Reviewing the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
11.11.2022
Translation: Megan Cornish
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II’s new active noise cancellation technology and sound impressed in my long-term test. These true wireless headphones are pricey, but they’re worth it.
Once they’re in your ears, you’ll hear an «oomph» sound. Anyone who’s ever had Bose headphones will recognise the brand’s bold signature greeting tone. During my month-long review of the QuietComfort Earbuds II, the «oomph» represented their strong active noise cancelling, natural transparency mode and the great sound you get.
The design of the earbuds is just as powerful as their welcome tone: QuietComfort Earbuds II are larger than other true wireless headphones. Nevertheless, I still find them comfortable. The curved design fits well in my ear, remaining comfortable even after several hours of wear.
Heavy weight and secret service vibes
The only thing I notice once they’re in my ears is their six-gramme weight, which is pretty heavy for true wireless headphones – but it doesn’t bother me. They’re actually lighter than the previous model, Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds, weighing 2.26 grammes less. And you notice the difference when you’re wearing them.
Small silicone, wing-like stability bands on the edge of the earbuds also ensure that they don’t fall out. However, a fair amount does protrude, making me feel like a secret service agent with a headset in an ’80s film.
The package includes three ear tips and three stability bands, which ensure an individual fit. There’s also an approximately 30 centimetre-long USB-C charging cable and a small manual.
Sound worth listening to
Big earbuds, big sound? This is true for Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II. The sound is powerful and full. Like most newer models, the QuietComfort II have a lot of bass, although it isn’t overpowering. It’s there, but the mids aren’t drowned out. On the contrary, they develop well and sound harmonious. The highs also sound good, they don’t hiss and aren’t harsh on the ear. Overall, I feel the sound is generally well balanced – bass, mid range and treble flow nicely into one another.
I’m listening to Radiohead’s Burn the Witch, the song I use to test headphones. The QuietComfort II give the track a lot of oomph, and no part is overmodulated. The Bose earbuds also manage the highs that many headphones have trouble with. However, I notice that the sound is rather cool in this piece – unlike with Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3, for example, where the sound is warmer.
If the QuietComfort II have too much bass, you can adjust them with one of the four equaliser presets. I mostly used the buds with the bass reducer preset, which audibly changes the sound. Otherwise, there’s a preset for boosting bass and treble and one for reducing treble.
Strong active noise cancellation with background noise
Bose launched its new earbuds just before Apple’s big «Far Out» event – which also unveiled the new second-generation AirPods Pro. AirPods Pro benefit from greatly improved active noise cancelling (ANC). And Bose claims that the QuietComfort II have the world’s best noise reduction thanks to new CustomTune technology. According to Bose, this new custom function briefly measures the ear before each new insertion to optimally match noise reduction and sound.
Bose’s presentation before the Apple event can be seen as a challenge to Apple. Apple itself isn’t short of superlatives when it comes to describing itself. But which active noise cancelling is better? In order to clarify this objectively and definitively, the audio nerds from Rocket Science will measure and compare the contenders. I’ll update you and link the results here in the next few days.
My personal experience: the Bose earbuds let through less noise than Apple’s AirPods Pro. This is just because they sit much more firmly in the ear, while the AirPods Pro are more likely to be «hooked». As a result, the passive damping with Bose is significantly better. But the active part of the noise cancelling works more precisely with Bose and reduces more noise.
In everyday life, the active noise cancelling on the QuietComfort II is very good. On the train, I can hardly hear the nearby group of older passengers – who always occupy half the carriage exactly when I’m on the train – gossiping away. And even in the office, I can hardly hear my colleagues speaking – which is amazing, as voices are really difficult to reduce with active noise cancelling.
I was also able to test the QuietComfort II on a short flight. And I was really glad to have them with me. I could still hear some of the background rumble on the plane, but the difference compared to when I turned off active noise cancellation was impressive.
The sound of the QC II isn’t changed by the ANC or ambient mode. However, with active noise cancelling switched on, there’s clearly noticeable background noise when you’re not playing music. This is especially noticeable when listening to podcasts. It works for me with background noise, but could be better.
Transparency mode: suitable for cycling
The opposite of active noise cancelling is transparency mode. Sometimes called ambient mode, this feature ensures that all sounds are picked up by the microphones, allowing you to hear your surroundings alongside the music.
The new Bose earbuds’ transparency mode successfully brings ambient noise through naturally. The spatial perception is also correct – with some earphones, noises sound much closer than they actually are in transparency mode. This is rarely the case with the QC II. So, I can use them for cycling because I can hear the cars well enough – but then I turn the music down so it doesn’t drown out the ambient noise.
Operation and app
Using the QuietComfort II is also cyclist-friendly. Play/pause, forward/backward and volume can all be adjusted via touch controls. Noise reduction modes or voice assistants can be called up using a shortcut. You can set up to four different volume modes for active noise cancelling, which you can set using the shortcut on the earbuds.
The touch controls are very reliable and accurate – they’re a pleasure to use. And you don’t have to push the earbuds halfway into your ear canal before something happens; the controls are very responsive. Things only got a bit too sensitive when they fitted tightly to my head, when the control was partially triggered by the pressure.
More functions are available in the Bose Music app. It’s a bit annoying that it takes a few seconds for the earbuds to connect each time the app opens – even when I’ve been listening to music with them the whole time. Otherwise, the app works well and is user-friendly.
If you only want to use one earbud, you have to use the right one.
Bluetooth codec limitations
Speaking of the Bluetooth connection, although the Bose QC II are in the high-price segment, they don’t support high-quality Bluetooth codecs. That means no aptX codecs, only AAC and SBC. SBC is the standard codec, which compresses more and therefore delivers poorer audio quality. On most Android phones, however, you can simply switch to AAC in the Bluetooth settings; the codec is standard on iOS devices.
The inferior Bluetooth codec is also partly responsible for latency when watching videos. This means that the sound comes after the picture. It works with YouTube videos, but the annoying latencies occurred several times with Instagram and TikTok.
It’s incomprehensible that Bose doesn’t support better codecs in its latest true wireless model, especially since it uses the current Bluetooth version 5.3. A software update could remedy this.
The QC II also don’t have multipoint capability. This means that the headphones can only be connected to one device at a time. If you want to switch from your phone to your laptop, for example, you have to do this manually – which at least works quickly and reliably. I’m hoping for a software update to resolve this too.
Battery: good middle range
A battery charge of the QuietComfort II lasts six hours. This is middle of the road. Second-generation AirPods Pro last the same amount of time, while the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless run for seven hours.
The rather large charging case holds three additional charges. That’s 18 hours of juice in total. Charging is via USB-C – there’s no wireless charging. But it is fast: 20 minutes of charging means two hours of music.
Conclusion: worth the money despite the drawbacks
The QuietComfort II earbuds are great, especially for people who value good active noise cancelling. Bose has set new standards. The sound is also convincing – only the background noise of the active noise cancelling spoils the enjoyment a bit.
However, you have to accept compromises with the Bluetooth codecs. Earbuds in this price segment should at least have a high-quality Bluetooth codec installed and have multipoint capability. Nevertheless, the QuietComfort II earbuds are worth their price thanks to their strong active noise cancelling, natural transparency mode, convincing sound and the «oomph» you get with these headphones.
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.