TRUE WIRELESS pt1

Everyone has a pair of fully cable-free in-ear buds to sell you these days – here are your top options at various price points for portable music with no dangly bits

BOSE QUIETCOMFORT EARBUDS II

Given that Bose is the company that invented noise-cancelling headphones in the first place, you’d hope its latest true wireless in-ears would be there or thereabouts when it comes to dealing with external sounds. And sure enough, the QCEIIS do a more thorough and complete job than any alternative design, at any price – so if you really want to banish the sound of the outside world, these are the earbuds for you.

What makes these the best true wireless earbuds you can currently buy, though, is also the stuff that

Bose hasn’t always been the greatest at. Comfort, for example – they’re smaller, lighter and loads more comfy than the model they replaced. And while they’re not the lightest buds around, the way Bose has finessed the fit (for all ear sizes) means they stay snug for at least the 6hrs of battery life they hold. In fact, that’s also true of the extra 18hrs that’s stored in the charging case.

Sound quality too is a step on for Bose: as long as you don’t mind a hint of the company’s typically laid-back sonic character, there’s plenty to enjoy here. The overall sound is big, thanks to a 9.3mm full-range dynamic driver in each bud, and there’s plenty of detail extracted from digital audio files. They can punch hard if needs be, but they’re also deft enough to spotlight the subtlety in your favourite songs; and they resolve the midrange so effectively that every singer sounds like a characterful individual (well, apart from Ian Brown). In the past, Bose earbuds sometimes struggled to compete for pure sound quality – not any more.

Add in great call quality, reliable touch controls and one of the better control apps around, and the QCEIIS make an awful lot of sense. Yes, they’re pricey – but they’re worth every penny.

Price £280 / go.stuff.tv/qcbuds2

Key specs

● Bluetooth 5.3 ● SBC, AAC ● ANC ● 6hrs + 18hrs case ● 2x 6.2g

STUFF SAYS The best Bose earbuds in forever are the noise-cancelling kings ★★★★★