Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, Wireless, Bluetooth, Proprietary Active Noise Cancelling Technology In-Ear Headphones

10 reviews for Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, Wireless, Bluetooth, Proprietary Active Noise Cancelling Technology In-Ear Headphones

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Chris – April 26, 2023

   
   Man, I thought I’d found the perfect earbuds and am so bummed I have to return these. A little background: I’ve been using v1 of the Airpods Pro for about 2.5 years. One of them flaked out last week so I began searching for a replacement. While I’m well within the Apple universe (MacBook Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPad Pro, etc) I also use Windows quite a bit. In my search I read dozens of reviews on earbuds, and the vast majority of them almost presumptively point Apple users to the Airpods Pro 2. I get it, in theory everything syncs up and works better. But there were things I didn’t like about the Airpods Pro 1 (ANC was mediocre, and particularly bad on a plane; sound quality was meh). So I was actually eager to step outside the Apple box and try something a little more universal. I narrowed my search down to two, and ended up purchasing both the Bose QC II as well as the Airpods Pro 2, with the intent of doing my own use case testing and returning one.Upon receiving and trying both, it took me less than 30 minutes to decide which to keep: The Bose QC II.The ANC on the Airpods 2 was very, very good, but the Bose QC II just took it a couple notches better. As I travel on airplanes quite a bit the ANC was very important to me, and like I said my experience with the original Airpods was lacking.Additionally, after playing a few of my favorite songs with each unit, the Airpods Pro 2 sounded good, but the Bose QC II again came out on top. I’m not an audiophile, but the sound was just richer, with more depth; I heard certain notes in a different way than I ever had with the Airpods.It was at this point that I decided to send the Airpods back, which I did the following day, ready to begin my new and better audio life with the Bose QC II. Everything started out in a state of bliss. Working out of a home office, I could no longer hear my wife working through her accounting problems via Zoom calls in the other room. (FWIW, I also didn’t hear her when she came up behind me and asked if I wanted something for lunch). I received a call, and though I fumbled a bit with the controls the first time the call quality was fine, and they seemed to be able to hear me OK.However, the first chink in the armor came just this evening when I tried connecting the Bose QC II to my Windows system in preparation for a call I have tomorrow. Connection via Bluetooth was simple and straightforward. I then went to a news site that I knew had videos and listened. For some reason the sound kept clicking in and out. I thought it might be the connection with the site, so opened Spotify and played a couple of songs. Same issue. I then went to the Bose app on my iPhone, which said it was having trouble connecting, even though it was in fact connected to the PC (albeit a little glitchy).At the end of the day, this last experience seems consistent with so many of the other reviews that I read up here (thank you), and I just don’t want to be dealing with this again and again (and especially not after I’m past the return window!). I have no interest in going through a tech support call with Bose or them sending a new pair. For $300 plus tax I shouldn’t have to, and these should work more seamlessly. So I’m returning, and I’m not sure what I’m going to replace them with.A few other observations:- The controls for pausing, skipping forward, moving back, volume control, etc. work and are intuitive, however a few times I inadvertently paused music when I was just trying to adjust the earpod. This wasn’t the deal killer; I figured in time I’d get used to the sensitivity and figure it out. But it was a little annoying and perhaps some sensitivity adjustments, or more of a haptic-type feel would work better.- The earbuds themselves fit great out of the box. I didn’t even try the other sizes. They were very comfortable.- I liked how each time I put the earpods in it told me how much battery was left in each.- The charging case is slightly larger than the Airpods case, but still very pocketable. I could care less that it doesn’t support wireless charging, just not a big deal to me. The magnet holding the earpods in also seemed a little stronger than Apple’s case, which I really liked because anytime I accidentally dropped the Apple case the earpods would fall out and slide all over the place (wood floors).In summary, again I really, really wanted these to work out. I was so impressed with the ANC and sound quality, and liked how the bass and treble could be adjusted in the Bose app. It’s just a shame that it had these connection glitches with my computer system. To be clear, I’ve read that Bose customer support is good and fair, but again if I have to call customer support to just to properly use a pair of $300 earbuds then something is wrong.UPDATE:So before returning I decided to try one more time with connecting to computer. I shut down all devices (iPad, etc) that were near the computer, to reduce any potential interference. This resolved the issue with the sound breaking out and the earbuds worked fine.I then shut down the computer and reconnected them to the iPhone. All good. However, when I rebooted the computer I somehow lost the connection with the iPhone, and what I was listening to stopped playing. I then looked at the Bose app and it was somewhere in no man’s land, searching for a connection with the earbuds. Only a reboot of the phone got the app out of this mode, and allowed me to reconnect.So… this takes me back to my original point: These are among THE MOST EXPENSIVE earbuds on the market right now. I’m the consumer and it’s not my job, nor interest, to troubleshoot problems and jump through hoops to figure out what’s going on. That should have happened at in the Bose QC department, but from my brief experience combined with all the reviews I’ve read, it seems like something slipped past them.Thank you and God bless.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Wes – April 22, 2023

   
   These headphones are without a doubt the best headphones I have purchased so far in my entire life. I say thus far, because I know that technology is able to continue to become greater and greater as we advance through time, but as of 2023 these headphones are so packed with technology that they meet every need that I could want out of headphones, and additionally have some extra really cool perks.I want to talk first about the number one need that I wanted these headphones to meet. They claimed that they had 100% noise canceling and I can confirm that that is absolutely correct. Closing out the loud outside world is something that is real true need of mine. I live in a major city, and everything is so loud that I can barely concentrate. I can’t go to the grocery store, out to eat, for a walk down the road, or sometimes even sit in my own home without having some sort of overpowering noise that I don’t want to hear.So here’s how these headphones work noise canceling-wise. I’ll give you two scenarios.Scenario one, I have had a hard day and had to talk to people all day. I’m hungry, tired, don’t want to talk to anyone or hear anyone’s voices. I go to my favorite fish restaurant because I’m too tired to cook but I know that I’m going to need some peace and quiet when I get there. I place my food order, then sit down at my table in a very noisy environment with lots of peoples conversations going in the background. Relaxation is just about to begin. I take out my Bose headphones, I insert one into my ear, and then immediately I hear this sound that sounds like a lightsaber. That’s the Microphones in the headphones testing the ear seal to make sure sound doesn’t get into the headphones. I insert the second headphone into my other ear, and hear another lightsaber like sound. For about two more second I can still hear peoples voices and then all of the sudden I hear a “beep” and everyone’s voices fade away! The noise cancelling has kicked in, and it’s time for me to enjoy my dinner with some relaxing peaceful music. I’m now sitting in the middle of a restaurant and I can only hear my music and no one’s voices at all. Sometimes I’ll turn my music off in the middle of the restaurant, and I’ll watch funny Instagram videos in the headphones. Usually after a 20 minute meal and some funny videos, I’m so relaxed and happy even after a hard day’s work, that I’m ready to go home and go to sleep.Scenario two. I live next to a very busy major street. I can hear lots of road noise, exhaust, loud stereos, and many other kinds of noises. I like to take walks and relax. It’s not very relaxing walking when I have to hear a lot of these noises. I insert my bose headphones , and all of the road noises fade away. All I can hear once again is my music. I have to make sure that I stay on the sidewalk when walking, because these headphones cancel out noise so well that if I try to walk on the road, I’ll likely get hit by a car because I will not hear the cars driving near me.So that being said, the main thing I love about these is the noise canceling. I mentioned that there were couple cool extra things about these that I wanted to tell you about. I do like the amount of bass that these headphones are able to produce. It’s way more than I expected. Additionally the clarity on these headphones is so good that I can can barely describe it in words. There is a treble mode, and a bass mode within the app so I can choose between these two modes and intensify the kind of clarity and or bass that I’d like.The charging case is a medium to small size. It fits well then my pants pocket and doesn’t get in the way when I’m in the gym. That’s one other thing that I wanted to make sure I told you about, is that these are the perfect headphones for the gym. I’ve seen several other people in the gym with them on, and now I know why. They don’t move around in my ears at all! I work out very intensely, and if headphones were going to move around then they would move around on me. They stay exactly where I put them even though I’m sweating on them non-stop for over an hour each day.I love everything about these headphones. My only regret is that I let the price of these scare me away for so long, and I didn’t order them soon enough.

3. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   ejbleen – July 29, 2023

   
   UPDATED REVIEW: Returned to Amazon.Multiple problems cropped up after several days.1) Only the right bud would work.2) The accompanying app refused to acknowledge the existence of my iPad – the iPad that I’ve used with the buds since I got them. iPad Settings could see the buds, but couldn’t connect to them.3) Finally, this morning the buds could “see” but would not connect to my Dell Win11 laptop, with which they’ve worked since I bought them.I did the usual stuff: forget and repair, reset the buds, blah, blah, blah. As you’ll understand if you read my original 3 1/2-star review, there is little about Bose support for this device that would tempt me to believe that contacting the company would be any use at all.When the buds work, the sound is good. But my entire user experience has suggested from the start that there is something very wrong with Bose’s management of this product, from its design to its documentation and support. This is not a $200+ product – at least, not in my experience. In fairness, your experience may, of course, be different.BTW, the link to the online English user manual for this product is still in French. When I looked at it more closely, I realized that it is not even for the QC buds – it’s for some amplifier or other! If I were responsible for product support at Bose, I’d be making it my business to see that Amazon reviews of my product were read and acted on by someone at the company. This relatively minor problem with the online user manual suggests that Bose doesn’t read our reviews …. :(ORIGINAL REVIEW: These were my replacement for my Jabra Elite Pro 7 wireless buds, the left of which gave out less than a year after I bought them (just like it did for many unfortunate purchasers).Let me talk about the pros of the Bose earbuds first:1) Excellent fit in the ears;2) Excellent, full, warm sound (though I qualify this a little below);3) Ability to connect to up to 8 devices. The buds remember those devices, so the moment you select the Bose earbuds in your device Bluetooth app they’ll connect. Easier than either of my Jabra sets;4) Magnetic, so won’t fall out of case;5) Can be “recognized” by your device as soon as you open the case – you don’t need to take them out;6) Friends says that the call quality on their end is excellent;7) Works fine with Windows devices – something that Jabra still doesn’t seem to be able to do;8) The buds appear to remember your various settings even if you use them with a device that doesn’t have the app. Very good!9) You can use one earbud (e.g. for phone calls);10) Noise canceling is excellent.A word here about the sound quality, which I wouldn’t class as either a pro or a con. The buds seem to me to be very bass-heavy, but in saying that I’m aware that the tight fit of this sort of earbud design is so much a part of bass response that it might be my fit, though it is entirely comfortable, is too tight. I run the bass end of the equalizer at about -4 (db? – there’s no volume unit specified).OK, now having said that, the bass response seems to me to extend way down the spectrum in the orchestral music that I listen to. You can almost feel the resonance of the bows on the double-basses, or the movement of the air when the bass drum is struck. Far and away more satisfying than any other in-ear phones, wireless or wired.Now for the cons. Some of these are simply eccentric design decisions. Some of them suggest sloppiness in overall product management or integration into the overall product experience.1) The fit in the case is peculiar. Getting them out requires an odd pinching of forefinger and thumb, and I can’t take out the left bud with my right fingers – I have to use the left hand. Similarly, stowing the buds isn’t intuitive at all, either in the left-right axis or top-bottom axis. I’ll probably get used to it, but it’s definitely a little strange. I have the glossy black ones, so there are no tell-tale shadows in the case to guide the eye;2) There doesn’t seem to be any obvious way of determining how they work when you first open the package. There’s a small QR code, but that gives information about installation, not use. If you go to the Bose website (at the time of my writing this review) and download the user guide in English, it turns out to be in French! And at least one of the web links from the app is dead.3) Controlling the buds involves touching the outside of the buds in various ways: brief touch, long touch, or a slide of the finger. This has the advantage of being “solid-state”, as opposed to a clickable switch that can wear out. But the buds sit far enough out from the ears that knowing exactly where that “touchable” area is to be found can be difficult. And that is a problem, because a tentative slide (change the volume) can be interpreted as a touch (stop/start) – you need to be confident.4) The app is poorly designed. Here’s an example: You can connect the buds using your regular Bluetooth connection, although the app supposedly will do it for you. If you have connected without using the app, however, then the app doesn’t know you’ve connected … and you won’t be able to do anything else with the app until that connection takes place. And I’ve not found out yet how to delete the “Work” profile I created at the app’s suggestion ….5) There is a young woman in my earbuds, and when she talks to me about battery strength she sounds bored to death. I’m not surprised, since she insists on telling the the name of the device I’ve connected to, and the default name of Windows devices is a long and incomprehensible string of gibberish ….OK, here’s the summary.I like the sound and the fit, and I’m glad I bought them.However, the overall attention to the user experience doesn’t suggest Bose to me, or any sort of premium product for that matter. At $149 they’d be a no-brainer. At their present price, which suggests a luxury experience, I think they’re too expensive.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   P.S. Noonan – November 30, 2022

   
   This is my very first purchase of wireless earbuds (well, I purchased 3 others at same time, to compare them to each other). I did a decent amount of research in a short period of time, and landed on three of the highest rated. These, the Sony WF-1000XM4 and the Beats Fit Pro. I’ll start by stating that I haven’t felt compelled enough to actually write a review in years. I was so afraid these would disappoint me based on other reviews and Reddit threads, but after just a couple minutes listening to music with these and the Sony earbuds – I had determined an easy winner. I didn’t even bother opening the Beats Fit Pro because I knew there was no way they wound better than Bose. My previous earbuds were Bose Soundsport (a gift from someone), so maybe I just have some bias because I’m accustomed to the sound that Bose delivers. My only other prior experience with ANC wireless earbuds is Apple Airpods Pro (I think first generation?) and all I remember when I tried them is instantly thinking the music quality wasn’t even close to my Soundsport. Which is a good segue into my Pros and Cons list.PROS:1. Sound/Music quality. I’m not educated on all the components of sound/music, I don’t know the exact science of what’s what, I only know what sounds good to me. I know when music sounds “full bodied” and that’s how I’d describe these/the Bose sound. The bass especially. I love Bose bass.1. Comfort. One of my biggest gripes with the Bose Soundsport was the fit/the wing tips. I HATE the wing tips, even with the smallest size they would cause soreness in my left ear in less than hour. In contrast, I LOVE the way these fit/feel. I have worn them for 3+ hours with zero discomfort. And that’s with the size that they came with, I haven’t even tried the other sizes yet to see if they can be even more comfortable.2. Noise Cancelling. Again, I’m not highly educated/experienced in this area (Soundsport didn’t have ANC), but I can tell these do it well. I blow-dried my hair while listening to music and I couldn’t hear the blowdryer at all (I did have my music up to max/near max volume), but still. I did try to compare this feature with Sony’s, and either Sony’s ANC was malfunctioning (I researched and troubleshooted), or it was just really bad in comparison to Bose.3. Easy set-up/sync. Scanned a QR code, downloaded the app, and boom, I was connected. I’ve had zero connection issues. (I have a Galaxy S21+).4. Aesthetic. I like how they look. I didn’t like the weird knob thingy on the Sony, and I don’t like the very obvious “b” Beats logo that’s on the Bits Fit Pro, so I am extra grateful that I ended up liking these the most, because I also like how they look the most.CONS:1. Hiss/static noise. One of the biggest complaints I saw people have with these is the faint static/hiss noise (when no music/sound is playing), particularly when in Aware mode (ANC turned off). And yes, mine make the noise, and it can be heard even if music is playing at a very low volume, and yes it’s annoying, but when I considered how infrequently I would have my earbuds in but not have any music/sound playing (or have volume low enough to hear the static), I determined that’s really not a deal breaker for me, and it doesn’t outweigh the pros.2. At first they were a little difficult to remove from the case, but I have quickly gotten better at knowing where to grab/how to remove.NEUTRAL FOR NOW/WILL UPDATE LATER:1. Call/mic quality? In my research I also came across a lot of complaints about call quality, people say that the other person on the line can barely hear them/there’s a lot of noise, etc. For me, I literally didn’t even consider this a factor in my decision making, because I barely care. It’s not my primary purpose or use for my wireless earbuds. However, I’ll eventually test it out and will update my review later with my experience.2. Touch controls. I’m new to this, so it could just be a learning curve, but every so often I have trouble getting the touch controls to respond or do exactly what I want. I like it, I think it’s neat, and I’m sure I’ll get better at it, but I also expect touch controls in general to be finicky on occasion.CONCLUSION:While I would recommend these to anyone, I do believe the best choice for everyone is going to be different, and that it’s important to know what your priorities are, what annoys you more, etc.For me personally, the primary purpose of my earbuds is for enjoying music for relatively long periods of time, oftentimes while engaging in physical activity/chores, so sound/music quality and comfort are my two greatest priorities, so for my purposes, I am absolutely thrilled with these.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Nathan Lucas – September 2, 2023

   
   These have very good ANC. They kind of turn off the outside world and I love it. They also fit my ear really well and do not need constant adjustment at the gym moving around. I mainly have been using them in bed to watch tv next to an AC, and at the gym, and it does an amazing job in both of these cases.Sound quality is in the back seat though. It is not bad, but there are better options for the price if ANC is not needed. Although I found the bass to be a bit boomy and highs lacking some clarity, my real complaint is that the noise floor is quite high with a constant hiss you can ear when the music or movie/tv soundtrack is quiet. It can actually drown out subtle details in the soundtrack. But for traveling, going to the gym, listening to music next to a AC, or going for a walk where there are planes and cars and other noises, these are amazing.Besides all that, some very minor annoyances: The case feels fragile and is slippery in my hands, the app is too simple, the earbuds play loud sounds every time I put them in, and the touch controls can’t be disabled.

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Christopher Davis – September 1, 2023

   
   These are unmatched for their amazing active noise cancelling and sound quality. Nothing comes close. However, I have consistent pairing problems with these. I often struggle to get both earbuds paired and synced properly to my device (and any other device). Sometimes these will simply drop connection for no reason, at high battery level still and literally 2 feet away, and I’ll have to re-pair them.I accept and deal with these issues and keep using these, because nothing else comes close to the active noise filtering in these. Some people make extremely annoying noises at my workplace, and these let me slip into my own silent universe and work without hearing any of it. No other earbud can do it like these.But Bose needs to do better with the pairing problems. If cheap crap $15 earbuds can pair flawlessly every time, these can too. Fix it in the next generation!

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Lillyander – June 16, 2023

   
   I work in a dental lab and I have bad noise sensitivity issues. Bad enough to bring anxiety attacks. I was hesitant to buy these because of the price. I tried other ear buds but they did not cancel anything enough. My hubs demanded I buy these and so I did and good lord the peace these have brought me. What sound does make it through is dampened so much that it’s barely there and no longer triggers me. I cannot believe that these little things can block SO MUCH. They are so comfortable that I forget I have them in and the cool little bands they have around the bud keeps them in. They ain’t going nowhere! They weigh NOTHING. Easy to get them in and remove. I love that the volume control is a swipe on the side of the bud. Also you can tap three times to repeat a song! I find them very good with phone calls too (android). They are VERY sensitive to my touch commands. I don’t have to mash the hell out of them to get them to pause, skip or go back.Music and audio books sound brilliant!! I find that the sound from the buds does not have to do battle with any background noise making for an awesome experience. Every other pair of earbuds I have had including Sony’s has had to do battle with background noise because they could not cancel squat at my workplace.On the connection issue, I had it. The left one stopped syncing. I tried twice to fix it and twice it stopped syncing. I was a sad panda and almost returned them until my hubs told me the left bud syncs with the right bud so if I was taking the left one out first ( I was taking them both out at the same time), it could be causing an issue. I reset the whole thing. Then I started taking the right on out first and putting it in my ear and waiting for the, battery at blah blah percent prompt then the tone that tells you that it’s on. Then I take the left one out of the case and put it in and I have never had another problem and I waited a over solid month of nearly everyday use before I posted this. Not one more problem. If you are reluctant about this issue, just remember you can always return them and get your money back if you can’t fix the issue. It’s freaking worth a try!!! This is an amazing life altering product that has made an ENORMOUS difference in my anxiety level due to constant bombardment of NOISE.On battery life. At work I keep the earbud case plugged in. When I go on break and lunch, I put them back in the case to charge. I have never had the battery run out on me. I am there for 9 hours.In my opinion these are worth every damn cent. I cannot be without them now. Just remember to take the right one out first and put it in your ear and wait for the tone that tells you it’s on. Only then take the left one out.

8. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   JK – July 26, 2023

   
   Been using Sony WF-1000XM4 for a couple of years but have been shopping for a new earbud because the Sony’s battery craps out on me after about an hour of listening on ANC. The Sony’s sounded fantastic and the noise cancelling was great. But the battery life of the earbud is unacceptable. I tried several things I saw in the web but the battery life on the right earbud won’t go more than an hour.I first bought the AirPods Pro 2 because I operate in the apple ecosphere. I tried for a few days but ended up returning it because the ANC is no where good as the Sony. I work out of a Starbucks an hour or two everyday and the AirPods were letting in way too much noise.So, I am now trying out the Bose. Here are a few observations:- The ANC is fantastic…perhaps even better than the Sonys. I haven’t done a side by side test at Starbucks but the ANC blocks out an amazing amount of external noise.- The sound is not on par with the Sony. The XM-4 has a cleaner and crisper sound- I get close to six hours on the earbuds with ANC on. I can’t speak to the longevity of the batteries as I’ve only had these for a few weeks.- Comfort and fit is excellent.Overall, I am very pleased thus far. The best trait – ANC. I just hope the batteries will be better than the Sonys.

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Ebics – August 30, 2023

   
   Yes they’re expensive, but worth every penny so far. I work from home and really needed a way to drown out the noise around me, and these are the only earbuds I’ve had that actually do that shockingly well. I’ve only been using these for a day so I can’t speak for durability issues other reviews had, but absolutely perfect noise cancellation. Honestly, I’d probably spend the money again in a year if they do fail just to have the silence. After trying the different size ear pads that came with, they felt secure and very comfortable in ear. App was easy to install and I connected to my phone no problem.The battery life is not as good as you’d get from a regular pair of earbuds, but that’s what you’re going to get with ANC. That’s really the only thing negative that I can say about them currently. They do charge very quickly though, which I was happy about.

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – August 8, 2023

    
    I’ve had these things for about 8 months and used them almost every day and I am so incredibly impressed with them.1. They sound great. Not flat, but certainly not the worst, especially if you like a little punch to your bass. The noise cancelling is fantastic. You can just block out the world and disappear into whatever you are listening to. I haven’t tested them against other earbuds but they seem really good.2. They are very comfortable. I frequently wear these things for 6-8 hours at a time and no other earbuds I have ever used stay this comfortable for this long. Plus I have pretty strange shaped ears. A lot of earbuds don’t even fit in my ears, but these have a couple ways of customizing it to make it work great.3. They are durable. Surprisingly durable. I work construction, and they are frequently exposed to extreme heat, water/sweat, dropped on rough surfaces and in my tool bag bumping up against all my other tools. Besides a few nicks on the case, they look and sound as good as new.A few other things worth mentioning are that the touch controls work a lot better than the previous gen. Less accidental touches. It’s a lot better at telling when it’s my finger touching it. And also the case is nice and small and easily pocketable, unlike the previous gen.I highly recommend them. I was a little daunted by the price when I bought them, but they have been more than worth it to me. I’d buy them again.