Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Gen 2 Review: Major Fun

Handy caller convenience features. Same plush comfort. Top-tier sound canceling and transparency mode. Clear and engaging sound profile. USB-C lossless audio support. Better ambient audio control. Minor artillery upgrade.

More upgrades would person been nice. Cinema Mode sounds arsenic synthetic arsenic Immersive mode.

The orignal Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are aptly named, offering plush comfort, bully sound, and nan champion sound canceling we’d ever tested upon their release. They stood arsenic nan unequivocal noise-canceling masters until Sony rivaled their power pinch nan WH-1000XM6, which brings caller tech for illustration a crazy-fast chipset to inch past nan Ultra successful immoderate scenarios.

The QuietComfort Ultra 2 amended upon nan original, though this is simply a insignificant update pinch very akin noise-canceling and audio performance. Frankly, a much meticulous sanction would beryllium nan Ultra Gen 1.2 aliases 1.3, but I suppose that’s not arsenic catchy.

There are immoderate slick caller touches, including immoderate caller app controls, convenience features for illustration nan expertise to laic nan headphones level to slumber them, and lossless audio support complete USB-C. The upgrades travel astatine a comparatively debased cost—especially since Bose jacked up nan value of its erstwhile best headphones from $430 to $450 post-launch (they’re now backmost to $430). I wouldn’t waste and acquisition up if you ain nan original, but if you’re torn betwixt which to get, nan newer type person immoderate bully reasons for nan insignificant splurge.

Same Digs, New Floss

The Ultra 2nd Gen's look and consciousness are virtually identical to nan original. That intends sleek lines on nan chassis, minimalist controls, and cushy pads cloaked successful plush macromolecule leather that consciousness inviting and luxurious.

As I noted successful my original QC Ultra review, nan receptor cups are connected nan mini side, creating a snug fresh that feels almost bespoke to maine but whitethorn not activity arsenic good for larger ears. The set and cups are good balanced and supply capable cushion for hours (and hours) of comfy listening, an important barroom to clear for immoderate recreation cans. They’re much comfortable than nan WH-1000XM6 for my money, 1 of my fewer knocks against Sony’s latest flagship.

The only artistic quality successful nan caller Ultra is nan polished metallic decorativeness astir nan receptor cup arms (or yokes) successful spot of nan original’s glittery matte look. I’m not judge it’s an upgrade—the caller look leaves a batch much room for fingerprints—but it is simply a spot flashier.

What’s New?

While Bose notes immoderate insignificant tuning to nan sound, sound canceling, and transparency modes, this update is mostly astir convenience features. I wasn’t bowled complete by nan insignificant tweaks connected paper, but successful practice, nan headphones are amazingly much inviting to use.

That starts pinch aggregate ways to participate and exit low-power mode. The Gen 2 will unopen down aft 30 minutes astatine rest, but you tin now laic them level to disconnect from your source, past simply put them backmost connected to listen. The functionality is akin to Apple’s AirPods Max, but amended executed. Unlike nan Max, you’re still getting a powerfulness cardinal (and a existent case), but nan expertise to gaffe them connected and disconnected truthful easy for playback is really handy. Bose claims nan headphones tin past for months successful debased power, truthful we’ll proceed semipermanent testing.

Speaking of battery, there’s a flimsy boost from nan original's 24 hours to 30 hours of playback pinch sound canceling (24 pinch Immersive Audio). You tin now perceive while they complaint and entree lossless audio tracks complete USB-C from supported sources, thing neither nan original Ultra nor Sony’s XM6 offer.

Bose has besides made it easier to power sound canceling and transparency modes, letting you move disconnected ambient audio wholly successful nan app aliases customize really overmuch sound is blocked aliases piped successful from nan microphones nether Noise Control. Previously, this required creating a Custom sound mode.

Otherwise, you’re getting nan aforesaid coagulated characteristic set, pinch options for illustration multipoint audio relationship (still for conscionable 2 devices), adaptive sound that tailors capacity to your ears, and settings for illustration nan expertise to set your ain sound for calls. Onboard controls see powerfulness and multi-function keys, and a touch sensor measurement slider, which is still a spot little responsive than I’d like.

There are a fewer outstanding features still connected my wish list, for illustration a multi-band EQ alternatively than nan much basal three-band setup, which makes tailoring nan booming default bass much hatchet than scalpel. Auracast audio sharing would person been nice, moreover if it is much future-looking.

Crowd Control

Testing nan latest Ultra against nan Gen 1 and Sony XM6 complete respective days mostly conscionable reminded maine really unthinkable each of them are astatine suppressing sound. All 3 pairs beryllium astatine nan apical of nan market, besting thing other we’ve tested, and astir group are improbable to announcement immoderate awesome differences successful capacity successful astir situations.

The Sony’s biggest advantage is its ultra-fast response, adjusting to different frequencies crossed nan spectrum faster than some Bose pairs. The Ultra 2 weren’t overmuch faster (if astatine all) than nan original astatine adjusting to sounds for illustration airplane drones aliases crowd noises successful my location studio, but Bose did reside down nan achromatic sound created by nan sound cancellation itself. That was instantly noticeable successful a quiet room, though nan sound creeps backmost up again pinch louder sounds.

As pinch nan original, nan Ultra 2's transparency mode (aka Aware) is astir arsenic awesome arsenic their sound suppression. Their 10 microphones supply earthy reproduction of some my ain sound and ambient sounds. They worked brilliantly connected a canine locomotion pinch my wife, letting maine comfortably chat arsenic I enjoyed my tunes successful nan background.

One different constituent Bose emphasized is an update to nan Ultra 2's ActiveSense characteristic that quells abrupt large noises erstwhile utilizing nan Aware mode, now designed for “smoother” transitions. This intends speedy sounds for illustration a clap aliases car doorway tin (and do) gaffe through, but erstwhile I turned connected my vacuum, it added immoderate sound canceling aft a fewer seconds to soften nan whine.

Slick Sounds

There’s small quality betwixt nan original Ultra’s default audio capacity and nan caller model, and that’s mostly a bully thing. You’ll get clear and crisp item alongside engaging instrumental textures crossed genres. Bass is again much upfront than I’d for illustration by default, but lowering it a fewer notches successful nan EQ helps moreover things out, and songs wherever it's decently emphasized sound large and bold. Crisp percussive instruments, for illustration a clap hit successful a hip-hop way aliases a tight guitar click, look to person a spot much meaning successful nan treble, but it's very close.

I mostly for illustration nan warmer and much natural-sounding XM6, but nan Ultra’s much exuberant attack is simply a nosy listen, and does an fantabulous occupation placing instruments successful abstraction to situation you successful sound. Listening for hours complete nan past week was a keen reminder of really bully each genres sound against a astir silent backdrop, a large logic nan best sound cancelers are truthful appealing.

I’m not a large instrumentality of nan caller Cinema mode, immoderate much than I was of Bose’s Immersive Audio. Cinema efficaciously puts dialog up front, but for illustration Immersive mode, it adds immoderate overseas integer echo. To beryllium fair, I consciousness nan aforesaid astir Sony’s Cinema mode, and Bose’s type could beryllium adjuvant for those pinch problem proceeding dialog. Bose's optional head-tracking characteristic does a bully occupation making scenes consciousness much for illustration a location intermezo setup.

Call capacity is erstwhile again impressive, efficaciously suppressing ambient sounds for nan listener, and I ever admit nan expertise to set my ain sound to make calls consciousness much natural.

It’s nan Ultra 2's caller convenience features that really guidelines out, making it easier than ever to popular successful and retired of my tunes during nan mean workday. That unsocial won't beryllium worthy an upgrade, but nan 2nd Gen's operation of convenience, comfort, and capacity makes them a awesome caller action atop nan noise-canceling stack.