Bose is betting on a wired comeback with USB-C earbuds that offer active noise cancellation, lossless audio and no battery or Bluetooth pairing.
Bose has returned to wired audio after more than a decade, unveiling a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds that connect directly through USB-C and cost $99. According to the company’s announcement, the new Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds are intended for phones, tablets and computers with USB-C ports, and they do not need Bluetooth pairing, a companion app or a charging case.
The launch reflects a broader attempt to revive a format that many consumers had largely abandoned. Raza Haider, president of Bose Premium Consumer Audio, said the market for wired earbuds is seeing renewed interest and argued that advances in audio engineering now allow Bose to bring its latest technology to a familiar design. The company is positioning the product as a simpler alternative to its wireless range, which is typically far more expensive.
At the centre of the earbuds is Bose’s QuietControl system, which uses four microphones in total, two in each earbud, to monitor surrounding noise and adjust cancellation in real time. Bose says the user can switch between Quiet Mode, Aware Mode and ANC Off Mode. The wired USB-C link also means the earbuds draw power from the connected device rather than from an internal battery, so the active noise cancellation works without recharging.
The earphones use Bose’s SoundDesign processing and support lossless playback via USB Audio Class 2. The company says the connection can accept audio at any sample rate and bit depth, with output fixed at 24-bit, 48kHz. That wired design should also keep latency low, which makes the model more suitable for video playback and gaming than many wireless alternatives.
Bose has also kept the controls physical rather than touch-based. An inline remote handles volume, playback, call control and mode changes, while a microphone built into the back of the remote is intended to improve voice capture without needing to hold it close to the mouth. The earbuds come with a 4.2-foot cable, three sizes of silicone eartips, two sizes of stability wings, an IPX4 water-resistance rating and a zippered case.
They will be sold in Black, White Smoke and a limited-edition Dewdrop Mint finish, with contrasting accent colours on each version. Pre-orders are open on Bose’s website and through Best Buy for My Bose members, with shipping due to begin on 15 October. At a time when many brands are leaning further into wireless hardware, Bose is betting that a well-executed wired product still has a place.
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