I listened to earbuds with Bose's AI noise cancelling, and can't go back to regular ANC

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 debut with one major AI-powered upgrade.
• Adaptive ANC powered by AI may not sound the most exciting, but it’s incredibly useful.
• Bose’s improved noise-canceling algorithm points it absorbing most of the company’s AI budget.

In the fast-paced race to load AI into every smartphone, laptop, tablet, and earbud, the flashiest AI-powered features usually receive the most attention. When your earbuds use AI to perform real-time translation services or allow hands-free access to a gen AI chatbot, you’ll know. There’s another way your earbuds use AI that isn’t as exciting to talk about, but when it’s done well, it’s incredibly valuable: AI-powered adaptive noise cancellation.

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All of the heavy hitters, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Sony’s WF-1000XM5, advertise adaptive noise-canceling technology. Adaptive active noise cancellation utilizes trained algorithms to classify, predict, and cancel external noises, adjusting to the varying volume levels in your environment. 

But not everyone’s algorithm is created equal, and Bose’s latest QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 prove it. Although the earbuds may not have live transcription, translation, or chatbot compatibility, Bose placed all of its AI eggs in the adaptive noise cancellation basket, and doing so makes a big difference.

No fanfare, all functionality

Adaptive noise cancellation is one of the best uses of AI and machine learning technology in consumer audio. Traditional active noise cancellation (ANC) uses microphones to detect the noises in your environment and deploy an equal-but-opposite frequency to cancel the noise. 

However, your environment and its noise levels are hardly ever predictable. One minute, the coffee shop you’re sitting in is quiet, and the next, the barista is grinding ice chips in a blender. Adaptive ANC algorithms are trained on millions of real-world sounds to recognize patterns and administer the right amount of noise cancellation. An exceptionally intuitive algorithm can start working before you even know you need it. 

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Unlike chatbot, transcription, or translation services that I use once in a blue moon, I use adaptive noise cancellation every day. I don’t have to do any work for it to perform, and you don’t need a compatible ecosystem to maximize its capabilities. 

Bose’s adaptive ANC mode, ActiveSense, is my preferred audio mode to use when I’m in public. You can only use it when the earbuds are in Aware mode, which is ideal for remaining aware of your surroundings. Bose’s ActiveSense is significantly smoother and responds more quickly than the first-generation QuietComfort Ultra earbuds and competitors like the AirPods Pro 2, which are my daily drivers.

Overlooked, not overhyped

When I wear my AirPods in adaptive mode to the grocery store, the earbuds are in full transparency mode in the parking lot and employ noise cancellation once I’m inside the store, where chatter, rickety carts, and overhead music reach the earbuds. The significant difference between Apple’s and Bose’s earbuds is that I can’t tell when the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 start employing noise cancellation — it’s always in the background, but hardly reveals itself to my ears.

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When the cashier spoke to me, Bose’s earbuds swiftly allowed me to hear them without any in-ear pressure changes or missing any of their words. Conversely, Apple’s Conversation Mode has a lag, and I often miss someone’s first words before the earbuds register that someone is speaking to me.

Compared to my AirPods, there’s no pressure buildup in my ears, and the external noise naturally fades to the background. This feature’s execution helps the earbuds blend seamlessly into your day-to-day life, and its imperceptible nature means it’s doing its job effectively.

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Bose’s second-generation ActiveSense is the result of the company’s investment in a more subdued AI front, and it’s one of the few software advantages the company has over its competitors. Bose knows its strengths, and instead of chasing AI features that’ll flop, Bose understands that leveraging AI for noise canceling and processing purposes will always be king over on-device, ecosystem-specific, rarely-used conversational features.