Bose fans can pass off a sigh of succour . The new Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are a return to form for the company after its four - yr experiment with theBose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 . I sayexperimentbecause the NCH 700 ’s design was a substantial departure from the caller ’s old efforts and not everyone fell in love with the new direction .
Though very light and comfortable , the NCH 700 could only fold flat , had middling battery life , premise touch ascendancy , and did n’t necessarily move the needle in the right direction on reasoned quality .
By direct contrast , the QC Ultra ( which have replaced the NCH 700 ) pen up flat and fold up , they ( mostly ) ditch the touch control . And Bose has work to slap-up length to put these unexampled cans on par with ( or even ahead of ) wireless headphones from Sony , Apple , and Sennheiser with its version of spatial audio called Bose Immersive Audio , plus support for lossless andhi - Ra audio . Their price reflects that travail : the QC Ultra are $ 429 , a $ 30 price hike over the NCH 700 .
After expend over a hebdomad with the unexampled QC Ultra , I mean Bose has present a grotesque set ofwireless randomness - canceling cansthat can stand toe - to - toe with the other flagships .
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: design
Whether you get them in black , blanched , or sandstone , the QC Ultra are classic Bose in all the good style . In addition to the welcome return of the dual - folding designing , Bose has upped the de luxe factor by fabricating the headband slider and earcup branching from aluminum . This might offer small benefit in term of durability , but it definitely adds an element of form , peculiarly as buyers compare them to the all - shaping build of the SonyWH-1000XM5and theSennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless .
Ironically , despite the critiques that were thrown at Bose for its fold - monotonous invention of the NCH 700 — which Sony , Sennheiser , and Apple all copy — when you liken the zippered change of location sheath of the QC Ultra and NCH 700 side by side , there is n’t a big difference in size of it . The QC Ultra ’s example is narrow than the NCH 700 ’s by an inch or so . Inside , you still get a USB - C line and a 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm parallel cable , though these are now stowed inside an elastic intimate pocket instead of the wily conceal compartment that graced the NCH 700 ’s case .
The headband has been widened from the NCH 700 ’s dimensions , and the easygoing rubber has been replaced with even softer and easily - cushioned synthetic leather , which is also used on the ear cushions .
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: comfort, indeed
The QC Ultra are essentially identical to the NCH 700 and Sony XM5 in weightiness at 8.96 ounces , which keeps them among the light stochasticity - canceling earpiece you could buy . On your head , they feel solid and balanced , with a clamping violence that ’s just potent enough to keep everything where it should be , and no more . Compared to the NCH 700 , you comment two things mightily forth : the Ultra ’s headband does a better job of distributing pressure , and they squeeze your head more securely . For me , that make them more well-to-do than their predecessors , especially across the top of my drumhead . Overall , I call up I still favour the Sony XM5 ( they just experience lighter ) and Sennheiser Momentum 4 ( cozier ) , but I ’d take all three over theAirPods Maxin term of solace any day of the week .
The headband sliders are very grippy . Once you set their length , they do n’t budge at all . This also make believe them tricky to adjust . The technique that normally work best on many headphone — expanding the headband to its big size , place the earcups on your ears , then reaching up with your fingerbreadth to draw the headband down to the right sizing — wo n’t work with the QC Ultra . There ’s just too much resistor .
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: controls and connections
Touch controls can be gravid , and I ’ve had ripe experience with them on Sony , Sennheiser , and Bose headphones in the past . But I just favor strong-arm button . They work predictably , you know incisively where to conjure with your thumb or fingers , and they do n’t care if you ’re wearing gloves .
So am I felicitous with the QC Ultra ’s controls ? Mostly , yes . Bose has make out to consolidate three buttons , plus touch control condition on two earcups on the NCH 700 down to just two buttons and one touch ascendance on a single earcup on the QC Ultra . The sonorous lifting is perform by the multifunction clit , which controls playback , ANC modes , and call management .
NCH 700 users might escape have a dedicated button for ANC — I kind of overleap it myself — but that ’s temper by my huge reliever at not call for to motorbike between three different ANC modes every time I weightlift it .
Perhaps the biggest modification is the reasoning by elimination of the voice helper button . Not only is the adjunct button gone , but so is the helper . The NCH 700 yield iPhone exploiter a choice between a button - activated Siri and a voice - activated Amazon Alexa , while Android users could pick out between Google Assistant and Alexa . The QC Ultra is strictly BYOA ( bring your own assistant ) , and if you want to get at it , you ’ll need to turn on the shortcut option ( a long insistence on the bulk touch control ) and select vocalism assistant access as your preferred crosscut . The other options are to hear the shelling level announced , change immersive audio mode , and Spotify Tap .
I ’m not a big interpreter assistant user when it comes to earbuds and headphones . But there ’s no traverse the convenience of being able to muster one hands - gratuitous , so it ’s a disgrace to see this convenient feature disappear .
The combo power / Bluetooth release is self - explanatory , which just leaves volume control — a elevate 1.5 - in assembly line that sits a little far out from your head than the buttons . Because it sits in the valley of the earcup , it ’s leisurely to find with your ovolo . But it suffers the same luck as many trace controls — it ’s inaccurate . Intuitively , you might think you would set about at the bottom of the line and slide your thumb upward or downward gradually to slow increase or decrease the volume as though it were a real slider . But no — you need to practice small , lift gestures or else . These can careen bulk a minuscule or a lot , and it ’s grueling to master the difference between these extremes . unluckily , there ’s no setting in the Bose Music app to help you out . You either figure it out , or you remain mistily frustrated by it , as I have been .
Still , Bose partially redeems itself by giving the QC Ultra the wear sensors that the NCH 700 lacked , so now you may mechanically pause your strain when you remove the headphones . In fact , when you remove them , you could choose to have them enter a standby state after a certain amount of clip to save up power . They ’ll power back up as soon as you put them on again .
As with Bose ’s other headphones ( though notably , not its wireless earbuds ) , the QC Ultra supportBluetooth Multipointfor two simultaneous connections . To get the most out of it , the QC Ultra lease you see and manage those connection in the Bose Music app , and they also announce the connected devices when you power them on , which can be very handy . If you find oneself it annoying , you’re able to also turn it off .
transition between connected devices is unlined . Unlike some Multipoint devices , which make you choose between running a hi - res codec like aptX Adaptive or using Multipoint , the QC Ultra have no such restrictions .
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: sound quality and spatial audio
The QC Ultra may be a throwback in terms of design , but their sound quality is decidedly evolutionary . The NCH 700 ’s sound signature is centered on Bose ’s energetic approach to high frequence , set a pile of — some might fence too much — sparkle into vocals , while taking a conservative approach to bass . The QC Ultra footmark the sparkle back just a smidge , but they add copious amounts of low - goal . This puts them closer than ever to Sony ’s more bass - forward tuning , such that theSony WH-1000XM5and QC Ultra now sound like slightly unlike interpretations of the same sound theme song .
For me , it ’s a move in the correct guidance — I happen to enjoy Sony ’s sound a fortune — but I would n’t be surprised if some Bose fans regain it too slurred through the modest goal .
If you do n’t love it , the Bose Music app offer EQ presets that deemphasize that excess basso . you may also manually adjust the low , mid , and gamy EQ slipper . But , maddeningly , Bose still does n’t lease you save those tweaks as your own presets .
harmonize to Bose , its CustomTune technology mechanically adjust the sound of the QC Ultra to your ear every time you put them on . You ’ll see the same zoomy Bose startup speech sound that the company uses on its other headphones , but this clock time , that sound is used to take apart the form of your ears . Does it work ? It ’s impossible to say — Bose does n’t give you the option to turn it off .
proprietor of blue-ribbon Android handsets can take advantage of the QC Ultra ’s espousal of Qualcomm’sSnapdragon Soundplatform , which — count on your phone — can deliver lossy hi - reticuloendothelial system sound at up to 24 - bit/96kHz or lossless CD - quality sound recording at 16 - bit/48kHz , via Qualcomm ’s aptX AdaptiveBluetooth codec .
If you ’re a Spotify junkie , there ’s in all likelihood zero benefit to be had . But those who have jump on the lossless and hi - rhenium lossless railroad train via armed service likeAmazon Music , Apple Music , Qobuz , andTidalwill be able to take heed a more nuanced rendition of their best-loved tracks . Thanks to the QC Ultra ’s Bluetooth Multipoint , I was capable to localize my iPhone 14 side by side with a Snapdragon Sound - equip Motorola ThinkPhone and perform reasonably quick A / B comparability using Apple Music .
Both sounded great . But where the iPhone delivered thick , meaty sound , especially in the lower - mids and bass , the ThinkPhone offer a more refined , exact , and detailed performance .
Where things get really interesting is the QC Ultra ’s young financial support for spatial audio . There are two distinct variant of spacial audio . When a runway has been recorded in an 3D formatting likeDolby Atmos Musicand is then played back using software that can render multichannel 3D speech sound into just two channels for earphone listening ( like Apple Music ) , I consider it “ aboriginal ” spacial audio . aboriginal spatial audio will work on any set of headphones .
But you also can employ computational audio to sound ol’ stereoscopic picture recordings to create a simulated 3D strait either in an app or in hardware like the QC Ultra . I reckon of this as “ virtual ” spatial sound .
Traditionally , attempts at virtual spatial audio have had assorted results . It can sound faux or pressure . And it can have a damaging burden on some relative frequency as the software tries to let out the sound landing field . In short , it can sound bad enough that you turn back to regular stereo and never look back .
With its Immersive Audio , Bose has create the best practical spacial sound recording I ’ve heard so far . It give you a genuine option to stereo that does n’t sound cheesy or pressure . It preserves detail and frequencies better than any competing system and , calculate on the track , you may actually prefer it to the original transcription .
The QC Ultra also allow sensing element - based head cut through that lets the Immersive Audio style untether your music from your phone , giving you the sense that the music is being played from stereo speakers mounted in front ( and slightly above ) your hearing posture . flex your head does the same as it would in actual life — it sounds like you ’ve wrick away from the informant of the music and it happen in consummate sync with your school principal motion .
Not everyone will care Bose ’s Immersive Audio — just like not everyone will like aboriginal spatial audio cut in Dolby Atmos Music . But for those who do , it ’s a Orcinus orca feature article .
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: noise canceling and transparency
Here ’s what you really want to make love : the QC Ultra strike down disturbance more efficaciously than theApple AirPods Maxand theSony WH-1000XM5 . If you want good noise cancellation , you ’ll have to flip-flop to wireless earbuds like theBose QuiteComfort Ultra Earbudsor theSony WF-1000XM5 . But when it comes to wireless headphones , the QC Ultra Headphones are the current Billie Jean Moffitt King of quiet .
The QC Ultra allow impressive levels of hush in a variety of scenarios . I have n’t had a fortune to put them to the quintessential ANC test of an airplane cabin during flight of stairs . But yield how they perform in other locations like noisy metropolis streets , tantalise a theodolite bus , or act upon in a busy burnt umber shop , I have every reason to think they ’ll ace the cabin test too .
They ’re also crazily safe for transparency . Until now , the transparency gold standard has belonged to the AirPods Max , and deservedly so . They ’re excellent . But the QC Ultra fathom more natural . The AirPods Max put a slight accent on higher frequencies — arguably a chic move that helps you hear articulation more clear — while the QC Ultra have a more achromatic audio . Since both headphone give you roughly equal amounts of situational awareness , it ’s run short to come down to personal preference , and I prefer the QC Ultra .
Plus , Bose really one - ups Apple via the QC Ultra ’s Active Sense — an option when you ’re in transparence mode that listens for loud noises and mechanically kicks the tail end into ANC mode to protect you listen . Apple has this technology , too , but only on itsAirPods Pro Gen 2wireless earbuds . The AirPods Max ( for now ) miss this feature . It works well , but there can be up to 2 seconds of interim between a loud strait ( like an emergency fomite siren ) get-go and Active Sense kicking in . On the AirPods Pro , it ’s almost instant .
Bose also has rethought the agency you work with ANC on the QC Ultra . On the NCH 700 , you could reach out into the Bose Music app and manually adjust the amount of noise cancellation at any time . But the earpiece controls required that you cycle through three pet ANC preferences . Those configurations could be any amount of ANC you desire , but you could n’t pick out to use just two of them — a limit I never understood .
On the QC Ultra , dearie have been replaced by Modes , and they ’re far more flexible . you may create as many way as you like , and each mode can have its own horizontal surface of ANC , or you may select a wind block option that override ANC dominance . But the good part is that you may then pick which of these mood will be your favorites , as long as there are at least two favourite at any given time . Want to switch between maximum ANC and maximal transparency ? Just select the nonpayment Quiet and Aware modes as your two favorites . Want to toggle between transparency and wind interference fashion ? Create a mode that uses wind haphazardness and then select it as a favorite along with Aware mode and ensure Quiet mode is deselected .
It ’s a great organization with just one flaw : you ca n’t make a modality in which ANC is simply turned off to preserve battery liveliness . In fact , there ’s no way to turn off ANC at all — you’re able to pick out how much you want ( or you’re able to pick transparency ) , but there ’s no stage setting to wipe out both .
There ’s also a somewhat idiosyncratic aspect to Modes . Bose let in a default mode for Immersive Audio , which is illogical . Immersive Audio can be revel whether you ’re using full ANC or transparency — it ’s a layer on top of your ANC preference , not its own thing .
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: call quality
If we lived in a world where Apple had never create the AirPods Max and Sony had never created the WH-1000XM5 , I ’d be telling you that the Bose QC Ultra Headphones are the best wireless phone for call quality . It would n’t be knockout to fight that argument . Even in noisy conditions , the QC Ultra all but erase environmental sounds , leaving just your interpreter . And when you ’re in transparency musical mode , you could hear your own voice very clearly as well .
However , the QC Ultra struggle at time to keep your vocalization from wavering or sound echoey as it endeavor to eradicate those undesirable background noises . Sony and Apple do a good job with this balancing act , keep your spokesperson sounding more consistently audible regardless of what ’s pass away on around you .
But just to be clean : The QC Ultra are still first-class for calls — especially indoors . And if you have aSnapdragon audio - equipped phone , your vocalism will sound richer and fuller thanks to aptX Voice . It ’s just that the AirPods Max and XM5 are better for folks who need to take their calls in a wide miscellanea of conditions .
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: battery life
Bose , like Apple , seems to believe that no one really want their wireless headphones to last more than about 20 to 24 hour between charges , and possibly it ’s right . But given that companies like Sennheiser and Sony have proven that far more juice than that can be pack into a set of wireless rear ( up to 60 hours in the case of theSennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ) , it ’s a bit difficult to recommend the QC Ultra for their 24 - hr stamina — a number that drop to 18 hours when using immersive sound recording and ANC — specially when there ’s no longer an option to stretch out that time by disable both modes .
There is a fast - explosive charge option : 15 minutes will buy you an extra 2.5 hours of playtime ( 2 hour in immersive audio mode ) , so even if 24 hours is n’t quite enough , you ’ve sustain a Plan B.
One thing to keep in mind with the battery is that you ’ll need it even for pumped-up take heed via the included analog cable . If the battery is whole dead , you may power it flat using the USB cable , at which point you may listen wire or wirelessly , but the QC Ultra ca n’t recharge at the same time .
I ’ve manage to find some minor nits to pick with the Bose QC Ultra Headphones , but overall , these wireless earpiece are badly telling . They cost a piece more than their predecessors , but make up for the supernumerary investiture by deliver a better design and tons of feature . Some of those features , like Immersive Audio , noise canceling , and transparency way , represent the current state of matter of the art and are reason enough to take upgrading from the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 .
And if you ’re contemplating your first set of serious wireless earphone ? I ’m confident you wo n’t regret going with the Bose QC Ultra .
