After five years of decline, wired earbuds are having a moment; Bose is here with $99 ANC

Wired listening returns

Wired earbuds have remained available even as many people moved to Bluetooth after Apple removed the iPhone headphone jack in 2016. Sales of wired models rose this year after declining for five years.

Their renewed appeal is partly cultural, with younger people embracing them alongside tape decks and vinyl. Wired designs also need no battery and can be harder to lose than separate wireless earbuds.

USB-C powers noise cancellation

Bose’s $99 Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds connect through USB-C, avoiding the need for an extra dongle with current phones. The port supplies the small amount of power their active noise cancellation requires.

Most wired earbuds use passive isolation because traditional 3.5mm and 4.4mm audio connections cannot provide enough power for ANC. Bose’s earlier QuietComfort 20, released in 2013, instead used a rechargeable battery in its cable.

ANC and sound quality

The new earbuds’ noise cancellation handles low-frequency sounds such as air conditioners and truck rumbles well, but struggles with conversation. It falls short of Bose’s Bluetooth earbuds, which have three microphones per side compared with two on each side of the wired model. A faint high-frequency hiss is noticeable when ANC is on and no audio is playing.

The sound features clear, bright vocals and punchy bass, though the treble can be too bright for some listeners. There is no app or equalizer, but the wired connection supports low latency and high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/48kHz.

Simple controls, few extras

The earbuds work when plugged into a phone or computer, with no pairing, charging or app setup required. Their in-line remote has three buttons for volume, playback and noise-canceling mode selection.