September 7, 2022 — The brand that invented noise cancelling headphones is once again transforming the industry. Today, Bose announces its next generation of truly wireless noise cancelling earbuds — the Bose QuietComfort® Earbuds II. With Bose CustomTune™ sound calibration technology, QC Earbuds II intelligently personalise audio and noise cancellation performance to the unique shape of every ear — resulting in an unprecedented listening experience and the world’s best noise cancellation from any headphone — banded or in-ear.
The QuietComfort Earbuds II have an all-new design. Each bud is about one-third smaller than its predecessor, weighs just 6 grams, and they come in a pocketable charging case. And for further personalisation, they also include an eartip Fit Kit featuring a new two-piece system with interchangeable stability bands and eartips — delivering the all-day comfort and wearability the QuietComfort name is known for.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II will be available in Triple Black starting on 29th September for £279.95, and pre-orders in the UK will begin on 8th September at Bose.co.uk. A Soapstone colour variant will also be available later this year.
“Since we brought noise cancellation to market, we’ve remained passionate about pushing boundaries in engineering, technology, and design — and the QuietComfort Earbuds II are the latest result of that commitment,” said Raza Haider, chief product officer for Bose. “We believe in the power of sound — it can transport you to your favourite concert, evoke a meaningful memory, or simply brighten your mood. QC Earbuds II do exactly that. They’re uniquely tuned to you — delivering immersive audio that brings you closer than ever to your content.”
CustomTune sound calibration technology makes its debut in the QuietComfort Earbuds II. This pioneering innovation is triggered every time the buds are removed from their case and placed in your ears. A proprietary tone is played, and a microphone inside the earbud measures your ear canal’s acoustic response. That information is then used to precisely tailor both audio and noise cancellation performance especially for you — all within less than half a second.
For audio, CustomTune fully optimises the sound frequency profile to the unique properties of every ear, so the sound that reaches the eardrum is just as the artist intended — lifelike, balanced audio with nuance, clarity, and depth. For more powerful noise cancellation, CustomTune also calibrates the noise reduction signal to your ears, enabling a significant performance improvement. It targets frequencies that were previously difficult to reduce — like voices of nearby coworkers, screaming babies on the bus, or family distractions in your home office — so now they fade away without you ever knowing they were there. And CustomTune continuously adapts to changing noise in your environment, ensuring the best level of noise cancellation is maintained.
The intelligent personalisation provided by CustomTune also enhances Aware Mode with ActiveSense. In Aware Mode, it delivers improved transparency allowing your surroundings to pass through the earbuds sounding as natural and lifelike as possible. And when loud disruptions happen nearby, ActiveSense responds with just the right level of noise cancellation — tuned specifically to your ear — to reduce noise as it happens, and only for as long as it lasts.
The QC Earbuds II use four microphones in each bud — one on the inside and three on the outside — to sense, measure, and send unwanted noise to a proprietary electronic chip loaded with an exclusive algorithm. Together with tiny transducers, the system responds with a precise, equal, and opposite signal in less than a fraction of a millisecond. The result is dramatic and exclusive to Bose.
The revolutionary advancement in noise cancellation technology provided by the QuietComfort Earbuds II starts with ensuring an optimal fit to your ears. The QC Earbuds II separate the traditional single-piece eartip into a two-piece system: a stability band which hugs the contour of your ear, and an umbrella-shaped silicone eartip to create a firm seal at your ear’s opening.
A Bose Fit Kit included with the QC Earbuds II supplies three sizes of eartips and three sizes of stability bands — allowing for up to nine customisation options for each bud. And, because no two ears are the same — even on the same person — all of the pieces are designed to be interchangeable, so you find a fit that feels comfortable and stays in place all day. Advanced materials and manufacturing techniques keep the stability bands and eartips soft and compliant, yet durable and easy to change.
As a final step to ensure an ideal fit, a Fit Test available in the Bose Music app checks for an accurate seal by using the same tone employed by the CustomTune sound calibration to check for leaking sound, so the QC Earbuds II can deliver the best personalised audio and noise cancellation performance.
The new Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are compatible with both Apple and Android devices. They feature improved voice pickup enabled by an updated noise removal algorithm and include Bluetooth® 5.3 capability, have an IPX4 rating for sweat and water resistance, and work with a mobile device’s built-in voice assistant. The buds offer up to six hours of battery life with three additional charges provided by the case. The case can fully charge the buds in one hour, while a quick 20-minute charge provides up to two hours of playback. The case itself fully recharges in three hours via USB-C®.
They feature intuitive capacitive touch controls on both the left and right earbuds that provide access to common commands such as play and pause content, volume control, skip track, and answer and end calls. Additionally, the Bose Music app provides more functionality like shortcut settings, noise cancellation Modes, and adjustable EQ, and updates will be released over time to add new features and benefits.
Bose is world renowned for its premium audio solutions for the home, on the go, and in the car. Since its founding in 1964 by Dr. Amar Bose, the company has been dedicated to delivering amazing sound experiences through innovation. And its passionate employees — engineers, researchers, music fanatics, and dreamers — have remained committed to the belief that sound is the most powerful force on earth; its ability to transform, transport, and make us feel alive. For nearly 60 years, this belief has driven us to create products that have become iconic, changing the way people listen to music.
