Bose is one of the most well-known brands in the audio and home listening game, and the company has been keeping up to date with the latest consumer desires, including earbuds. This includes one of Bose’s most recently released products – the Bose QuietComfort (“QC”) II Earbuds. We are hoping to review these buds soon; meantime, here’s what you can expect from them.
What’s in the Box?
- 2 Bose QuietComfort® Earbuds II
- Bose Fit Kit (3 pairs of silicone eartips – small, medium, and large sizes; and 3 pairs of stability bands)
- Charging case (Weighs 2.11 ounces; Dimensions are 2.61″ H x 2.34″ W x 1.05″ D)
- 30 cm/12-inch USB-C® (A to C) cable
- Quick start guide
- Safety sheet
What’s New: Bose QuietComfort II Earbuds
While the first-generation QC Earbuds came with “world-class noise cancellation,” Bose states the QC II Earbuds provide the “world’s best noise cancellation.” Like their predecessor, the QC II Earbuds feature Aware Mode and an Adjustable EQ; however, the new earbuds also come with CustomTune Audio, which calibrates the audio and noise cancellation “precisely” (more on that next).
The QC II Earbuds are also smaller than the first generation, as each weighs 0.22 ounces each and their dimensions are 1.2″ H x 0.68″ W x 0.88″ D. While the earbuds themselves still provide up to six hours of battery life, the QC II Earbuds case offers three additional charge cycles instead of just two.
The QC II Earbuds also come in two colours – triple black and soapstone.
More on CustomTune Audio
Bose says that its CustomTune technology “auto-adjusts [sound quality] to your ears’ liking.” The earbuds emit a chime that “learns” the shape of your ear canal, the chime “bounces” back and is received by the microphones within the earbuds, and then the buds can develop sound performance and noise cancellation settings specially made for your ears.
Connectivity
The Bose QC II Earbuds connect with a phone, computer, or other device via Bluetooth 5.3 and reportedly have a range of about 9 metres.
Set up & Pairing
If you wish to fully charge your new QC II Earbuds and the case before setting them up and pairing them to a device, they can be charged using the included USB-C charger.
Powering on the QC II Earbuds is simple, as you just have to open the case. Similarly, closing the case will turn the earbuds off. There are two lights on the case – one that indicates the earbuds’ status and the other that indicates the battery level of the charging case.
Pairing the earbuds using Bluetooth is simple, as you just have to make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your device. Open the case with the earbuds still in it, and then you should then be able to select your earbuds from the list on your device’s Bluetooth screen. Tap the option for your QC II Earbuds, and voila, your earbuds are connected.
Fit, Feel, and Comfort
As mentioned, the QC II Earbuds are smaller than the previous version and they come with the Bose Fit Kit that offers three different sizes of silicone eartips (small, medium, large).
Sweat and Water Resistance
The QC II Earbuds are sweat and water resistant (IPX4) and are meant to stay in your ear despite moisture, so they are great for use during heavy cardio and other exercises. Note that these are not supposed to be submerged in water or used for swimming.
Sound Quality & Noise Cancellation
As mentioned above, Bose indicates the QC II Earbuds feature the “world’s best noise cancellation.” This is due to the earbuds’ “Quiet Mode” technology, which is supposed to drown out and silence background noise completely.
Aware Mode, on the other hand, lets you hear some surrounding noise such as somebody talking to you. Aware Mode also comes with ActiveSense technology, which Bose says is able to silence or soften loud background noise.
These earbuds also come with four built-in microphones that aim to filter out ambient noise, especially while you’re talking on the phone.
Battery Life
Bose QC II Earbuds get up to six hours of battery life on one charge, and the included charging case can hold 3 additional charges. Overall if the earbuds and the case are fully charged, Bose says users can get up to 24 hours of total listening time. Charge time for the case is indicated as one hour and with the “quick charge” technology, 20 minutes of charging will provide 2 hours of playback time.
Touch Controls
When listening to music, the Bose QC II Earbuds can be controlled by either tapping or swiping either earbud. Single tapping an earbud will play or pause audio, swiping on an earbud will turn the volume either up or down, double tapping on an earbud will skip to the next track, and triple tapping on an earbud will skip to the previous track.
Phone calls can also be controlled by the earbuds, as single tapping an earbud will answer a call, double tapping an earbud will end a call or decline a second call if you’re already on a call.
Bose Music App
Bose QC II Earbuds owners, especially those who have more than one Bose product, may wish to download the Bose Music App. The app will help you with setting up your new earbuds and also lets you control multiple Bose devices, explore music, set sound preferences, manage any Bluetooth connections, and more.
Price
There Bose QC II Earbuds sell for around $379CAD/$299USD and can be purchased on the Bose website, Best Buy, and other retailers.
**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
