Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones review: a new ANC and spa…

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.

MSRP $429.00

“When it comes to noise cancellation and spatial audio, Bose QuietComfort Ultra reigns supreme.

Pros

Premium materials and design; excellent comfort; best-in-class noise canceling (natural sound transparency and best noise cancelling); impressive spatial audio (hi-res compatibility); Hi-res compatible
Bose fans can rejoice, as their Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones mark a welcome return of form from their four-year experiment with Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 (NCH 700). While some were drawn in by its design and others found its approach alien.

Though ultralight and comfortable, the NCH 700 only offered limited folding capabilities; had middling battery life; introduced touch controls; and ultimately didn’t move sound quality in any significant direction.

By contrast, Bose has taken great strides to bring its new cans, the QC Ultra (which have replaced NCH 700), in line with (or ahead of) wireless headphones from Sony, Apple, and Sennheiser by offering Bose Immersive Audio spatial sound support as well as lossless/hi-res audio in its headphones; their price reflects this commitment: $429 is their current cost tag (a $30 increase over NCH 700).

After spending over a week with Bose’s new QC Ultra headphones, I believe they have created an outstanding set of wireless noise-canceling cans which rival other flagship offerings on the market.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have an ergonomic design which features features to maximize comfort for users.

No matter if they come in black, white, or sandstone colors, the Bose QC Ultra are classic Bose headphones in every way. Bose has brought back dual folding for ease of portability while adding luxe touches with aluminum headband sliders and earcup forks; this may add small benefits in terms of durability but gives these cans an air of class when compared with all plastic Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless models.

Ironically, Bose received harsh criticism for the fold-flat design of its NCH 700 headphones — copied by Sony, Sennheiser and Apple — yet when placed next to one another they do not differ significantly in size when traveling cases are taken into consideration. Although slightly narrower in width the QC Ultra case does offer you two USB-C cables as well as 2.5mm to 3.5mm analog cable that now reside inside elastic internal pockets instead of hidden compartments on its exterior case like with NCH 700 headphones.

The NCH 700’s headband dimensions were altered, while its soft rubber padding has been swapped out with even softer and better cushioned synthetic leather, also used on its ear cushions.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones offer unparalleled comfort!

The QC Ultra weighs 8.96 ounces, similar to both the NCH 700 and Sony XM5, making them among the lightest noise-canceling headphones you can purchase. At first wear, these glasses feel firm and secure on your head with just enough clamping force to maintain an ideal position without overcompensating for it. As soon as compared to the NCH 700, two things become immediately noticeable with the Ultra: its headband distributes pressure more effectively and it fits more snugly around my head, thus increasing their comfort overall and especially across my top of my head. Overall I still prefer Sony XM5 (they just feel lighter), Sennheiser Momentum 4 and all three over AirPods Max in terms of comfort any day of week.

Headband sliders on the QC Ultra are extremely firm; once set at their length they don’t move an inch – this makes adjusting tricky since traditional methods of expanding to their largest size before putting earcups over your ears and reaching up with fingers to pull down to desired size often don’t work with too much resistance present in these sliders.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: Controls and Connections

Touch controls can be great, and I have had great experiences using them on Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose headphones in the past. Personally though, physical buttons work more reliably because you know exactly where to press your thumb or fingers for optimal use while wearing gloves or not.

So am I satisfied with the QC Ultra’s controls? Mostly. Bose has done an impressive job of consolidating three buttons plus touch controls on two earcups on their NCH 700 into just two buttons and one touch control for this model; heavy lifting is taken care of by its multifunction button that controls playback, ANC modes, and call management – something their predecessor just couldn’t manage!

NCH 700 users might miss having a dedicated button for active noise cancellation (ANC); I miss having one myself, though this feeling of longing has been mitigated by not needing to cycle between three different ANC modes every time they press their device’s power button.

Perhaps the biggest change with the QC Ultra is its absence of voice assistant buttons and assistants – not only does the NCH 700 allow iPhone users to toggle between Siri and Alexa via buttons on the side, while Android users could use voice controls or Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa via buttons – but with no such choice on Android phones! In contrast, to access your personal assistant you must enable shortcut options (long press volume touch control to activate), and select voice assistant access as an available shortcut – other available shortcut options include battery level announcement, immersive audio mode change as well as Spotify Tap support!

Though I don’t often rely on voice assistants when it comes to headphones and earbuds, the ability to summon one hands-free is certainly convenient; so it would be unfortunate if this feature went away altogether.

The power/Bluetooth button is intuitive; all that remains to use it is volume control – an elevated 1.5-inch line in the valley of your earcup that makes it easy for thumb navigation. However, like other touch controls, it’s inaccurate. Your instinct might tell you to start at the bottom and slide your thumb gradually up or down as though using an actual slider, gradually increasing or decreasing volume gradually until your thumb reaches the line on either end of it. Unfortunately this approach doesn’t quite work because its accuracy varies considerably between people. But no – instead you must use small, swiping gestures that may shift volume slightly or drastically; mastering these subtle differences between extremes is difficult without help from Bose Music app’s settings; you either manage it yourself, or remain vaguely frustrated about it as I did.

Bose partially redeems itself with their new QC Ultra headphones by equipping them with wear sensors similar to what were missing from their earlier NCH 700 model, so now when you take off your headphones you can automatically pause music, save power by choosing to place them into standby after a certain period and have them revive when put back on. They’ll wake right back up upon return!

As with other Bose headphones (but unlike their wireless earbuds), the QC Ultra features Bluetooth Multipoint for two simultaneous connections, giving users maximum benefit out of this technology. You can view and manage these connections using Bose Music app; additional helpfully, they announce connected devices when powered on as an added convenience feature – although if this becomes annoying it’s easily disabled!

Moving between connected devices is smooth. Unlike some Multipoint devices that force users to choose between running high-res codecs like aptX Adaptive or using Multipoint, such as with some Multipoint phones, or switching seamlessly, such as is the case with some Multipoint phones, the QC Ultra has no such limitations or restrictions.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones provide excellent sound quality and spatial audio effects.

The QC Ultra may look backward in design terms, but their sound quality has certainly evolved since their predecessor – Bose NCH 700’s sound signature relied heavily on Bose’s energetic approach to high frequencies, giving vocals plenty of sparkle while taking an understated approach to bass frequencies. By increasing low end frequencies they moved closer than ever to Sony WH-1000XM5 bass-forward tuning; now sounding almost similar!

Personally, this seems like an improvement; I particularly enjoy Sony’s sound. Yet some Bose enthusiasts may find its bass too heavy.

If the extra bass becomes overwhelming, Bose Music App provides preset EQ settings designed to reduce it. Furthermore, you have access to low, mid, and high sliders where you can make manual adjustments; but unfortunately Bose doesn’t let you save these as their own presets!

Bose claims its CustomTune technology automatically adjusts the sound of QC Ultra to fit your ears every time they’re worn, adapting its audio fidelity according to an analysis of your ears shape. You might hear Bose’s signature startup sound when first donning them; now however, that sound serves another function by helping analyze how these headphones mold around them – making these headphones suitable for anyone regardless of headphone fit! Is it effective? Only Bose knows for sure as there’s no option available to disable or switch it off!

Android handset owners can take advantage of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform with select Android handsets by harnessing Qualcomm QC Ultra’s adoption for high-res audio at 24-bit/96kHz and lossless CD quality audio at 16 bit/48kHz via Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs.

Spotify users likely won’t see much benefit, while those using lossless and hi-res lossless music services such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Qobuz or Tidal may notice more nuanced renditions of their favourite tracks thanks to Bluetooth Multipoint support on QC Ultra’s. As part of my testing I placed both phones side-by-side using Apple Music A/B comparisons using Multipoint functionality allowing quick A/B tests.

Both devices produced excellent audio. While an iPhone provided more bulky, bountiful low mids and bass sounds than expected, whereas ThinkPhone provided more refined, precise, and detailed performance.

At its heart lies the QC Ultra’s support for spatial audio. There are two forms of spatial audio; when recorded tracks that use Dolby Atmos Music are played back using software which converts multiple-channel multidimensional sounds into just two channels for headphones (like Apple Music) I consider that “native” spatial audio, which will work on any pair of headphones.

But you can use computational audio on regular stereo recordings to simulate 3D sound in apps or hardware like the QC Ultra, creating virtual spatial audio effects. I refer to this phenomenon as virtual spatial audio.

Virtual spatial audio attempts have often yielded mixed results. At times it may sound artificial or forced and may alter some frequencies as software widens out its sound field – leading some listeners to prefer regular stereo and never return.

Bose has created one of the finest virtual spatial audio experiences I’ve experienced thus far with Immersive Audio, offering you a genuine alternative to stereo without sounding artificial or forced. Furthermore, its detailed preservation preserves details and frequencies far better than competing systems, leading to songs where some may actually prefer Immersive Audio over its original recording!

QC Ultra headphones use sensor-based head tracking technology for its Immersive Audio mode, giving an illusion that music is being played through stereo speakers directly in front of or above you. Turning away from the source of music corresponds with head movement perfectly – just as in real life!

Not everyone may appreciate Bose’s Immersive Audio system — similar to how not all people enjoy native spatial audio tracks in Dolby Atmos Music — but for those that do, this feature can be an amazing asset.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones offer noise canceling and transparency features for optimal listening experience.

Here’s what matters most: the QC Ultra Headphones outshone both Apple AirPods Max and Sony WH-1000XM5 in terms of noise cancellation capabilities. To achieve better noise cancellation results you may require wireless earbuds such as Bose’s QuiteComfort Ultra Earbuds or Sony WF-1000XM5, but in terms of wireless headphones alone they reign supreme as quiet alternatives.

The QC Ultra delivers impressive levels of silence across many scenarios, and I can attest to its effectiveness from other situations such as noisy city streets, riding transit busses or working in coffee shops – I am confident they’ll pass any test placed before them in terms of aircraft cabin noise cancellation (ANC).

These headphones are also outstandingly transparent. Up until now, the AirPods Max had long been considered the gold standard in transparency – which they rightfully are! But the QC Ultra sound more natural. While AirPods put some emphasis on higher frequency sounds to enhance hearing voices more clearly (arguably smart move by them!), while QC Ultra have more neutral tones – personal choice will probably dictate which pair I choose as both provide roughly equivalent situational awareness levels; I’d argue for my preference being with them over AirPods.

Bose actually one-ups Apple when it comes to Active Sense — an option on its QC Ultra cans that listens for loud noises while in transparency mode and automatically switches into noise cancellation (ANC) mode for your hearing protection. Apple offers similar technology on only some models of its AirPods Pro Gen 2 wireless earbuds (iPad Pro cannot). While Active Sense may detect emergency vehicle sirens quickly enough on this model alone; on Bose headphones it often works almost instantly (such as on Bose Pro).

Bose also introduced changes to how you interact with noise cancellation (ANC) on the QC Ultra headphones. On previous headphones such as NCH 700 and 700i models, you could access their Music app and adjust noise cancellation at will; with these latest headphones however, headphone controls required cycling through three settings of which only two could be selected at any one time — something I never fully appreciated before now.

On the QC Ultra, Favorites have been replaced by Modes which offer greater flexibility. You can create as many modes as desired and each can feature its own level of ANC or choose wind blocking overrides for additional control of noise cancellation (ANC). Plus you get to pick two favorites at any one time; making switching between maximum ANC and transparency simple; just pick Quiet and Aware modes from default as your favorites and deselect Quiet mode while choosing Aware mode instead as desired! To toggle transparency/wind noise mode simply create another mode using wind noise to use wind noise alongside Aware mode while deselect Quiet mode while leaving Quiet mode deselected.

An otherwise excellent system, there’s just one drawback – no ability to simply turn off ANC in order to conserve battery life. There is no option available that allows users to do that — you can select various levels or transparency instead, but no setting that completely disables both features simultaneously.

Modes can also have their own quirky quirks; Bose includes an odd default mode called Immersive Audio that may seem counter-intuitive; this effect can be enjoyed whether using full ANC or transparency — so Immersive Audio should simply add another layer to whatever ANC preferences are chosen, rather than be its own entity.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones offer superior call quality.

If we lived in a world without Apple AirPods Max and Sony WH-1000XM5, I would argue that Bose QC Ultra Headphones were the premier wireless headphones for call quality. That statement could easily be justified; these headphones do an exceptional job of cutting out environmental noise to let only your voice come through; furthermore when set into transparency mode you can hear yourself perfectly clearly as well as hearing all other voices clearly through transparency mode.

Sony and Apple do a better job balancing voice quality across environments; keeping voices consistently audible regardless of any background noises present in your surroundings. The QC Ultra can have difficulty keeping voices from becoming wavering or sounding echoy as it attempts to eliminate unwanted background noises.

However, to clarify: the QC Ultra are still an outstanding way to take phone calls indoors or with Snapdragon Sound phones equipped with aptX Voice; your voice may even sound fuller thanks to this. However, for people navigating harsh conditions when taking calls – AirPods Max/XM5 may offer better functionality in such an instance.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones offer long battery life.

Bose seems to share Apple’s view that wireless headphones only need to last 20-24 hours between charges; maybe that is accurate; yet when companies like Sennheiser and Sony have proven they can pack much more juice into wireless cans (up to 60 hours for Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless!), it makes it hard to commend Bose QC Ultra’s 24-hour stamina — reduced slightly when using immersive audio — particularly given that there is no longer any way of increasing that time by disabling both modes.

There is also a quick-charge option, giving an additional 2.5 hours of playback (two more in immersive audio mode) in only 15 minutes; therefore if 24 hours don’t prove sufficient you have backup plans.

Remember when it comes to battery use that it will also be necessary for wired listening via its analog cable. However, should its capacity run completely dry you may still use its USB power source and listen either wired or wirelessly at this point although your QC Ultra won’t recharge simultaneously.

I can find only minor complaints with the Bose QC Ultra Headphones, yet overall they’re truly impressive wireless headphones. While costing slightly more than their predecessors, these wireless QC Ultra headphones make up for any increased investment by offering improved design and features such as Immersive Audio, noise canceling and transparency mode which represent cutting-edge tech – more reasons than ever to consider upgrading from Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700!

Are You Thinking about Getting Wireless Headphones for the First Time? Consider Bose QC Ultra. They won’t disappoint!