According to Bose, this bravura efficiency is because of its CustomTune expertise. When the earbuds are taken from their charging case and positioned in the person’s ear, a quick tone burst assesses the particular properties of the ear canal. In below half a second, the QCE II take the info and set themselves up, for each audio and ANC, to finest complement the wearer’s particular traits. And then, by the use of an encore, CustomTune stays vigilant if you happen to’re in “aware” mode, and can instantly kick in the noise canceling if a sudden loud noise ought to intrude.
Despite the lack of headline codec compatibility, the QCE II are a unified, detailed, and spacious hear, and musical in a means that must be a given however very often isn’t. Through the course of our testing, the Bose performed every part from Warren Zevon’s Gorilla, You’re a Desperado to …and the World Laughs with You by Flying Lotus by way of the Cleveland Orchestra’s rampage by means of Orff’s O Fortuna—and at no level do they sound something lower than engaged and entertaining.
As is usually the case with Bose headphones, low frequencies are beneficiant, however right here they’ve correct attack-and-decay management to go along with their prodigious extension and appreciable weight. This degree of authority makes for respectable rhythmic expression, and recordings have a correct sense of momentum in addition to strong underpinnings. Detail ranges regarding texture are excessive, and there’s punch and finesse in equal measure.
At the reverse finish of the frequency vary, treble sounds assault politely. Bose has erred on the aspect of warning right here, however solely a bit of. There’s adequate chunk and shine to the high finish, nearly, and positively no suggestion of hardness even at quantity. Some listeners might hanker after a bit of extra high-end aggression, however then once more, some listeners have by no means heard of tinnitus.
In between, the Bose do uncomplicated good work with singers of all kinds and all ranges of competence. The degree of perception accessible by means of the midrange means no element of timbre or method is simply too minor or fleeting to flee the attentions of the QCE II. And in consequence, vocalists are described with all their character and angle intact.
The Bose consolidate the complete frequency vary solidly, with a easy, bump-free journey from high to backside. Overall tonality might be simply fractionally on the heat aspect of impartial when EQ settings are left nicely alone. Naturally, it’s potential to skew the presentation to your style inside the app, though to be sincere, you’ll be hard-pressed to make a real enchancment. Different is about the finest you may hope for.
It’s straightforward to think about “good taste” being excessive on the sonic want listing when Bose was tuning the QCE II. That would possibly go some option to explaining the barely inhibited dynamic response to massive Orff-style shifts in quantity and depth. There’s distance between quiet and loud right here, after all, nevertheless it’s not fairly as marked as it’s by means of another equally priced alternate options. Where the low degree dynamic variations in devices or voices are involved, although, the Bose are on a lot surer floor.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are smaller and lighter than the mannequin they substitute, which places them on par with their apparent rivals. They are totally aggressive, if not class-leading, the place sound high quality, battery life, and person interfaces are involved. And on the subject of really canceling noise, it appears like solely Apple’s next-generation AirPods Pros have a shot at dethroning them. Which means we’ll be updating that best-of listing immediately.
