Customer Ratings & Reviews

Note: There will be comparison references to Sony’s WH-1000XM5 (XM5 henceforth). It is the next best item I have on hand to compare. The moment Bose’s QCU Headphone was delivered and unpacked, I noticed it has a nice design that is interestingly smaller than Sony’s XM5 headphones. Part of the reason is the fact that the QCU can be folded into a compact design that makes packing easier. It doesn’t require a lot of space and it surpasses Sony’s XM5 in this regard. While I have heard the XM6 rectifies the compact problem, the bulkiness of the headphones mean it is still “thicker” than the QCU. While I am unable to comment on the build quality, its lightweight feel is important for long listening sessions. There is a physical button for playback control and to change profile modes. A touch slider is right of the physical buttons to adjust volume, with an optional shortcut to set a custom action. Despite that the headphone is compact, when the earcups are rotated to be laid flat, they rotate outward. This is the same problem that plagued Sony’s XM5. The issue lies in that when people take their headphones to let it hang around their necks. Having the earcups rotate toward you so that the speaker faces your chest assists in protecting the earcups from the elements (ie dust or rain). Both Sony’s XM5 and the QCU suffer from the terrible design where the earcups rotate outward, exposing them to foreign objects that can potentially land inside. Also of note is that these are small headphones. I ended up expanding the band to the maximum length to comfortably set on my head. And the earcups are just big enough to cover my ears completely. This is the tradeoff for having compact headphones. Following Bose’s instructions, you’re tasked with downloading Bose’s app first before turning the headphones on and pairing it. The app asks for an account login and there is an option to continue as a guest. I chose to make a new account. Using a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, the setup process was smooth and easy. The Bose app has settings for noise cancellation level, EQ, profile “modes” for quick application of settings, multi-point control, and shortcut (for the volume control touch strip). A setting called “Immersive Audio” is an interesting piece, as it allows audio “positioning” depending on how your head moves. It works pretty well despite that all I did was turn my head a few times. I left it off just to keep the audio from shifting around. The volume slider has an optional shortcut with limited capabilities - checking battery level, digital assistant, Immersive Audio mode, and a Spotify shortcut. I set mine to the digital assistant. The noise cancelling is very good. It is so good that I find it difficult to find out which one is better. It’s not a wonder why a lot of people say that both companies have the best active noise cancellation for headphones. As for how the audio sounds, by default it sounds like it has an ever so slightly heavier bass than Sony’s XM5. It’s not a bad thing. And some people prefer that kind of sound profile. The sound is nicely neutral which is what I prefer, as I listen to a variety of genres and melodies. Okay, so everything said so far is supposed to be standard fare for a flagship ANC headphone. Here’s one thing that sets it apart from Sony’s XM5: USB-C audio. While the QCU is able to support AptX, it’s not widely supported on big name phones. Thus most Bluetooth connections will be using AAC for audio compression. USB-C audio requires no compression at all and delivers full audio quality straight to the QCU. USB-C audio also doesn’t exhibit issues that can arise with Bluetooth, such as interferences and random audio drops/stutters. Another advantage this has over Sony’s offering, the length of the included USB cable. It may sound like I am nitpicking. But every Sony audio gear I’ve tried all come with a pitifully short USB cable. Not with Bose’s. Included is a USB-C cable that is reasonable in length that can be connected to a charging block, a phone, or a laptop. And it is long enough that the headphones can be set down to allow for charging. Overall, I am liking the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen. It’s lightweight, sounds great, excellent noise cancellation, and has a compact carrying case for easy packing. I sorely wish the earcups would rotate inward towards the chest. This alone kept it from getting a full perfect score. The option of being able to use USB-C audio for potential lossless listening is great. And I’m glad at least one company implemented this idea on an ANC headphone. If you know you don’t have a big head and ears, it’s a recommended buy for one of the best-in-class ANC headphones. The Good: best-in-class active noise cancelling, can be folded for compact travel, 3.5mm or USB-C audio The Bad: earcups rotate outward, not for large heads or ears The Ugly: random foreign particles finding their way into the headphones because they’re exposed Verdict: buy (you’re either a Bose user or a Sony user)

Had the first gen and I can’t say I recommend the upgrade, I prefer the sound profile on the first gen. The ANC did improve but it’s not like 1st gen was bad at all

Honestly prefer the gen 1 sound profile and the anc was already good so the slight improvement isn’t worth the upgrade if you currently have gen 1

Nothing Bad to say about these! I have been using a pair of flagship ANC bluetooth cans from another company for a couple of years now, and I really didn't think these would be a big improvement. I was wrong. Taking into account that the tech has moved forward (it would be disingenuous for me to say I didn't expect these to be at least a bit better), I was really blown away by these second gen QuietComfort Ultras. First off, the build quality is quite nice. I haven't had these very long so I can't say they will hold up to everyday use over the long term. Just holding and using these cans, they feel like they are made of quality materials. While the headband and cup outer shells are plastic, they don't feel like cheap plastic. The yokes for the cups and the attachments are nice solid feeling metal. The headband padding is a nicely supple and pleasant material (shaved head guys like me will appreciate that it's not cheap and sticky feeling!). I am not really about flash or flair, and I really like the almost gunmetal look of the metal parts with black of the cushioned and plastic parts. In terms of comfort, these headphones are outstanding. I usually use my headphones for an hour or two a night. I don't wear anything all day like some, especially those that work in busy office settings I am told. I can only say that in two hours of wear, I have experienced no "fatigue" or discomfort from the headband or the ear cups. I have average size ears I think, and the cups completely cover them without touching, and make a nice comfy seal without pressing too tightly. After just a few minutes I can honestly say I have forgotten that I am wearing them. I have never had a pair of headphones that had such a light feel to the headband, even when it is right on the skin. The functional design features are also a pretty good improvement over my older headphones. The button are well placed for intuitive control during wear. May favorite feature is the volume control "strip" up the back of the right ear cup. I have found this to be an extremely intuitive and precise control and have come to really prefer it over clicky buttons. Battery life appears to be quite good. Even after about a week of using these in ANC mode a couple of hours a night, I am still at 60% life. Sound quality out of the box was fine, and extremely crisp, though I thought it was surprisingly "thin". Upon first connecting it to my tablet I was prompted to install the Bose app, which has some presets and adjustable EQ options. After a bit of a test drive with the stock settings I jumped into the app and I found that it was very simple to make some small tweaks to the tone, that made a big difference to the way I wanted to hear my music. After dialing in the music aspect, I did some videos and music. These Bose QuietComfort Ultras really beat the tar out of my old headphones in the movie category. With essentially no messing around with settings the movie sound was dramatically improved with the dialog being especially clear. I will say that I played around with the immersive sound settings, but I didn't think they made a big difference for music (I prefer my music to stay "centered" as I move my head around anyway) but it did feel like an improvement when watching a show or movie, as my eyes were more likely to be on the image anyway. If I did move my head, the shift in soundstage was extremely natural and gave a real feeling of watching something with open ears and no cans. As a test I turned away from a video completely and discovered that there was a spot where the headphones couldn't quite decide if they should shift left or right and the audio noticeably wavered from ear to ear. This was a bit unrealistic as a test, but just thought it was interesting to find the break point of the system. Last but not least is the active noise cancellation feature. Simply put, it blows away anything else I have tried. I thought my old headphones were great. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 is OUTSTANDING. Most of the time I want to eliminate the outside noise of another program or just ambient household sounds to enjoy some music or watch a video. To test these headphones I compared them to my old ones using a white noise/fan noise machine. I used a very loud and very aggressive randomized fan sound, roughly 18 inches away. To put it simply, turning these headphones on completely turned off the sound of the noise machine. Like flipping it off at the power switch. I am not exaggerating when I say that I could hear the sound of my heartbeat in my ears. That. Is. Outstanding. After a couple of hours of wear, I noticed none of the fatigue I had experienced with lesser headphones with ANC (to be fair my older flagship cans were the same in this respect). Switching to the hear-through setting I was able to carry on conversations easily without removing the headphones, though I must admit I typically will slide an ear cup off just to not appear to be rude. What can I say, I am old school. I cannot say that these are better or worse than the other flagship tier ANC headphones out there as I haven't had an opportunity to try them all. They are all quite pricey though, and if you were already willing to pay for something in this class, I cannot see how you could go wrong with these.

I have been a fan of the Bose QC line for some time. This update did not disappoint. The inside flap of the box contains a QR code to download an updated APP from what I had been using. Upon arrival the headset was charged to 60 percent so I could get started right away. This APP made it easy to setup. As expected I was able to quickly pair with both my Android phone and my iPad at the same time. The APP has links to explain all the features available. I expected great sound but I have to say the Immersive audio is not just a marketing gimmick, it is truly impressive and worth the upgrade. I did the quick calibration so when I move my head when listening to music the sound source moves as if I turned away from the band or artist. You get the feeling you right in front of the source of the music, an amazing feeling. Of course the music reproduction is spot on. I did add just a little treble using the EQ available on the APP. The headset is comfortable. I used it on a 3 hour training video without any discomfort. Human voice is natural sounding as expected and in sync with the video. While watching the video on my iPad I received a call on my Android phone. The video stopped, I answered the phone and had a conversation with great audio in both directions. When I hung up the call the video continued from where it left off. This shows the functionality of the headset being able to pair with two devices and integrate them perfectly. This is not a new feature but nice to know it still works. Of course Bose has many years of experience in noise canceling technology, so needless to say the noise canceling is flawless. The APP provided me with many MODE choices. Two options I use in some of the MODES are Active Sense and Wind Block. ActiveSense adjusted the amount on noise canceling in a loud room and Wind Block did the same from wind noise from the fan on my desk. I have not used it outdoors in a windy location. Volume control is available via sliding a finger on the outer ring of the right side earpiece. I also have the ability to change MODES via a headset button. The headset has an on-off-pair button but if the headset is laid down on a flat surface the power shuts off. Two cables are included in the zippered carrying case. One is a dual USB-C for charging and the other is a mini TRS if you are not going to use BT, such as on a plane. No power brick is included. I am very pleased with this upgrade. Bose excellence continues in this crowded market. I would not hesitate to recommend this headset to friends and family. You will not be disappointed with this purchase.

The Bose brand has been synonymous with quality audio for just about as long as I can remember. I've owned a lot of headphones over the years, and while some have been better than others, they've all melted together in my mind as one conglomerated item. I expected more of the same with these - decent audio, decent comfort, decent battery life - but ended up being completely dumbfounded. Now, I'll be upfront. I'm no audiophile. I love listening to music and everything, but as long as I can hear all the different parts and they're not too muddy, I haven't cared much about the fidelity of what I'm listening to. It's certainly possible that a certain model of wired Sennheisers would blow these out of the water, but as an average listener who normally doesn't spend more than $40 on headphones, I never knew music could sound this way. These are nice and bassy. More than any headphones I've used, even the ones advertising extra bass. It's not overwhelming, though. In fact, the clarity of the other parts of the music come through more clear than I knew recording accomplished. I could genuinely discern that the flutes in a certain video game OST weren't the highest quality, for example, despite having listened to the song dozens of times before on other headphones. I noticed things like that in almost every song I listened to. They are comfortable for long periods of time. Wore them for 3 hours straight while writing and barely noticed. They're not comfortable enough that you forget you're wearing them, but they're not bothersome. The battery life is fantastic. Have used them for a few hours every day since getting them and haven't needed to charge them once. They come with a nice case, for storage, which I like. They are robust in build quality. The microphone in them is nice - on phone calls, people couldn't tell I was using headphones at all, when with most headphones, there's a notable drop in audio quality. The one concern I have is about the fake leather on them. Most fake leather I've seen, especially on headphones, starts to flake off in a couple years at best. Then you're pulling flecks of gray or brown or whatever out of your hair for wanting to listen to music, and you're in the market for a new pair. I don't know that these can circumvent the issue; only time will tell. But for now, they're excellent, and I would highly recommend them.

The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are extremely comfortable to wear on trips. I recently took them on a train ride and found them extremely comfortable to wear. The ANC (Active Noise Canceling) is top notch, with the ability to tweak the amount of noise canceling that you want to apply. I also found the BeAware mode, which allows sound to filter through to be a good feature to use when you don't want to eliminate outside noise. The sound on these headphones are top notch, as you would expect from Bose. If you have had previous headphones or speakers from Bose, that warm sound profile that is typical with Bose is present here. I tried the new CinemaMode that Bose offers for a movie. It simulates a surround sound environment and works pretty well. Does it fully replicate what an Atmos surround system can offer, no, but it is quite enjoyable and I think that I will try to use these more often for gaming on my PC. Battery life is rated at up to 30hrs with ANC on which is great for long flights and trips. The headphones can be charged with USB-C which is convenient. The USB-C can also be used to connect into your phone, tablet, or PC to experience lossless music from streaming services that offer it. I could not try this out for my review, as I don't subscribe to a service that offers lossless music. Overall, I think this is another quality product from Bose. Excited to take this on flights, where I will really get a chance to experience the ANC features. I do wish that it offered wireless charging given the price, but it's not a deal breaker.

Over the years, Bose noise cancelling headphones have been a go to for many and it’s nice to see that in the newest generation they have added additional features that improve upon the quality of life over the first generation. There is still much to like that makes this a strong contender in the field of active noise cancelling headphones. To start off, as with the previous Bose headphones I have tried, it is immediately comfortable to wear. The ear pads are nice and soft and provide an excellent seal against the head. The headphones are light enough and the headband has enough cushion that you can wear for long periods of time without strain against the top of your head. The adjustable headband makes it easy to fit your head size and you are not limited to predefined positions. Overall, it is hard to compete against how nice it is to wear especially for long plane rides. However that is not the only selling point. Paired with their mobile app, you are able to adjust a lot of different settings to really make the headphone yours. The active noise cancellation is adjustable to ten different levels, because sometimes the max level does not always feel the most comfortable after a while or maybe you want to hear more exterior noise. The touch controls can be configured or even disabled if you do not want to accidentally trigger them. Other smart controls can also be disabled like the auto play/pause when it detects your headphones are not on your head. Another nice little feature in this generation is the ability to play music through the usb-c cable instead of just bluetooth, giving you the option for lossless audio. If I have to give a complaint, it is that the touch controls for controlling volume are a little finicky. Sometimes when you slide slowly it would increase/decrease the volume a few clicks instead of just one. It makes it a little frustrating and something to get used to while on the go. Overall, this has been an enjoyable experience using these headphones. I am excited to see the improvements over the first generation. While not a huge gap between the generations, there are some new features that can make it worth the upgrade. For me, the adjustable noise cancellation really sells it.

In the box, you get a new carrying case; with a usbc cord and an aux cord! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a company give an aux cord in the box. First Impression - As someone who’s had the first generation, I was excited to hear that they were coming out with a new version. These are a slight improvement of the first ones. Upon opening the box, the first thing that you see is a QR code that will take you to their new app to set up your headphones. It’s super easy and convenient, the app has a bunch of modes (like immersion, studio, noise control) and tells you the percentage of battery life of your headphones. Comfort - The sides of the headphones are adjustable to fit your ears. And the fit is perfect, no sound escapes from these even when the sound is turned all the way up. The headphones are lightweight and comfortable, I forgot that I was wearing them at one point. Sound. - As someone who has had the first generation, not much has changed in the sound. The noise cancellation has improved and is still really great quality. With the new modes it gives you a new listening experience. The immersion feature is cool, because as you turn your head the sound changes between left and right ear, so it sounds like you’re in a concert. Notable Features - Do note that these headphones are sensitive, so if you slide one ear back it will pause whatever you’re listening too. Even when you take them off, they’ll disconnect from your device. And if you don’t turn them off yourself they will stay on the entire time, but from what I’ve seen it doesn’t affect your battery life. For people who are active, there’s a wind block feature that I’ve used on my walks and it’s perfect. Even while jogging all you can hear is music, no wind, or cars passing by. And the muffs are a soft leather, so even if you sweat they don’t make your ears hot. But other than that they’re virtually the same as the earlier model. Battery Life - The headphones come charged to 60%, which lasted pretty long in my opinion. The battery in these headphones are nice, great for long stretches of time. They last well long over 24 hours of continuous use without having to charge them. These headphones are nice and I would recommend them to anyone looking for new over-the-head headphones. I would recommend to friends and family and I would purchase again.

You can’t go wrong buying Bose headphones. And sure enough, these are the latest in a series of headphones that do not compromise on sound quality. The latest QuietComfort Ultra headphones cannot disappoint you with their sound quality or their noise cancelling abilities. I can talk about the audio to no end – the audio is excellent to my ears. Both the highs and low sound fantastic. Out of the box the bass is a tad bit low for my tastes, but with the Bose app, you can configure the bass response to be a little heavier (more on the app later). What you’re really buying these for is their noise cancellation abilities. Compared to my Bose QC 35 II headphones, I can say that these seemingly are more able to cancel the sound around you. The drone of the office, the clicks of a keyboard, and chatter outside seem to all disappear with ease. At home, I find I can focus through what would have been an interrupting noise and just continue with my task at hand. Using these for work has me on tons of Zoom calls and my coworkers have had nothing but praise for the quality of the microphone. One of them said I sounded more “booming” and powerful. The nice part about the Bose quality here is that when you pick up an audio call, the sound doesn’t suddenly deteriorate to that of a phone call – it still sounds like CD quality audio. Not having this ability bothers me a ton and it is a frequent thing I deal with bouncing on and off calls all day, so I’m very pleased to hear the attention to detail. What is also nice is that when you place the headphones on your desk to walk away, they go to sleep almost instantly. Coming back and putting them on has them wake up just as quickly. Learning how to interact with the controls on the side of the headset I think has been the hardest part of owning these headphones. There’s a touch-sensitive strip on the outside that lets you change the volume of playback and two buttons – one “multi-function” button that lets you play/pause/skip forward/skip backward/change modes and another for Bluetooth capabilities. I frequently find myself reaching for the touch strip when I am trying to find the multi-function button or confusing the Bluetooth button for the multi-function button. I also miss the presence of a physical switch to turn them off; the Bluetooth button behaves as the power button, but if you don’t hold it for the exact correct amount of time, you can either get into a pairing mode or just have an announcement of the currently connected Bluetooth device. The app is _almost_ required to get the most value out of these headphones. In it, you can configure the metric ton of features that are somewhat difficult to configure from the headset. In it, you can configure things like “Immersive Mode” – a feature that makes the audio sound like it is coming from a sound source in front of you. Moving your head makes it still sound like the center of the room by changing the balance depending on which way you rotate your head. It’s cool and in my opinion, makes your music sound more “live” than it does in non-immersive modes. The app also enables you to change the power of the noise cancellation and to set the equalizer mode. There is a cool little feature that you can configure when you install the app – you can make it such that when the headphones come off, your music is automatically paused. It’s a neat trick, but sometimes I like to listen with one ear, and this is simply not compatible with that feature. One major complaint that I do have about these headphones is related to a white noise that they seem to inject into your audio. When you start playing music, they will start playing a low-level white noise track, I think to raise the noise floor. If you listen for it in your music, you can absolutely hear it. This noise continues to play while the audio channel is open on your device until something is paused (or you leave a call); about five seconds later it will stop. I can see the reason for raising the noise floor in that there is less to cancel but hearing the white noise actually _removes_ the immersion for me. This seems to be a modern Bose change – my QC 35 II’s do not seem to have it, but my most recent QC pair do. The key difference between the two is that the modern QC headphones do not fade to silence when audio stops playing, which somehow feels better. Overall, you can’t go wrong with these headphones. They work well for office workers or people who love listening to uncompromised audio. With an app that lets you customize them to an astonishing degree, they are truly “yours” and have earned a place in my “off to work” bag. I’d rate them higher if the option for configuring the white noise insertion mentioned above existed.

The exterior of these QC Ultra headphones is almost the same as the old one, attractive, understated, with no “look at me” lights or gaudy markings. The new ones add a bit of flair with the previously matte look on the metal headphone cup forks being changed to a shiny black chrome finish. The new look extends to the Bose logos on the outside of the headphone cups. The difference is small, but noticeable. Still good looking, still understated, good job. Sound quality is of course excellent out of the box. Some might find the bass a bit heavy, but it is strong to be audible over whatever (usually bass-y) noise the headphones are cancelling. On the subject of bass, the sub-bass on this pair is really good for TV and movies, the full spectrum sound really draws you in with the Cinema mode. Music is well rendered, even with a fair amount of noise in the room. They can get overwhelmed with a really noisy area while still playing music - if you turn down the volume on your source it usually helps. These new Bose headphones offer incremental improvements over their predecessor, still with the best ANC out there, but it ducks the noise cancellation if content is not being played. I can only imagine this is to conserve battery. There should be a mode that you can select beyond just “Quiet” to get full noise cancellation even if I’m not playing anything. It’s not a big enough gripe to get in the way of enjoying them, but I am docking a star from what are almost perfect cans. I have not been able to fully run down the battery on the new set, but it’s at least as good as my 1st generation pair, and they’ve had time to break in. The Gen 1’s battery seems to stretch its legs after a few charge/discharge cycles. Perhaps the new ones will do the same. Absolutely recommended.

I have had quite a few Bose headphones over the years, and it is fun to see the changes and improvements they make with each generation. The original QC Ultra model is still in my rotation, and I enjoy using them at the gym. I love how Bose headphones never have too much clamping force on my head, and they always feel light. These QC Ultra 2nd gen are no different. However, they have made changes to make them look and feel more premium. The frames around the cups are now made of metal instead of plastic, and are finished in a black chrome. They not only feel more sturdy, they also look better in my opinion. Adjustment and overall fit is still light and comfortable. The noise cancellation is top notch, which is expected from any Bose headphones. They have added some additional options and shortcuts in the app. There is now a touch sensitive volume slider, as well and immersive audio settings. Your preset modes can be cycled through by holding the mode button. I have mine set to cycle between quiet mode (full ANC), Aware mode (you can hear what's going on around you), and Immersive (enables the immersive audio setting that follows your head movement). Overall I find these gen 2 QC Ultra headphones to be a worthy update to an already great pair. The additional features and sturdier/nice build quality with the additional of a metal frame really takes these headphones up a notch in quality.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are fantastic, built well and sound great. The active noise cancelling is top notch, of course. You can set the level of noise cancelling within the Bose app which is very convenient. However, I did get a bunch of feedback while laying on my side in bed. I must have blocked some port for the ANC. After turning it off, the sound went away. Connecting to the app was easy, also. You can change the EQ, update firmware and more. Have never had issues with the app so make sure to get that downloaded. The sound quality is great, of course. Everything sounds clean and clear. The bass isn't over done or artificial sounding. Overall, the sound signature is really good. The build quality is nice. You get a nice polished metal that gives it a very sleek look. It does seem to add some heft to the headphones though. The earcups seem to be the same, or very similar to previous QC versions. They are comfortable and replaceable if needed down the road. Hopefully, the earcups last longer than the QC35's. My stubble seems to damage the material over time. I have had to replace the earcups three times on my QC35's. Overall, a great set of headphones with the sound quality you'd expect from Bose.

I have been a “mixed” fan of Bose products for a long time. Some of them just hit all the perfect points. Others have things that I tend to walk away from. The Bose QuietComfort (QC) line of headphones have been a go to for me when it comes to solid sound quality, uncanny noise cancellation, and comfort. The second generation of the QC Ultras, this headset you’re looking at here, is what I would call a refinement of a product that I found to be all around a solid product, with a couple of things I didn’t prefer. Not deal breakers, but could be better. The QC Ultra 2nd gen headphones continue the ultimate experience for active noise cancellation. They don’t completely eliminate all outside noise and sound, but the ones that matter are usually gone. Not having been on a flight since getting them, I decided to simulate that experience by playing an in-cabin soundtrack loudly on my home surround sound system. The QC Ultra 2nd Gen does a very effective job of taking away the engine noise. One of my must haves. Where there is a little sound bleed is when people are talking around me. I can hear voices, as well as things like car horns and babies, but they are brought down to a very low level. If I am not listening to music they are there, but turn on a source and they are effectively gone. That’s a good thing! The only thing about the ANC, what Bose calls “Quiet,” is there remains an audible hiss to me that is the headset applying it’s noise filter. Usually I can delete this sound mentally, but when there is no source of music, say when I want to just drown out the outside world, the hiss does distract me. The sound quality here is definitely top tier. I do have to adjust the three band eq in the Bose app to get the sound profile I want, but it’s not a hardship, and what I get is a full, rich sound that punches cleanly in the lows, gives well-round highs, and the mids are present and clean. There is a decent separation between them. In other words, I find the soundstage of the QC Ultra 2nd Gen to be wide enough to not feel like I’m just sitting between two speakers. The immersion mode is fun, but I don’t use it for music. I have used on video sources and it gives you a good enough surround effect that I will probably continue using it for those times. The controls are easy enough also, and this time, Bose has given you the option to turn off ANC if you want, whether that’s to get the natural sound isolation of the headset for listening, or if you are trying to save battery. I tend to leave it on, and it seems the battery life has improved from previous products enough that there is plenty of life for listening on travel. The volume slider is still here, and it works about the same, I tend to be gentle when I go in to press the sound mode button or play/pause because you can easily bump it. The comfort continues to be a Bose hallmark. The headset is light on the head, the ear cups are large for a very pleasant feel around the ears, and other than what I believe to be a slight increase in clamping on my head, I would confidently say these are an all-day wear. I would recommend these to anyone who is a Bose sound fan, you will love these. I would also recommend these to travelers and those who commute because there is so much comfort and sound quality here that it will be a really enriching experience to be on the move. If you are looking for an audiophile type experience, I would say there are other options that might give you more music fidelity, but these do have a solid, everyday sound that will be pleasant and are full and rich.

These are a huge upgrade from the first generation QC's which I owned for about 2 years. I really like the automatic turn on and turn off function as I sometimes forget to turn them off and they still have battery when I come back to them. I have not exhausted the battery, but Bose claims 30 hours. I used them on a coast to coast 6 hour flight and they still worked for 2 days following the flight. Perfect companion on airplanes!!!They are a bit tighter on my head than the first generation, but maybe that is because they are new and not yet "broken in." The cups seal very well and are comfortable. As expected the ANC functions are industry leading and do not disappoint. I also am a fan of the app as it is very easy to use and is intuitive to adjust for just the right sound given the source. I have not yet used the USB connection as I am thrilled with the Bluetooth connection and it's rich sound. Perhaps a wired connection might be better, but I am happy with Bluetooth. These are on the pricey side, but I cannot find fault with any of the features, and am happy with the performance and the convenience. They are worth every penny. To Bose: this set is going to be tough to top with your next model that updates it - good luck with that!!!

These Bose QuietComfort Ultras are the most comfortable and usable pair of headphones I have ever used (and being a techy in my late 30’s, I’ve used many for a bunch of different brands) The sound cancellation is the best I’ve ever used also, AND on the flip side, being able to tune it the opposite direction allows me to leave my headphones on and still hear what's going on around me. It seems to charge fairly quickly, and I have easily gotten multiple hours of usage while only using 10-20% at a time! The included case is great also, keeps these fancy headphones safe, so then you can just toss them in your bag without worrying about something breaking them. The overall comfort is great, I have an extra large head, and while I had to max them out, they still fit great, the ear cups are comfy without making my head sweaty. Connecting them is a snap, I first connected them to my Pixel 9, messed around with the settings until I found what I liked in the app, and then I was able to add my ROG Z13 tablet as well! Works great with both for gaming on the Z13 or music from my phone! Recommended for anyone looking for premium sound cancelling headphones!