Bose announces ANC wired earbuds: My hands-on first impressions

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Five years ago, we reported that wired earbuds were making a comeback with Gen Z. Our own reporter replaced her AirPods Pro with wired EarPods. But there’s been a gap in the wired earbuds market: Active noise cancellation is not standard in wired options.

Bose might be changing the game. The brand just introduced its new Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds. They retail for $99, come in three colors, and yes, feature active noise cancellation. The earbuds are available for preorder today and will begin shipping on Oct. 15.

Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds at a glance

Bose’s new wired earbuds connect via USB-C, which is also how they draw power. So, you don’t ever need to charge the buds. That does mean, however, that you can’t use an adapter if you’re still rocking a Lightning port.

There’s no app or Bluetooth pairing necessary — just plug into compatible USB-C phones, tablets, or computers, and you’re good to go.

“Technology has come a long way since our last wired earbuds, allowing us the opportunity to bring our latest advancements to the category and set a new standard for what wired earbuds can be,” Raza Haider, president of Bose Premium Consumer Audio, said in a press release.

Here’s a look at the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds’ specs and features:

• Listening modes: Quiet (ANC), Aware, and off (straightforward wired listening with no ANC)

• Colors: Black, white smoke, dewdrop mint (limited edition)

• Button controls: Volume up, volume down, play/pause, skip, noise cancellation modes

• Cable length: 4.2 feet

• Microphones: Dedicated microphone in remote; two microphones in each earbud for ANC

• Waterproofing: IPX4 water resistance

• Sizing: Three eartips, two wingtips

Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds: First impressions

I got to try out the Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds for a few days before their launch, and I think they’re going to dominate the wired earbuds market. The earbuds will be familiar if you’re a Bose user — they have swappable eartips and stability wings, and look similar to Bose’s QuietComfort wireless earbuds. I received the limited-edition dewdrop mint color and love the look of it.

I tried out the buds in my office by plugging them into my MacBook. After firing up an episode of Good Hang, I learned that I had to select the earbuds as the audio output in my laptop’s settings for the sound to come through. My deskmates got to hear a little snippet of Amy Poehler. After that initial connection, audio automatically plays through the buds when I plug them in.

As for the noise cancellation, it’s as good as any wireless ANC bud I’ve tried. Obviously, it will never be as good as over-ear headphone noise cancellation — you simply can’t get the same passive noise-cancellation seal. I was working in my home office, listening to Taylor Swift’s new songs in my own world with quiet mode on, and my boyfriend walked in and scared the absolute shit out of me. Apparently, he had been talking to me for almost a minute, and I didn’t hear a thing.

The Bose ANC wired earbuds are compatible with USB-C phones, tablets, and computers.
Credit: Miller Kern / Mashable

At one point, I had a small fan running near my desk, and I could hear a slight hissing noise with ANC turned on, but I could really only hear it during quiet moments in my music. I live above a vet and could hear a couple of the really loud dog barks come through, but for the most part, the earbuds quieted the commotion coming up through the floor.

On the price, $99 is an incredible deal for noise-cancelling buds from a premium brand. Bose’s most affordable wireless ANC buds retail for $179, and Apple’s new ANC AirPods 5 start at $129. Bose just created the new standard in wired earbuds.