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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want to keep a pair of Bose QuietComfort QC25 or QC35 headphones alive and wired with a working inline mic, choose EARLA TEC Replacement Audio Cable; if you need a complete plug-and-play USB-C earbud set with a built-in mic, volume controls and a carrying case, choose COOYA USB C Headphones.
• EARLA TEC Replacement Audio Cable — biggest strength: it is a direct replacement cord for Bose QC25/QC35 and similar headphones, with an inline microphone and volume/remote buttons, so you keep the headphones you already own instead of buying new ones.
• EARLA TEC Replacement Audio Cable — biggest trade-off: it is only a cable. No earbuds, no ear tips, no case, and it works through a 3.5mm-to-2.5mm jack, so it is useless to anyone who does not already have compatible headphones.
• COOYA USB C Headphones — biggest strength: a full wired USB-C earphone package with a built-in mic, inline controls, a clip, extra ear tips and a protective case, all in one box.
• COOYA USB C Headphones — biggest trade-off: it only works with USB-C audio ports. If your device has a 3.5mm jack and no USB-C audio, this set does nothing for you.
• Who each pick is for: pick EARLA TEC if you are repairing or extending a Bose QC25/QC35 setup; pick COOYA if you want a ready-to-use USB-C wired earbud with a mic for calls.
This is a repair-and-keep-going product. The cable is a 3.5mm-to-2.5mm adapter cord roughly 1.5 metres long, with two male plugs — one straight, one L-shaped. That angled plug is the detail I care about most, because it is the kind of connector that sits flat against a phone or laptop edge instead of sticking out and snagging. The material is TPU, which the spec describes as soft and durable, and the cable itself is round and blue.
What it does best is give an existing pair of headphones a second life. If you own Bose QuietComfort QC25, QC35, SoundLink or SoundTrue headphones and the original cord has failed, this replaces it. You also get an inline microphone plus volume and remote buttons, so you can take hands-free calls and control music — answer and hang up, raise or lower volume, and skip tracks on iPhone and iPod. On the phone-compatibility side, the sheet lists iPhone 3GS through 6 Plus, Samsung and various Android phones, plus several Amazon Fire tablet generations. It is also listed as compatible with laptops and PCs through the auxiliary connection.
Who should buy it: someone who already has compatible Bose headphones, wants to keep using them wired, and needs a working inline mic and controls without replacing the whole headset. Who should skip it: anyone without those headphones, anyone who wants earbuds included, and anyone whose device has no 3.5mm jack or matching connection. This is a single cable in the box — nothing else.
The COOYA set is the opposite idea: not a spare part, but a complete listening kit. You get one pair of USB-C wired in-ear earbuds, two extra pairs of ear tips in different sizes, a small clip, and a protective carrying case. The earpieces are in-ear, finished in black and red, built from metal, plastic and rubber, and designed to clasp together so they hang around your neck without tangling.
The audio side is where the spec sheet gets specific. There is a dynamic driver paired with a high-sensitivity diaphragm and dual drivers, a built-in DAC chip for low distortion, 32 ohm impedance and 109 dB sensitivity. In plain terms, that combination of low-ish impedance and high sensitivity means these should be easy to drive from a phone or laptop without needing extra amplification. The noise control is sound isolation rather than active noise cancelling — the seal from the in-ear tips is doing the work.
For calls, there is a built-in microphone plus inline buttons for answer/end, play/pause, track skipping and volume. COOYA explicitly notes the mic is intended to keep call interference down, and there is a clip for fixing the mic in place while you talk. Compatibility is the headline feature here: the list covers recent iPhone 15/16/17 families, a long run of Samsung Galaxy S and A models, Google Pixel, OnePlus, iPad, MacBook Air and Pro, Motorola, Nothing Phone and more — but only devices with a USB-C audio port. One practical note from the sheet: on MacBook you may need to go into Settings, Sound, Output and manually select the USB device.
Who should buy it: anyone with a USB-C phone, tablet or laptop who wants wired earbuds with a mic for calls and music, and who values getting ear tips and a case in the same purchase. Who should skip it: anyone relying on a 3.5mm jack, and anyone who needs a replacement cable rather than new earbuds.
• Best for repairing headphones you already own → EARLA TEC Replacement Audio Cable. It exists to replace a failed cord, not to add a new pair.
• Best for a complete out-of-the-box setup → COOYA USB C Headphones. Earbuds, ear tips, clip and case all arrive together.
• Best for devices with a 3.5mm jack → EARLA TEC Replacement Audio Cable. Its 3.5mm-to-2.5mm plugs suit that kind of connection.
• Best for modern USB-C phones, tablets and laptops → COOYA USB C Headphones. The compatibility list is built around USB-C audio ports.
• Best for a longer cable run → EARLA TEC Replacement Audio Cable. Around 1.5 metres gives you slack between you and the device.
• Best for in-ear sound isolation → COOYA USB C Headphones. The in-ear design seals against outside noise; the cable relies on your existing headphone's own isolation.
• Best for keeping your bag organised → COOYA USB C Headphones. The included case and extra tips are the difference between a kit and a loose wire.
• Best for the lightest possible purchase → EARLA TEC Replacement Audio Cable. A single round cable weighs almost nothing and takes up no space.
My pick is the COOYA USB C Headphones, and here is my reasoning. If you are shopping for a wired headset with an inline mic in the USB-C era, this is the more complete product: the earbuds, the mic, the controls, the spare ear tips and the case are all in the box, and the impedance and sensitivity figures suggest it will play nicely with a phone or laptop. The EARLA TEC cable is genuinely useful — but only as a fix for headphones you already own. If that is your situation, buy it without hesitation. If you are starting from nothing, I would go with COOYA.
An inline mic is a small microphone built into the cable itself, usually placed on a control pod a short distance below one earpiece. It lets you take calls hands-free without holding the phone. Both products here include one, along with buttons for volume and track control.
Plug the cable or headphones into the matching port on your computer, then check your sound settings. For the COOYA set over USB-C, the data sheet notes you may need to go to Settings, Sound, Output and select the USB device. For the EARLA TEC cable, the auxiliary connection works through your PC's audio jack.
No. If your device has a 3.5mm jack, the EARLA TEC cable's auxiliary connection is the relevant one for compatible Bose headphones. The COOYA earbuds are listed as working only with USB-C audio ports, so they are the wrong choice for a jack-only device.
Both handle calls. COOYA puts the microphone, inline buttons and a clip in a single ready-to-use package, which I find more convenient for everyday calling. EARLA TEC gives you the same call controls but only if you already own compatible headphones to attach it to. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since that is the one thing the specs cannot tell you.
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