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journalism → support → readers
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we → purchase → commission
From celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski to the Gen Z strongholds of Hackney and Dalston, it’s impossible to escape the sight of dangling white wires protruding from pockets and snaking into people’s ears once more.
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it → ’ → ears
And while you could just dig out your old, dusty earbuds from the back of the attic and get involved the old-school way, where’s the fun in that?
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fun → dig → that
Especially when Bose has just announced their own spin on the trend.
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Bose → announce → trend
Newly launched and selling out fast, they pack some of the company’s market-leading sound cancellation technology into one pleasingly retro package, complete with several different wire colourways (to complement any outfit) and a smooth, knot-proof silicone casing for the wires themselves.
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they → launch → wires
They cost £99.
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They → cost → 99
And while that’s still considerably cheaper than their highest-end products, it’s still a fair amount more than Apple’s wired earbuds, which clock in at a much more affordable sub £20.
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which → ’ → 20
I dug out my old dusty Apple earbuds from the back of my cupboard and set off to find out.
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I → dig → cupboard
How I tested
There’s no better way to get to grips with a piece of tech than using it for absolutely everything, which I proceeded to do over the week I tried it out.
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I → test → it
The earbuds came with me to the gym, on the tube, out for walks, and I used them around the house.
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I → come → house
At the same time, I compared them with my old Apple wired headphones, and my Bose QuietComfort Ultras, both of which I tested out in the same situations.
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I → compare → situations
Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds
★★★★☆
What we love: Bose are leaders in sound quality, and their tech holds up remarkably well in the earbuds.
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tech → cancel → earbuds
Sound cancellation is decent, and the smooth silicone casing means it’s very hard to tangle the wires – a persistent problem for other brands.
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it → mean → brands
Take note: The earbuds fit snugly, and certainly better than Apple’s wired earbuds, but they do also have a habit of falling out.
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they → take → habit
First things first: these earbuds look great.
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earbuds → look → ?
They don’t have the same iconic, super-sleek design as Apple, but they do boast three different colourways (black, white and a limited edition ‘Dewdrop Mint’), which helps make them feel more personalised, and the Bose team have signalled that more colours are on the way.
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colours → have → way
The USB-C connector is compatible with all modern phones and laptops, and they’re stored in a fantastic, ultra-retro black mesh case that makes the earbuds feel like a bit of 1990s company merch – in a good way.
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earbuds → store → way
They’re also built for practicality and ease of use.
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They → build → use
In addition to a 130cm cable, the earbuds come with three different silicone eartips in different sizes, the better to suit each wearer’s preference and ear size – and removable stability wings, which help keep them locked in place.
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which → come → place
Firstly, there’s Bose’s SoundDesign digital signal processing technology, which makes the audio feel crystal-clear, especially the bass, which often feels tinny in poorer quality earbuds.
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which → ’ → earbuds
Then, there’s the sound cancellation: present here, too, thanks to four microphones – two in each earbud – which help monitor and minimise noise levels in real-time.
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which → ’ → time
There are three of these settings, which feels like plenty to be getting on with: Quiet mode, which features active sound cancellation; Aware mode, which lets in surrounding sound; and ANC Off Mode.
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which → be → sound
This last one does away with noise cancellation altogether, and gives you the ‘purest’ wired listening experience.
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one → do → experience
Instead, there’s a remote attached to the wires, which features three buttons and a fifth microphone for taking phone calls.
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which → ’ → calls
It’s all very intuitive to use, at least for somebody who’s familiar with Bose tech: the volume up and down buttons control the volume, while the third button does everything from cycling between noise cancellation settings to skipping songs and pausing the music.
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button → ’ → music
Ultimately, the end product was miles ahead of anything my poor, abused Apple headphones could muster.
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headphones → muster → anything
Though Apple’s design arguably looks better – their earbuds are sleeker and slightly less call-centre-ish – the sound quality was tinny and pretty terrible, and the less said about the knots I had to unravel, the better.
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I → look → knots
Bose’s crystal-clear sound and snag-proof cables felt like heaven by comparison whenever I brought them out.
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I → feel → them
I tested out the sound cancellation on the tube, and they did a good job of blocking out the sound of rattling carriages on the morning commute – something I had to crank the volume up to max on the Apple earbuds to drown out, with varying levels of success.
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I → test → success
Their biggest benefit, though, might be the most old-school one: they don’t require a battery to run.
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they → require → battery
This was a godsend when my wireless earbuds ran out of power.
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earbuds → run → power
I started carrying them around with me wherever I went: the perfect backup, and one that I often ended up being complimented on.
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I → start → that
Yes, they cost £99, but as with all things, you get what you pay for, and that goes double for these earbuds.
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that → cost → earbuds
These are earbuds for people who want a premium listening experience, whilst also looking stylish: the sound quality is excellent, the noise cancellation is surprisingly good, and their knot-free cables make this feel like an upgraded take on the wired trend.
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this → want → trend
At least, when they’re reimagined for the present day.
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they → reimagine → day
The Aporia
