Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, Wireless, Bluetooth, Noise Cancelling In-Ear Headphones with Personalized Noise Cancellation & Sound, Triple Black

I have owned my Bose QC Earbuds II for around 18 months now and I am so satisfied with them. I was fed up with the lack of depth that my AirPods offered, and rather than go for the AirPods Pro I decided to opt for a company that I know is known for excellent sound quality.First of all, I love the design with the off-white colour. I’ve always liked the glossy white of the AirPods but the metallic finish on these just looks so premium. As for the functionality, the touch controls work well and I’ve never had an issue. Being able to swipe to increase and decrease volume is a great feature and they have never put a foot wrong. I’m not someone who has ever had an issue with headphones falling out so I am probably not the best to judge this but they fit my ears so well. There are also multiple silicone fittings provided so you can attach the ones which suit you best. I’ve not tested them when running but I believe the fit is secure enough that it wouldn’t be an issue.The battery life is impressive. I haven’t really tracked this but I am able to go for days without having to charge them with 3-6 hours use per day. The USB-C charging allows for super fast charging anyway. It seems to say 100% for a while and then once it hits 90% it drops more quickly, so just be aware of that.Finally, the sound quality is fantastic and the ANC blocks out almost any noise. Being on the bus or in the busy city centre, I seldom hear any sounds barring maybe a police/ambulance siren. The only thing I can knock these for is, especially during the initial phase of owning them, I had a lot of very brief, sporadic distortion, especially when using my phone. I was told that this was an issue that was known and they were working on a fix, and now this issue has all but gone as I don’t remember the last time this happened. This links to the app that is required to use them, which will download any updates and also has an equaliser.One final note is that I wish these did what the AirPods did in terms of playing through the phone speaker when the headphones aren’t in ear. However, just get into the habit of always putting them back in the case.Overall, I’d recommend these to anybody. You get exactly what you pay for: stylish design, top of the range ANC, great sound quality. You can rarely go wrong with Bose.

I've had the original QC earphones for a couple of years and have worn them day in day out without any problems whatsoever. Update the software, customise the controls and EQ (if you must - out of the box is fine). And you're away. I've not had a moments problem with them.Now these - the QCII. The claims about best ever noise cancelling - I'm not sure I can tell much of a difference. They both work pretty well. and in both cases it is very dependent on the fit. I am a big fan of the StayHear silicon tips that give comfortable but unobtrusive fit for many hours. These have a similar, soft tip, but it's in two parts, the tip that sits in your ear canal and a "skirt" that seals the pods in place. It takes a little getting used to and finding the right fit is critical to both performance and comfort.The new buds are much smaller than the originals. This for most is a big plus. Personally I wasn't fussed as the case was in a bag or pocket. The size works against the newer buds in terms of controls, I struggle to control volume on the smaller surface of the new version. It's much easier on the QC and 700 over ear headphones.Both are absolutely fine for prolonged periods of time and are comfortable. The AC works pretty much for the times claimed. I've seen criticisms of the older model for being uncomfortable because of their size. I've never had a problem with this - but the new ones are significantly lighter. Sony tend to be jammed in your ears to work and I find they are much more uncomfortable in a much shorter time.Noise cancellation is very difficult to discern any real difference. Again it depends on the fit. You need to twist the new ones a little to seal them properly. Once done they are light and comfortable for hours.Overall I think there is very little to choose between models. If you're not bothered about size and you want easier controls (remember to update the firmware so you can customise the controls - this seems to be the source of a lot of the criticism). Then the QC's are for you - at a considerably lower price.I love both. The QCII take a bit of getting used to and are much more compact. Are they a significant upgrade on QC? Not really. You're paying for the size reduction as much as anything.