Quick review
The good
The not-so-good
The latest generation of the best-in-class Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are shinier and still superb, now slightly better, too.
It’s been a couple of years since we saw Bose change its approach for headphones, and since then, we’ve been impressed.
In that time, the first-gen model is the pair we turn to the few times we’re travelling. They are consistent and reliably and bloody brilliant.
Back when the first reinvention of the Bose QC range came along in the Bose 700 Headphones, the company might have taken a step too far. Its return to form came in the Bose QuietComfort 45, with these being basically a revival of everything that worked in the QuietComfort series before it, just made new again.
In the QC Ultra, Bose turned it up again. It brought another comfy design, excellent sound and noise cancellation, and even support for spatial audio that worked on everything, iOS and Android and every service. They were perfect.
Two years on, Bose is at it again with a pair that’s more of a refresh than a reinvention.
In the latest pair, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd-gen, it’s more of what worked last time with a little more in the tank.
Design and features
Not that you’d know it from looking at the headphones, because these look almost identical to the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones from last time.
The latest pair from Bose sports a similar design, with a plush band and set of ear pads which in this generation is connected by metal arms that are shiny, compared to their predecessors being matte.
That’s the primary difference this time around — shiny vs not-so-shiny — a look that may divide.
This reviewer actually prefers the less shiny look of the first-gen model, but it’s such a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. They’re both easy on the eyes, and yet also simultaneously professional.
The gloss on the joins doesn’t change the look much at all. It’s just a bit shinier.
It’s much the same with the rest of the look, sporting large padded earcups, a similarly padded neck band, plastic casing for the cans, and the Bose logo on each side.
The headphones support a few ways to connect to a device, covering Bluetooth and USB-C, while a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable is also included, as well, all found in a nice semi-moulded case that the headphones fold up into. Folding the headphones up can take a few tries — there’s a specific way to do it — but it does keep the headphones protected.
In-use
With a design that looks practically identical to its predecessor and similarly designed earpads, you won’t find much has changed in how these headphones are used.
Indeed, if you’re coming from the first generation, it’s pretty much the same thing in a slightly newer design. But if you’re coming fresh to Bose’s headphones or from an older pair, the controls may feel a little different overall.
On the bottom if a power and Bluetooth controller, while the other physical button is for pause and play, double tapping for skipping a track and triple tapping for going back. Hold down that button to scroll through cancellation modes.
The touch sensitive volume rocker behind the right ear pad seems easier to use, swiping up and down on a line to tell you where your volume will change, but outside of this, it’s a fairly old school approach in an otherwise new pair of headphones.
If you opt to plug in your USB-C cable, you can also get the QC Ultra 2 headphones working as USB-C lossless headphones with a maximum of 48kHz. Apple Music on an iPad Air noted it was sending up to 24-bit 96kHz tracks when we did a quick test, but apparently lossless maxes out at 44.1 and 48kHz, which isn’t very high-res.
Performance
Most will probably use wireless Bluetooth to listen, and so working out how to use the headphones isn’t difficult basically consists of pairing and moving on with your life, either using your phone’s settings or the Bose app. Once you’ve paired them, they’ll switch on the moment you open them up, so all that’s left is to test them and see how they sound.
For that, as we do with all headphones, we’re reviewing by listening to the Pickr Sound Test, which you can listen to for yourself.
As usual, that starts with electronic, where we’re treated to a slightly warm bass drop from Tycho elevated with great mids and highs, plus plenty of detail and oomph in our Daft Punk test track.
Already, the vibe is strong, and it continues with great punch and dynamics across pop, R&B, and soul. The punch from Mark Ronson is there offering a hint of warmth, and if anything, it seems as those Bose has pulled back from the warmth of the last pair, restraining it so that the headphones are more balanced with just a little more in the bottom end to work with.
The result means detail and balance are on the cards: there’s lovely separation and clarity in Marvin Gaye’s “Ain’t No Mountain”, a beautiful sense of space in Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al”, while jazz and classical are rich offerings, as well.
Rock is great, offering spacious and balanced sound in the likes of music from the Deftones, with clear sound through tracks from David Bowie, The Who, and Muse, the latter of which lacked the unnecessary oomph.
Not every track is perfect, but for the most part, they’re a lovely pair of headphones through and through.
Noise cancellation
Easily one of the best features, Bose’s approach to active noise cancellation is some of the best in the world, using the combination of an initial sound test with CustomTune to adapt to your ears and the outdoors environment, plus algorithms to quell the outside world.
It’s a potent combination that delivers some of the finest cancellation you can find, while the big ear cushions do a great job of keeping your ears isolated in general.
There are few complaints here, with the ANC doing a fantastic job whether you’re on public transport or making a higher altitude trip somewhere.
We think the in-ears might do as good if not a better job at times, at least when you’re dealing with engine noise in some aircraft, but this is easily some of the best active noise cancellation you can find.
Spatial Audio
It’s not just ANC, but also spatial, a feature we feel like Bose is handling better than some other brands.
Apple and Beats deliver a pure spatial experience, delivering a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, but only if you:
- Listen on an Apple device, and
- Use Apple Music or use a movie service with surround support on the plan
That means spatial in the world of Apple can feel limited. If you use Spotify on an iPhone, your spatial-enabled AirPods Max won’t run that spatial sound at all. Bummer.
Not so with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, with both the previous first-gen and this new second-gen model applying head-tracked spatial to an “immersive” mode should you want it. That feature works regardless of whether you use Spotify or Apple Music or podcasts and whatnot — it just works — and provides some different angles for how you get your spatial sound on.
It’s not a true variation of spatial, but most ears won’t tell. It’s just a slightly more immersive way to listen.
Cinema Mode
An extra feature new to the package is “Cinema Mode”, a specific mode you can easily activate using the app that heightens the vocal track and turns on the aforementioned spatial mode, providing a slightly more immersive experience.
It’s a little like having a recent soundbar with volume-enhancing controls, but inside your headphones instead. You’ll be able to turn your head to track some of the audio, while at the front the treble from the voices becomes more pronounced.
We’re not entirely sure you’re getting a full surround track here, but the experience does feel tighter overall, at least compared to when using standard “quiet” modes for watching films and shows.
Battery
One area that hasn’t changed and markedly lags behind competitors is the battery, which maxes out at 30 hours when used without spatial audio, and yet also gets much lower if you do.
While 30 hours seems like a win simply based on flights typically maxing out in the mid-20s, the reality is that we’re seeing noise cancelling headphones offer battery life in the 50s, putting Bose at a slight disadvantage battery-wise.
The battery on the QC Ultra isn’t technically as good as 30 for most listeners. With ANC but without spatial audio, you’ll find closer to 24 hours. Throw spatial back into the mix, and the life is closer to 18-ish.
It’s not a big issue: simply plug in the USB-C port and you’re good to go after a few minutes, and 24 hours is still plenty. But other headphones have better battery life, even if Bose has better ANC.
Value
However the price is a little difficult, because $699.95 in Australia and $729.95 in New Zealand (NZD) is not inexpensive at all. It’s about the norm for high-end headphones, sitting below the $899 Apple AirPods Max and smack dab the same as the $699 Sony WH-1000XM6.
These are fairly pricey, but they do give you fantastic sound and noise cancellation, which is largely the point.
What needs work?
Not much has changed, however, which if you’re coming from a recent pair of Bose headphones makes them less an upgrade path, if any.
Owners of the previous generation, you can stick with your current pair. Even owners of the QC 45s might struggle to notice the difference, and should probably wait until their headphones properly die (unless you really need spatial audio, and you probably don’t, as enjoyable as it is).
The little that has changed means the QC Ultra 2nd-gen aren’t for recent QuietComfort owners, even if they are for a lot of other people.
However, the USB-C audio could be better quality, and the controls could be better, too.
A choice of two buttons and a volume rocker can make the QC Ultra gen two feel a little behind the times compared to the swipes of the Sony, or even the variety of controls Nothing integrated into its first pair, the Headphone (1).
You’ll really only use the main button for pause, play, and cancellation modes, as well as the volume rocker. It just feels like Bose could have added a little more control here.
We ended up getting caught by the power button often, which doesn’t actually need to be pressed. Fold it up and the power goes off, but old habits die hard.
What we love
Much like the previous generation, what we love about the Bose QC Ultra Headphones 2nd-generation is just how considered the headphones are.
Properly comfortable, highly portable, great sounding, and offering support for spatial audio across platforms — iOS and Android — the Quiet Comfort headphones has Bose doing what few in the headphone space do: delivering a feature set that’s brilliant for all.
Bose QC Ultra Headphones 2 vs the competition
And that’s really saying something, largely because of how varied that space is.
Over in the world of largely Apple-focused headphones, you have the AirPods Max USB-C and the Beats Studio Pro, two pairs of solid headphones that offer decent noise cancellation and support for spatial audio, but only on iPhones with Apple Music.
The AirPods Max are brilliant in their own right, but more expensive, and the noise cancellation hasn’t seen an update in several years. Meanwhile, the Beats Studio Pro deliver a different sound at a lower price point. Good headphones, but not as good as Apple’s effort.
In the world of “every other phone”, there are new models this year from Sony in the WH-1000XM6 and the Nothing Headphones (1), not to mention a lot of little earbud options, while Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 still offer a solid competitor from last year, as well.
Perhaps Bose’s biggest competitor, however, is itself: the first-gen QC Ultra headphones are still ticking around, and for as little as $430 in Australia. That’s a staggering deal for a pair of headphones as excellent as these if you can find them, with only a few differences you’re unlikely to notice.
Once those headphones disappear, however, Bose will likely be in a world of its own making.
To put it simply, there are a lot of headphone choices, though few offer quite the breadth of versatility and compatibility that Bose offers. Sony’s WH-1000XM6 is likely the logical next step, and they’re just as good, minus the spatial tech.
Final thoughts (TLDR)
The noise cancellation is excellent as is the sound delivery, and the fact that you can turn on a variation of spatial audio that works on every operating system and music service and even movies is something we’re stunned more players haven’t cottoned on to.
Granted, it’s not a pure Dolby Atmos track like you can get in the world of Apple, but the Bose QC Ultra delivers a feature set that touches on everything.
They’re not cheap, but the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd-gen are one of the best pairs you can find regardless of phone you use.
Android or iPhone, it’s difficult to imagine travelling without these headphones. Highly recommended.
