The 6 Best Bose Headphones
This wiki has been updated 23 times since it was first published in December of 2017. Bose is a company whose name often comes up when the conversation turns to high-quality audio. While their reputation was primarily built on speakers, their headphones have more recently become some of the most sought after on the market. Compared to many others, these are more comfortable, sound more clear and true, and offer superior wireless connectivity as well as app-based control. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Bose 700
2. QuietComfort 35 II
3. SoundLink Around Ear II
Editor's Notes
May 12, 2020:
Bose is responsible for a long line of great-sounding speakers and headphones, and in recent years, their QuietComfort 35 II have provided almost unrivaled noise canceling in addition to impressive and customizable sound. That certainly hasn't changed, however, they were recently dethroned with the release of the Bose 700, which not only bring together much of what the company has learned over the last few generations of equipment, but are also a significant departure in terms of style. If you're looking for the best in wireless headphones, know that the 700s are certainly up there.
They're also a bit expensive. So if you don't want to shell out quite that much cash, the SoundLink Around Ear II might be the right option for you especially if you don't absolutely need noise cancellation. The SoundLink On-Ear are similarly lacking in ANC, and offer even less in terms of passive isolation, but for those who find on-ear models more comfortable, they're hard to beat.
Alternately, there are two pairs of in-ear options worth considering. The SoundSport Wireless Earbuds are, as you might imagine, wireless, and while they isolate the wearer from sound fairly well, they don't have active noise reduction. The QuietComfort 20, on the other hand, do, although this pair is restricted to wireless use.
And while we did a significant amount of research on the SoundSport Free, Bose's true wireless offering, we can't really recommend them due to construction quality and connectivity issues that apparently plague a large number of them. After all, if you're paying that much for earbuds, they should work very well and last for quite a while.
4. SoundSport Wireless Earbuds
5. SoundLink On-Ear
6. QuietComfort 20
Building PCs, remodeling, and cooking since he was young, quasi-renowned trumpeter Christopher Thomas traveled the USA performing at and organizing shows from an early age. His work experiences led him to open a catering company, eventually becoming a sous chef in several fine LA restaurants. He enjoys all sorts of barely necessary gadgets, specialty computing, cutting-edge video games, and modern social policy. He has given talks on debunking pseudoscience, the Dunning-Kruger effect, culinary technique, and traveling. After two decades of product and market research, Chris has a keen sense of what people want to know and how to explain it clearly. He delights in parsing complex subjects for anyone who will listen -- because teaching is the best way to ensure that you understand things yourself.