First generation Bose QuietComfort Buds (a review of sorts)

These things are not new, but its not quite 2 years since they were first introduced to the market (so they're not really old either). Yet Bose has just released the QuietComfort II buds (I'm going to call these the QCB's and QCB2's respectively) which some think are set to replace the model which I'm reviewing. That may be, but for now you can get this model cheaper. I got mine a lot cheaper by buying 'refurbished' ones for under AU$200 (and no they aren't fakes). This is them in the case which is also the charging unit.

No doubt you've seen many reviews already (if you are even remotely searching these things), so you'll know most of the basics on them. I'll skip that, and I'll also say from the start that this is not a typical review. Why? Well because I largely think reviewers are some combination of

• wankers
• idiots
• technically inept
• inexperienced kids
• liars
• shills

I've written on this topic before where I argue that (in the main) reviewers are the problem. So if you wanted someone to stroke your genitals while you decide if you should buy these you've come to the wrong site.

What experience do I have?

Up front I don't like modern buds. The reasons are pretty simple, you have to squish them into your ear. When in your ear they change how you hear everything else. Because of the direct acoustic coupling to your ear canal they amplify any sounds you make with your voice or even if you just scratch your chin, In short they have all the disadvantages of Hearing Safety ear plugs but without anything like the level of protection that they provide in a noisy environment.

Worse they dull your situational awareness, as hearing is important to detecting threats like; cars, busses and other obstacles in a crowded environment (where kiddies often wear them and walk under a bus while engrossed in their little bubble). So be careful when using these things.

I do own buds and have used; heaphones, over ear clips, in ear buds and whatnot for most of my life. I had a Sony Walkman when they came out, and its fair to say I've used these things extensively in many environments. This is my previous bench mark in-ear bud style headphones:

They are Koss brand and, as you can tell from the marks and buffing that on little case, they've been around. I bought them in 1985 or so (when I was delivery driving for my dads business) to use with my walkman. I have used them in the office daily for years as well as when listening to music or language lessons. These things have been through much with me: Japan, India, Finland, Europe. 

The key thing here is not only are they comfortable, sound good and are compact and easy to carry, they still fucking work (although the trend away from 3.5mm sockets is killing this).

I did find however that another type I bought in the 2000's (in Japan) were these:

These little Sony's became my goto for a long time (yes, they still work too) as they were more comfortable to wear in the office, allowed the ear to breath better and (importantly and I'll come back to this) passed through everything (like conversation) as if they weren't there. This allowed me to listen to music privately while still remaining part of a team.

So basically I'm saying I've been in this space for decades. With respect to Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) I have had Bose headphones for over 10 years now starting with the QuietComfort QC-2 over ear headphones which were game changers for long haul flights and noisy open plan offices. I still use the QC-2's for field recording of ambient sounds and bird calls. 

I currently use QC35 II headphones pretty much daily; for office, for car phone calls, for general music listening (that isn't speakers). However knowing how "sweaty" things get in summer and starting a job where I will make a lot of support calls I wanted to have some alternative. Hence the QC buds.

So getting back to the Bose Quiet Comfort buds...

Having said all of the above and given that they are buds of the worst type (squished in / sealing the ear type)  these things are simply amazing, they have exceeded my pre-purchase expectations in every way (except that annoying physical acoustic coupling which you get with ear plugs, where my deep breaths are heard, scratching my head is heard and anything touching them (like a hoodie) is amplified right into my ear hole). I think there is a solution to that, but as the marketing tail is currently wagging the engineering dog I don't expect (looking at the Bose web site) the solution will ever emerge.

My usage case...

I do an amount of driving, and my car is an old 4WD (lets leave my motorcycle out of this) and want to be able to make and take hands free calls when in my car. I've found that the ANC changes on incoming calls to act in some way towards making my environment less noisy for the listener, that's important to me. I first knew of this when I took a call (with my QC35 II's) in my 4WD on my way home from work on the highway and my friend say "oh, are you in the office, can you talk right now or should I get you on the way home".  I was impressed and said to him "no, I was in the car on the way home" and we discussed how good the audio of my voice in my environment was for him. Top points awarded. It was then that I noticed that when a call comes in I can hear more of my cabin noise in my own ears as well as some of my voice. This pass through was good and I reckon it contributes to me not unconsciously yelling (because I can't judge my own volume due to the cancellation). 

This experience forms the basis of my expectation with the buds, and as I said at the start they have exceeded my expectation (no easy feat).

Whats good?

That I can drive down a corrugated dirt road in my rattily 4WD and have a conversation is fantastic, that I can do it without over ear headphones is even better. In Winter I don't mind the over ear nature of the QC35 II's but they do making putting on and taking off sunglasses a bit more cumbersome and many sunglasses break the head seal of the cans and allow some background to bleed in. These buds of course get around that problem.

So by not sitting on my head I can get good air ciculation, put on / take off sunglasses and or optical glasses as needed.

When wearing them unlike the "bullet" shaped plugs these are a bit different, they are sort of a cone (or lamp shade shape) and a support to hold it more securely ...

without that "suction cup" effect when putting them in or taking them out and which fits in the ear nicely:

Putting them in is sort of an insert and twist backwards that slides in and tightens up.

In Summer it means that my ears won't get as sweaty but I'll still get the advantages of ANC. I happen to prefer a standing desk and when on the phone to a client like to be able to move a bit, pace, whatever. Wireless is good, and I'd hoped that these Buds would mean that my ears wouldn't be wearing ear-muffs for lengthy times. As a Developer at my desk beavering away on code in a noisy (but air conditioned office) the QC 35 II's did get a bit sweaty even in the AC in summer, in the car it was much more pronounced ... like a sauna for my ears when I faced a 2 hour drive.

The Aware mode is great for almost all situations. It also passes through so well I can hear conversations well enough (great for when my workmates are actually talking to me and saves me taking out the buds if I don't want to) with just a quick double tap.

There are three settings to cycle through (on the version of the firmware I have, I understood that earlier ones had only two) and customisation in the App (on my phone or tablet) allows me to have more. I've set my three up to be:

1. Aware - almost no ANC
2. Commute - about 4 out of 10 setting on ANC
3. Quiet - full ANC

I could add more but really I'm quite ok with those three to cycle through.

To compare these for the intended purpose I've taken my 4WD for a drive along a rough dirt road while talking to a friend on the phone. I used the QCB and the QC35II's and he found that (from his perspective) both did a very good job of noise cancellation. This is in an environment where it is so noisy in the cabin you'd be yelling at each other to hear.

Next I have mowed the lawn while listening to quiet music playing through the QCB's ... I could still hear the music (without turning it up) and found the result was similar to putting in a pair of noise reducing safety ear plugs.

I call that set of results: Pass, with flying colours.

What's not to like

Simple: they are buds, and thus when wearing them; 

• chewing,
• coughing, 
• swallowing and 
• scratching my head 

now conducts through to my ears in a way I don't like (just like when you wear ear plugs). Not many reviewers mention that and act as if its not a feature.

As well touching them (to adjust volume, hang up, skip a track or change mode) is also acoustically annoying too.  In this way I much prefer the QC35II's to these.

If you forget to put them into the case to recharge (having taken them out for some reason) then by morning they'll be nearly flat (so the hibernation isn't as good as it could be). Lacking any sort of switch (as the QC35II's have) I of course need to put them into the case for charging when I'm not using them. So if I'm not using them for a few days (this happens) then they'll be at full charge most of the time. Anyone with knowledge of how Li-ION works knows that's a recipe for reduced battery life. Actually if I take them off and just put them down they won't even work after 24 hours. So you need to be returning them to the case.

In contrast, with my QC35II's I (can) turn them off as I take them off and so they can sit for days or even weeks at somewhere around 50% and I know that will give the maximum life of the battery. I've had them since 2019 and the battery is doing well. I doubt that this will be the case for these.

Because the case is also a battery charger that's yet another battery I need to pay attention to (if I don't want to be buying a new set every year or so because the battery isn't working).

Unlike my little Koss headphones the case won't fit in a pocket, so that means I really do need to keep my backpack with me for that.

Generally the feeling is "if you have to think about money then you can't afford it", but given the advertising on their WWW site Bose are aiming at kids who have no concept of fiscal responsibility (or are drug dealers).

The app ... aside from using it to make any configuration and customisation its just dead space on your phone. Mine silently failed on my (admittedly 4 year old) phone, but worked fine on another device (Android Tablet)

So the above negatives may seem inconsequential to you and if they do then that's good as there are even less downsides.

Where will this model go?

Well, as Yoda said "Hard to see, the future is" so with that said I'd say that the QCB will likely slip into being discontinued and the QCB2 will take over. I mean its possible that they'll keep the original QCB on cheaper than the QCB2 but I doubt it.

If you are bargain oriented keep an eye on the Bose outlet store for refurbished QCB's as these will likely be about half the price.

Personally I like the size of the QCB and (not having tried them) suspect that the QCB2's will be a bit fiddly to use.

What would I like to see?

Well given that these things are already so minature I'd love to see an ear clip type of over ear type similar to my Sony. We've already seen (quite some time ago) Bose QuietComfort 3 over ear headphones which had pretty good ANC. From the Bose site:

(link)

While it may not be possible to get over ear style being as totally isolating as squish plugs into your ear type buds, actually having such perfect ANC isolation may not be ideal. Perhaps the reality is  that when being out and about its is actually dangerous to be so isolated from sounds.

... as that idiot found out (which is better than got killed and didn't). Perhaps we shouldn't be aiming for 100% ANC?

So on point below is a quick and dirty of what my ideal over ear ANC system would look like without wires

Myself I'd gladly sacrifice a little perfection in isolation if the trade off is more comfort and not needing things squished into my ears (thus conducting the physical sounds of my body into my ears).

In Summary

I recommend the Bose QCB (generation 1) but reserve judgement on the QCB2's until I get them to compare.

HTH

PS: I've discovered how to make the case a holding stand (see this link).