The Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds in Triple Black provide an exceptional listening experience with superior noise cancellation and high-fidelity audio. These wireless earbuds are designed to help you eliminate distractions and focus on what matters most to you, whether it’s cooking, coding, or climbing.
With controllable noise cancelling, you can choose to block out distractions or allow in your surroundings with a full Transparency Mode. The earbuds are made of soft silicone, making them comfortable to wear all day long. The capacitive touch interface allows for easy control of your content with a simple tap or press, replacing the need for physical buttons.
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HJeffK –
Update: Bose hat mittlerweile einige Dinge durch Updates ausgebessert. Ich werde die entsprechenden Stellen in meiner Rezension durch Klammern () kennzeichnen.Ich besitze die Bose QuietComfort Earbuds nun seit einigen Tagen. Die Kopfhörer kommen bei mir überwiegend beim Sport aber auch mal unterwegs oder zu Hause zum Einsatz. Als Quelle für die Earbuds nutze ich ein Apple iPhone 11 Pro oder ein iPad mini. Für den stationären Musikgenuss daheim betreibe ich einen Denon AH-D7200 Over-Ear Kopfhörer an einem marantz HD-DAC 1 Kopfhörerverstärker. Daher habe ich eine gewisse Erwartungshaltung was den Klang und den Tragekomfort von Kopfhörern anbelangt.Kurz zum Hintergrund. Ich habe bisher die Bose SoundSport free wireless In-Ear Kopfhörer genutzt. Mit diesen bin ich nach wie vor sehr zufrieden. Als ich dann im letzten Jahr erfahren habe, dass Bose neue free wireless In-Ear Kopfhörer mit ANC plant, war ich sehr neugierig auf das Produkt. Am 05.10.2020 war es dann nach einiger Verspätung endlich soweit und die QuietComfort sind erschienen. Ich habe diese bereits im September vorbestellt, um sie dann auch pünktlich zum Release zu erhalten. In der folgenden Rezension werde ich immer mal wieder einen Vergleich sowohl zu den SoundSport free wireless als auch zu den Apple AirPods Pro herstellen. Kommen wir nun zur eigentlichen Rezension. Wem die eigentliche Rezension zu lang ist, kann auch gleich zum Fazit am Ende scrollen.Lieferumfang/Verpackung:Die Bose QuietComfort Earbuds werden in einer gut geschützten Verpackung aufbewahrt und geliefert. Von der Aufmachung her ist diese sehr schick gehalten. Insgesamt ist die Verpackung der SoundSport free wireless aber etwas hochwertiger. Im Lieferumfang befinden sich neben den Kopfhörern, das Ladecase, ein USB-Typ A auf USB-Typ C Kabel, zwei Paar Ohreinsätze in den Größen S/1 und L/3, Sicherheitshinweise und ein Quick Start Guide. Bei der Auslieferung sind die Ohreinätze in der Größe M/2 montiert.App:Bereits im Quick Start Guide wird darauf hingewiesen, dass man sich die Bose Music App auf sein Abspielgerät/Smartphone laden soll. Hier sei aber gleich angemerkt, dass der Betrieb und die Verbindung der Earbuds zum Abspielgerät auch ohne die App möglich ist. Dann sind aber keine Einstellungen, wie z. B. das Einstellen der Touch-Steuerung (Favoriten) möglich.Um die App nutzen zu können, muss man sich bei Bose registrieren und ein Benutzerkonto anlegen. Dies kann man ganz einfach nach dem Download und Start der App durchführen. Der Registrierungszwang ist ein kleiner Negativpunkt. Gerade dann, wenn man die Kopfhörer nach einem Test ggf. nicht behalten und zurückschicken möchte. (Update: Mittlerweile muss man kein Benutzerkonto mehr für die App-Nutzung anlegen. Die Einrichtung der Kopfhörer kann sofort nach der Installation der App erfolgen. Damit entfällt dieser Negativpunkt.)Nach der Registrierung werden zunächst die Kopfhörer mit der App gekoppelt. Dazu drückt man einfach den Verbindungsknopf im Ladecase. Das Koppeln ist dann in wenigen Sekunden erledigt. Nach der Kopplung erhält man diverse Hinweise bzgl. der Steuerung der Earbuds. In der App selbst kann man dann einige Einstellungen vornehmen. Dazu gehört u. a. das Regeln der Lautstärke, das Einstellen des Levels der Geräuschunterdrückung oder das Festlegen von Favoriten für die Touch-Steuerung. Zudem erhält man einige Produkttipps mit Erklärungen und Visualisierungen. Ein Equalizer beinhaltet die App jedoch nicht.Insgesamt ist die App sehr übersichtlich, modern und benutzerfreundlich gestaltet.Im Vergleich zu den Apple AirPods Pro muss man sagen, dass Apple hier leicht im Vorteil ist, da für die AirPods keine Extra App benötigt wird. Bei den AirPods werden die Einstellungen direkt in den Bluetooth Einstellungen auf dem iPhone vorgenommen. Dafür sind diese nicht so umfangreich wie bei den Bose Earbuds.Bedienung/Ansagen:Nach dem Einsetzen der Earbuds erfolgt zunächst die Ansage, mit welchem Gerät die Earbuds verbunden sind und die Ansage des Akkustands. Diese Ansagen werden im Gegensatz zum SoundSport free wireless jetzt auf beiden Kopfhörern wiedergegeben. Auch bei Telefonaten hört man den Gesprächspartner nun auf beiden Earbuds. Zudem ist jetzt auch die Nutzung des einzelnen linken Earbuds möglich. Dies war beim SoundSport free wireless noch nicht möglich. Bei diesem musste immer der rechte Earbud im Ohr oder außerhalb des Ladecase sein. Ansonsten erfolgte keine Wiedergabe auf dem linken. Das war auch einer der Kritikpunkte beim SoundSport. Hier hat Bose also nachgebessert.Anders als noch die SoundSport free wireless besitzen die QuietComfort Earbuds keine haptischen Bedienelemente mehr. Hier erfolgt die Steuerung über Touch-Elemente am Gerät selbst.Um die Wiedergabe zu starten oder zu pausieren, tippt man einfach zweimal auf den rechten Earbud. Alternativ pausiert oder startet die Wiedergabe auch, wenn man einen oder beide Earbuds aus dem Ohr nimmt oder wiedereinsetzt. Das funktioniert auch sehr gut. Sobald ein Earbud aus dem Ohr genommen wird, stoppt die Wiedergabe. Setzt man ihn wieder ein, wird diese fortgesetzt. Die Einstellung der automatischen Wiedergabe kann man in der App auch ausstellen.Um einen Anruf anzunehmen oder zu beenden, muss ebenfalls zweimal auf den rechten Ohrhörer getippt werden. Soll ein Anruf abgelehnt werden genügt es, wenn man den rechten Ohrhörer berührt und den Finger kurz darauf lässt. Der Sprachassistent wird ebenso durch drücken und halten des rechten Earbuds gestartet.Der linke Ohrhörer dient zur Einstellung der Geräuschunterdrückung. Hier kann man in der App drei Favoriten anlegen. Durch zweimaliges Tippen wird dann die jeweilige Stufe des ANC eingestellt. Weiterhin kann man durch halten des Fingers auf dem linken Earbud einen Titel überspringen oder sich alternativ den Akkustand ansagen lassen.Kommen wir nun zu einem negativen Aspekt der Touch-Steuerung. Eine Regulierung der Lautstärke oder das Zurückspringen zu einem vorherigen Titel sind leider nicht mehr möglich. Das ist nur mittels Sprachsteuerung, am Abspielgerät selbst oder z. B. mit einer Apple Watch möglich. (Durch ein Update ist die Lautstärkesteuerung mittlerweile am rechten Ohrhörer möglich.) Der SoundSport free wireless ist hier mit seinen haptischen Tasten im Vorteil, da damit sowohl das Einstellen der Lautstärke als auch das Zurückspringen zum vorherigen Titel möglich ist. Auch die AirPods Pro sind in diesem Punkt etwas besser als die Bose QuietComfort, denn mit den Apple Kopfhörern kann sowohl ein Titel vor- als auch zurückgesprungen werden. Allerdings ist eine Lautstärkeregelung auch bei diesen nicht direkt am AirPod möglich, sondern nur mittels Sprachsteuerung am Smartphone selbst oder auch an der Apple Watch.(Update: Die Regulierung der Lautstärke ist seit einigen Monaten am rechten Earbud durch Wischen nach oben bzw. unten möglich. In der Praxis funktioniert das Ganze nach ein wenig Übung einfach und zuverlässig.)Insgesamt ist die Bedienung mittels Touch-Steuerung bei den QuietComfort Earbuds sehr gut umgesetzt. Auch die Bedienung mittels Sprachsteuerung klappt problemlos. Die fehlenden Einstellungsmöglichkeiten werden vllt. mittels Update seitens Bose noch nachgereicht.Verarbeitung/Design:Die Bose QuietComfort Earbuds sind komplett aus Kunststoff gefertigt. Dies ist aber mittlerweile bei fast allen Geräten in dieser Preisklasse so und ist auch nicht weiter schlimm. Die Verarbeitung lässt keinen Grund zur Kritik zu. Scharfe Grate, unsaubere Passungen oder ähnliches sucht man hier vergebens. Insgesamt sind die QuietComfort wie auch schon die SoundSport free wireless tadellos verarbeitet.Das Design ist etwas gefälliger geworden und erinnert etwas an die Sony WF-1000XM3. Mir persönlich sagt das Design zu. Es ist modern und relativ schlicht gehalten. Die SoundSport wurden immer mal wieder dafür kritisiert, dass sie so weit aus den Ohren abstehen. Dies ist bei den QuietComfort Earbuds nicht mehr der Fall. Hier hat Bose auf die Kritik vieler Käufer reagiert.Das Ladecase ist ebenfalls sehr gut verarbeitet. Das Aufladen kann mittels USB-Typ C Kabel oder kabellos erfolgen. Die Earbuds sitzen sicher im Case und sind leicht entnehmbar. Im Vergleich zum Ladecase der Apple AirPods Pro wirkt es aber recht klobig. Trotz alledem sollte das Case in jede Hosentasche passen.Im Ergebnis bleibt festzustellen, dass die QuietComfort ein modernes und schlichtes Design bieten und sehr sauber verarbeitet sind.Tragekomfort/Sitz:Ein nicht unwichtiger Punkt bei einem In-Ear Kopfhörer ist der richtige Sitz. Bose liefert insgesamt 3 Ohreinsätze in den Größen S/1, M/2 und L/3 mit. Hier sollte eigentlich für jeden die richtige Größe dabei sein. Ich nutze die Größe M/2. Das Einsetzen ins Ohr klappt ohne Probleme. Ein großer Vorteil der Bose Kopfhörer ist der Bügel. Dadurch haben die Kopfhörer einen sehr guten und angenehmen Sitz im Ohr. Selbst beim Sport sitzen die Kopfhörer super und man braucht sich keine Sorgen darüber zu machen, dass die Earbuds rausfallen könnten. Bei den QuietComfort brauchte Bose im Gegensatz zu den SoundSport auch nicht viel verändern. Waren diese schon vom Sitz und Tragekomfort einfach nur perfekt. Letztgenannte sitzen meinem Empfinden nach sogar noch eine Spur fester und sicherer im Ohr. Gerade beim Sport merkt man das. Führt man schnelle Bewegungen bzw. Übungen, wie bspw. Burpees aus, rutscht der QuietComfort etwas im Ohr und muss ggf. wieder etwas ins Ohr gedrückt werden. Das passiert beim SoundSport nicht. Die AirPods Pro sitzen bei mir ebenfalls sehr sicher im Ohr und sind auf einem Level mit den QuietComfort. Allerdings vermitteln beide Bose Modelle ein sichereres Gefühl durch den Ohrbügel. Aber das ist vermutlich nur ein rein subjektives Empfinden.Vom Tragekomfort kann ich nichts negatives Berichten. Auch nach einigen Stunden habe ich keine Schmerzen oder ein unangenehmes Gefühl im Ohr.In Puncto Sitz und Tragekomfort hat Bose also wieder ganze Arbeit geleistet. Im Vergleich zum SoundSport free wireless muss sich der QuietComfort aber knapp geschlagen geben, da der erstgenannte einen noch besseren und strafferen Sitz bietet. Im Vergleich zu den AirPods Pro heißt es Unentschieden.Akku:Die Akkuleistung der QuietComfort geht absolut in Ordnung. Nach ca. 2 ½ Stunden Musik hören mit vollem Akku bei mittlerer bis annähernd voller Lautstärke mit aktivem ANC betrug der Akkustand noch 75 %. Bei beinahe leerem Akku (knapp 10%) waren nach 30 min im Ladecase wieder 80 % Ladestand erreicht. Eine Sache, die ich noch beobachten muss, ist die Selbstentladung. Über Nacht war der rechte Earbud nicht im Case und am nächsten Morgen haben beide Earbuds nur noch 10 % Akkustand gehabt, obwohl keine Wiedergabe erfolgte. Somit hat das Case den linken Earbud nicht geladen und dieser war wohl ebenfalls die ganze Nacht mit meinem iPhone verbunden.Active Noise Cancelling:Die aktive Geräuschunterdrückung des Bose QuietComfort arbeitet wirklich hervorragend. Die Geräuschunterdrückung ist in 10 Stufen einstellbar. Auf der höchsten Stufe ist man wirklich vom Rest der Umgebung abgeschnitten. Selbst Gespräche, die in unmittelbarer Umgebung geführt werden, sind fast nicht mehr wahrzunehmen. In der Natur schlagen sich die Bose ebenfalls klasse. Der Straßenverkehr wird komplett ausgeblendet und selbst Windgeräusche dringen nur sehr vereinzelt ins Ohr. Die AirPods Pro von Apple arbeiten hier auf einem fast ähnlich hohen Niveau. Letztendlich müssen sie sich den QuietComfort Earbuds aber knapp geschlagen geben.Man merkt Bose die jahrelange Erfahrung auf dem Gebiet der aktiven Geräuschunterdrückung einfach an. Wenn man will, kann man seine Umwelt fast komplett ausschließen und in seine Musik abtauchen.Klang:Kommen wir nun zum wichtigsten Kapitel bei einem Kopfhörer, dem Klang. Getestet habe ich die Kopfhörer mit verschiedenstem Material und Genres. Dazu gehörten ALAC-, MP3 und AAC-Dateien, sowie Titel von Spotify Premium in den Kategorien Dance, House, Electro, Pop und Klassik.Die Bose QuietComfort Earbuds haben einen sehr guten Klang. Im Gegensatz zu den SoundSport free wireless hat Bose den Hochton etwas angehoben und die Tiefen leicht zurückgenommen. Diese Abstimmung macht sich bei Liedern mit viel Gesang positiv bemerkbar. Die Grundabstimmung der Bose QuietComfort ist für meinen Geschmack gut gelungen. Die Kopfhörer spielen sehr ausgewogen, ohne dass irgendein Frequenzbereich zu dominant wäre. Stimmen klingen sehr sauber und auch die Bassleistung kann für einen In-Ear Kopfhörer dieser Größe vollends überzeugen. Die SoundSport free wireless sind im Gegensatz zu den QuietComfort Earbuds geringfügig wärmer abgestimmt mit etwas mehr Reserven im Bassbereich. Dadurch klingen diese nicht ganz so klar wie die Earbuds. Dieser Unterschied fällt aber nur auf, wenn man beide Kopfhörer direkt miteinander vergleicht. Die AirPods Pro sind im Klangkapitel für mich an dritter Stelle. Diese klingen zwar nicht schlecht und haben auch einen guten Klang, allerdings fehlt mir bei den AirPods das letzte Quäntchen Bass. Hier sind die Bose Kopfhörer besser aufgestellt.Die Lautstärke bei den QuietComfort ist für mein Empfinden ausreichend. Die SoundSport spielen aber einen ticken lauter.Kommen wir nun zu einem nicht unwichtigen Kritikpunkt der QuietComfort Kopfhörer. Das Rauschen. Sobald man das ANC ausstellt (Stufe 0 von 10) also den Transparenzmodus aktiviert und keine Musik spielt, ist ein wahrnehmbares Rauschen zu hören. Dieses ist erst nicht mehr zu hören, wenn die Geräuschunterdrückung auf Stufe 4 von 10 gestellt wird oder die Musik, der Film oder das Hörbuch etwas lauter gestellt wird. Bei der Musikwiedergabe fällt das Rauschen bei deaktiviertem ANC allerdings so gut wie nicht auf, aber bei der Wiedergabe eines Hörbuches (bei niedriger Lautstärke) oder Films mit leisen Passagen stört das Rauschen auf Dauer schon. Empfindliche Hörer dürften hier nicht ganz glücklich werden. Wer die Geräuschunterdrückung immer auf mind. Stufe 4 nutzt, sollte keine Probleme haben, denn dann sind die QuietComfort absolut still. Ich hoffe, dass Bose hier in Zukunft mittels Firmwareupdate noch nachbessert.Im Großen und Ganzen können die Bose QuietComfort klanglich überzeugen. Der Klang wirkt nie anstrengend und in Verbindung mit dem ausgezeichnet funktionierenden ANC kann man ganz und gar in seine Musik abtauchen. Leider trübt das Rauschen im Transparenzmodus den ansonsten tollen klanglichen Gesamteindruck.Fazit:UpdateMit den QuietComfort Earbuds liefert Bose ein in vielen Punkten sehr gelungenes Produkt mit nur wenigen Schwachpunkten ab. Für eine UVP von 272,90 € erhält man ein perfekt verarbeitetes, schlicht und modern aussehendes Paar Kopfhörer. Der Klang kann mit einem insgesamt stimmigen Gesamtbild mit klaren Höhen und weit hinabreichenden Bässen punkten. Im Vergleich zu den SoundSport free wireless hat Bose bei den QuietComfort Earbuds etwas mehr auf einen natürlicheren Klang mit saubereren Höhen und einem etwas weniger aufspielenden Bass gesetzt. Hier muss man entscheiden, was einem wichtiger ist. Ein Kritikpunkt beim Klang ist aber leider das Rauschen bei deaktiviertem ANC bzw. im Transparenzmodus, da dieses beim Hören von z. B. Hörbüchern oder leisen Filmpassagen wahrnehmbar ist und für empfindliche Hörer auch als störend empfunden werden kann. Die Bedienung läuft über die Touch-Steuerung problemlos. Leider fehlen aktuell noch einige Befehle, wie z. B. das Zurückspringen zum vorherigen Titel oder die Regelung der Lautstärke. Bei diesem Punkt sollte Bose über ein Firmwareupdate noch nachbessern. (Die Steuerung der Lautstärke ist nun über den rechten Earbud mittels Wischbewegung möglich). Die App bietet einen guten Funktionsumfang, ist übersichtlich aufgebaut und leicht zu bedienen. Für die Nutzung muss aber ein Benutzerkonto bei Bose angelegt werden. Insgesamt vergebe ich gute 4 Sterne für ein tolles Produkt aus dem Hause Bose. Der eine Stern Abzug erfolgt aufgrund des wahrnehmbaren Rauschens im Transparenzmodus und dem Registrierungszwang für die App-Nutzung (Registrierungszwang aufgehoben).Sollte man sich die QuietComfort Earbuds kaufen, wenn man bereits die Bose SoundSport free wireless besitzt? Die Antwort ist nicht ganz einfach, da bereits die SoundSport free wireless ein rundum gelungenes Produkt darstellen. Wer Wert auf ein wirklich toll funktionierendes ANC legt und einen etwas neutraleren Klang bevorzugt, sollte zu den QuietComfort Earbuds greifen. Wer mehr Bass und einen leicht besseren Sitz wünscht und auf ANC verzichten kann/will, wird auch mit den günstigeren SoundSport free wireless zufrieden sein. Die Apple AirPods Pro sind vor allem für Nutzer von Apple Geräten interessant, da die Integration und Bedienung auf einem gewohnt hohen Niveau sind. Allerdings sind die AirPods Pro meiner Meinung nach sowohl den SoundSport als auch den QuietComfort klanglich und vom Tragekomfort leicht unterlegen.Im Ergebnis kann ich momentan leider nur eine bedingte Kaufempfehlung aussprechen, da das Rauschen bei deaktivierten ANC bzw. im Transparenzmodus auf Dauer als störend einzustufen ist. Für diejenigen, die die Geräuschunterdrückung immer nutzen, stellt das Rauschen aber kein Problem dar. Für die sind die Bose QuietComfort eine klare Kaufempfehlung. Sollte Bose hier mittels Firmwareupdate nachbessern, werde ich meine Rezension anpassen.Positiv:- hochwertige Verarbeitung- angenehmer, ausgewogener und bassstarker Klang- sehr gut arbeitendes ANC- sehr guter Sitz und hoher Tragekomfort- (Neu) Bose reicht Verbesserungen mittels Update nachNegativ:- wahrnehmbares und teils störendes Rauschen bei deaktiviertem ANC bzw. im Transparenzmodus- mittels Touch-Steuerung (keine Anpassung der Lautstärke und) kein zurückspringen zum vorherigen Titel möglich- (Registrierungszwang für die App-Nutzung)Die Punkte in Klammern wurden inzwischen mittels Firmwareupdate ausgebessert.
Gilbert Escobar –
[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. 🙁
Mirco –
In short, these have a decent sound signature for music, decent noise cancelling, good battery life, and are very comfortably made. However, the passive noise isolation is quite bad so it brings down the quality of the noise cancelling.Also for this price, they’re lacking in some features like customizable touch controls and an in-app equalizer which I would’ve thought were basically guaranteed on pricey wireless earbuds like these.Pros-(1)- Quite comfortable. I fell asleep with them on and woke up without any pain in my ears.-(2)- The case is hard to open because it’s locked close with a button latch. I consider this a good thing because I prefer my earbuds to be secure in their case.Neutrals-(3)- Noise cancelling is “fairly” good. These seem to cancel noises properly, but are let down by their somewhat lacking passive noise isolation (preventing noise through the earbud itself) so you can still hear louder noises directly through the earbuds even if they’re technically “cancelling” it. When I used these during my transit via train, I could constantly hear the low rumble of the heater fans and the high-pitch whirring of the motors when the train sped up or slowed down.As a side note, the noise cancelling is decent at not picking up wind gusts, although medium/strong wind gusts still cause a small amount of noise.-(4)- The default sound signature is quite nice and it’ll probably satisfy a lot of people, but there’s something about it that’s lacking “fun”. It has good clarity in mids and highs without being too harsh, and the bass is there albeit a bit pulled back. My issue lies with how the sub-bass below the bass is so pulled back that there’s basically no “oomph” to any song I listen to which has sub-bass.-(5)- So far I haven’t had any issues with connectivity, even in the middle of downtown. The only connection issue I’ve had is that the earbuds sometimes stutter for ~1 second every now and then (but only once or twice a day) before reconnecting like nothing happened.Cons-(6)- The passive sound isolation is pretty weak. I mentioned this when I talked about how it makes the noise cancelling worse, but it also prevents you from listening to music at medium/high volume. This is because your music just bleeds right out and you become a nuisance to everyone around you.With how much sound gets past the noise cancelling because of the lacking passive noise isolation, you end up wanting to listen to music at a slightly higher volume to drown out the extra outside noise, but doing that makes your noise leak out to your surroundings. The lacking noise isolation just brings about a lose-lose situation.-(7)- These are missing so many basic music controls it’s not even funny. The only 2 touch controls you have for music are double-tap right earbud for play/pause, and press-and-hold left earbud to go to the next track. This is LITERALLY all you get as touch options. Every other touch combination is for calls and phone helper stuff with no options to customize them whatsoever.I am most certainly not happy about this lack of customization for the touch controls. The touch controls should let me play/pause, skip to next/previous track, and volume +/- if I want them to. If touch controls are the reason for these limitations, I would’ve preferred the physical buttons like the ones on the Bose SoundSport Free.Edit (2022-10-02): I’ve heard the app apparently lets you customize the touch controls now, so that’s good to hear. Too bad it wasn’t like that on release.-(8)- There’s no equalizer in the Bose app. Sure, the default sound signature is okay and you could argue for third-party equalizers, but why don’t they give us a simple equalizer in the app for these pricey $350 earbuds?ConclusionPersonally, I wouldn’t recommend these simply because the passive noise isolation is weak. These earbuds do get quite a bit done right, like comfort and sound, but the weak noise isolation takes it down quite a few ranks.[–A bit about these compared to Sony WF-1000XM3’s–]Since I have the Sony WF-1000XM3’s which are basically direct competitors to these, I’ll just point out that the Sony WF-1000XM3’s are cheaper and have all the extra features which these Bose don’t have.For instance, you can customize almost all your touch controls on the Sony, and there’s an in-app equalizer to adjust the sound to your taste.Where the Sony’s lose out to the Bose is in terms of water protection and comfort/fit. The Sony’s have the absolute stupidest design when it comes to comfort/fit with no ear wings to hold the earbuds in your ears, so these Bose are 500% better at staying in your ears comfortably.
Mirco –
The media could not be loaded. The earphones were fine with intermittent connection problems, but getting to their first charge, they do not charge and I have 3 flashing white lights.The community forum is not helpful and having spent the money I have, I will not accept a 2 to 3 week lead time for service, so I will return these and never buy Bose again.Very dissapointed
HJeffK –
So the good first:The fit, sound quality and noise cancelling are all goodThe bad:No way to turn them off when you get to work/other destination.This results in the battery draining for the rest of the day until you get back to where the charge box is.No way to buy another charge box!The software is buggy as hell, when you try and reconnect them on your iPhone, it connects and then immediately disconnects, continuously.This then renders them unusable.Who at Bose designed this? They need to get fired ASAP!Bose used to be great but this is just a terrible user experience, especially for the price.Please don’t buy them for you or anyone else!
Gilbert Escobar –
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: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!
HJeffK –
So the good first:The fit, sound quality and noise cancelling are all goodThe bad:No way to turn them off when you get to work/other destination.This results in the battery draining for the rest of the day until you get back to where the charge box is.No way to buy another charge box!The software is buggy as hell, when you try and reconnect them on your iPhone, it connects and then immediately disconnects, continuously.This then renders them unusable.Who at Bose designed this? They need to get fired ASAP!Bose used to be great but this is just a terrible user experience, especially for the price.Please don’t buy them for you or anyone else!
Mirco –
The earphones were fine with intermittent connection problems, but getting to their first charge, they do not charge and I have 3 flashing white lights.The community forum is not helpful and having spent the money I have, I will not accept a 2 to 3 week lead time for service, so I will return these and never buy Bose again.Very dissapointed
Gilbert Escobar –
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: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!
Mirco –
In short, these have a decent sound signature for music, decent noise cancelling, good battery life, and are very comfortably made. However, the passive noise isolation is quite bad so it brings down the quality of the noise cancelling.Also for this price, they’re lacking in some features like customizable touch controls and an in-app equalizer which I would’ve thought were basically guaranteed on pricey wireless earbuds like these.Pros-(1)- Quite comfortable. I fell asleep with them on and woke up without any pain in my ears.-(2)- The case is hard to open because it’s locked close with a button latch. I consider this a good thing because I prefer my earbuds to be secure in their case.Neutrals-(3)- Noise cancelling is “fairly” good. These seem to cancel noises properly, but are let down by their somewhat lacking passive noise isolation (preventing noise through the earbud itself) so you can still hear louder noises directly through the earbuds even if they’re technically “cancelling” it. When I used these during my transit via train, I could constantly hear the low rumble of the heater fans and the high-pitch whirring of the motors when the train sped up or slowed down.As a side note, the noise cancelling is decent at not picking up wind gusts, although medium/strong wind gusts still cause a small amount of noise.-(4)- The default sound signature is quite nice and it’ll probably satisfy a lot of people, but there’s something about it that’s lacking “fun”. It has good clarity in mids and highs without being too harsh, and the bass is there albeit a bit pulled back. My issue lies with how the sub-bass below the bass is so pulled back that there’s basically no “oomph” to any song I listen to which has sub-bass.-(5)- So far I haven’t had any issues with connectivity, even in the middle of downtown. The only connection issue I’ve had is that the earbuds sometimes stutter for ~1 second every now and then (but only once or twice a day) before reconnecting like nothing happened.Cons-(6)- The passive sound isolation is pretty weak. I mentioned this when I talked about how it makes the noise cancelling worse, but it also prevents you from listening to music at medium/high volume. This is because your music just bleeds right out and you become a nuisance to everyone around you.With how much sound gets past the noise cancelling because of the lacking passive noise isolation, you end up wanting to listen to music at a slightly higher volume to drown out the extra outside noise, but doing that makes your noise leak out to your surroundings. The lacking noise isolation just brings about a lose-lose situation.-(7)- These are missing so many basic music controls it’s not even funny. The only 2 touch controls you have for music are double-tap right earbud for play/pause, and press-and-hold left earbud to go to the next track. This is LITERALLY all you get as touch options. Every other touch combination is for calls and phone helper stuff with no options to customize them whatsoever.I am most certainly not happy about this lack of customization for the touch controls. The touch controls should let me play/pause, skip to next/previous track, and volume +/- if I want them to. If touch controls are the reason for these limitations, I would’ve preferred the physical buttons like the ones on the Bose SoundSport Free.Edit (2022-10-02): I’ve heard the app apparently lets you customize the touch controls now, so that’s good to hear. Too bad it wasn’t like that on release.-(8)- There’s no equalizer in the Bose app. Sure, the default sound signature is okay and you could argue for third-party equalizers, but why don’t they give us a simple equalizer in the app for these pricey $350 earbuds?ConclusionPersonally, I wouldn’t recommend these simply because the passive noise isolation is weak. These earbuds do get quite a bit done right, like comfort and sound, but the weak noise isolation takes it down quite a few ranks.[–A bit about these compared to Sony WF-1000XM3’s–]Since I have the Sony WF-1000XM3’s which are basically direct competitors to these, I’ll just point out that the Sony WF-1000XM3’s are cheaper and have all the extra features which these Bose don’t have.For instance, you can customize almost all your touch controls on the Sony, and there’s an in-app equalizer to adjust the sound to your taste.Where the Sony’s lose out to the Bose is in terms of water protection and comfort/fit. The Sony’s have the absolute stupidest design when it comes to comfort/fit with no ear wings to hold the earbuds in your ears, so these Bose are 500% better at staying in your ears comfortably.