Best Bose headphones and earbuds
$349 at Walmart
Best Bose noise-canceling headphones
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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Best Bose noise cancelling earbudsBose Ultra QuietComfort Earbuds
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$249 at Bose
Slightly upgraded Bose noise-canceling headphonesBose QuietComfort Headphones
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Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
$299 at Walmart
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CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.What are the best Bose headphones?
Bose headphones and earbuds are known for their comfort, sound quality and excellent noise canceling, which is arguably the best out there, though Sony has been a close competitor in recent years as both companies vie to become the noise-canceling king. Bose headphones are among the most expensive on the market but they often go on sale. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones clearly are the top model. QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have the best noise cancellation on the market and are smaller. The Ultra Open Headphones are corded, but they can’t be plugged into the in-flight entertainment systems on planes because they are wireless.
I have tested all Bose models and will update this list with the latest Bose headphones as soon as they are available. Bose’s latest headphone is the
Ultra Open Earbuds
. This model is the only one on this list without noise cancellation. The open earbuds feature a clip-on design that is a significant improvement over cheaper clip-ons. They also have the best sound quality for open earbuds. Read more:
Best Wireless Earbuds 2024
Best headphones Bose are earbuds 2024
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While Bose’s flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are not a major upgrade to the Noise Cancelling700 headphones, their premium design and Immersive Audio feature provide some sound quality enhancements. The QC Ultra Headphones not only deliver excellent sound quality and noise cancellation, but they also make for great call quality, thanks to their superior background noise reduction. We called them a worthy competitor to Sony’s highly rated WH1000XM5 headphones and Apple’s AirPods Max. They remain a top pick for noise-canceling headsets in 2024.
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While they aren’t a huge upgrade from Bose’s excellent QC Earbuds 2 released in 2022 but they’re still a bit better. The QC Ultra Earbuds are very comfortable and feature the best noise cancellation available. A new ActiveSense feature, which is similar to AirPods Pro’s Adaptive Audio mode, kicks in some ANC when the noise around you gets too loud. The sound is also slightly improved, with more clarity and the new Immersive Audio function opens up the sound.
Take a look at our expert take
Take a look at our expert take
When Bose launched its flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones it replaced the QuietComfort 45s by a new model, slightly updated, simply named the QuietComfort Headphones. This model, like the QC 45s carries the tried-and true legacy QuietComfort style that has been around for a couple generations and that many people continue to enjoy. The QC Ultra Headphones have a refined design, some metal components and Bluetooth 5.3 (rather than Bluetooth 5.1). They also offer Bose’s Immersive Audio technology. But the QuietComfort Headphones still feature very good sound (the Ultras offer a small step up in sound quality), excellent noise canceling and strong voice-calling performance.
As for differences between these and the QC45s, Bose says it adjusted some of the electronics to improve battery life (now 24 hours vs. 22 hours) and adjusted the logos to make the products “visually distinguishable and more in line with its latest design language.” Bose also added a microphone inline to the auxiliary cord to help users who prefer to use a plug and play solution over Bluetooth pairing. Software upgrades have also added a Wind Block function and small improvements to performance. Finally, the headphones come in new color options, including green and a light blue version that’s only available at bose.com.
While the QuietComfort Headphones carry a $350 list price that’s $50 higher than that of the QC 45s, we expect them to be regularly discounted to $250 and possibly less than that in 2024 — so look to buy them when they’re on sale. Read our review of the QuietComfort 45 for a great overview on the QuietComfort Headphones.
Take a look at our expert take
Take a look at our expert take
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are one of the strangest-looking earbuds that I have tested in the past few years. The earbuds clip on the side of your ear, like earrings. They have micro speakers which fire sound directly into your acoustic canals while still allowing you to hear your surroundings. They’re a bit overpriced at $299 but they have a lot of good features, such as a very comfortable fit, a secure fit, and a great sound for open buds.
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These criteria are
design
,
sound quality
,
features
and
value
.0 These criteria are
design
,
sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.Design: We assess not only how comfortable the earbuds or headphones fit (ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. For earbuds, we also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings.Sound quality
- : We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing models to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.Features
- : Some great-sounding headphones and earbuds aren’t loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from noise-canceling and transparency modes (ambient sound mode) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears.Voice-calling performance
- : When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well earbuds and headphones reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear your voice.Value
- : We determine value after evaluating the strength of the headphones and earbuds against all these criteria and what they’re are able to deliver compared to other models in their price class.
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