want to use them for sports considering that they are IPX4 certified.

The downside is to be found in fatigue of the ear after several hours of use, superior to other types of less "aggressive" earphones in terms of anchoring to the ears. However it's not that earbud fatigue going too far into your ear canal, so even if you have very sensitive ears, you will still be able to last long enough to prevent this from becoming a problem.

The outer surface is touch sensitive and allows you to answer phone calls, pause or resume music playback and navigate between tracks. You can customize the commands from the smartphone application, but what you can't do is adjust the volume. Too bad.

Autonomy, good but not great

Autonomy per single charge is about 6 hours, and the case is able to fully recharge the earphones a couple of times, for a total of about 18 hours. In our test we measured five to five and a half hours of battery life per single charge.

Not an exceptional result, but unless above-average need, they will be fine. Fast charging allows you to get about two hours of battery life with 15 minutes of charging. The case is compatible with the Wireless QI standard.

Application, not so essential

Bose offers the "Bose Music" application, for Android and iOS, which allows you to customize the behavior of the headphones.

At the first connection a tutorial will introduce you to the headphones and the various functions. Among the interesting functions is the possibility to select three levels of activation of the ANC, which can be recalled by tapping on the left earpiece.

You can activate or deactivate the sensor that recognizes when you wear (or remove ) the earphones, enable activation of the voice assistant of the smartphone and little else.

In reality there are not many reasons to start the application after customizing the behavior of the earphones. And if you are happy with the three levels of ANC setting (off, 50% and 100%) then you can also avoid downloading the App.

The ANC works very well

The active noise cancellation system can be adjusted to ten different levels, but only three can be preset and recalled with a tap on the left earphone. We actually believe that the only preference may be on the intermediate level of intervention, since it is almost obvious that anyone will want to set the minimum level (which is practically a level of transparency that allows you to hear the voices around you without removing the earphones. ) and the level of maximum noise reduction.

In any case, active noise reduction works very well, to the point of making the Bose Quietcomfort among the best TWS earphones available today in this discipline. This result was also achieved through the excellent passive isolation and, consequently, the shape and way in which they fit into the ear. With other models, however very good ones, such as the Sony WH-1000XM3 or the Sennheiser True Momentum Wireless 2, you will find it harder to wear them to get the maximum noise reduction performance.

Audio quality

The praise we have just given to the noise cancellation system has a direct consequence on the audio quality. The performance of the Bose Quietcomfort drivers and the perceived quality of the audio would not be the same if it were not for the effectiveness of the ANC, which allows a superior rendering of details, or at least a better perception of them.

The reproduction is linear and of comparable quality to the Sony and Sennheiser mentioned in the previous chapter. The sound is warm, the bass well present, but the voices are rendered perfectly and the others do not become too bright, while maintaining a good definition.

There is little to say, we are in front of excellent earphones, which they will not disfigure even in the ears of the most attentive and passionate. The maximum volume is high (thanks, always, to the excellent insulation) and you will not feel the need to push it to the maximum.

Verdict

The Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds are not perfect: they do not allow you to adjust the volume by touching the touch surface, the autonomy is average and do not offer automatisms that allow you to adjust the activation of the ANC level based on what we are doing. The application is also nothing special, lacking the mission of offering added value.

But for everything else they are perfect. The audio quality is excellent, the noise cancellation is among the best available to date and they are comfortable to use and wear. Of course, they are not tiny, the case does not disappear in the trouser pocket, but we would not trade the quality of user experience they offer with the smaller dimensions.

Obviously all this has a price, that is 279, 95 euros. It is no different than that of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, but it is definitely taller than that of the Sony WF-1000XM3, which is probably preparing to introduce the “XM4” model.

In any case, considering all the qualities of the Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds, we give them our Award.