Bose - QuietComfort Earbuds (Gen 1)

Lol yeah for years I wore the Bose Quietcomfort earbuds for my gym and cardio needs (hour on a bicycle daily outdoors for cardio and hour in the gym every other day) because they lock into the ear quite comfortably and have amazing ANC. But then I discovered open ear earclip style earbuds and they've changed how I use earbuds (wearing them literally all day long now lol). But yeah aside from comfort, they have never once fallen out of my ears regardless of how rigorous or sweaty I get haha.

Bang & Olufsen Eleven would be high on my list >and Bose's have connectivity issues (more WTF) Bose's antenna is not the strongest. As such it tends to get more signal interference. In my rural area I notice a signal hopping issue rarely when a bus drives past full of people or when I ride past an apartment. But otherwise I use mine daily and encounter a connectivity issue where the music lags or pauses for a second maybe once or twice a year. I've been using Bose Quietcomfort earbuds and never had a major issue with connectivity on android phones - I suspect most complaints come from people in congested areas like cities where are countless bluetooth signals and other radio interference nearby. And of course, you'll get complaints from people who are running the AptX-adaptive codec, not understanding that the only way to get highest fidelity is very close line of sight transmission (IE 3 feet away on a desk nearby with direct line of sight to your earbuds)

So it depends on your needs - for many years I wanted nothing but pure ANC and good sound quality. For flying and when I want to 'turn off' the world, my Bose Quietcomfort earbuds have been solid. But Bose has a signature sound that some people don't like - however Bose is more focused on ANC over sound quality (and call quality in my opinion lol). For overall performers, I'd say you can scoop up a set of Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 for a fair price these days if ANC and Sound quality are important on a budget. But lately I find myself reaching for open-ear earclip style earbuds for my everyday consumption needs. I can turn the music down to moderate levels and go about my work day while still hearing and interacting with the world. Transparency mode on ANC earbuds is nice, but not something I liked using for everyday wear. With my ANC earbuds, they get hot and sweaty after 4-5 hours of wearing. But with open-ear clip style earbuds, I can go 7+ hours every day without any discomfort (the only annoyance is when the battery runs out after 6-7 hours lol)

I have a set of Bose Quietcomforts I bought direct from Bose in 2020. They were the first TWS earbuds on the market from Bose, and they still hold a solid charge lasting several hours (just tested them extensively before selling them on ebay recently to confirm they were fully functional). The reality is that cheaper earbuds use cheaper components. Those lower grade batteries are the issue, not the form factor. Plus it also depends on how you use the earbuds. Someone who uses them a few times a week is going to have a different experience from someone who leaves them in a drawer for months at a time because the earbuds are in standby mode waiting to turn back on - this slowly drains the batteries, eventually deep-cycling them (which does major damage to the battery).

For my gym needs for many years I've been using Bose Quietcomfort earbuds - first the original Quietcomforts with the StayHear earbud tips back in 2020, then I upgraded to the newer designed Bose Quietcomfort2, now I rock the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra earbuds (the first gen, the new second gen was released this year). You can likely find the Bose quietcomfort Ultra earbuds new-old-stock in your budget (just double-check the return policy as there are lots of knockoffs floating around, the only way to confirm yours are legit is to check if they connect to the Bose smartphone app, knockoffs won't). I like them because they have the extra wingtips that lock into your ears (takes a week or two to find the right pairing of inner eartips to outer wingtips), but the outer wingtips really help seal off the ear from external noise which really helps the sound quality (and noise cancelling capabilities). Only two complaints about the Bose QC Ultra earbuds - call quality is lackluster (functional, but not top tier for the MSRP price in my opinion), and some people complain about connectivity. The antenna seems a bit weaker than other brands - so if you're in a downtown area with lots of bluetooth signals, you may find the earbuds hopping signals often. I'm nowhere near a big city so that's not an issue for me - and I really only notice it 'hopping' to another frequency a few times when traveling through a busy airport, so it's not a big issue for me.

Because not every product uses the same grade of battery. Some brands use exceptionally crappy battery cells which live just long enough for the return window and warranty to expire. Other brands use higher grade batteries that last much longer. Case in point - I've tested (for reviews) cheap $25 generic TWS earbuds which failed in less than a year of regular moderate use. And my old Bose Quietcomfort earbuds from 2020 are still going strong and hold a charge long enough to go several hours before they're low on battery. Battery technology is constantly changing and upgrading. The EV world is really pushing the boundaries. Toyota is targeting 2027 to release a solid-state battery powered EV. Solid state batteries are going to really change the game in many ways, and that's just one of many technologies on the horizon. > What's the prince point/ degradation rate that makes it worth it? In my experience, I'd put the price point at around $150 to $250. Anything above that is diminishing returns in terms of performance and quality. And anything below $150 can be a gamble (not saying there aren't $100 earbuds that are worth it, just that in my experience across dozens of brands $150+ seems to be the butter zone currently for performance and quality

Funny, I've had earbuds last five years (Bose Quietcomfort - original model from 2020), and I've had junk earbuds that didn't even last two months before they failed. >This is across brands and pricepoints. Let's name names, what brands/models have failed the fastest for you? Which have lasted the longest? How did they fail? > if you buy the top end, its very expensive game That's why it's the top end. In my experience, $150 to $250 buys you a solid pair of earbuds that could last several years comfortably. Spending more than $250 is a diminishing returns, and spending less than $150 is a gamble. But over ten years, I'm curious how many data points you've handled, what brands/models. But to answer your question for me as an audiophile: >What is the point of buying expensive earbuds? Performance, features, and sound quality (comfort is a wild crapshoot from expensive and uncomfortable to VERY comfortable at only $20 haha). I spend ten+ hours daily streaming music (much more than I spend in front of a television). To me, sound quality and performance are crucial. I am willing to pay for an upper mid-range earbud. I can't currently justify spending $500+ on TWS earbuds, but only because I feel you get better performance buying over-ear headphones at that price point (which is why I enjoy my Bowers & Wilkins headphones - they're epic despite the fact that they're eight years old by this point!)

Not necessarily. There is a lot of unsatisfied people who can afford the APP3 but are returning them. The sound of APP3 is not as good as Apple has been claiming to be (they were hyping them up). I returned the APP3 after a few days and got Sennheiser IE 400 Pro instead. Couldn't be happier. The APP3 definitely cannot stand up to good-quality headphones / earphones. Apple have lost their magic touch. See for example here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/airpods/comments/1nocgtl/comment/nfrlom1/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/airpods/comments/1nocgtl/comment/nfrlom1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)

Sennheiser IE 400 Pro only have passive noise reduction (no ANC). According to the specification they reduce ambient sounds by about 26dB. Normally I don't need strong ANC so it's a moot point. If there is indeed a rare need for ANC (for example exercising on a noisy treadmill or a squeaky stepper) then my trusty old Bose QuietComfort 1st Generation earbuds still do the job perfectly well.

Do not recommend the Bose quietcomforts. Had the first gen, failed under warranty (wouldn’t hold a charge), received quietcomfort 2 as replacement from Bose (after arguing with customer service) and maybe 18 months later the right earbud snapped in half when removing from my ear. I used to like Bose products a lot, but the quality on these multi hundred dollar earbuds was subpar in my experience.

I've had both the first QC and QC2 and they have about a 2 year lifespan. Both right ear buds start crackling and losing volume. I'm assuming mostly because that's the earbud I use for control but for over $200 I had hoped they'd last longer. The sound and noise cancelling is good though

I don't understand how I've not seen more people saying this, but their firmware is garbage, so garbage in fact that it makes them entirely unusable. I am on my 6th pair, yes, 6th, because they keep continuously crashing, refusing to connect, and crashing some more, having extremely loud noise in one earbud all of a sudden, all kinds of random bs. I could write a 4 part essay, just listing every firmware / software issue these things got. I have never in my life gotten so angry from owning a product as with these literal pieces of manufactured e-waste, to the point I actually want to punch the firmware developer in the face. And a important note, this is the 4th device from Bose which has had these sorts of issues. Bose clearly does not give 2 shits about their firmware. I've had 4 pair of sleep buds, 4 pair of first gen Bose quiet comfort earbuds, they all broke through firmware issues. I have their headphones, literally need to factory reset them every single time I disconnect from my pc. And my 6th pair of quiet comfort ultra earbuds is again randomly crashing. And what makes me most angry of all is that if these pieces of garbage had proper functioning firmware, they would literally be the best earbuds on the market imo. I really want these things to get outclassed by any other company, so I can finally throw these out of a windows, drive over them with my car, smash them to pieces with a massive hammer, and set them on fire. But no, not a single other alternative I tried comes even close to the anc performance and comfort of these. I've tried plenty other ones, and they are just so much worse, I kept coming back to the Bose quiet comfort ultra's out of sheer desperation, just hoping they will have finally fixed the firmware, just to find out they probably just added 6 more bugs. These earbuds are like a toxic love hate relationship, there are moments where it's good, real good, better than anything else, and nothing comes even close, but the bad just is so bad, it's not worth it. Anyways, that was my 4am ramble. tldr, they are really good, but also the worst product on the planet, don't buy them

I love the Bose quiet comfort. I have the first edition for almost 5 years now.

Your current earbuds have the best ANC on the market. They’re buggy as all hell, but you aren’t going to find earbuds with better ANC. The AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-10005, and JBL Tour Pro 3 all have competitive ANC with Bose, but Bose still has the best. The AirPods Pro 2 will provide a more solid experience if you’re using an iPhone. The Sony will have ANC a notch below Bose. But they do get a couple extra hours of use, their charging case is small and supports Qi charging, and I think their sound quality is better than Bose. I have the JBL Tour Pro 3. When music is playing, I can’t hear anything. Better audio quality than Bose and longer battery life (the same as Sony). Their charging case is large, but at least it has Qi charging and can act as an audio source for the earbuds. The touchscreen seems like a gimmick, but I actually use it from time to time instead of relying on the JBL app (which is a little slow but worlds better than Bose’s buggy app). I will never buy Bose earbuds again. I went through 5-6 pairs of QC earbuds 1, the same number of QC earbuds 2, and 4 pairs of QC Ultra. I just kept exchanging them for connectivity issues (Android and iOS), buzzing in the left ear on the Ultras, needing to factory reset the 2 and Ultras (which means plugging them into a USB power source), and overall just terrible experiences. I had the Sony WF-1000XM5, but their hybrid foam/rubber ear tips weren’t my favorite. Then I received a pair of JBL Tour Pro 3 and kept them because of their sound quality (I can get booming bass without distortion, unlike with Bose), competitive ANC, and having damn near every feature under the sun. The only thing you can’t do is control audio playback and adjust volume directly with the earbuds. But their case, my Apple Watch, or my iPhone can handle that.

They have terrible call quality for their price and connectivity is bad. The Pixel 7 series has notorious Bluetooth connectivity issues. Add in Bose’s flaky Bluetooth and it makes for a terrible experience. There’s nothing you can do about either issue. Return them and hope that the 2nd gen works out better or go with a different brand. The JBL Tour Pro 3 have better mics (still not the best but better than Bose), ANC that’s a tick behind Bose, much better connectivity, and sound quality you can tune to be as fun or accurate as you want. I’m waiting to see if Bose finally fixed things with the second gen, but I’m not holding my breath.

Numbers 2 and 3 are too buggy and I don’t recommend buying them. Number 2 is also too old to buy into now. Number 1 was released late last year and will have about the same ANC as number 3, which has the best but they’re too buggy to use and are otherwise terrible earbuds because of those bugs and other issues they’re known for.

They need media playing. Find a 10 hour silent video on YouTube and play that. The regular QC earbuds have hardware from Bose but firmware and software from Skullcandy. Their app is 100% a rebrand of Skullcandy’s IQ app. I’m not sure why Bose went this route. Probably because they have issues developing their own app and firmware. Skullcandy releasing the Method 360 ANC was probably part of the agreement, those are essentially re-skinned QC earbuds II with a 30% reduction in ANC.

That’s idiotic, especially since they don’t have head tracking Spatial Audio. Return them and get a different pair from potentially a different brand. The QC earbuds aren’t the best anyway, even for their lower price.

I agree. I have my QC Ultra headphones and love them. Great ANC, the 3-band EQ is more than enough for me, and they have all day comfort. Even after testing out Sony’s WH-1000XM6, I don’t feel the need to switch to those like I did back with the QC45. Their Bluetooth speakers are even great and pack a punch above their size. The Soundlink Flex 2 has more bass and gets almost as loud as the JBL Charge 6 that’s almost twice as big. I’d even argue that the Ultra Open earbuds are nice. My original pair didn’t have any issues and I picked up a pair of their Lisa colab ones, they’ve still been solid. But in-ear wireless earbuds have been terrible. I remember the old Soundsport wireless with the wire between them, they were awful. The true wireless version of those were also bad as were the QC30. I wanted to like the QC earbuds 1, but hated them and couldn’t use each pair I went through. Same with the QC earbuds II. I haven’t even tried the newer QC earbuds. I have a pair of the QC Ultras, it’s my 5th or 6th pair and they’re still buggy. But I’m waiting until the second gen to exchange them, again, with Bose. I’ve had my QC Ultra headphones for almost 2 years now and haven’t had a single issue, they were a launch pair. But the QC earbuds and other wireless in-ear earbuds? Terrible. I’ve never been a fan of their soundbars, not when Samsung’s bars cost much less and sonically perform similarly or, for Bose’s prices for a complete surround, you can just get Sony’s expensive surround speakers that are stupid easy to setup and have a phenomenal Atmos experience.

I find them far too sensitive. As soon as I touch it, it activates a function, and destabilizes the noise reduction calibration. I much preferred the first QC Earbuds

I have the Bose QC (version before the ultras) and I live in a super noisy part of Paris - I can't hear a thing when I've got them in!

I regret buying them, the older model was better for pausing as well as seamlessness when connecting to two devices at same time.