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Credit: Daniel Oropeza

At the upper echelon level of earbuds, there are a few options to choose from: Bose, Sony, and Apple. If you are an Apple user, I recommend going with the AirPods Pro 3. If you value audio fidelity and like to control the nitty-gritty details, Sony's XM6 earbuds are a great choice. But if you value comfort, user-friendliness, and the best ANC for the money, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd gen) are your best option. And right now, the latter of those is $50 off, bringing them down to $249 (originally $299). (All five color options are on sale.)

I've had my own pair of Bose earbuds for almost a year, and they're still my go-to choice for everyday listening. As much as I like the idea of being able to fine-tune every detail of my audio, something keeps pulling me towards the simplicity and user-friendliness of these earbuds, despite having so many options at my disposal as a tech reviewer.

Maybe it's because they offer the best ANC of any buds I've tested—a fact that has held true throughout the existence of the Bose QuietComfort line. Their multiple microphones pick up ambient sound and adapt the ANC accordingly, making Transparency Mode quite impressive, while Immersive Mode brings out the details in anything you're listening to and makes the lack of a full EQ more acceptable. The Bose companion app, meanwhile, is regularly updated and offers you a few options to fine-tune your sound. The main downside of these earbuds is usually their high price, but at $249, they're a good value when judged against the competition.