The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are are leaps and bounds better than the older SoundSport Free. Not only is the design a lot better, the noise cancellation is exemplary. Sound quality is also really very good – albeit a touch less bassy as compared to Sony – with superb clarity. They’re incredibly comfortable and well balanced too, despite their bulky form factor.

For noise canceling, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds should be among the first earbuds you look at. They silence noisy conditions well both at home and on the go, while also providing excellent audio for music playback and phone calls. Their primary weakness is size—both the earbuds and the charging case are large, and the latter doesn’t comfortably fit into pockets. But if you can live with that sacrifice, you’ll enjoy these stellar buds.

So yes, Bose’s new, almost-$300 QuietComfort Earbuds still have downsides. The earbuds are on the larger side, and their case is an absolute unit. They lack multipoint. But there’s also plenty of good: Bose has leap-frogged everyone in noise cancellation (establishing itself as a leader once again) and come up with great-sounding earbuds that work reliably. Once the world is back to office life and boarding planes regularly, I think that’ll be a compelling combo — assuming you’re not already carrying around a pair of AirPods Pro or Sony 1000XM3s, that is.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds is a great do-it-all option for anyone, so long as you can afford it. This is a great alternative to the Apple AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000XM4. You can choose the degree of noise cancelling, and enjoy premium features like automatic ear-detection. These earbuds merit an IPX4 rating, making them a fine workout companion.

The first-gen Bose QuietComfort Earbuds deliver an energetic, balanced sound and brilliant noise-cancelling.

The QC Earbuds are a fitting addition to the already-excellent QuietComfort series. Their ANC capabilities are unmatched in the true wireless earbuds realm, so if you’re after the absolute best noise-cancellation around, there are no two ways about it: these are the buds to buy.