The original Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are still some of my favorite headphones. While their battery life left a lot to be desired and their sound wasn’t quite as impressive as more sonically capable rivals, their ANC was the very best you could buy for a price that matched the competition. They were (and still are) excellent headphones.
The aptly named QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation are now here to carry on the torch. They’re pretty much up to the task — thanks to a very welcome increase in battery life, improved sound profile, and some new spatial audio modes —but they don’t surpass the competition in every category.
They are, without a doubt, the best noise-canceling headphones you can buy right now. But, if you’re looking beyond ANC ability, Sony and Bowers & Wilkins might have them beat. Find out why in my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2 review.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation: Specs
- Price £449/$449/AU$699
- Connectivity Bluetooth 5.4
- ANC Yes
- Battery 30 hours (ANC on)
- Weight 0.58 pounds
- Dimensions 7.68 x 5.47 x 2 inches
- Colors Black/ White Smoke/ Midnight Violet/ Driftwood sand/ Desert Gold
- Drivers 35mm
- Compatibility iOS, Android
- Frequency response 10Hz – 22kHz
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? An update to Bose’s flagship noise-canceling headphones
- Who is it for? Users who want to block out every single noise ever
- What does it cost? £449/$449/AU$699
- What do we like? Epic noise canceling, very comfortable fit, reliable and helpful app
- What don’t we like? Aging sound profile, identical design
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Price and availability
As with all things Bose, getting yourself a pair of QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2 is going to be a cinch. They’re available at pretty much any big box retailer like Best Buy, Walmart and Amazon. You can also pick up a pair directly from Bose, if that’s what you’d prefer. Either way, adding some to your backpack isn’t going to entail a lengthy search of store shelves or web pages.
What might make purchasing a pair slightly trickier is the price. The first model cost $429, and this newer model has received a not-insignificant price hike of $30. That makes them about $10 more than the Sony WH-1000XM6 and our current pick for the best headphones, the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3. It’s an unwelcome price hike, that’s for sure, especially as everyone tightens their belts in a particularly icy financial climate.
The price wouldn’t sting quite as much if they were a significant update over the previous pair, but they don’t feel like enough of an upgrade to justify the increase. It also makes them an unworthy upgrade for current QuietComfort Ultra Headphones users. My advice? Wait for the next model, you won’t get much extra here.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Build and design
- Slightly rattly
- There’s nothing new…
- But they’re still handsome
Look, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones were a good-looking pair of headphones. Those metal accents in the hinges looked lovely, and they match the pearlescent plastic earcups and headphones nicely.
They’re certainly more interesting-looking than the Sony XM6-flavored competition, but not quite as stylish or premium-looking as the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 headphones. I like the look of the QuietComfort Ultra, but they’re not the best around.
It’s good that the 1st gen looked so nice because the new model doesn’t look even one iota different from their forbears. It’s the same metallic hinge pieces, the same plastic earcups, and identical cushioning on both headphones. There are new color options to keep things a little fresher, but at their core, no one is going to know that you’re rocking the new version.
I wasn’t entirely sure I was using the 2nd gen at one point, and had to check in the app to see what they were called. Which perhaps says a lot about just how iterative this update actually is.
Thankfully, that also means the incredible comfort of the old version carries into the second generation. They’re impressively lightweight, and when you combine that with their super soft leatherette pads and ample padding, you end up with one of the most comfortable fits in all of noise-canceling headphone-dom. I had no problem wearing them for hours and hours on end, and I’d wager that neither will you.
Their identikit build also carries one of the biggest disappointments of the older model with them; they don’t feel premium in the hand. They’re a bit rattly, and they don’t feel as put-together as their key rivals.
They don’t feel cheap, but neither do they feel like you’ve just dropped nearly half a grand on a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
The excellent protective case does make it easier to toss them in a busy backpack guilt-free, and my older QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have stood the test of time with no breakages (despite a difficult life). But you’d hope they’d feel more expensive, given that they are expensive.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Features
- Plenty of “immersive” spatial audio modes
- Fairly weak EQ
- AptX adaptive
When you’re looking at the spec sheet of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen, you have to talk about the “Immersive” Spatial Audio sound modes. There are technically three, and one of them is new. Well, there are four if you consider “off” a mode. I don’t, it’s the default; because I still don’t get why everyone raves about these immersive sound modes.
There are two Immersive modes for music. One is for when you’re sitting down, and tracks your head movements to sound like your music is in a static place in space, with you looking around in the middle.
It’s smooth enough, unlike the same feature in the Beats Studio Pro, but I just don’t get it. It thins out the sound, tanking bass response and detail in exchange for an artificially widened soundstage. I don’t even think it sounds that much bigger — I often found my music sounded wider when it was turned off.
The second is for when you’re walking around, centering the music around your head so that it no longer moves. It’s not as disconcerting, but no less uncomfortable-sounding.
To be clear, there are two problems here. The first is that it doesn’t use a Spatial Audio mix like Apple headphones do, and has to work with stereo recordings. They only have a certain amount of information to parse out into a 3D space, and what Bose has done is very impressive. The second is me. I simply don’t like it.
For home-grown musical spatial audio systems, Bose’s Immersive Audio is fine. It works. But the fact remains that standard stereo listening sounds better, and doesn’t use as much battery.
TL;DR: Musical Immersive Modes, no thanks. Move Immersive Mode, yes please.
The third immersive mode is cinema — and it’s about the only immersive mode I like. It’s designed, as you might have guessed, for movies, and it does a good enough job of making your movies feel more like surround sound when you’re on a train, a plane, or, indeed, an automobile.
TL;DR: Musical Immersive Modes, no thanks. Move Immersive Mode, yes please.
The “Bose” app at the core of the experience works well enough. It’s where you’ll find all those Immersive sound modes, as well as the other settings. There’s a fairly weak (although essential) 3-band EQ, the ANC ‘noise control’ settings, as well as a customizable control for the touch… thing found on the right earcup.
There are fewer features here than you’ll find on Sony’s headphones, but it’s about the same as those in the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3. About the only thing you’ll really miss out on are the fancy ANC modes that Sony has cooked up for the WH-1000XM6, and I’m not entirely sure they’re actually all that useful.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: ANC
- Just about the best around
- No notes.
- Nothing better.
Usually, I’d spend loads of time here waxing lyrical about the ANC of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation’s ability to block noise. I’d use fancy words like “indomitable” and “unconquerable.” I might throw in an “indefatigable” or two, perhaps even an “unflinching.”
But I won’t, because I don’t really need to. The ANC that Bose has packed into the Ultra Headphones 2nd gen is somehow even better than the first gen. Press the button, and you’re whisked away into your little noiseless cocoon, your only companion the music or podcast you’re listening to.
It’s still remarkable, still impressive, and continues to set the benchmark for how much noise a pair of headphones can block.
Transparency mode is no less excellent. Your conversation partners (or the station announcer) will sound natural, and it avoids the often robotic sound of similar systems. Bose still sets the bar for noise canceling and transparency modes, outdoing similarly priced and more expensive headphones without breaking a sweat.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Call quality
- Solid mics
- Great sound quality
- Noise isolation is very good
Thanks to all the microphones that Bose has pumped into the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2, the call quality is excellent. But then the call quality of the previous model was also good — and you’re not going to get much of an upgrade here.
My call partners, whether I was sitting in my office seat, a train carriage, or walking down a busy street, all reported that I was clearly understandable. Little noise from my environment seemed to trouble the headphones.
On my end, things were similarly standout. My call partners all sounded good (depending on their source device, of course — the Bose did their best, but a friend’s woeful headset still made it sound like he was talking to me from the other end of a massive concrete pipe), and I didn’t have any problem hearing what they had to say.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Controls
- The power button and noise control button are fine
- But the sliding volume touch thing?
- Woeful
My experience with the controls on the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2, much like that with the older model, have been a mixed bag. A mixed bag filled with nails.
While the physical controls for power and noise controls are very welcome indeed, the imprecise touch slider that Bose has placed in the right earcup is straight up bad.
While multi-pressing the ANC button changes playback (bad), the touch bar changes the volume (even worse).
It’s annoying to find, for one. It’s towards the back of the headset, and not quite pronounced enough to find without activating one of its features. While multi-pressing the ANC button changes playback (bad), the touch bar changes the volume (even worse).
It has a habit of wildly shifting volume no matter what you ask of it, whether you swipe up or down. I was really hoping that this version of the headphones would take this control and cast it into the fires of headphone Mount Doom. Alas, it did not.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Sound quality
- It’s fine
- Very bassy
- You’ll need to play with the EQ
Bose’s sound profile has generally been all about the bass, and making things sound warm and velvety. That’s no less true here with the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd gen, although there is a way to tweak them and it’s not all that tricky..
Head into the Bose App’s EQ menu, and set the treble to +2 or +3. That dials in some extra high range, allowing cymbals and other sounds to breathe a bit more. It’s not the perfect solution, but it makes them sound more listenable than they are straight out of the box.
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are otherwise a solid-sounding pair of headphones, especially with the Immersive Sound modes turned off.
They’re reasonably spacious in their soundstage, and there’s some lovely, rich bass here to get things rumbling. The mids provide good vocal representation, although they’re not quite as focused or dialed in as the Sony WH-1000XM6.
The bass, while plentiful and warm, feels one-note. As a result, detail takes a hit, as do dynamics. It’s perfect for some background listening, but not quite as good if you want to sit down and get involved with your music. If that’s what you want, then you should opt for the Sennheiser HDB 630 or the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3.
The distorted guitars sound great, with plenty of bite. Instrument separation is fine, but when things get busy, it can be hard to pick out the choir in the background. That’s not a struggle in the Sony WH-1000XM6.
As you might expect, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen fare a whole lot better with Pop music. XG’s Gala brings the glam, and the headphones are more than happy to let the bass go off.
The flatness doesn’t feel like as much of a problem here as the group’s vocals layer over the top, and the chirping synths bring some extra dimension. Nothing gets lost here, and the imaging is good. They’re headphones really dialed in for the genre, it feels.
Chvrches’ Asking For a Friend feels similarly well defined in the QuietComfort Ultra, although I do miss some bass dynamism again. Mayberry’s vocals are clear and easy to listen to, and the drum beat drives with some gusto thanks to that warmer focus of the headphones. I’ve heard better — but it still sounds good.
- Listen along to the Tom’s Guide Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation testing playlist
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Battery life
- Vast improvement over old model…
- But still not class-leading
- 30 hours
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones only featured 24 hours of battery life. You couldn’t extend that battery life either, with the headphones only featuring “on” and “transparency” modes for the noise canceling. Both drank battery life like a thirsty dog, and turning on Immersive Audio brought the staying power down to 18 hours.
We’ve got some improvement here, although it only brings them up to par with the competition rather than bettering it. According to Bose, you’ll be able to pull 30 hours of battery life out of the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2.
That’s 6 hours more than the old model, but if you’re after the most battery life possible, then you’re going to want to choose something like the Sennheiser HDB 630. They’re about $40 more again, but they last for 60 hours.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Generation review: Verdict
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen are a great pair of headphones. The sound is good, they’re incredibly comfortable, and the ANC remains a spectacular example of noise-canceling technology. I can’t not give them 4 stars, and a recommendation. They’re good. Unfortunately, so is the competition.
Making matters trickier is that the old model, a pair you can still buy for often reduced prices, is close enough in performance and is still well worth picking up. Once the stock of the first gen has dried up, the story will be different, but we’re still a few months away from that point.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones gen 2 are a good upgrade, and they’re now the best noise-canceling headphones by the sheer fact that their ANC is better than anything available right now.
However, when Bose ditches the useless touch control thing on the right earcup, improves the sound and brings us a new design, a higher score will be in order. But as it stands, they’re a solid four-star pair of headphones in a crowded, competitive market.
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