Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds II

Bose’s flagship wireless earbuds are on the premium range of the market, claiming to offer amazing, never before experienced levels of active noise-cancelling, beautifully balanced sound and excellent detail.

Around a third smaller than the original QC Earbuds and weighting only 6.2g each, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II keep all the comfort from their predecessors.

New ear tips are very soft, pliable, won’t burrow in, while the new stability bands provide plenty of grip without irritating over long listens. You get three sizes (small, medium and large) of ear tips and three sizes of stability bands as standard. You also can run an ear-tip fit test from the Bose Music app, which will let you know if your seals are compromised.

Thanks to 4 microphones in each earbud, one on the inside and three on the outside, Bose’s CustomTune sound calibration tech alters audio and noise cancellation performance to suit and is also continuously tweaked in the background as the headphones monitor what’s happening around you.

According to the maker, this is the world’s best noise cancellation from any headphone. There is an “aware” listening mode that allows you to hear your music and surroundings simultaneously. ActiveSense technology automatically adjust the amount of noise cancellation so your music isn’t drowned out by particularly loud noises.

The sound is wonderfully balanced without imposing character on the music, providing excellent handling of subtle detail and texture. Highs don’t sound brash or bright, nor do low frequencies sound leaden footed or laggy.

On the downside, battery life (6h on, 24h case) could be bettered, there is no Bluetooth multipoint nor wireless charging. Otherwise, these earbuds ooze sophistication, refinement and deliver everything you would expect from expensive wireless in-ears.