Look Ma, Wires! Bose Brings Active Noise Cancelling To $99 USB-C Earbuds
The last decade has seen an influx of wireless earbuds with Bluetooth connectivity (and sometimes 2.4GHz wireless, which is great for gaming) and active noise cancellation (ANC) technology, but have we left the cord completely behind? Not according to Bose, which is going somewhat old school with its new Bose Active Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds.
Priced at $99, the new earbuds combine a classic plug-and-play form factor with the company’s signature noise cancellation tech, and a very long product name to go along with a lengthy 4.2-foot (51-inch or 130 cm) cable.
"Wired earbuds are experiencing a cultural renaissance, and when we decided to bring them back, we knew we had to make them even better than before," said Raza Haider, president of Bose Premium Consumer Audio. "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."
It seems like a distant memory at this point, but back in the day, getting ANC on your wired earbuds meant carrying a bulky and sometimes heavy inline battery module. A lot has changed since then. Earbuds have gone wireless, sure, but for this corded model, Bose is tapping into USB-C to draw power.
That means no battery pack, no charging breaks, and no managing potential Bluetooth pairing headaches. It also means no wireless freedom, obviously.
Bose is betting on buyers being tired of dealing with dead wireless batteries (an issue that gets exacerbated when those batteries inevitably stop holding a charge), as well as Bluetooth dropouts and the frustration of misplacing or outright losing a single earbud.
The new wired earbuds boast 24-bit/48kHz lossless audio. And for gamers, going wired means a latency advantage, though that benefit trumps Bluetooth earbuds more than it does 2.4GHz wireless earbuds. And for ANC, you get three modes: Quiet Mode (reduces outside distractions), Aware Mode (lets surrounding sound in), and ANC Off (self-explanatory).
Preorders for the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds are open now directly from Bose, with Best Buy getting in on the preorder action on October 1 (they're already listed, just not available to preorder). General availability is slated for October 15. Color options include Dewdrop Mint, Black, and White.
