Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) review: Renowned noise-canceling for a midrange price

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Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) connection rich, afloat sound value and awesome noise-canceling capacity for nether $200. They service arsenic a much affordable replacement to nan brand's flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and are perfect for much casual listeners who don't request nan absolute champion performance.

I've tested a batch of likewise priced options and there's plentifulness to for illustration astir these 2024 QC Earbuds. They're a beardown competitor contempt nan included lawsuit being bulky and nan earbuds' creation favoring larger ears complete smaller ones.

The QC Earbuds are versatile capable to accommodate work, travel, and moreover fitness. They besides group themselves isolated from nonstop competitors for illustration nan AirPods 4 pinch ANC by providing stronger sound cancellation. The QC Earbuds can't rather lucifer nan capacity of nan very best headphones, but they're a awesome fresh for a wide assemblage looking for well-rounded earbuds.

Where do nan 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds fresh successful Bose's lineup?

The 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds are nan 3rd brace of Bose in-ear headphones to usage nan "QuietComfort Earbuds" name. They travel erstwhile models released successful 2020 and 2022.

However, those older QuietComfort Earbuds were positioned arsenic flagship models and are champion thought of arsenic precursors to Bose's existent high-end QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, which launched successful 2023.

Rather than enactment arsenic a caller top-tier offering, nan 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds are meant to present a midrange tier into Bose's earbuds lineup, offering a little costly action for group who don't want to ammunition retired $300 for nan Ultra Earbuds. But, fixed their little $179 price, this exemplary does suffer retired connected immoderate of nan Ultra Earbuds' other perks.

Bose says nan Ultras still present nan brand's champion noise-canceling and audio quality, and they see further features for illustration CustomTune calibration, customizable listening modes, Google Fast Pair, Spotify Tap, and Snapdragon Sound.

Sound value is afloat and vibrant, but nan fresh is geared toward larger ears

As you mightiness expect from a brace of Bose headphones, nan QuietComfort Earbuds person a sound floor plan that's heavy and afloat of bass. There's besides awesome clarity, particularly successful nan midrange, truthful vocals sound coming and detailed. I listened to a scope of euphony genres, and nan ones pinch rhythmic thumps were nan astir impressive, but moreover ambient-style tracks sounded great.

The QC Earbuds are astir apt champion described arsenic vibrant. Put different way, these earbuds are afloat of vibes, meaning songs sound lively and energetic. Kick drums deed difficult and bass guitars pluck pinch depth. You'll apt find yourself nodding on pinch snappy, bouncy tracks.

The QC Earbuds' robust sound is partially owed to their in-ear fit. Silicone receptor tips seal successful nan audio and support finer specifications from escaping, while mini rubber flaps on nan bottommost half of nan earbuds support them unafraid and forestall them from shifting around.

However, nan existent fresh whitethorn beryllium a small bulbous successful immoderate people's ears. The buds themselves are alternatively large, including nan soul portion that leads to nan silicone receptor tip. Three different-sized receptor tips and stableness bands are included, and nan default sizes fresh my ears fine. That said, each of nan options were excessively large for my wife's ears and wouldn't beryllium flush arsenic intended. This is thing you'll want to see if you person smaller ears and person had problems pinch immoderate earbuds being excessively ample successful nan past.

Good sound cancellation but nan pricier QC Ultra still person an edge

Bose headphones are celebrated for their fantabulous progressive sound cancellation (ANC), and nan QuietComfort Earbuds proceed that contented pinch awesome noise-canceling capabilities. It's a superior logic to see them.

However, they're not perfect. Bose's much premium offering, nan QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, are still nan best noise-canceling headphones we've tested pinch an in-ear design, and this little costly brace sits a measurement beneath them. If those are nan champion past nan QuietComfort Earbuds get astir 75% of nan measurement location successful comparison.

Still, successful emblematic environments, nan QC Earbuds should screen astir people's needs for quieting surrounding distractions. In much demanding areas, they're good, conscionable not nan best. I took nan earbuds connected a cross-country formation and they performed admirably connected a plane. I could still perceive a babe whaling beautiful loudly and nan engines weren't wholly gone, but they did make them duller and nan compartment surroundings little chaotic.

Likewise, nan QC Earbuds' ANC is notably amended than that of nan likewise priced AirPods 4. Apple's midrange earbuds person coagulated sound cancellation considering their open-fit design, but they can't lucifer nan superior isolation that nan QC Earbuds' in-ear seal provides.

A coagulated alert mode makes nan earbuds versatile capable for fitness

The earbuds are IPX4 rated for h2o resistance. That's not to nan level of being submergible, but it does mean that they're designed to withstand mean rainfall and sweat. They tin perfectly beryllium utilized for fittingness activities without awesome issues.

I took nan QuietComfort Earbuds for a 3.1-mile run, connected straight to my Apple Watch, to spot really they performed while connected nan move. Overall, they worked well. The fresh pinch adjustable wingtips was unafraid capable that they didn't autumn retired aliases consciousness slippery erstwhile covered pinch sweat, but again, those pinch smaller ears whitethorn person much issues.

Even though they stayed successful my ears, they are bulkier than different options, truthful I astir apt wouldn't bargain them arsenic dedicated moving earbuds. I would alternatively person thing slimmer while retired running. I besides hated trying to usage nan touch controls while sprinting down nan street.

On nan positive side, nan earbuds' person a awesome alert mode (also called transparency mode by different brands), which uses nan ANC microphones to fto successful extracurricular sound erstwhile you want to perceive your surroundings. This mode was capable to perceive cars and thoroughfare noise, and I really liked really earthy extracurricular noises sounded. There were nary integer artifacts, which tin beryllium an rumor pinch this characteristic connected cheaper earbuds.

While I wouldn't see these nan best headphones for moving out they tin service arsenic stand-ins while walking for a fewer days. But if you're looking for Bose earbuds that are moreover amended suited for progressive use, I propose considering nan Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. They're much costly and are wholly unfastened to fto successful extracurricular noise. This intends they don't person sound cancellation, but they're highly comfortable to usage while running.

Long artillery life and wireless charging are bully perks

The QuietComfort Earbuds' charging lawsuit is simply a spot of a mixed bag. On nan 1 hand, nan lawsuit is chunkier and feels cheaper than a batch of options that travel pinch competing earbuds. This makes it little pocketable while traveling. However, Bose has astatine slightest improved 1 area wherever immoderate of its different earbuds person fallen short: wireless charging.

Although astir competing earbuds successful nan $150 to $200 value scope see wireless charging capabilities, Bose has skipped this characteristic successful its caller earbuds. Even nan brand's high-end Ultra Earbuds don't travel pinch a wireless charging lawsuit and alternatively require a $50 add-on to alteration wireless charging.

With nan 2024 QC Earbuds, nary other accessories are required. Instead, nan included lawsuit tin beryllium group connected a Qi-compatible charging pad to powerfulness up without immoderate wires. Of course, nan lawsuit besides still has a USB-C larboard for wired charging if you prefer.

This exemplary is rated for 8.5 hours of listening clip pinch ANC (Quiet Mode). That's awesome by immoderate modular and is amended than nan QC Ultra's six hours of playback pinch ANC. However, it's important to retrieve that utilizing different EQs and measurement levels will effect nan full playback clip you get pinch each charge. The artillery lawsuit provides an further 2.5 charges arsenic well. In my experience, you should person nary problem getting done an full workday without needing to recharge.

The QC Earbuds see Multipoint Bluetooth, which allows them to link to 2 devices astatine erstwhile and past move backmost and distant automatically. I don't see this a must-have feature, but it's decidedly a convenient perk. I typically link my earbuds to my telephone and laptop to usage them successful different ways passim a workday. The QC Earbuds switched backmost and distant without immoderate issues.

Bose Immersive Audio is nan company's processing characteristic that tin heighten stereo audio mixes to create a 3D situation sound effect. This will beryllium coming to nan earbuds via a early update, but it wasn't disposable for maine to trial yet. However, I person tried it connected nan Ultra Earbuds and yet for illustration to perceive to euphony successful modular mode. It's a cool characteristic to play astir pinch if you for illustration nan effect, but it's not a crippled changer.

To set settings and modes, nan QuietComfort Earbuds usage nan caller stand-alone Bose QCE mobile app, which is different from nan Bose app that nan brand's different headphones use. This determination is simply a small strange, particularly if you're already tied into nan Bose ecosystem pinch different devices that usage nan existing app. That said, this caller app useful good and has akin functionality.

One niche characteristic that tin beryllium enabled wrong nan app is Remote Selfie. You tin group a touch motion connected nan earbuds, for illustration pat and hold, to return a image from a connected phone. The biggest caveat for iPhone users, however, is that nan camera app needs to beryllium activated and connected surface for nan bid to threat a photo.

Should you bargain nan Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024)?

The 2024 QuietComfort Earbuds are nan champion Bose earbuds for astir people. They're a coagulated action for anyone perusing nan midrange earbuds market. They connection admirable ANC capacity and fun, booming audio quality.

Their creation is simply a spot bulky, though, pinch buds that favour larger ears and a lawsuit that's little portable than different models. It's besides cardinal to statement that nan much costly QC Ultra Earbuds still artifact retired nan astir noise.

The pricier Ultra Eabuds' superior ANC will beryllium astir beneficial for those walking a batch aliases moving successful engaged environments. But extracurricular those usage cases, nan QC Earbuds are a amended wide worth for much casual users who bask Bose audio products.