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For years, Bose was the undisputed king of noise cancellation.
Eventually, the company saw competitors like Sony take the lead, but they were never far behind.
Now, with theBose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, the company is ready to carry the noise-canceling crown once again.
Is the noise cancellation powerful enough for you to overlook the faults here?
Mainly, that depends on what you’re looking for.
They also have a more modern look, definitely inspired by but not overly similar toApple’s AirPods.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Like the original model, the QuietComfort Earbuds 2 featureIPX4-rated water resistance.
This makes the lack of wireless charging on the case quite surprising.
You get ear tips and stability bands in small, medium, and large varieties.
you might mix and match them with each other, giving you nine different options per ear.
This is key for the best sound and noise cancellation.
While these are slightly heavier than mosttrue wireless earbuds, it shouldn’t be a problem.
During testing, I noticed the weight when first trying them out but quickly forgot about it.
I never quite forgot I was wearing them, but this had little to do with the weight.
Connectivity: Surprisingly Spare
Pairing is simple but quite different from how you normally pairBluetoothearbuds.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
This handles the pairing process.
While the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 feature Bluetooth version 5.3, they keep it simple when it comes tocodecs.
The QuietComfort Earbuds 2 only feature SBC and AAC codecs.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Instead, Bose opts for its own feature to swap between two previously paired devices.
This will be enough for most, but true multipoint support would be nice.
Related:What Is a Codec?
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Bose has hinted that a future update may bring the aptX codec.
Less commonly, the QuietComfort Earbuds 2 also feature an auto power-off, which helps save battery life.
Since you require it for setup, you’ll probably have theBose Music appinstalled already.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
That said, if you were planning on removing it, it’s worth leaving installed.
Rather than toggling through preset noise cancellation options, Bose lets you create what it calls “Modes.”
you’ve got the option to also change two controls on the earbuds.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Pressing and holding on each earbud activates a Shortcut.
By default, this is set to cycle through noise-canceling modes on each earbud.
In an uncharacteristic move, Bose actually integrated a three-bandequalizerinto the app.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Companies like Apple and Sony offer personalized audio with thesecond-gen AirPods Proand theSony WH-1000XM5.
The dry, 70s-style drums sound suitably big as well.
When the bass kicks in, it’s powerful, but not overwhelmingly so.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
I simply haven’t heard better noise cancellation in earbuds.
I may not have even heard better noise cancellation in over-ear headphones.
This was without anything playing on either set of earbuds.
These also feature ActiveSense, which keeps sudden loud noises from potentially damaging your hearing.
The earbuds take around an hour to juice up in the charging case.
Charging the case from completely empty takes around three hours viaUSB-C.
If you’re in a hurry, a 20-minute charge can get you up to two hours of playback.
Even though wireless charging is slower, its convenience more than outweighs the longer charge time.
Should You Buy the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2?
Both of these features really should be here at this price.
