QC Earbuds are Bose’s first wireless headphones. To convince, active noise reduction is obviously one of the essential features.
The Bose QC Earbuds just miss getting a better rating. Despite noise reduction that equals the best available on the market (but does not exceed them), a slightly too large number of missteps – foremost among which are frankly incomplete controls – prevents us from recommending these headphones without any reservations. However, they will be able to attract the favor of phone addicts thanks to their remarkable voice capture in hands-free kit mode.
Strong points
- Clean and balanced sound.
- Impressive bass, very dynamic, without any overflow.
- Very effective noise reduction overall, especially at low frequencies.
- Manufacturing quality, IPX4 certification.
- Remarkable support, good comfort (although not quite universal).
- Excellent hands-free kit, voice capture almost impossible to fault.
Weak points
- Chemical highs, sound lacking in space and articulation.
- Noise reduction less adept at erasing human voices.
- Very bulky and thick storage case.
- Incomplete controls: no volume adjustment, no return to the previous track.
- Very high streaming latency (almost 400ms).
NB: The reported price drop is calculated by comparing the lowest price of the day with the average of the lowest prices charged by all merchants for the product last month, with security rules to exclude prices from shops whose the VAT policy is not clear (known as “grey” shops, typically in the case of imports from China).
Alternatively
It’s a near-faultless achievement that the new headphones achieve true-wireless premium from Sony. Good in everything, exceptional on the critical points of autonomy, sound reproduction quality and active noise reduction, the WF-1000XM4 set a new standard to beat in their category. Provided you are not resistant to truly in-ear headphones, they represent a completely obvious choice.