Overview
- Bose announced Monday that the Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds are available for preorder at $99 with shipping slated for mid‑October, with some retailer pages listing October 13 and the company release citing October 15.
- The earbuds draw power from the connected device over USB‑C so they have no internal battery, require a powered USB‑C port to work, and cannot be used with passive Lightning or 3.5mm adapters that don’t supply power.
- The hardware uses USB Audio Class 2 and outputs a fixed 24‑bit/48kHz signal for lossless playback and low latency, and includes an inline remote with volume, playback, call controls, and a button to cycle Quiet (ANC), Aware, and Off modes.
- Early hands‑on reports from late‑stage prototypes praise Bose’s sound and ANC for the price but flag a heavy inline control that tugs on the cable and occasional hissing with ANC on, findings that could change before wide shipping.
- The move follows recent market data showing a wired‑listening resurgence—Circana recorded sales gains in late 2025 and early 2026—and could push other makers to offer lower‑cost, battery‑free ANC options while shifting tradeoffs for users who must keep a device port free.