Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II promise custom-calibrated ANC

Bose, the brand without whom there would be no such thing as noise-cancelling headphones, is aiming to advance the tech once again with the new QuietComfort Earbuds II true wireless in-ears.

Landing first in Triple Black finish, with an alternative Soapstone colourway to follow, the QuietComfort Earbuds II are the first Bose buds to feature CustomTune – a new technology that intends to fine-tune both sound and noise-cancellation to the unique shape of every individual ear.

A proprietary tone plays each time the earbuds are taken from their charging case and jammed into the wearer’s ears. Mics inside each earbud then measure the ear canal’s acoustic response, tweaking both audio and noise-cancellation performance in less than half a second.

As far as sound is concerned, CustomTune adjusts frequency response to the distinctive properties of every ear. And for noise-cancellation, it targets frequencies that prove especially resistant to ANC – then continuously assesses the environment, adapting to changes in order to maintain optimum performance. One internal and three external microphones per earbud identify and appraise external sounds, which are met by an equal and opposite signal in a fraction of a millisecond. Bose reckons this arrangement is exclusive to its noise-cancelling headphones.

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The responsive nature of CustomTune extends as far as the earbuds’ transparency/ambient mode. It’s now dubbed ‘Aware Mode with ActiveSense’ – which really means it responds instantly to loud and/or sudden external sounds by switching on noise-cancellation for as long as might be required.

Bose has reduced the size of the QuietComfort Earbuds II by about a third over the (admittedly fairly chunky) model they replace, and at 6g each they’re helpfully lighter too. Wearer comfort is further considered by the Bose FitKit, which consists of three sizes of ear tips and three sizes of stability bands – so there are a total of nine options for each earbud, which ought to be ample.

The QuietComfort Earbuds II use 9.3mm full-range dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity and are compatible with SBC and AAC codecs. They’re IPX4-rated against moisture, and hold six hours of battery life in the earbuds. The charging case contains another three full charges, and a 20-minute charge provides another couple of hours of playback.

Control is possible via capacitive touch-controls on each earbud, and they are compatible with any source player’s voice assistant too. In addition, the Bose Music app provides EQ adjustment, access to noise-cancellation modes and other customisation goodies.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are on sale from 29 September, and are priced at $299/£280. You can pre-order them from tomorrow (8 September).