Bose Quiet Comfort QC earbuds review

High-end wireless earbuds are among the hottest items in the tech market right now, and Bose has launched a new product that may be a contender for the Top of 2021 lists. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. These earbuds are designed to go head-to-head with Apple’s Airpods Pro. 

These buds pair with the free Bose Music app to give you a bit more customization and control.

Fit, feel and design

These earbuds are big and bulky, there’s no other way to describe them. With a fat oval design these do stick far out of your ears and are easily noticeable. Silicone ear fins do help keep them in place very securely, and from feeling like they’ll fall out if you move. So while they are huge, they’re secure and snug. When it comes to how they feel after a few hours, they stay comfortable and I was easily able to wear them for long stretches.

Similarly the case is rather large, so it’s more bag or backpack portable and would be less comfortable in a pocket. It latches closed, rhatwer than clicks magnetically.

Quiet Mode + Aware Mode
The QuietComfort Earbuds are built for noise cancellation, and it shows. The earbuds have a noise-cancelling sliding scale that is adjusted inside the Bose Music app that allows you to adjust the amount of outside noise that passes into your ears. This can be handy for situations where you need to allow some outside noise in or be aware of your surroundings but want to deemphasize them.
You can switch between Quiet Mode, which uses Acoustic Noise Cancelling to cancel all outside noise, and Aware Mode, which will minimize loud sounds while keeping you fully aware of your surroundings. You can also create presets for different levels of noise bleed and switch between them in the app or with a simple double-tap of the left earbud to manually and quickly switch modes.
With noise cancellation on full, you get a very quiet experience and if you needed to focus on something these would get you there. With Aware Mode you can hear pretty much everything. Both noise cancellation and aware modes are outstanding.
Equalizer options too
A quick aside; there’s also full EQ settings inside the app so you can customize the bass and treble to your liking.
Touch controls
The QuietComfort Earbuds work via capacitive gestures, allowing you to switch noise-cancelling modes, change the volume, and answer calls with swipes and taps. For instance, two taps on the left side will cycle through the Quiet/Aware modes, while two taps on the right will pause or play music or start or end a call. Swiping the right earbud will adjust the volume, and holding the left earbud will allow you to skip a song. Holding the right earbud will enable you to reject an incoming call or access the smart assistant on your phone. It’s a bit of a challenge to remember all the taps and sequences but it’s nice to know you have those options.
Music and sound quality
Bose has built its reputation on making headphones and audio that is designed to beat everyone else on audio quality, so the expectation is that these will sound phenomenal.
I listened to a wide variety of music, podcasts and audio on these and I can say the sound quality is outstanding. The vocals are clear and cut through. The overall sound is well balanced and you can glean a lot of subtleties from the music. The bass is powerful and thrumming, and when I added the bass boost it was even more enjoyable with out being buzzy or bone grinding.

Battery life

This might actually be the biggest disappointment with these earbuds. 12 hours of charging in the case is far below what a lot of other charging cases offer. Particularly for a case of this size, I have seen 100 hours of recharging in a case, so the fact this only has 12 hours does seem a bit subpar.

Overall review: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
Overall, there is a lot to like about these headphones. For starters they are massively customizable; you can dial in your audio preferences, boost the bass, and fine tune the EQ to your liking.

The adjustability of the digital noise cancellation and Aware mode is really great and means you can dial in your precise preferences and even create presets for your favourites. Plus, there’s no disputing the amazing audio quality.

When it comes to the downsides, you can kind of sum it up in two words: charging case. The charging case is very big and bulky and makes it difficult to slip in a pocket. It also only houses 12 hours of additional battery life which is on the low side for most wireless earbud charging cases.

Even so, if you’re looking for high quality, feature-loaded earbuds, these are a good pick, particularly for Bose devotees. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds sell for about $349CAD/$279USD.

[mcamca]

Now with EQ & Volume control they surpass all others. The soap stone actually look ok in ear. I love them!

[sugar-spice]

It’s 2022 I still got mines I love them I have stone blue

[JohnBelleroseMusic]

I just bought these earbuds - Bose dropped the price to $200 USD and updated the app with EQ. I have Airpods and Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EQ. The Bose is far superior to both in my opinion. Better cost value now as well. Thanks for the great review!

[JB]

I love these BOSE QC earbuds. The sound quality is my thing and they sound better than anything else out there IMO.

[porterbrass]

Excellent review!
My QC Earbuds first impressions:
I just received the QC earbuds this week and yesterday was my first full day in a moderately noisy manufacturing environment. Noise cancellation was very good. While driving and on a conference call, road noise was diminished to a faint air sound. Proper fit takes a little effort and sometimes feels like they need adjustment or they’ll fall out- but they don’t. 🤣 Moving them around often triggers Siri unintentionally which is annoying because it’s loud. The equalizer and finger sweep volume adjustments are excellent. I really like the quick touch 4 levels of noise cancellation. Music is slightly better than the AirPod Pros and can be played at a lower volume because of the better noise cancellation. I will probably use the QC’s mostly for the gym, traveling, and serious music listening. However, much of the time, i’ll probably still be using my AirPod Pros. I think they’re the best for most users every day use. They have nearly as good ANC and sound quality as the Bose. They’re more compact to fit in a pocket and have easy to use finger press functionality. I especially like the automatic text reading. They just seem to have that “joy” factor.
Summary- Bose is best. You grow to love them more every time they’re used. Bose stands behind their products and they strive for customer satisfaction. Again- great unbiased review!!

[lizjones]

Owned mine for 2 years. Even though I didn't use them much they no longer function (flashing red and white lights - won't sync) and out of warranty. Called customer service and attempted various fixes, nothing worked so they offered me $100 off a new pair. Expensive earbuds for only 2 years of function.

[natnathutchins]

What accessories do you use? I hate the bulky battery pack. Is there a non battery pack that’s more slime or less charge?

[robertcolpitts]

Nice review. The flexibility and features led me to purchase a pair. They are very nice. Used them when I received a call and they were excellent. Will be using these with my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Very pleased!

[jeffreybartolo]

Owned one myself in black all in all good for me, better than airpods pro tbh. No regrets bout the purchase

[enyioma]

I dropped my yesterday. Not too hard, but I'm not sure if it affected the volume. Should I use my warranty?

[jamesmchugo]

I have these, I also have Apple Pro earbuds. Overall sound, noise cancellation, the Bose QuietComfort are just plan better. But… the Apple Pro is pretty good and has advantages the Bose can’t touch. Fit and feel, these two earbuds are about the same, I give the Apple Pro the nod if you’re wearing a cap or if your in windy conditions. The Apple is actually better at reducing noise from wind blowing over them. If you have them paired to Apple products, the Apple Pro has full voice control with Hey Siri. Just by saying Hey Siri the Apple Pro can do all functions including switching artists, song, album etc. you can change the volume, stop, pause make phone calls, all hands free. Plus the small case for Apple Pro makes it possible to put it in any pocket and always have it with you. But the sound, it’s Apple sound, good, but not great. The mid ranges and highs are great with the Apple Pro, but lows, bass is weak lacking body. Also the Apple Pro can switch from one device to another, just by switching the device. But when listening to music, the Bose blows Apple out of the water. The Bose are less likely to fall out of the ears, the block unwanted noise better and last a good 1.5 to 2 hours more on a charge. Bose can be controlled with tap commands and when using to make calls, your voice sound more natural with the Bose. I regularly switch between these two earbuds almost daily, depending on my need and activity. I tend to use the Bose if I’m going to be working on projects inside. And tend to use the Pros when hands free is needed or if it’s windy outside. If I’m going to be more focused on the sound from the buds, I prefer the Bose, they’re just better. But if the reason for using the earbuds is just background noise, it depends on what I’m doing which ones I use.

[OutOnTheTiles]

We need a review of the new version please. 👍🇨🇦

[d.julian]

Ithght they were ok as far as sound. But the battery? 3.5-4hrs. Good for short flights..but great content.

[davidfield]

Very good review, to the point without any waffle

[oz]

I don't mind Bose's size. Most earbuds today look like hearing aids. ANC and sound is truly superb, better than anything today. Even better while they are on sale and was the deciding factor over the competition.

[zarish]

Hi Erin,

I’m stuck, fortunately moneys not the issue, Sony 1000xm4 or the Bose comfort which do I buy? I like to listen soul rnb hip hop etc. quite bassy music. Which do you suggest please

[arturoperez]

quick and to the point review, excellent!!!

[davidlloydmiller]

Really informative and non basis. Great job! This review played part in my decision to purchase them. Thank you 😊.

[sergeantbilko]

Thank you Erin. Great review. So great you may have sold me on them.

Hi Erin, as always interesting and informative. I think I will stick w/ my Skullcandy "Cassette" over the ear Bluetooth headphones; I am an apartment dweller and I primarily use them w/ my laptop for listening in the evening.