The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II adjust sound and ANC by ear measurement in fractions of a second. Market launch is at the end of September.
They have become small, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. However, the more exciting innovations cannot be seen, but they should be audible. Bose equips the in-ear headphones with a new technology called CustomTune, which automatically adjusts the sound and noise canceling to the ear. The market launch of the 300-euro in-ears in Germany has been announced for the end of September. We could already listen to them briefly.
The calibration and sound adjustment of the QC Earbuds II is fully automatic, and in fractions of a second. And every time you take the earbuds out of the charging case and put them in your ear. To do this, the in-ears play a tone and measure the frequency response with a microphone directed into the ear canal in order to individually adapt the sound, the ANC and the transparency mode to the ear canal.
Apple also equips its AirPods Pro with a microphone directed into the ear canal. This checks the level of the middle and low frequencies and adjusts it. Other providers also measure the ear and save sound profiles, for example with a photo or, like Jabra, by checking the hearing threshold in different frequency ranges – not always with convincing results and usually not automatically with each use, but linked to user profiles.
ANC should also filter high-frequency noise
According to Bose, when developing the ANC, it paid particular attention to the suppression of frequencies that most ANC headsets have problems with, i.e. higher-frequency and suddenly occurring noise such as screaming babies or voices in the office. As a rule, ANC headphones effectively dim down even and low-frequency noise – for example the background noise in an airplane. Bose equips each earbud with four microphones, three of which are directed outwards to capture background noise and eliminate it with an opposing signal.
We were able to try the Earbuds II briefly – the ANC made a good first impression, even quiet music was enough to block out voices. A test has to show whether it is the best active noise suppression of an in-ear promised by Bose. Bose has also worked on the transparency mode and almost manages to fade in voices as clearly as if you didn’t have in-ear plugs in your ears.
Sweat resistant but not waterproof
What is particularly noticeable from the outside is how much smaller the Bose Earbuds have become compared to their predecessors. The size was one of our main criticisms of the predecessor. According to Bose, the earpieces are about a third smaller, and the manufacturer puts the weight at 6 grams per earpiece. Music playback and calls are controlled via touch-sensitive surfaces on the earpieces.
A two-part system of silicone cuffs and rubber fins that hook into the ear should ensure a firm hold even during sports. The in-ears should last six hours with one charge, and the charging and transport case brings three more charges. The headphones are sweat-resistant according to IPX4, but not waterproof. The QC Earbuds II are Bluetooth 5.3-capable, the manufacturer did not provide any information on the supported codecs. The headphones can be pre-ordered from September 8th.
