Customer Ratings & Reviews

The competition in the high-end, noise cancelling, over-ear headphone market is pretty astounding. There is such stiff competition. The original QuietComfort Ultra headphones were excellent. I was really curious how Bose would even improve on them. I think that beyond the excellent audio quality and noise cancelling, the standout feature for this latest addition is the comfort. They are so incredibly comfortable to wear. Quite possibly the most comfortable pair of headphones I have ever used. - Setup Setup for the headphones was mostly easy for me. It was extremely easy to set these up with my phone. They connected quickly and very easily. However, I did have some trouble connecting to my laptop. My laptop just could not see them when attempting to pair them. I found that in Windows 11, I had to go to the settings and change the "Bluetooth Device Discovery" to be "Advanced". That is the only way that my PC could see them. I was able to connect without any problem then. I did have a few instances when attempting to reconnect the headphones (after having them off for some time), that it would have trouble reconnecting too. It was very strange, as this seems to be an issue with just these headphones, as others don't have this problem. - Audio Quality As you can probably imagine, especially if you used the previous QuietComfort headphones, audio quality is excellent. Everything sounds superb. Rich tones and great bass. They are an absolute joy to use. The included positional features are cool too. Allowing things like having the sound seem to be tied to the device you're listening to. For instance, if I'm using my phone as an audio source, turning my head will make the audio seem to be positioned from my phone in 3d space. It's such an interesting feature. - Hardware The hardware itself is truly the star here. They are elegant, sleek, and extremely comfortable. They feel a bit lighter than the previous model. But the fit and finish are truly tough to beat. I received several compliments while wearing these as well. They definitely look great. Buttons are easy to reach and use. The multi-function of the button may take a bit of getting used to, but it's intuitive. And the touch volume controls worked easily for me every time. Overall, these are some of the most comfortable and great sounding headphones I have used. The excellent noise cancelling is also a standout feature. Pros: Extremely comfortable, excellent sound, excellent noise cancelling, great looking Cons: Maybe some odd software issues, specifically on the PC connection and reconnecting

As a headphone enthusiast for over 6 decades now and the owner of multiple brands of wireless and wired 'phones, I was very eager try out the new Bose QC Ultra 2 headphones. I still own (bought at Best Buy!) the original Bose Ultra QC45 'phones as well as Sennheiser's Momentum 3 and 4 'phones, again purchased by myself at Best Buy) as well as Skullcandy's Crusher ANC headphones along with Sony's latest version of their excellent WH-1000XM6. I am also a longtime member of the Head-Fi online community. I say this to show that I am somewhat serious about listening to music via headphones and own a variety of them for personal use. I tend not to fixate on anything too "audiophile" if you will. I like music and never listen in what some term a "critical" manner. I listen to the music, not the equipment. Having said that the Bose QC Ultra 2 'phones are equipped with features that provide choices in how one hears their music and accordingly, how it is aurally perceived by your ears and mind. Within the Bose Application you download to your Android phone or tablet or iPhone/iPad there are 5 main modes you can choose from. Quiet. Immersion. Cinema. Music. Aware. Depending upon what I am listening to I tend toward "Immersion" for Classical Music and "Music" for Traditional Jazz with the former being quite a dramatic expansion of the soundstage created within my mind. Of course all of this is subjective in value but it is a vital part of any review and as such I present it as a part of my listening experience. I would say that "Immersion" is a favorite because it is so different and dramatically so! It is vastly superior from my perspective to the "Background" mode on the excellent Sony WH-M6 'phones and I prefer it to using the "Motion" setting that creates an even greater sense of location via detecting the listener's head movements. Simply amazing and while I may one day tire of using it, at the moment I am still finding it quite engaging! I having been using the Bose QC Ultra 2 for several days now for about 1 to 3 hours at a time with noise cancellation engaged and I still have a battery level (as I am listening now!) at 70%. These phones should easily make it (if ever I go!) on a trip from California to Australia! Bose is often acclaimed to be the Master of ANC (Adaptive Noise Cancellation) and this newest version of their top of the line headphones regains that crown from the Sony WH-M6 and believe me, that is no small accomplishment because the Sony's are (still) superb in their own right. But...This is what competition does, it improves the breed and we all benefit from this. The Bose QC Ultra 2 are in my estimation the best at subjectively reducing ambient noise for the purpose of making my time with my music, be it at home, on a walk around my neighborhood or even on a plane, better. And by "better" I mean a LOT better. The QC 2 Ultras easily silenced a loud fan in my garage gym and a back to back comparison with the excellent Sony WH-M6 in my Diesel truck test proved the Bose to be a bit better than the Sony's in that regard. Nothing to date has entirely eliminated the clatter of my truck's engine and both of those headphones easily surpass my older Sennheisers and the original Bose QC45 efforts with the Bose QC Ultra 2 being the best yet. Is this subjective? Yup. It is my experience and viewpoint based upon my real world listening and I have no problem with stating that as it is fact. You can easily adjust the degree of noise cancellation to your taste/needs via a sliding "bar" in the Bose Application. Speaking of better, the build quality of the Bose is outstanding and equal to or even a touch superior to any of the aforementioned brands that I own and personally use. My original Bose Ultra QC45s are a few years old now and with proper care, still look and perform as when they were new! I have a pair of 40 year old Bose 901 Direct/Reflecting speakers and they too look and work as new. Bose does not make junk. In truth none of the manufacturers whose products I own (some of which I have made mention of in this review!) make anything but a quality, long lasting product but I am addressing the quality and craftsmanship of Bose not only in the case of the QC Ultra 2 headphones but also in a lifetime of use over decades as in the case of their 901 loudspeakers. As a retired Electronics Technician I can honestly say that if you take good care of your equipment it can last for many years of use and I think the new Bose QC Ultra 2 is going do just that. Everyone knows for quality it's Bose. Enjoy the soundtrack of your life while muting the background! Highly recommended? Indeed!!

I haven’t had a pair of Bose noise-cancelling headphones for many years now. In fact, my last pair was the QC35s. I remember even earlier when Bose was a must have for travelers for their combination of excellent sound quality and best-in-class noise-cancelling technology. I’m not sure why I got away from using Bose, because the latest version, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra II, are the best they’ve ever made. They are extremely lightweight, and I found them to be among the most comfortable headphones I’ve tried in a long while. The black-on-black finish looks premium and I barely feel the headband. The clamping force is just right, not too stiff, nor too soft. Sound quality, although a little bass heavy at default settings, is superb, as expected for the Bose brand. I really enjoyed listening to my playlists through these and the active noise cancelling only makes it better. There are ANC modes including Quiet, Aware, Immersion, and new for this model, Cinema. You can toggle modes either with the app or by holding the main button. Volume can be changed with a tactile slider. I found Quiet mode to be effective and true to its name. For example, my son plays the baritone sax for band in the next room most nights. It muffled the sound so I can hardly hear it. If I turn on music, I can’t hear it at all, which is impressive considering I sometimes get “Loud Environment” alerts on my smartwatch when he plays! I didn’t notice much, if any, difference with the “Immersion” mode. However, the app says it works best when you’re moving around. These aren’t waterproof so other than walking down the street (where I’d want to be in “Aware” mode anyway) I won’t be exercising wearing these so not likely to use the Immersion mode. Cinema mode definitely adjusts the sound signature in a way that seems to boost dialogue, which I find helpful for TV and movies. I like that there are multiple ways to connect including support for lossless over wired USB-C, Bluetooth multi-pairing (up to 2 devices), and Bose even kept the classic audio jack. They are also able to continue playing music while charging, although in my testing at a slower charging speed of only 1W. Pros: -Excellent Sound Quality -Superb Noise-Cancelling -Lightweight and Extremely Comfortable -Lossless Support Over USB-C -Still has an audio jack. -Carrying case included -Cinema Mode boosts dialogue -Great battery life -Clear phone calls Cons: -Not Water or Sweat-resistant Overall, the QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 is a winning combination for me with excellent comfort, sound quality, and noise cancelling. The only downside is the lack of water resistance, so I can’t use them for workouts. Otherwise they are fantastic all-around headphones that prove Bose is still competitive in the noise-cancelling market they originally created.

I am moving from the Bose QC ultra to these. These and a great improvement on my old bose. Unboxing These come with a hard case. Maybe not the best for travel but it is nice to have. These are charged by USB-C, no wireless charging. Out of the box these do feel lighter than the previous Bose over the ear headphones. The part that sits on your head feels the same. But they are are springy as I like. When I travel I tend to wear them on my neck and they can get sweaty. This does use the same Bose app as the last 2 generations of headphones, I love this. Use There are some big changes to the software such as immersive audio and as always better noise cancellation. One of the new features is also a faster wake up. With my old Bose it could take a few seconds to wake and take a phone call. This seems almost instant. I don’t get immersive audio, I know people love it. But for me it does not work, for all headphones. The battery life is much improved. This can go almost a full 24 hours, even with the immersive audio on. Even the longest flight can’t beat these headphones. You have customizable touch for the headphones, and you can even turn it all off. I love this. I have tried Apple Lossless audio and these do sound amazing. I bumped up the bass and pretty amazing

After watching several reviews, making several trips to Best Buy and exchanging the XM6 for the Apple Pro Max. Then exchanging the Apple Pro Max for the Bose QC2 … I can say I’m finally happy. Firs off the design. The design of the Bose are nice, sleek and Stylish. The silver accents make the headphone stand out. Whereas the XM6 were boring to look at. Comfort: the Bose sit conformity on my head and is light. My ears sit inside the ear cups without any issue. Whereas the earcups of the XM6 is weird. The ear cups sat partially on top my ear. However other that, the XM6 were comfortable. The Apple Pro Max were the most uncomfortable pair of headphones I’ve ever worn. I tried to stick it out due to me having an iPhone as one of my devices. But these were extremely too tight on my head… resulting in me having headaches. Sound: I feel the Bose sound the best out of them all. The Bose have good base and provides you the ability to tinker with the sound with the EQ. The Bose is the overall best for me.

I went into the store to try them out because I was looking to upgrade my old AirPods Max and not spend as much on Apple while still getting similar quality. I appreciated that the sales associate let me trade in my old headphones and apply them toward this new purchase. When I tried it on, I was surprised by how lightweight it was, how it didn't feel heavy on my head, and how comfortable it was. Sound quality was amazing. I chose multiple songs to differentiate melodies and beats, and they sounded perfect. The ear cups fit perfectly on my ears especially I have piercings on my ears which is a plus for me!

If I had to sum these up in one word, it would be comfort...go figure the QuietComfort headphones are comfortable. I’ve tried a lot of over-ear headphones, and most of them have me fidgeting every few minutes—adjusting the headband, scratching at the cuffs, something always feels a little off. Not with these. I watched a full-length movie and I barely touched them. That’s unheard of for me. They feel light, soft, and just right. Now, on to the sound. It’s definitely what I’d call a classic Bose sound profile with a clear, detailed high-end. It doesn’t lean overly bass-heavy out of the box, but if that’s your thing, the EQ in the app lets you dial it in. I tend to listen to a lot of singer-songwriter, acoustic, and piano-heavy music, and these shine in that genre. For my taste, they’re just about perfect. That said, sound alone isn’t what makes these a must-buy—there are other solid choices out there that’ll get you close in this price range or even less. Where Bose really separates itself is the noise cancellation. It’s honestly on another level. What I love most is how subtle it is. A lot of ANC headphones kind of shove a layer of white noise into your ears to cancel things out, and it can get tiring after a while. These don’t do that, or if they do, it’s way more seamless and comfortable. They somehow mute the world around you without making it feel like your ears are under pressure or plugged up. I was fortunate to have received these right before a trip to New York and I wore them for 3 straight hours on a plane and felt great afterwards. I did try out the immersive/spatial audio feature, and while it’s neat, I wouldn’t call it a game changer. In fact, I’ve seen stronger implementations elsewhere, but to be honest, it’s not something I really care about. I want great sound, comfort, and world-class noise cancellation—and these deliver on all three. The Bose app is decent. I especially like the multi-point pairing. I switch between my iPhone, laptop, and a small projector I use sometimes, and these headphones handled the back-and-forth without any issues. I just wish I could pair more devices at once like you can with some other ecosystems. For my three devices I had to go into the app to toggle one off. The controls are kind of a mixed bag. The volume swipe bar is super easy to use—but it sits really close to the physical buttons. More than once I’ve reached to pause or skip a song and accidentally brushed the volume. There’s also a customizable button, but the options are pretty limited—battery level, spatial audio toggle, Spotify (which I don’t use), and voice assistant. I ended up just setting it to launch Siri, but I’d love to see Bose give us a few more options there. All in all, these are the best headphones I’ve ever worn. The comfort alone makes them worth considering, and when you add in the incredible noise cancellation and strong, detailed sound, it’s hard not to recommend them. They’re not perfect, but they’re perfect for me. If comfort and quiet matter to you, these are tough to beat.

I am a bit of an ANC headphone obsessive person who is always in search of the latest and greatest. So I jumped at the chance to get the latest premium headphones from Bose, the Quiet Comfort Ultra 2nd generation. In the box, along with the headphones, you get the zippered carrying case, an audio cable and a usb-c to usb-c cable. The quick start instructions are printed on the interior box. My headphones came with a 65% charge so I immediately charged it to 100%. I already had the Bose app installed from my Ultra Earbuds. Connecting the headphones was quick, easy and intuitive. The headphones are very attractive with a high quality appearance. They are lightweight, have a nice wide and soft headband, and the ear pads are thick and super soft. I have always considered Bose to be the most comfortable headphones and this generation does not disappoint. Put them on and you will forget that you are wearing them. They fold up for easy storage and for comfort when wearing around your neck. Another place where Bose has always been the best is in the design and placement of the controls. There is a power/Bluetooth button and a button to control Modes, both located on the right ear cup. I particularly like the volume control which is a thin bar where you can slide your finger up and down. It is also on the right ear cup, within easy reach, and in very distinguishable from the other controls. I much prefer this to the sliding of your hand on the outside of the ear cup, as with other major brands. I have always found those to be difficult to control precisely and often touched by mistake. The app is well designed giving you complete control and customization over sound, ANC, equalizer, shortcuts and gives you operating tips. When you turn on the headphones it immediately tells you how much power is remaining. Bose estimates 30 hours of power per charge and a 15 minute charge will add up to 2 1/2 hours. I took a 4 hour flight after fully charging and I had 90% left after. Not once during the flight did I feel that I had to adjust the headphones for comfort as I have had to do with others. The quality of the sound is completely subjective, but to my ears the sound is spectacular. I like clarity with complete immersion and these headphones deliver. Noise cancellation, which is very important to me, was either on par with or among the best i have tried. Other features include multi-point connection, Modes of quiet, aware, immersion and cinema, USB lossless sound and Advanced Bluetooth for a solid connection. I am very happy with these headphones and would recommend them to everyone.

I'll start by saying that I bought a Gen 1 headset about 6 months prior to getting this headset, so I'm familiar with the product features of both the Gen 1 and Gen 2 headsets. TL;DR: Buy the Gen 2. Yes, they're a bit more expensive, but the battery life along will make you glad that you did. More color / detail: I'll start with aesthetics. The Gen 1 headset has a coated metal "fork" that connects the head band to each ear cup. The Gen 2 headset uses a polished or mirrored looking metal instead, which gives the Gen 2 headset an attractive appearance (I have photos of the headsets side-by-side). The sound of the Gen 2 headset is awesome as you'd expect from Bose. Is the sound better than the Gen 1 headset? I could not hear it, if so. The Gen 2 headset has a recessed logo on each side. It's a small thing, but the headsets look nicer because of it. As I mentioned previously, the battery life is better for the Gen 2 headset. I can now get through a full day of conference calls without feeling the need to make sure I charge my (Gen 1) headset over the lunch hour. The headset seems to come up faster than my Gen 1 headset, which is really helpful when I'm running late for the next call after stepping away from my desk. And probably my favorite advantage over the Gen 1 headset is that when I plug a USB-C cable in to the headset, it remains usable as it charges. That's a win!

Love love love these! I originally was going in to get the regular quiet comfort headphones but they were slightly too big for my small head. I tried the ultras on and it was a game changer. They fit great, are light weight, and have great sound modes. I use them for working out also and they stay on great and are very comfortable. Highly recommend!

Coming from Beats Studio Pro these are much better quality and a much comfier fit. Beats felt heavy and plasticky at times, while the Quiet Comfort Ultras are light and feel more durable. The richness in audio is very noticeable, and the noise cancellation is right there with Beats in my opinion. It might even better, but I would have to be a long term user to really test that. The transparency mode is great. The thing about these listening modes is 1) the audio tech obviously, and 2) the seal around your ear since they are over ear headphones. That makes the difference between the various listening modes. The midnight blue color is beautiful in person. Bose is an audio company anyway so I’m not surprised by their quality and detail with this product. The app is helpful because it allows you to discover YOUR perfect listening experience instead of depending solely on the tech and software inside the headphones. Hope this helps somebody on the fence.

Best headphones I've used so far. The ANC is top tier and they're extremely comfortable. I have 26 piercings in my ears and there's are one of the only over ear headphones that are soft enough to not irritate any of them. The battery last almost an entire work week and 40 minutes or so to charge. The muti connection is super convient, I usually have these linked to my desktop, my personal phone, and my work phone at the same time and they switch seamlessly between audio from each device. I've been told the call quality has a slight echo so probably not the best to be used for regular phone calls.

[Employee of bestbuy] Great overall sound and fit. Usb c audio is a plus. Only downside was the clamp force of the headset was light making it shift and almost falling off when looking down.

Wow. The sound is amazing. Crystal clear highs, solid, sharp bass, very comfortable to wear. I've owned others, and the weight gets to you after some time. Bose - QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) look and feel great. The name says it perfectly. The Bluetooth feature couldn't get easier to connect to almost any device I have. When I wish for silence and nothing but silence, I put them on, and the world just respects my desire for silence. Bose is not for someone looking for low-cost headphones. ONLY for those who appreciate the finer things in life and don't mind paying for them. The hardest part was choosing from the amazing color schemes they offer. Well done BOSE!

The headphones were in great condition when I received them. The sound is on the balanced side with slight emphasis on the bass but is it perfect for me. As the name suggests they are super comfortable and ANC is amazing. If I had to say anything negative it would only be they are not made for the gym, a small sacrifice for comfort the clamp force is not strong enough for heavy lifting.

Bose really out did themselves this time! Here’s my rankings: audio quality: 10/10, noise cancelling: 10/10, battery life: 10/10, durability: 9/10, setup: 9/10, connectivity: 9.5/10, user friendly: 9.5/10, appearance: 9.5/10. If you’re worried about the sound quality, don’t be. Bose does it best and the new immersive mode is something you have never truly experienced before! Again, worth every penny!

I've used other ANC headphones, including those that are considered to be in the "top tier" of this category (the one I own is also the latest model), so I have plenty for comparison in this review. I've never actually owned or tried a pair of Bose headphones before and I've been wanting to do so for a while. So, I figured with the Gen 2 of the QuietComfort Ultra's having just released, now would be a great time. How are they and how do they compare to what I'm already used to? Let's find out! As far as the unboxing experience goes, everything is pretty minimal and tightly packed. Everything opens (or, unfolds, rather - in the case of these) easily and inside the box, you are immediately presented with the case, holding these beautiful headphones. Inside, it's literally just the headphones and the cables. My only complaint is the way the "pocket" that holds the cable is made, it seems to compete with the headset real-estate, within the case. I have tons of USB-C cables, so I didn't really need to take this one out - but I wanted to see what all was in there. Well, getting the cable back in and getting the case shut with the headphones wound up being kind of a pain - you have to lay the cable just a certain way so it doesn't intersect with the headphones themselves, when closing the case. I'd have much rather seen the lining attached in such a way to where the cables are always positioned how they needed to be. Otherwise, this is a super minor issue I observed and in no way impacts this review or how I feel about anything, at all! Just some feedback for the future, I guess? Upon lifting these out of the case, I was amazed and how featherweight they felt. I also loved the construction and they certainly feel like they are built long-term. I will say, compared to other ANC headphones I've used, I significantly like the form, feel, style and comfort of these, the most. I do love Bose's design philosophy - simple, yet elegant - and it shows in spades with this product. The color I have is the Black. It may come across as "boring", but it goes with everything and the black cans with silver yokes complement each other well. The initial setup was a Breeze. I somehow already had a Bose account, so upon downloading the app on my iPhone 16 Pro Max (iOS 26), the first thing I did was sign in. Once done, I powered the headphones on and went through the connection process. It really couldn't have been simpler - everything connected properly on the first go and it did the firmware update - all without a hitch. The firmware update also went pretty quick - taking, I believe, less than about 8 minutes. Once done, I was greeted with the main interface of the app. As for the app itself, I was actually surprised as to how "simple" everything was, compared to what I'm used to with my other ANC headset, which has so many options, it's almost intimidating to use. Thus, I did enjoy the simplicity of the app, although it may be a tad TOO simple, with very limited EQ options and Sound Modes to choose from. The main settings are "Modes", "Noise Control", "EQ" and "Immersive Audio". There's a few others, but nothing you'd repeatedly have to use. At first, I was really confused on what the Modes option did. Basically, they're like a listening profile and each one (Quiet, Aware, Immersion and Cinema) all have presets for ANC and Immersive Audio. Overall, I felt this was a bit of a gimmick, because if you change any other setting, it seems to just remove the Mode selection completely. The Immersive Audio option is ...OK? There's "Off", "Still" and "Motion" and is essentially a type of 3D audio and causes the music or whatever you're listening to to move around, as you move your head or body. "Still" is just that - it works best when sitting and "Motion" again, named aptly so, since it works best when moving around. I personally prefer "Off", BUT it seems to lower the total overall volume by about...10%, for whatever reason? So, I just keep it on "Still", since I'm almost always sitting when wearing these. I'll switch them to "Motion" if I get up for more than 5 min or so, like doing chores, etc. Noise Control is literally an On/Off toggle with a slider to move it more to the ANC or Transparency side of things. I will say, the ANC is great and rivals my other headset but the Transparency option does sound like it has some sort of filter going on or something - they're nowhere near Apple-level ANC or Transparency, but it does the job, when needed - it just takes a while to get used to the sound of it. As far as sound quality, I put them right up there with my other ANC headset, just in a different way. While my others sound more full and "lively", these sound more flat and "neutral". This is all a personal preference thing. I will say, however, the tone range of these headphones are better for me, overall, as I have a bit of a hearing disability (mostly in my right ear) and has a lot to do with tones and frequency ranges. I can just hear vocals and instruments so much better! Also, they do bring the bass (I did make some EQ changes), which is pleasant enough without being so booming and overpowering. Sleep Token sounds absolutely amazing on these! I've also listened to Dream Theater, Alestorm, The Bug (Angry is a GREAT song for bass), Falling in Reverse, Slaughter to Prevail, Powerman 5000, Infected Mushroom, some other electronic bands and some video game music soundtracks. As you can see - I listen to a wide genre of music and all sounded equally amazing. I never had to change up my EQ to accommodate different genres. All in all, I put these right up there with my other ANC headphones and love them equally. I now actually have to actively decide which ones I want to use, haha. These truly are one of the best ANC cans on the market. Sure, the settings and other options within the app are pretty limited but...I kinda like that to be honest - it's a pleasant change of "set it and forget it". I can just put them on, adjust what I need to without having to sort through a million other options and get to listening to whatever, quicker. Overall, I'm giving the Bose QuiteComfort Ultra Gen 2's a 5/5 rating.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones are great quality, comfortable, and have a great battery. I can go weeks without charging them and they quickly charge! These are my second pair of QuietComfort Headphones and they are amazing. The sound and noise cancellation are great, the different sound modes help you get immersed in the sound.

Coming from the second gen QC45, these are a great upgrade. The battery life is significantly improved! I used to have to rechard my 45's daily to every to every other day. Once I got the Ultra 2's, the battery life it shipped with, 80%, lasted me four days! They are comfortable on my big head and the sound quality had improved quite a bit. The noise cancelling is significantly better and no weird pressure feeling! These were expensive, but worth the money. Another positive is I can be connected to my PC and Phone at the same time and I don't get the crackling I used to get with my old ones when connected to two sources.

Amazing headphones, I go about 3 days sometimes 5 without having to charge them so the battery life is really good with aware mode constantly on. The ear pads are very soft and comfortable to wear for extended periods of time and the bass is by far the best I've ever tried in headphones.