Who would have thought wired earbuds would come back this strongly? The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds make a convincing case for ditching wireless and going back to basics

• Enjoyably balanced sound
• Good comfort
• Noise cancellation

• Not the most exciting sound
• Clip for in-line mic would be useful

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• In-line mic Control over playback, noise cancellation and calls

• Protect against splashes of water and sweat

• Choice of Off, Quiet and Aware modes

So wired earbuds are back in vogue. Years after they were written off and sent to the charity shop heap while wireless earbuds reigned, they now find themselves back in people’s ears for a variety of reasons.

While there were plenty of smaller audio brands that carried on with wired earbuds, we’re now seeing the likes of Bose and Sony return to the arena. And it remains a surprise that wired earbuds are back.

After all, there was a time when people hated tangled wires, connectors that would fall apart, and in-line mics that would randomly stop working. All that seems to have been put to one side, and while wireless earbuds ushered in an age of convenience, wired earbuds seem to mark a return to simplicity.

It’s there that we find Bose’s Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds. No anxieties about battery life, no issues in terms of wireless interference, and you get noise-cancelling to boot for less than £100 / $100.

• Swappable ear-tips and ear-fins
• Travel pouch for storage

The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds arrive in three colours: Black, White Smoke, and Dewdrop Mint.

There’s not much to talk about in terms of visuals, as they’re pretty plain and simple, so let me chat about comfort. I wouldn’t say they’re the most plush of earbuds – I can certainly feel their presence, and the fit is a little loose despite coming with ear-fins to keep them stabilised in the ear.

That said, they’re not uncomfortable. They’re lightweight. There isn’t any irritation from wearing them, even over longer periods of time. The cable is long enough that they haven’t yet been yanked out of my ear when I’m walking. At most I can hear the wire brushing against a jacket or the bottom of my face when I turn my head, but as far as comfort goes, I’ve not had an issue with these earbuds.

They come with different ear-tips, small and large, to go with the default middle. You can find the ear-tips, and ear-fins, in a little case inside the carry pouch. Removing and applying the ear-tips is no problem. The headphones are rated IPX4, so they’re protected against splashes of water and sweat. You can consider using these for a workout if you wish.

The cable doesn’t get tangled often, and when it does, it’s surprisingly easy to untangle. They connect, and are powered, via USB-C; so no need to worry about battery life (though maybe consider the battery drain on your mobile device). The case is a little too big to pocket into a tight jeans pocket like a true wireless case, but it can be bundled easily into a bag or a big pocket if you wear canvas trousers.

There’s also an in-line mic through which to control the headphones and accept calls. There’s volume (up and down) and a multi-function button that covers playback, noise cancellation and track skipping. It’s fairly simple to use and doesn’t provide any issues in terms of usability.

Every press hits its mark – the only issue I find is whether I should leave the in-line mic and cable exposed (and therefore run into issues with the cable catching onto things) or have them tucked away (which makes access harder). If only Bose included a clip where you could latch them to the top of a T-shirt – that’d be useful in this context.

• Aware and Quiet modes

You can switch through the various noise cancellation modes by holding down the multi-function button on the in-line mic. The modes are a revolving door of Off, Aware and Quiet.

There’s not much of a difference in terms of sound when switching through the modes. The headphones keep a fairly consistent tone throughout, with the Aware mode just boosting the loudness and expanding the soundstage a touch.

And the noise-cancelling itself? It’s solid – effective even, and while it’s not as powerful as a premium pair of true wireless earbuds, the performance is strong enough to substantially clear away noises around you.

I’ve worn them in a museum in Seoul with kids making all sorts of noise around me, and switching to Quiet mode provided relief from the racket. It’s not a silent performance to be sure, but once the fit is right, the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds reduce background sounds and thins out voices. The performance is good enough to listen to music without raising the volume up in most circumstances.

I’ve also worn them on a plane and felt the performance was good, but compared to the Sony WF-1000XM6, they’re not as strong. There’s still some cabin noise that manages to penetrate my bubble, but regardless, the performance was strong enough to get on with listening to music and watching films on my iPad.

The transparency mode works fine in parsing through outside sounds to the ears. It’s perhaps not the most detailed but I didn’t have much in the way of complaints when using the mode outside

• Balanced approach to sound
• Not particularly dynamic

The Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds carry much of the same character as Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2^nd Gen. They’re a smooth listen, tuned for balance but also not the most exciting listen.

Like the over-ear siblings, the tuning of the sound works across every track (indeed every streaming service) I’ve listened to with these headphones. They’re not forensic in terms of detail and the bass isn’t massive, but tonally I like what they’re going for. It’s not an ‘easy-going’ sound, but the way Bose has tuned the earbuds, there’s a nice balance the Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds achieve.

The soundstage is spacious; vocals come across clearly and smoothly, the highs are clear and are loaded with decent amount of detail and bite. The lows have weight and presence, but it’s not the punchiest performance, and if you’re a bass-head, the Bose don’t supply bass of that nature, even swapping the medium ear-tips for the larger one.

The headphones avoid sounding crude, sharp or too bright. The performance isn’t the most dynamic, nor are they the most energetic. Rhythmically, they’re solid, but it’s the lack of dynamism that holds the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds back the most. As I mentioned above, they’re not the most exciting, but the sound does hold plenty of appeal.

Should you buy it?

All Bose really needed to do with Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds is to make sure its wired earbuds hit the mark, and they do so very effectively.

Comfort-wise, they’re solid. Sound-wise, they’re not the most exciting listen but the balanced sound is one I quite enjoy. The noise cancellation is effective, and gets rid of a fair amount of noise from your daily adventures.

They lack the convenience and features that wireless earbuds offer, but if you’re someone who’s wary of Bluetooth and wants a simpler experience, then these wired earbuds for £99 / $99 offer an attractive proposition.

The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds were tested over the course of two weeks with real world use.

• Tested for two weeks
• Tested with real world use

	Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds Review
Manufacturer	Bose
IP rating	IPX4
Weight	22 G
Release Date	2026
Noise Cancellation?	Yes
Connectivity	USB-C
Colours	Black, White Smoke, Dewdrop Mint
Frequency Range	– Hz
Headphone Type	In-ear
UK RRP	£99
USA RRP	$99