Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Arrive to Rival AirPods Pro

[gbdavid]

Both myself and family members have owned Bose products in the past.

I strongly suggest you avoid them, overpriced and with terrible build quality. For instance I owned some Bose QuiteComfort wired headphones that stopped working after a few months of just using them at my desk with no mistreatment. They failed and were replaced by Bose, and a few months later failed again and were replaced.

The final time they failed I didn't bother returning them and instead opened them up to look at the build quality. Most headphone manufacturers use decently thick cabled and inside the headset wrap the cable around a bit of plastic to it cannot be pulled away from solder connections. An idea decades old.

But not in the Bose headphones, just a direct connection from the cable to speaker with nothing inbetween to even try to stop them from pulling apart, with a very small wire and solder connection supported to take the weight of prolonged use.

I have seen headphones for 1/10 of the price with better build quality.

I have been a Bose fan for the past few years too, and utterly disappointed at the latest products they've released. The build quality has definitely deteriorated and feels really cheap... you don't need to open them up to notice. Also, as they release new products they are making the integration gap with apple devices wider and wider... They absolutely don't care about Apple users, and their headphones barely work as simple bluetooth audio devices. Their App is fiddly and you need to press buttons in the app to switch between devices, it really is the wrong user experience for an Apple device user.

I switch from The Bose 700 (their latest) to AirPods Pro and I'm really glad I did... All I sacrificed was a little more noise cancellation and in return I got a much better user experience and convenience (and btw sound quality is bad in both the 700 and the APP so nothing lost there). I don't think I'll ever buy Bose headphones/earphones again

 

[ivan_ua]

Anyone, did you check the battery life of these??? Iе must be a joke or I'm overlooking something in all this story, ONLY 5 HOURS TOGETHER WITH BATTERY CASE CAPACITY?

 

[MacGizmo]

...and you need to press buttons in the app to switch between devices, it really is the wrong user experience for an Apple device user.

As opposed to having to go into Bluetooth settings and clicking or tapping "Connect" multiple times to get AirPods Pro to switch between my MBPro and iPhone. This has been a problem for me for multiple generations of iPhones and MacBook Pros.

 

[recoil80]

Personally the AirPods’ fast pairing and the upcoming instant switch in iOS 14 is what I value the most in wireless ear buds. At the moment there is no real competition. Longer battery life would be appreciated though.

I'm really looking forward to the instant switch in iOS 14
Currently, when I switch from my iPhone to the iPad it takes several seconds, sometimes it doesn't work and I have to try again.
What I love about AirPods is the really tiny case that fit nicely in every jeans pocket. Battery life is still ok after almost 2 years, the only problem is during long phone calls but I usually take one out, put it in to the case for a few minutes and then switch them to gain time.

 

[shadowmatt]

Based on that anecdotal logic, Airpod Pros are to be avoided and are overpriced with terrible build quality too. I am on my third Airpod Pro and know many others (including on here) who have had issues with theirs.

If you know of enough other people experiencing similar issues with the product then it is right to base your buying decision on that advice, rather than just Apple's marketing and reviews which don't take into account the life of the product.

Being Apple though, we should all know never but the 1st Gen of any of their products as they are generally badly designed and are fixed in later revisions.

How far back do you want to go? G4 fans, G3 cases cracking, Nanos made from the wrong plastic, holding it wrong, typing on it wrong.

There are enough videos on Youtube offering advice on repairing the issue I have mentioned and having looked into the Bose build quality I made the decision to never buy from them again.

 

[MayaTlab]

don't get me started on Beats.

Today’s Beats products have little to do engineering wise with their forebears. The latest Beats Solo Pro is among the best measuring ANC BT over or on ears headphones now both in terms of frequency response or distortion (not that it’s a huge challenge given how poorly tuned the usual “good sounding” suspects are).

 

[BBuff]

I guess I’ve had a different experience with Bose products over the years. I started with their wired over ear headset years ago and I currently use their NC 700 model daily for work. They’re awesome for me. I can participate clearly on calls without others hearing anything going on in the background nor can I hear ambient noise.

AirPod Pro are infuriating for me. While they sound good, I’m one of the people that can’t keep them in my ears no matter what I try. Same tip sizes for both, mixing tip sizes. I’ve even purchased 3rd party tips to try to make them usable for me. Nothing works.

I preordered the new Bose QuietComfort earbuds as well and can’t wait until they arrive.

 

[kirk.vino]

How Bose has held on to an "audiophile" status after all these years is beyond me...and don't get me started on Beats. No offense to fans; if you like them - fine. To each his/her own, but try some comparisons and consider other brands before jumping on the bandwagon if you haven't used Bose before.

Bose and Beats have nothing in common. Beats is a trashy product with oversaturated bass. Their mids and highs are non-existent.

 

[dogslobber]

280 bucks for a pair of earphones. I can get a set of blueteeth headphones for 25 bucks off Amazon. Who buys these?

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

How Bose has held on to an "audiophile" status after all these years is beyond me...and don't get me started on Beats. No offense to fans; if you like them - fine. To each his/her own, but try some comparisons and consider other brands before jumping on the bandwagon if you haven't used Bose before.

Fully agree, Bose really don't make great products at all.

When I was searching for my set of good quality headphones, I arrived at the Bang and Olufsen H9i's, and they're superb. Great response all round, and they auto-switch between my iPhone and iPad without any intervention other than pressing pause. Great material quality too.

 

[charlieroberts]

Wow, these things look massive, like customer support call center massive.

I think AirPods Pro are still the way to go. And if you care about sound quality without sacrificing a svelte design, I totally recommend the Sennheiser Momentum TW 2.

My first thought exactly. Not really a competitor if they are missing the ergonomic design and size.

 

[AZMecha]

I am curious about these... In past, Bose was late to the game with wireless earbuds...

That said, I have the AirPods Pro and with the current software update, the fittest still fails. Also, I ordered the comfy tips they still do not sit well in my ears. While snacking on chips or cookies they always shift a can fall out.

Normal AirPods I never had an issue with comfortability or being in use for2-3 hours.

My last pair of Bose headphones were the QC3 on-ear and were amazing.....

But as always there is the cost so this holiday season sales Ill see if it will be Bose or Power Beats pro....

 

[McKodiak]

Do we really need 11 levels of transparency?

Other sites are reporting 11 level of noise cancellation, not transparency. MRs probably have this wrong.

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

They're not white, though. How does one identify as a member of the Apple fealty without white?

 

[KrispE00]

Other sites are reporting 11 level of noise cancellation, not transparency. MRs probably have this wrong.

Bose describes them as noise canceling levels, but they mean the same thing. 90% noise cancelling = 10% transparency, 60% NC = 40% transparency.

 

[Davisgtr]

I have these and they do sound alot better then my airpods pros but the size of their case and the size of the earbuds is to large for carrying in my pocket.

Also the fact that only the right one can be used by itself is a bit odd to me.

But for sound quality alone these are the winner, for build quality and features and portability i would go with apple.

 

[vorkosigan1]

No replaceable battery? Even by a service center?

 

[Davisgtr]

Bose describes them as noise canceling levels, but they mean the same thing. 90% noise cancelling = 10% transparency, 60% NC = 40% transparency.

Its just a slider tab to select the level, just like volume. Saying their is 11 is them making it seem more fancy.

 

[RogueWarrior65]

Airpods suck for communications. When you combine the poor audio quality of a cellular connetion with the reduced audio quality of Airpods, trying to understand anyone particularly older people with hearing difficulty is a big problem. A true land line has much better audio quality.

 

[Hojobones]

I have these and they do sound alot better then my airpods pros but the size of their case and the size of the earbuds is to large for carrying in my pocket.

Also the fact that only the right one can be used by itself is a bit odd to me.

But for sound quality alone these are the winner, for build quality and features and portability i would go with apple.

How would you rate the noise cancellation and fit vs the AirPod pros? I used to have the QC30 and they stayed in my ears much better. I liked the noise cancellation better too, hoping this is a good in between for someone who travels frequently. Thanks

 

[robsp2000]

I hope the connectivity is better than the SoundSport wireless earbuds. Literally disconnected every 40 min or so via a loud buzzing sound. Tons of complaints online about this issue but never found a solution so had to return them.

 

[Davisgtr]

How would you rate the noise cancellation and fit vs the AirPod pros? I used to have the QC30 and they stayed in my ears much better. I liked the noise cancellation better too, hoping this is a good in between for someone who travels frequently. Thanks

For me the fit is good, more snug then my airpods, for my wife she likes her power beats better. noise cancellation is great on them.

 

[alexandr]

am i the only one who thinks they look like turds?..

 

[eekcat]

No H1 chip, no sale.

 

[dmaxdmax]

As I type I'm wearing my big honking over the ear Bose noise canceling headphones that have kept me happy for 4 years or so. I only wear them when sound blockage is critical and the lawn guys are leaf blowing. Great for vacuuming and airplanes too. Most comfortable earphones I ever had were Bose. I'm not a Bose fan for speakers etc but they seem to have ear/headphones that work for me.

I just returned my APP since I couldn't them to fit, even with 3rd party hook-thingies.

$279 is crazy but I'm working at the polls for early voting so these will be my reward to myself.