
Bose - QuietComfort Earbuds II (2020)
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 15, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
19
8
"comfortable enough for extended use (I use these on intercontinental flights)"
"For small ears... Bose QC Earbuds II are best."
"they lock into the ear quite comfortably ... for my gym and cardio needs (hour on a bicycle daily outdoors for cardio and hour in the gym every other day) ... they have never once fallen out of my ears regardless of how rigorous or sweaty I get haha."
32
6
"The bass is just incredible compared to the others. It really blew me away at first."
"The Bose QC earbuds sound better than the QC Ultra to me. Especially when it comes to bass, the earbuds are the clear winner."
"The subs , lows , and low mids are fantastic."
59
9
"Literally blocks out the noise"
"when I put them on in my work environment I immediately relax because it takes out the frequency of everything else around me at the highest noise-cancelling setting. ... The feeling of hearing all the noise of the room be sucked out is ✨sublime✨."
"noise canecllation is must, especially on the train. For small ears and best noise canceling AirPods Pro (2nd gen) or Bose QC Earbuds II are best."
10
15
"I use mine for an hour long cardio cycling ride outdoors (all year long, rain or shine I'm riding with my earbuds lol). ... I also wear mine for the gym for another hour every other day. ... And I wear mine for traveling. ... For my needs and usage, they have been perfect - not a single return, not a single replacement. ... I am getting a solid 18+ months of use before I've replaced them with a newer model out of boredom and a good deal."
"theyre durable ... can take a bit of a beating ... I’ve dropped mine plenty of times and they’re still doing fine."
"Going on year 5+ of Bose noise cancelling, they work very well. I've replaced the pads twice and they look and perform like new."
14
2
"I also can't remember the last time I charged them."
"they last 6-7 hours"
"I use them in the gym 2.5 hours a day-5 days a week. I charge the buds/case every 10-12 days."
Disliked most:
0
32
"For Bose, Your *hair* can cause these issues. Their customer service well actually ask you if your hair was near your ears! I wish I was joking... ... And then the ANC will start toggling itself between, *Quiet,Aware,Immersion* repeatedly, the stupid voice saying it over, and over again until you put then back into the case to reset them. If you're home that's fine, but if you're in the middle of a 2-hour workout and nowhere near the case you're done. So you have to take them off, stick them in your pocket until you can get back to the car."
"my Bose QuietComfort earbuds finally gave out ... it was a real disappointment"
"stopping working altogether"
1
4
"I had the same problem and returned them."
"are chunky ... if i roll over on my side while I sleep they wake me up and/or fall out."
"they don't stay in his ears."
3
7
"the mic is terrible"
"got sick of people not being able to hear me. ... the call quality is so shitty I couldn’t even use them for phone calls, which is probably 50% of the reason I have earbuds"
"the phone calls are not great"
7
22
"Final straw was on a trip last week where they would only stay connected for about 10-15 seconds. ... So no music for a long flight. ... Even re-pairing wouldn’t fix the issue."
"not connecting"
"stopping working after only a few weeks ... people being issues multiple pairs after 2-3 defective pairs"
0
1
"a strange voice bug where the left dominates at less than 50% and the right dominates at more than 50% (with the right turnoff completely at 25% volume and same with the left at 75% volume)"
I have the QC Earbuds 2020 and never had any connection problems. I just ordered the Ultras, so we’ll see. Bose lets you return them for any reason in the first 90 days so risk free trial!
Headphones and earbuds are (for me) easily the best for their value. I have QC II earbuds and QC Ultra headphones and I'm a huge fan of both. Fattest bass, exceptionally full mids and decent highs too. The *no highs no lows must be Bose* meme is quite the opposite of reality when talking about their new headphones and earbuds. I understand the sound isn't for everyone but my first impression with both was "wow" when I heard them.
Just go with the Sony WF‑1000XM5 or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, they’ll literally make the world disappera like you asked. If you have a budget, you can peek at [this list](https://linktr.ee/thebestearbuds) of other ANC options too, but I wouldn’t be shocked if you still end up with one of those two, lol
Bose have the best ANC hands down. No one is better for ANC. Now sound is good comfort is great call quality sucks.
I had Seinheiser Momentum 3 and was very buggy with connection problems, so I afraid to buy them again, maybe they fixed these problems in 4 gen, but need to ask users who are using these, Right now I have QuietComfort Earbuds II and these working amazing, never had any issues with these. I also had previous series in the past and they all were perfect to me. Bose design is very good for doing sports and ANC is in highest class in the market. Would be interesting to test Technics AZ100 in terms of sound quality, but I think these not gonna stay well fit in ear during sport activities. So my suggestion go for Bose or Technics AZ100.
Bose quite comfort 2 earbuds, but I don't really like the UI
So I went ahead and bought the QC Earbuds II. To add to what I said: 1. Yes, the earbuds ANC it is REALLY effective. I overall like headphones, just easier to wear and feels a bit better, marginally better sound, much better battery life, but they are not as practical when out, when wearing glasses, in summer, or when trying to sleep, as the vibration (when leaning on the train/plane wall) will resonate against the whole headset. Also, they're big to carry in a bag. 2. The sound quality is really impressive on the earbuds too. There's the same issue as the headset, where I like to use the "bass reducer" EQ, but that's probably just the Bose signature, as both sound similar at similar EQ settings. Mics are also quite the upgrade, when on a call. 3. If sleeping with them is a criteria, you probably want to take something else. I managed to sleep with them (in the train, in a plane), but when sleeping the whole night with them in a bed, I felt that the battery would probably just not be enough, and if you're a side sleeper, there's a good chance that it'll make your ear sore. Still it's a lot better than the headphones obviously, just not good for daily use while sleeping. This is the good one to pick if you want the absolute best ANC, and at this I'm happy because I wanted an upgrade which was well worth it. 4. The transparency mode (without ActiveSense) works well, it really feels like you don't wear them. However, then things are really loud. I wished there was a way to attenuate the noise while keeping the speech clear, for instance in the plane or at the bar. Any level of ANC will make speech slightly less clear to me, and I already struggle to understand people in noisy contexts. I think Sony had an option for that (but the transparency mode on the WF-1000XM4 wasn't worth much). Overall, yes, it holds its promises. If you, like me, like the Bose QC Ultra headphones, and feel that you'd like something on the go, then these QC Earbuds II are really a crazy deal, and for half the price. The earbuds are really up there with the dedicated headphones, which was just a dream to me only a few years ago. Loving that silence 🥰
Re: I did some more tests and I would say the QC Earbuds II are indeed in the same ballpark as the QC Ultra Headphones when it comes to noise cancelation, if not (ever so) slightly better. However the "transparency mode" (aware) just isn't very useful on the earbuds, OK for walking outside but it's not really possible to have a conversation, unless I use smaller tips, but then isolation is a bit worse than the headphones. So transparency mode, mic quality and noise cancelation in really loud environments, and also very slightly better sound quality, better controls (very hard to adjust the fit of the earbuds without triggering a play/pause touch), battery life for very long sessions, less hiss in more silent environments, are reasons to stick with the headphones. Practicality, noise cancelation of some frequencies, especially in quieter environments like home, shops or the train, are reasons for the earbuds. If I could get only one, I'd probably go with the earbuds for my usage.
I’ve only ever owned their earbuds and PC speakers so don’t have much experience with anything else. I liked the PC speakers, but didn’t love them. They had a great sound and imaged well, but I felt that the crossover between the sub and the satellites was a bit too high of a frequency — which made music sound odd in certain rooms. Especially rooms with carpet. Agree with the earbuds assessment. I purchased the QC II earbuds almost exactly a year ago. The ANC is fantastic! When they work they do sound fantastic! However, I’ve had sync issues. They don’t seem to connect consistently. I’ve had to re-pair them once every couple of months. Final straw was on a trip last week where they would only stay connected for about 10-15 seconds. So no music for a long flight. Even re-pairing wouldn’t fix the issue. When I got to my destination, I did some research and found that I had to remove them from the app, un-pair them and perform a reset. That fixed the issue but was a reasonable inconvenience. I just can’t count on them being reliable. Bought something else.
Based on my purchase experience: I loved the sound on my sony WF-1000. I think they have the best ANC and I love the bass on them. But.... after almost a year, my left earphone didn't hold any charge. I googled and found out this is a common issue with these earphones. My warranty had run its course and when I tried to reach tech support, I realized that Sony's customer service is crap! After this experience, as much as I wanted a 2nd pair (same ones), , I decided to try out the bose quiet comfort II. I wouldn't recommend Sony although I loved their sound. So I purchased QC II. NC is ok, sound is ok, nothing over the top to blow your mind. They are OK. But.... now for whatever reason, the touch sensor is automatically changing on its own (left side only). *context: I use them daily (office use), I don't use them to exercise, I don't sweat with them on. I've had to turn off the sensor, so I can keep on using them. I will not be buying any more Bose earphones. I gifted my son a pair of AirPods second generation, which he used through high school, he takes them to the gym, he lost them at the gym and found them in the lost and found items and they're still going strong ( no issues). I am actually thinking of buying the technics and try my luck. I figure that'll be my next purchase. Good luck on your purchase and hope you get a nice pair you enjoy without any manufacturer defects.
I have the Bose quietcomfort ii earphones going to be honest they are very good with audio, overtime the fittings get stretched out and the phone calls are not great. I have yet to find a way to "fix" this option but I only use these for working out so it's all I need
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