Bose QuietComfort vs. Shokz OpenSwim

Bose QuietComfort

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones are wireless over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation. They offer two primary listening modes: Quiet Mode for maximum noise reduction and Aware Mode, which lets in ambient sounds. Users can switch between these modes depending on their environment. Battery life lasts up to 24 hours on a full charge, with a quick-charge option providing additional playback after just 15 minutes of charging. Bluetooth connectivity supports multipoint pairing, allowing the headphones to connect to two devices at the same time. The design includes plush ear cushions and a reinforced headband, built for long-term comfort. Sound settings such as bass, midrange, and treble can be adjusted through the Bose app. An optional audio cable with an in-line microphone is included for wired use when Bluetooth is unavailable or undesired. The headphones come with a carrying case, USB-C charging cable, and audio cable. They are priced at $349 and available in multiple...

Shokz OpenSwim

The Shokz OpenSwim is a set of bone conduction headphones designed specifically for swimming. Unlike regular earbuds, these don’t go inside your ears. Instead, they rest on your cheekbones and use vibrations to send sound directly into your inner ear. This means you can still hear what’s happening around you while listening to music. They don’t have Bluetooth because Bluetooth doesn’t work underwater. Instead, they come with 4GB of internal storage, so you load your own MP3 files onto them. The battery lasts about 8 hours, which is plenty for most swim sessions. They’re IP68 waterproof, meaning they can handle continuous submersion, though there’s usually a depth limit (often around 2 meters). At 30g, they’re lightweight and designed to stay in place while swimming. The package includes a USB charging cradle, a carrying case, and swimming earplugs, which help improve sound quality underwater. People who use them generally love the sound quality and find them easy to use, thoug...

Reviews

Reviewed on 2/20/2025

I switched to Bose QuietComfort after my AIrPods Max broke down. I think they're great, I actually enjoy using them more on an everyday basis than I did using my AirPods. They just work - they are light, they pair well, sound quality is good, active noise cancellation works well. Comfort is important to me as I like to listen to audiobooks for extended periods of time, and these are more comfortable than my AirPods Max used to be. The metal connecting bar of the AirPods used to dig into my head, while I have no such feelings of discomfort with my QuietComfort headphones. I am subtracting one star for two problems. The first one is that the microphone doesn't always work well. I've had multiple people complain me they can't hear me very well when I called them using these headphones. I thought it was a hardware issues so I had them replaced but them problem occurs on my new pair too. I started borrowing my wife's Bose QuietComfort 45, which appears to be the exactly same headphone but without the microphone issues. The second problem is occasional sound distortions. This mostly happens during phone calls and I've experienced them on both QuietComfort and QuietComfort 45. The distortions seem to occur on higher frequency sounds and usually last until the end of the call or until I restart the headphones. Luckily the headphones restart and pair quickly so this is less of a nuisance than it could otherwise be. Overall, I recommend these headphones if you tend to wear your headphones for extended periods of time and are looking for high quality of sounds and effective noise cancellation. They may not be the best pair of headphones for phone calls, though.

Reviews

Reviewed on 2/16/2025

I bought my OpenSwim headphones in 2021 and four years later they are still serving me well. They survived multiple trips to Thailand and Greece, including both in the open sea and in swimming pools. They were fun to use for snorkeling. I love the sound quality, I was genuinely surprised how good they sounds underwater, it's like having your own sound system. I wish they had bluetooth that you could use when not submerged, and as far as I know the newer models do have that. With either model, you still need to load your own songs for underwater use though. Everyone uses streaming services these days so mp3 are actually kind of hard to find, which is something I didn't expect I'd struggle with when I first bought these. Except for a few drawbacks that really amount to nitpicking, these are excellent, reliable, sturdy, and high quality headphones.

Pros
ItemVotesUpvote
Long battery life1
Quick to charge1
Very light1
Available in multiple colors1
Comfortable1
Noise cancelling works well1
Cons
ItemVotesUpvote
Microphone could be more sensitive1
Sounds come out distorted sometimes1
Pros
ItemVotesUpvote
Work underwater1
Lightweight1
Battery life1
Cons
ItemVotesUpvote
No blueetooth1

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