QuietComfort Earbuds II test: should you fall for the big Bose headphones?

When it comes to wireless headphones, many think of white goods from who-you-know. This one knew how to conquer the market with big blows of marketing, leaving KO standing the tenors of the audio mobile. Once the stupor passed, they reacted by offering products worthy of their reputation. This is for example the case of Bose, whose QuietComfort Earbuds have had a nice success of esteem.

The manufacturer split in the early fall of a version 2 of its headphones, quite logically called QuietComfort Earbuds II (QCE II for friends). Are they worthy of the brand’s reputation for excellence? And above all, can they compete with the second version of the Pro models from who-you-know, available since last summer?

We spent almost three months with the QC Earbuds II in order to answer all these questions. So, are they really worth it? Answer in our test !

Yes, for comfort

Compared to the previous model, the QCE II are more compact in all aspects. The case is thus much more compact and will weigh less in the user’s pocket. In passing, it loses the four LEDs indicating the charge level, replaced by a single one. Is it annoying? No way.

The headphones also undergo a welcome slimming cure and lose their oval shape. And even if they are not the most discreet on the market, they attract much less attention than their predecessors. The silicone tips are changing significantly, too. Those of the QCE I were made of a single piece combining the auricular part and the retaining fin. Bose now separates the two elements and redesigns the second to make it less invasive.

© Bose

And the least we can say is that the result lives up to our expectations. The headphones are comfortable, even during long listening sessions. They always stay in place, even when practicing a sport. The IPX4 certification gives them resistance to sweat and splashes. Finally, the touch control area has good responsiveness.

Yes, for noise cancellation

We don’t necessarily know it, but it was Bose who invented the concept of active noise reduction. Released in 1986 and initially intended for the military (aircraft pilots and tank drivers), it has been greatly improved and imitated over the decades. The one fitted to the QCE II is undoubtedly one of the best — if not the best — currently available.

By default, the QCE II have two modes: “Silent” and “Attentive”. The former provides maximum noise reduction while the latter implements ActiveSense. This technology reduces loud sounds while allowing you to perceive your environment. You can hear a caller more clearly without suffering too much from traffic noise, for example.

The companion application allows you to create two intermediate modes in order to modulate the degree of noise cancellation. This possibility will be useful if you want to completely disable noise cancellation, something not provided by default.

During our tests, we appreciated the quality of the noise cancellation of the QCE II. This is particularly effective when traveling by plane, train or public transport. We will take care to test different sizes of tips in order to find those adapted to the morphology of our ears. The app Bose Music has a fit test to help you with this.

Yes, for full touch controls

When it comes to touch controls, Bose ticks all the boxes here. The headphones each have a touch zone large enough that you don’t have to fumble around to find it. The volume control is done by dragging a finger down or up depending on whether you want to increase or decrease it.

© Lemon squeezer

We navigate in the playlist very conventionally by tapping one (play / pause), two (next piece) or three times (previous piece) one of the two headphones. Answering and hanging up a phone call is done with a single touch.

The touch control has all the functions necessary for daily use, with the added bonus of a specific shortcut for each of them to choose between activating the assistant or switching between listening modes.

Yes, for audio quality (with one detail)

© Lemon squeezer

The sound produced by the QCE II is of remarkable quality. Of course, the bass is slightly overrepresented, Bose wanting to appeal to an audience that loves modern music. This does not prevent the headphones from perfectly restoring other types of music! OUR playlist ranging from classical music to hip-hop to 80s variety (there’s something for everyone), has never been abused by the QCE II. Quite the contrary!

We appreciate the absence of distortion when the volume is pushed all the way up, as well as the very good spatialization of the stereophonic scene. A few random examples: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 by Johann Sebastian Bach is perfectly reproduced (the organ is the most complex instrument in terms of sound reproduction). Good point also for the respect of the dynamics of the Guess What? by Keyshia Cole, yet quick to reveal the reproduction defects of the low mids. Equally enjoyable is listening to Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed, whose grain of voice and guitar are perfectly restored.

It will be understood, we were charmed by the sound produced by the QCE II… except for one detail. The quality of the audio in telephone conversation is not up to our expectations.

If listening to the voice of our correspondent has never been a problem for us, the converse is not always true. In a moderately noisy environment, our interlocutors sometimes had trouble hearing us clearly. Our voice seemed to them muffled, sometimes at the limit of audible in a moderately noisy street. Damage.

Yes, for autonomy

© Lemon squeezer

Bose advertises up to six hours of battery life on a single charge. As often, the manufacturer underestimates the autonomy of its products. We exceeded 6.5 hours of listening without any problems and sometimes reached 7 hours of continuous use.

The case has a battery providing three recharges, which makes it possible to cross without problem the 24 hours of use promised. A USB-C port can fill the battery, even if the operation is a long hair (count 1 h 15 to go from 0 to 100%).

Charging by induction, although present on the previous model, is not included here. Is it for a lack of enthusiasm of the customers for this subject? Or rather to make the case more compact and cheaper to produce? Difficult to decide, lack of information on the subject.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II: our review

Pleasant and well thought out, are the QCE IIs totally successful? Yes, on almost all aspects. Their good autonomy, the quality of the audio, their successful ergonomics as well as the excellent noise cancellation rank them in the forefront of high-end headphones. Both simple and effective, the companion application provides access to the necessary parameters to fine-tune the quality of listening. If only the phone call feature was better…

And the price, in all this? Available at a price of 299 euros, the QCE II are not cheap. They are in our opinion more comfortable than those of who-you-know, benefit from a little more successful noise cancellation and an application offering good possibilities. And in addition, they come with a “satisfied or refunded” offer for 90 days following the purchase.