I tried Bose's $99 wired ANC earbuds, but I'm sticking with Bluetooth

The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds bring ANC and an Aware mode to a good old-fashioned pair of wired earbuds. No Bluetooth, no charging, no companion app. Just your device and a plug-and-play USB-C connection.

At $99 USD, that’s a pretty appealing proposition. But are they good enough to replace your everyday wireless earbuds? Let’s find out.

What’s it like to use the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds?

The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds are easy to use, with comfortable, shallow-fitting silicone tips, stabilizer wings, and convenient physical controls. Just keep in mind that getting a proper seal is essential for effective ANC, and the cable can get noisy when you’re moving around.

Design

The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds keep things pretty simple. You get a lightweight plastic design, a USB-C cable with a three-button inline remote and microphone, and a carrying case. They’re also IPX4-rated for water resistance, so they’re fine for some cardio, but I’m not sure who wants wires at the gym.

Bose includes three sizes of silicone ear tips and two sizes of stabilizer wings. The medium tips fit my ears just fine, but what’s interesting here is the relatively shallow design. Rather than extending deep into your ear canals, the tips create a seal closer to the entrance.

And that seal matters. Like any ANC earbuds, these need a proper fit for effective noise cancellation. Everyone’s ears are different, so your results will depend on how well the included tips fit. These aren’t some magical one-size-fits-all earbuds. You also might think that shallow fit would eliminate the familiar plugged-up feeling you get from silicone ear tips, but nope, it’s still there. If you don’t enjoy that sensation, don’t expect these to be much different.

As for the cable, there’s definitely some noise to deal with. Walking around, it wasn’t nearly as distracting as I expected. But when I took the earbuds cycling, I could hear the cable rubbing against my helmet straps whenever I turned my head. I also noticed noise in Aware mode when the inline remote bumped against my jacket’s zipper. So while cable noise is manageable at a desk or on a bus, it becomes more noticeable when you’re moving around.

The cable also isn’t replaceable. If it gets damaged, you can’t simply swap it out, which is something to consider before you spend $99 on wired earbuds.

Lastly, the inline remote handles volume, playback, calls, and switching between ANC modes. Voice prompts confirm which mode you’re using, so you don’t have to check your phone. Nothing particularly fancy, but I appreciate having physical controls that are easy to access.

Features

Well, this section is going to be pretty short. The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds don’t have a companion app, customizable EQ, or much in the way of extra features. And really, what did you expect from wired earbuds?

You do get Quiet, Aware, and ANC Off modes, which you can cycle through using the inline remote. Voice prompts tell you which mode you’re in, and the good news is Bose can’t take those away from you this time.

If you want to adjust the sound, you’ll have to use whatever EQ options your phone, streaming service, or third-party software provides.

How do the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds connect?

As the name suggests, the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds connect directly to your phone, tablet, or computer via USB-C. That’s it, that’s all. There’s no Bluetooth, wireless codecs, multipoint, or Auracast. There’s no 3.5mm connection either.

Now, it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t a traditional analog wired connection. The earbuds receive a digital audio signal over USB-C, and Bose uses onboard digital signal processing (DSP) to handle the sound and active noise cancellation. So while you’re avoiding Bluetooth, there’s still plenty of processing going on behind the scenes.

The upside? No pairing or wireless interference to worry about. Just plug them in and hit play. You also never need to charge the earbuds themselves, since they draw power directly from your connected device. Of course, that means they’re using some of your phone’s battery instead.

How well do the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds cancel noise?

Bose has a pretty good reputation for active noise cancellation, and its wired earbuds put up some respectable numbers. Our testing shows that the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds reduce the perceived loudness of outside noise by an average of 82.3% with ANC enabled. Even with ANC switched off, the silicone tips provide 57% noise reduction through passive isolation.

For comparison, Bose’s flagship QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) achieve 85% noise reduction in our tests, while the Sony WF-1000XM6 manage 88% and the Apple AirPods Pro 3 reach 90%. So while the wired earbuds don’t quite match the best wireless options, they’re surprisingly close to Bose’s own flagship earbuds on paper.

Looking at our measurements, ANC makes the biggest difference in the low frequencies, reducing noise by roughly 30–40dB across much of the bass range. That’s useful for dealing with the rumble of engines, public transit, and air conditioning. At higher frequencies, passive isolation does more of the work.

And that’s where I started noticing the limitations. The earbuds did a decent job reducing traffic noise outside, but I could still hear kids playing at the park, voices around me, and sometimes even the clicks from my keyboard. When some guys in the office fired up an air pump to inflate a projector screen, its high-pitched noise came through pretty clearly, even with ANC enabled.

So while the measurements look good, I wouldn’t take these on a flight as my only earbuds. As a backup pair? Sure. They do a decent job with steady, low-frequency noise, but voices and other higher-frequency sounds still get through. For me, they’re not replacing my everyday ANC earbuds.

How well does Aware mode work on the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds?

Bose’s Aware mode is pretty decent. I was able to go cycling with my music playing at a relatively low volume and still hear what was happening around me. So if you want to listen to music without completely shutting out your surroundings, it gets the job done.

That said, it’s not the most natural-sounding Aware mode I’ve used. Environmental sounds still feel somewhat muffled, especially once music starts playing, and I couldn’t shake that familiar plugged-up feeling from the silicone ear tips. Wind noise was also most noticeable in Aware mode during my cycling test. It was much less noticeable with ANC enabled, and there’s still some cable noise to deal with when you’re moving around.

There are no adaptive or adjustable Aware mode settings. You can cycle through Quiet, Aware, and ANC Off using the inline remote, with voice prompts confirming each change. Overall, Aware mode works well enough for keeping tabs on your surroundings at lower listening volumes, but it’s not quite as natural as I’d like.

How do the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds sound?

The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds sound more balanced than you might expect from Bose, with plenty of treble and a reasonable amount of bass, without going overboard like some of the company’s other products.

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

Can you use the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds for phone calls?

Yes, but the microphone quality leaves something to be desired. The earbuds use an inline microphone built into the cable’s remote, and while your voice is understandable, there’s very little background noise rejection. If you’re taking a call somewhere noisy, the person on the other end is going to hear a lot of what’s happening around you.

For the occasional call in a quiet room, they’ll get the job done. But we’ve tested plenty of wireless earbuds with better microphone performance, so I wouldn’t recommend these if phone calls are a priority.

Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Should you buy the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds?

For $99, the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds offer good sound quality, decent ANC, and the convenience of never having to charge your earbuds. They’re easy to use, too. That said, the microphone could be better, there’s no customizable EQ, and the non-replaceable cable is something to consider.

Of course, $99 can also get you a decent pair of wired IEMs, often with replaceable cables. What you’re really paying for here is Bose’s active noise cancellation. But between the cable noise when I’m moving around and ANC that was just okay in everyday use, I’m not ready to replace my wireless earbuds with these. As a backup pair for travel or work, though? Sure, they’re worth considering.

If you’re looking for alternatives to the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds, check out our best IEMs for more traditional wired options, many with replaceable cables. Otherwise, if ANC is your priority, check out our best noise cancelling earbuds guide.