There's been a big battle in the last few years among the big brand names to make the best active noise-canceling earbuds and headphones, with the main contenders being Bose, Sony, and Apple. And before Bose's QuietComfort Ultra took the top spot as some of our favorite noise-canceling headphones, the Bose QC II earbuds were near the top of that list.

Despite being knocked off top spot, they are still excellent earbuds and well worth grabbing when they go on sale. And if you want to get them for very cheap, then you can grab them at Bose's official eBay store for just $129, which is a 54% discount on the original $279 price tag. Now, it's important to note that these are certified refurbished and not brand new, but they should look and work like new and come with a 2-year warranty, which should help assuage any concerns. 

Even for an older generation set of earbuds, the Bose QC II have some excellent ANC capabilities, especially given that Bose offers superb noise-canceling in some mid and high frequencies. That means things like screaming babies, loud HVAC units, and even the hubbub of an office space can be almost completely silenced. It even works great when out and about, and the majority of sounds are pretty well muffled, so much so that you might get shocked when turning on transparency mode, which Bose calls Aware mode.

As for audio, you'll be happy to know that the QC II earbuds are just as good in that regard, with the audio being clear and nuanced, which the previous generation didn't manage quite as well. They're also pretty warm sounding with a wide soundstage, giving them an extra punch, especially when listening to vocals. As for battery life, you can expect about six hours on a charge, with an extra 18 hours in the case, which is about industry standard.

Overall, these are great earbuds to grab even as certified refurbished, especially for this price. Even so, if you'd prefer to grab something entirely unused, then be sure to check out these other great earbud deals.