Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 Review: My Experience

Looking for noise-cancelling earbuds? Consider the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2. As someone who recently bought a pair and used them extensively, I highly recommend them. While there were some drawbacks, overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase. 

Price

These earbuds retail at $299, but I got them for $269.54 on Amazon, including taxes.

Product Description

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 come with two sets of earbuds, a charging case, a charging cable, and extra ear tips both inside and outside the case. The package also includes a paper manual. These earbuds come in two colors: Triple Black and Soapstone.

I chose the Soapstone color because I found it more visually appealing. The charging case is on the thicker and larger side, about 1.5 to 2 times the size of AirPods. The case's material is a bit slippery, which made me nervous about dropping it, so I bought a silicon case to provide added protection. As for comfort, the earbuds felt great in my ears.

Despite initial concerns that they might be too large or heavy, they settled comfortably in my ears. The medium-sized ear tips included in the package were perfect for adult women. After wearing them for more than five hours, my ears started to hurt a bit, so I switched to the smaller size. However, I found that doing so decreased the noise-cancelling power, so I went back to the medium size. 

Noise-cancelling performance

Now, onto the noise-cancelling performance, which is undoubtedly the most critical factor for me when purchasing earphones. Before getting the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, I was using the Sony XH-1000xm4 noise-cancelling headphones. 

As someone who is sensitive to noise and suffers from noise between floors, I found that the AirPods Pro I also own weren't as effective at blocking out sound as the Sony headphones. 

However, I was thoroughly impressed with the noise-cancelling performance of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2. They completely blocked out the thumping bass sound from downstairs, and the noise-cancelling was so powerful that I couldn't hear anything when someone spoke to me next to me while wearing them. This feature makes them perfect for studying or working when I need to focus. 

Sound quality 

as for sound quality, I'm not an audiophile who can delve into the nitty-gritty details. I mostly use noise-cancelling earphones to eliminate noise and focus quietly. However, among the Sony headphones, Apple AirPods, and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, I prefer the sound quality of the Bose earbuds. 

The basic EQ seems to suit my personal taste. Sony's basic EQ emphasizes a lot of bass, and the AirPods didn't sound good to me. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 have the most comfortable sound quality and EQ, without any specific characteristics but being well-harmonized. Of course, sound quality is subjective, but I didn't find anything wrong with these earbuds in this regard.

Occasional drawbacks

While I never experienced any noticeable glitches when using AirPods or Sony headphones, there have been occasional connectivity issues with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2. Although this occurred only once, I did have to disconnect and reconnect the earbuds, and even then, the connection seemed somewhat unstable. On one or two occasions, while listening to music, both earbuds disconnected from the device for about two seconds, possibly due to Bluetooth interference. While these problems were not severe enough to warrant a replacement, they were slightly frustrating, especially since I did not experience these issues with other earphones.

Summary

Despite these drawbacks, I believe the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are still an excellent choice for daily use, primarily because of their unmatched noise-cancelling performance. As a graduate student who spends long hours studying and researching, the six hours of continuous playback time is sufficient for me, and the earbuds are much more comfortable to wear for extended periods than over-ear headphones. 

While I debated purchasing them based on mixed reviews, I am now very satisfied with my decision, primarily due to the noise-cancelling feature. Overall, I have provided an honest review of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, and I highly recommend them for those seeking superior noise-cancelling capabilities. However, if compatibility and stability with Apple products are a higher priority, you may want to delay your purchase.