Bose SoundSport Wireless vs Apple AirPods (1st generation) Side-by-Side Headphones Comparison

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Jan 15, 2024 03:46 PM

See Bose SoundSport Wireless Review

Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless Picture

TypeEarbuds

EnclosureSemi-Open

WirelessYes

TransducerDynamic

Noise CancellingNo

MicYes

TypeEarbuds

EnclosureOpen-Back

WirelessTruly Wireless

TransducerDynamic

Noise CancellingNo

MicYes

Variants

SoundSport Wireless (Aqua)
SoundSport Wireless (Black)
SoundSport Wireless (Citron)

AirPods (1st generation) (White)

Review

See Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless Review

Our Verdict

Bose SoundSport Wireless

Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless

The Bose SoundSport Wireless are a much better wireless headset than the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless. The Bose have a more stable fit and are better suited for sports and running. They also have a better-balanced sound that delivers a lot more bass than the Apple. The Bose block a bit more noise, although they will not be the best headphones for commuting due to their semi-open earbud fit. On the other hand, the Apple are a lot more portable and come with an excellent case that gives them more than 24 hours of battery life. The Apple also have a slightly more stable connection, are easier to use, and have lower latency with iOS devices.

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Aqua

SoundSport Wireless

White

AirPods (1st generation)

Black

SoundSport Wireless

White

AirPods (1st generation)

Citron

SoundSport Wireless

White

AirPods (1st generation)

White

AirPods (1st generation)

White

AirPods (1st generation)

Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Threshold

0.10

Mixed Usage

6.4

No major differences between these headphones for mixed usage. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Mixed Usage

6.4

Neutral Sound

7.8

6.3

Commute/Travel

6.5

6.3

Sports/Fitness

7.9

Office

6.6

5.9

Wireless Gaming

5.9

5.5

Wired Gaming

5.8

5.3

Phone Calls

6.3

5.7

Design

Style

Design Picture 2

Type

Earbuds

Enclosure

Semi-Open

Open-Back

Wireless

Yes

Truly Wireless

Transducer

Dynamic

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Comfort

7.5

8.0

Comfort Picture

Weight

0.05 lbs

0.02 lbs

Clamping Force

0 lbs

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Controls

6.0

4.7

Controls Picture

OS Compatibility

Not OS specific

N/A

Ease Of Use

Okay

Subpar

Feedback

Subpar

Call/Music Control

Yes

Volume Control

Yes

Microphone Control

Channel Mixing

N/A

Noise Cancelling Control

N/A

Talk-Through

N/A

Additional Controls

Voice enabled controls

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Breathability

9.0

9.6

Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference

1 °C

0.4 °C

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Portability

8.6

9.6

Portability Picture

L

2.4" (6.2 cm)

1.72"

W

3.1" (8.0 cm)

H

0.9" (2.2 cm)

0.6"

Volume

6.51 in³ (106.68 cm³)

1.03 in³

Transmitter Required

N/A

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Case

7.0

8.5

Case Picture

Type

Soft case

Hard case

L

3.5" (9.0 cm)

2.06"

W

3.5" (9.0 cm)

1.69"

H

1.4" (3.5 cm)

0.74"

Volume

16.74 in³ (274.32 cm³)

2.58 in³

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Build Quality

7.0

8.0

Build Quality Picture

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Stability

7.5

6.5

Stability Picture

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Headshots 1

Angled Picture

Side Picture

Headshots 2

Front Picture

Rear Picture

Top

Top Picture

In The Box

In The Box Picture

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Sound

Sound Profile

Frequency Response

Frequency Response

Bass Amount

0.79 dB

-7.73 dB

Treble Amount

-1.92 dB

0.61 dB

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Frequency Response Consistency

8.9

6.4

Consistency L

Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation

0.23 dB

0.8 dB

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Raw Frequency Response

Bass Accuracy

8.8

6.0

Bass

Bass

Std. Err.

1.75 dB

5.27 dB

Low-Frequency Extension

12.78 Hz

64.42 Hz

Low-Bass

0.69 dB

-10.94 dB

Mid-Bass

1.64 dB

-0.79 dB

High-Bass

2.61 dB

1.62 dB

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Mid Accuracy

8.8

7.9

Mid

Mid

Std. Err.

1.62 dB

2.78 dB

Low-Mid

0.09 dB

1.7 dB

Mid-Mid

-2.17 dB

0.55 dB

High-Mid

0.02 dB

3.62 dB

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Treble Accuracy

8.7

7.2

Treble

Treble

Std. Err.

1.95 dB

4.18 dB

Low-Treble

0.5 dB

4.46 dB

Mid-Treble

-1.67 dB

4.26 dB

High-Treble

-10.44 dB

0.57 dB

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Peaks/Dips

7.9

7.3

Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks

1.43 dB

1.83 dB

Dips

0.88 dB

1.13 dB

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Imaging

9.2

8.4

Group Delay

Phase Response

Phase Response Mismatch

Weighted Group Delay

0.16

0.31

Weighted Phase Mismatch

1.47

5.76

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch

0.3

1.04

Weighted Frequency Mismatch

1.42

1.5

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Passive Soundstage

2.4

2.6

PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)

N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.)

N/A

PRTF Distance

N/A

Openness

7.9

9.7

Acoustic Space Excitation

2.6

3.4

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Virtual Soundstage

0.0

Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling

Speaker Modeling

Room Ambience

Head Tracking

Virtual Surround

Weighted Harmonic Distortion

8.3

7.9

Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90

0.159

0.177

WHD @ 100

0.080

0.128

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Test Settings

Firmware

Unknown

Power

Connection

Unknown

Codec

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ

No EQ

ANC

No ANC

Tip/Pad

Silicone (small)

Microphone

In-line

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Isolation

Noise Isolation

2.6

1.3

Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio

Overall Attenuation

-6.62 dB

-2.64 dB

Noise Cancelling

Bass

-0.1 dB

-0.01 dB

Mid

-3.85 dB

1.1 dB

Treble

-16.14 dB

-8.72 dB

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Leakage

7.8

7.3

Leakage

Leakage Audio

Overall Leakage @ 1ft

35.03 dB

37.73 dB

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Microphone

Microphone Style

Integrated

Yes

In-Line

Yes

Boom

Detachable Boom

N/A

Mic

Yes

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Recording Quality

5.8

6.2

Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech

LFE

285.09 Hz

354.04 Hz

FR Std. Dev.

2.52 dB

2.83 dB

HFE

2,248 Hz

3,368.2 Hz

Weighted THD

38.586

31.268

Gain

38.7 dB

28.6 dB

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Noise Handling

7.1

6.2

SpNR

SpNR

18.8 dB

14.85 dB

Noise Gate

Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling

7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample

Speech + Subway Noise Handling

6.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample

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Active Features

Battery

6.0

7.1

Battery Type

Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life

5.9 hrs

4.8 hrs

Additional Charges

0.0

Total Battery Life

5.9 hrs

27 hrs

Charge Time

1.5 hrs

0.5 hrs

Power-Saving Feature

Auto-Off Timer

Yes

Audio While Charging

Yes

Passive Playback

Charging Port

micro-USB

Lightning

Show Text

App Support

6.5

5.5

App Picture

App Name

Bose Connect

N/A

iOS

Yes

Android

Yes

macOS

N/A

Windows

N/A

Equalizer

ANC Control

Mic Control

N/A

Room Effects

Playback Control

Yes

Button Mapping

Yes

Surround Sound

N/A

Surround Support

Show Text

Connectivity

Bluetooth

8.5

6.9

Bluetooth Version

4.0

4.2 + W1 chip

Multi-Device Pairing

2 Devices

NFC Pairing

Yes

Line Of Sight Range

99.00 ft (30.18 m)

91 ft

PC Latency (SBC)

249 ms

168 ms

PC Latency (aptX)

N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD)

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL)

N/A

iOS Latency

79 ms

Android Latency

136 ms

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Non-Bluetooth Wireless

0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range

N/A

Non-BT Latency

N/A

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Wired

0.0

Cable Picture

Analog Audio

N/A

USB Audio

N/A

Detachable

N/A

Length

N/A

Connection

No Wired Option

N/A

Wired Latency

N/A

Analog/USB Audio Latency

N/A

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PC Compatibility

Analog

Wired USB

Non-BT Wireless

PC / PS4 Compatibility

PC / PS4 Analog

PC / PS4 Wired USB

PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless

PlayStation Compatibility

PS4 Analog

PS4 Wired USB

PS4 Non-BT Wireless

PS5 Analog

PS5 Wired USB

PS5 Non-BT Wireless

Xbox Compatibility

Xbox One Analog

Xbox One Wired USB

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless

Xbox Series X|S Analog

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless

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Base/Dock

0.0

2.2

Type

No Base/Dock

Charging Case

USB Input

Line In

Line Out

Optical Input

RCA Input

Dock Charging

Yes

Power Supply

No Base/Dock

Lightning

Show Text

Check Price

Aqua

SoundSport Wireless

White

AirPods (1st generation)

Black

SoundSport Wireless

White

AirPods (1st generation)

Citron

SoundSport Wireless

White

AirPods (1st generation)

White

AirPods (1st generation)

White

AirPods (1st generation)