The start of the 2022 school year marks the big comeback of Bose in the world of headphones true-wireless. A return that the American manufacturer wants as thunderous as possible with its best model to date: the QC Earbuds II.
Is the second version of the QC Earbuds that of the consecration for Bose? Unfortunately no. Although it is in the state of a good pair of headphones true-wireless, even very good on some points, the QC Earbuds II leave us wanting more. They are indeed very satisfactory in terms of sound reproduction, handling or raw sound insulation, but they miss the mark on many small points to claim to compete with the larger ones. This taste for the unfinished will clearly tip the balance for the most demanding users when it comes to checkout, especially since with the price claims of the QC Earbuds II, there is no shortage of excellent alternatives…
Strong points
- Rich, punchy, well-defined and balanced sound reproduction (after adjustments).
- Still incredibly deep bass.
- Very convincing level of sound precision.
- Improved and very good comfort, excellent support.
- Complete controls, ease of use.
- Excellent performance of active noise reduction and “Aware” mode.
Weak points
- Built-in microphones too sensitive to certain external disturbances.
- Slight lack of homogeneity in the treble.
- Some practical features are missing (fast pairing, wireless charging, multipoint…).
- Call quality down sharply compared to the previous generation.
- Finishes that leave a little to be desired.
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.