Bose’s new wired earbuds are simple in the best way

Wired earbuds are making a small comeback, and Bose is capitalizing on it — with ANC this time.

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After Apple courageously removed the headphone jack from the iPhone in 2016, most people switched to Bluetooth earbuds and never looked back. But their wired counterparts have stuck around, and their sales even went up this year after five years of decline.

Part of the resurgence can be tied to the fact that they’re cool now with younger generations — following the revival of tape decks and vinyl. Celebrities have been spotted wearing them , and there’s even an Instagram account that follows the trend. Wired earbuds have real benefits. They don’t need a battery, so they’ll last longer than wireless ones that eventually die, and it’s a lot harder to lose a wired pair with a long cable than a single earbud.

Now, after more than a decade, Bose has returned to the wired world, but the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds are no throwbacks.

One of the few sets of wired earbuds with ANC Comfortable and secure fit High-res audio Simple to use

The $99 Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds connect over USB-C, so they don’t need an extra dongle to work with current phones. That’s also how they can offer ANC. Because the 3.5mm or 4.4mm analog audio connector doesn’t provide enough power for active noise cancellation, most wired earbuds, from cheap off-brands to wildly expensive audiophile in-ear monitors , rely on passive isolation only. Bose’s last attempt at wired in-ears with ANC, 2013’s QuietComfort 20 , had a 3.5mm jack, and their ANC relied on a rechargeable battery in the cable. The new Bose earbuds don’t need the battery pack; they can get the minimal power they need for ANC from the USB-C port.

There are a few other USB-C wired headphones with active noise cancellation, but not many. There’s also the $30 Belkin SoundForm ANC Wired Earbuds, which reportedly have weak noise canceling , and Audio-Technica released a pair in Asia earlier this year.

The best part of the Bose earbuds, or any wired earbuds, is that they’re simple. No need to worry about pairing them, no need to charge them, and no need to fiddle with an app. Plug them into the USB-C port on a phone or computer and they just work.

While the noise canceling performance doesn’t measure up to Bose’s Bluetooth earbuds (the wired earbuds have two mics per side, while the QuietComfort Earbuds have three), it’s still solid for the price. It does a great job blocking low-frequency sounds like air conditioners and low truck rumbles, but has difficulty muting conversation (with ANC on, I can’t hear our air conditioner at all, but can make out every word of my wife’s phone conversation as I write this). There’s a slight high-end hiss when the noise canceling is active, but it’s only noticeable when they aren’t playing any sound.

And they sound great. Vocals are clear and bright, and bass is punchy without overwhelming other instruments.