Bose Returns to Wired Earbuds With New $99 Noise-Canceling Pair

Bose Corp. introduced a $99 wired pair of noise-canceling earbuds, offering a rare feature at a time when corded earphones have seen a resurgence among younger shoppers.

The plainly named Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds will be available Oct. 15, with preorders beginning Monday through the company’s website and Best Buy Co. It will be offered in three colors: white, black and a limited-edition mint green.

In the lead-up to Monday’s announcement, Bose didn’t have any wired headphones for sale in its online store. In 2022, the company discontinued what was then its last pair of corded noise-canceling earbuds. In the years since, wired products like Apple Inc.’s EarPods, which sell for just $19, have found traction with younger generations seeking simplistic “retro” devices.

Aside from the nostalgia factor, EarPods and other wired models are frequently used by creators because their microphone quality often exceeds the clarity of wireless earbuds, making them more dependable when recording social media videos.

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“Wired earbuds are experiencing a cultural renaissance,” Raza Haider, Bose’s president of premium consumer audio, said in a statement. “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 should be.”

With the legacy 3.5-millimeter headphone jack having disappeared from virtually all smartphones, Bose’s latest pair and many other modern wired headsets connect via USB-C. They receive power from whatever device they’re plugged into, so there’s no battery in need of recharging.

Very few wired earbuds currently on the market include active noise cancellation, and some that do have received mediocre customer reviews claiming the feature is barely perceptible. Bose, which specializes in the capability, has built four microphones into its new product — two on each earbud — to monitor and minimize loud and distracting outside sounds.

In use so far, the noise cancellation is weaker than what you’d experience from wireless options like Bose’s $299 second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or Sony Group Corp.’s $330 WF-1000XM6. Even so, I found Bose’s corded earbuds can still bring down the volume of a Manhattan subway car or a crowded cafe.

The audio quality is also more than satisfactory for the price, and certainly a step up from Apple’s EarPods, which last received an update in 2023. The benefit of wired earbuds is that you can enjoy fully lossless sound quality from music subscription services like Spotify and Apple Music. Plus, there’s little to no lag when watching videos or playing games on a mobile device or a handheld console like the Nintendo Switch 2, which works with earbuds via USB-C.

The Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds have a 4.2-foot cable with integrated playback and volume controls, along with an inline microphone for voice calls. Bose includes three sizes of silicone ear tips in the box, plus medium and large “stability fins” for those who prefer an extra secure fit. The earbuds meet the IPX4 standard for water resistance, which means they can handle sweat, light rain and splashes, but not immersion.

The noise-canceling earbuds are the latest product in what’s already been a busy September for Bose. Earlier this month, the company introduced two sets of wraparound, cuff-style earbuds, including a pair marketed toward gym-goers.

In the coming months, privately held Bose will shift its attention back to portable speakers, another of the brand’s key categories, Haider said in an interview ahead of Monday’s announcement.