The New Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones Sound Great, But Sony’s Still Sound Better

Overall, the design of the second-generation QuietComfort Ultra Headphones remains largely unchanged from the first generation, except for a few minor details. The most obvious visual difference is that the new headphones have a glossy metal frame, rather than a matte one. They come in Black, Desert Gold, Driftwood Sand, Midnight Violet, or White. I received the Sand color, which is simple yet stylish with a rose gold accent.

I find the headphones reassuringly solid, though, apart from the frame, there’s an enthusiastic embrace of plastic. None of the plastic feels cheap, and I’m not worried about the headphones’ longevity. They don’t have an IP rating for protection against dust and water, but this is true of most over-ear noise-cancelling models.

(Credit: Christian de Looper)

The second-gen model is slightly heavier than the first-gen model (9.33 ounces versus 8.96 ounces), but I found the difference imperceptible when holding them and, crucially, when they were on my head. They have the same clamp force and plush padding under the headband, making for a comfortable fit.

Physical controls remain unchanged. The left earcup features only the USB-C port and the 2.5mm audio output (why not the more standard 3.5mm, Bose?), while the right earcup includes a power/Bluetooth button, a multi-function button, and a touch-sensitive strip for volume control. Press the multi-function button once to play or pause audio, twice to skip forward, and three times to skip back.

While you can’t customize what the buttons do, you can use the volume strip on the right ear cup as a shortcut control. You’ll need to enable it in the app, but once you do, you can touch and hold on the volume strip to access features such as checking your battery level, changing immersive audio modes, or activating your default voice assistant.

You won’t have to use the power button as often. They automatically power up when you place them on, thanks to better head detection. Furthermore, if you remove them and lay them flat, they enter a low-power mode that Bose says can run for months.

(Credit: Christian de Looper)

The USB-C port serves two purposes. In addition to charging, you can also use it to connect to a device, such as a phone or laptop, for lossless audio via USB. It’s a cool feature, and one I hope to see become more common. (It’s already available from the $549 Apple AirPods Max, though not the Sony XM6.) You can also use the 2.5mm port for unpowered listening.

They connect via Bluetooth 5.4, and they support Bluetooth multipoint for up to two simultaneous connections, along with Google Fast Pair for quick pairing with Android devices. They support the AAC and SBC codecs, along with AptX Adaptive for hi-res audio. Bose hasn’t disclosed the size or frequency range of the drivers.

(Credit: Christian de Looper)

In addition to the headphones, Bose includes a sturdy carry case, a USB-C cable for charging, and a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable. The carry case, a zip-up box with a soft-touch feel, resembles the one that comes with the first-generation model.