- Like wireless ANC earbuds, except with wires
- Lossless audio at up to 24-bit/48kHz
For all their joys, there's something missing from many of the best earbuds: wires.
I'm serious: wires can be great for audio, which is why so many audiophile IEMs have them. So I'm intrigued by the latest earbuds from Bose, which are very definitely wired: they come with a 4.2-ft / 1.3m cable.
Wired earbuds don't need to compress audio to broadcast it over Bluetooth, they don't have batteries you'll forget to charge, and they don't lose features or sound quality if your phone doesn't have the right operating system.
The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds aren't so retro that you can plug them into your Walkman, though. There's no 3.5mm headphone plug of the kind that UK pop star Sir Cliff Richard would recognize; They're USB-C powered, with plug-and-play compatibility. And because they don't have to pick a lossy codec for transmitting audio, they deliver up to 24-bit/48kHz lossess — no pairing, no app, no charging, no fuss. Refreshing!
Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds: key features and pricing
The keen-eyed will have spotted something: ANC in wired earbuds isn't usually a thing. But make no mistake, there's active noise cancellation here and you can control it via the inline remote.
There are three levels of noise control: off, Aware and Quiet, with that last two taking advantage of Bose's four-mic QuietControl system to process and remove ambient audio. As they're USB-C buds, connection is instant and widely supported thanks to USB Audio Class 2, which enables lossless audio at up to 24-bit/48kHz. Bose says the connection is very low latency and keeps audio closely in sync with anything on screen, too.
The earbuds come with an inline remote for volume, playback, calls and noise cancellation modes, and the remote also contains a dedicated microphone for voice calls and voice control. They're IPX4 rated for water resistance and come in a choice of three colours (Black, White Smoke and Dewdrop Mint) with two sizes of wingtips and three sizes of ear tips included.
Pricing is keen: £99 in the UK, which is roughly $131 / AU$186. All three models will be available to buy from 15 October 2026.
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