Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Headphones, Wireless Headphones with Spatial Audio, Over Ear Noise Cancelling with Mic, Up to 24 Hours of Playtime, Deep Plum - Limited Edition Color

Bryan United States

Best noise cancelling headphones money can buy.

These are not perfect as headphones go, but they are literally the nicest noise cancelling headphones that any amount of money can buy. They have their ups and downs. I'm going to talk in depth about each of these, but overall these are the best noise cancelling headphones money can buy, so even when it comes to their downsides, you can't do better. First, if you're a regular consumer, you'll be blown away by the sound quality. However, if you're an audiophile used to audiophile grade open back headphones like the Sennheiser HD800, these fall short of audiophile levels of sound quality. Let me explain why that is. Sound quality wise, the sound quality is overall spectacular, but it has two problems. Bass is way overemphasized, and the treble is rolled off. The treble issue is in my opinion the only really major flaw you have to deal with in these headphones. It's really a shame. Even with EQ, there's no good way to make up for the treble problem because the high end is just always a little lacking. Bass is massively overemphasized, but everyone seems to do that these days, and most people seem to love it. Thankfully, you can just lower the bass in the EQ and it works fine, but from an audiophile perspective it's still a mark against it. You can also raise the bass if you want to lose your hearing and cause brain damage from the thump. These things will thump so hard that it'll give you a concussion. Aside from those two downsides, instruments sound absolutely spectacular with amazing definition, separation, and clarity, it's just really unfortunate that they rolled off the treble. It'd be nice if the bass wasn't so overemphasized, but the bass at least is understandable since it seems to be what most people want. I will say however that the mid is absolutely spectacular, so there's that. Even at their best, if you're a real audiophile, these don't hold up to the sound quality of high end audiophile open back headphones by Sennheiser like the HD650 or HD800. These are consumer grade, very top end consumer grade, but they don't reach the heights of real audiophile territory. For most people though, these will blow you away. Noise cancelling wise, these are the best money can buy. I've tried other noise cancelling headphones, and these destroy everything that I've ever tried. It's a night and day difference in terms of the overall quality and effectiveness of the noise cancelling compared to other noise cancelling headphones. However, they're not totally perfect. I have a bunch of air filter fans running full blast all the time, and it reduces their volume by 90+%, but it's a little inconsistent. Some of the inconsistency comes from just how the headphones sit in my head, if I get them just right, it mutes probably 98% of the sound, but if they're just a little off, it drops to between 90-95%. Sometimes it just seems to work better than other times with no apparent explanation. 90% is still a ton of noise reduction. Be aware though that you can still hear things, they're just quiet. Like if you pass a fan while walking, you can still hear it, it's just quiet. There is sometimes a slight amount of pressure from the noise cancellation, but it's very minimal, and a lot of the time there's actually none. Next, we get into the real premium stuff. You're paying like $400 for this, so let's talk about what you're really paying for: the creature comforts and luxury that get overlooked at lower price ranges... For example, the case for these headphones is simply amazing. It feels extremely premium, it has a nice touch, it's light but durable, it has this lovely leathery material that is a joy to hold. It just feels like a million bucks. Even the zipper is nice! The internal layout is likewise spacious, protective and just overall very high quality. Same with the headphones themselves. As an object that you hold in your hand, these things simply feel incredible. They're unbelievably light, I don't know how they made it feel this light. The headband literally feels like a cloud, it almost melts in your hand. I've never felt anything like it. It is insanely soft with this beautiful smooth leather feeling, yet it doesn't collapse when you wear it. I don't even understand how that works, but it does. These are the most comfortable set of headphones I have ever put on my head by far. It feels like you're wearing a cloud. It's crazy. The clamp force is so low that I can wear these for hours and hours on end and they just feel insanely comfortable the entire time. Even just holding these headphones physically, they feel like a million bucks. Like they've got these buttery smooth moving collapsible cans, yet they feel solid and durable, and they have this lovely smooth feeling to them. These are the things you're really paying for when you pay $400. It's just all those little details and luxuries that really make it. They put a lot of luxury into the things outside the actual speakers, and it shows. They feel super premium in your hands, they're a beautiful shape, they're insanely comfortable to wear, they have this elegant simple design to them, and their case is outstanding. Seriously, if you hold the case and headphones of any of the other noise cancelling headphones in your hands, they just don't feel as nice as this. Overall, I really wish they hadn't rolled off the treble. That's its one major flaw. However, these are so good that I can't go back to anything else (other than my open back audiophile sennheisers for serious listening). These are like the ultimate casual headphones for every day use. Watching TV? Use these. Going on an airplane? Use these. Going to the gym? Use these. Going for a walk? Use these. Unless all you want to do is sit down and seriously listen to some high quality music in a quiet room with audiophile headphones, you should be using these. These are your ultimate every day use headphones. If you're a normal consumer who doesn't care about audiophile grade stuff, these will absolutely blow your mind. Even if you're an audiophile, you'll probably end up addicted to them for every day normal use. I'm kindof addicted to them myself, to be honest.

Steven Pugliese United States

Simply superb in every way

I’m frankly surprised by the amount of griping about the Ultras in these reviews. These are great headphones, it’s that simple. I did get them for $300 on Amazon and that makes it a much more palatable buying decision than $429, I must admit. But either way, they’re just great. First off, they are not the least bit flimsy or nondurable. They also fit quite snuggly on my head. I don’t know what some people are talking about there. Then, the on-headset volume control is quite easy and is able to select very small variations. The mode button works perfectly, you just have to remember the number of presses that control music play verses what those presses do when you’re receiving phone calls (and it handles phone calls great!). And just holding the mode button down shifts between Quiet mode, Aware and Immersion. Every control you can do in the app, you can do on the headphones. It’s really not difficult at all and you get used to where the controls are, and how to use them, fast. The Immersion mode is a true gift. It’s not at all a “gimmick” as some claim. Nor does it add any noise, distortion or limit frequency range at all. It’s a welcome change from the normal “playing in the center of your head” effect of all regular headphones. It works great without any compromises and I very much prefer it exclusively. But if you prefer that regular way, it’s easily selectable. The sound of these is quite exquisite. I use Amazon Music Unlimited. Their so called “Ultra HD” recordings are so wonderfully noise free on these, even at the highest volume. You must experiment with the Equalizer in the Bose app, though, to tune them to your liking. That’s just critical. It’s a perfectly fine equalizer with its three controls for bass, midrange and treble. If you get a volume booster app on your phone (I use the “Goodev” one and it works quite well), you can easily make them play even louder. Just be careful with those, don’t set them too high. I can’t detect much of any difference between listening to Amazon Music via Bluetooth as opposed to plugged in by wire to my phone. However, I have Amazon’s Echo Link connected to my stereo and when I wire these to the stereo playing Amazon Music from the Link, well, that does sound significantly better than Bluetooth playing the same thing. Then the true height of the Ultra’s fidelity comes through, and I can also use my amp’s volume control to get it considerably louder and cleaner than Bluetooth even with that volume booster on my phone, not to mention the more complex equalizer settings on my amp. So, at home, I’m always plugged into my amp with these. Incidentally, you need to know that the headphone jack on these is 2.3mm not the 3.5 of your phone’s headphone jack. There’s an included wire cord with one end 2.3 and the other 3.5, so you can plug them into your phone (or your stereo amp if you get a 6.35mm adaptor and a longer cord). Also, the headphones must be powered on in order for a wired connection to work. The noise cancelling is just awesome. Gone are almost all of that electronic “hush” sound of prior noise cancelling devices (including Bose)- that very low level but still quite discernable fuzz in the background. Now, it’s very nearly simply just silent. It’s so delightful when you use them without music for just noise cancelling. You feel like you’re alone in a submerged submarine with all its power off. The on/off feature when you remove them from your head works flawlessly. Take them off and the music pauses. Put them on again and it resumes. Off your head, they go to sleep after the time you set for that to happen. And why are some reviewers complaining that you can’t turn them on or off or that it’s somehow difficult? Just press and hold the button below the Mode button for a second, and they turn off completely. Press and hold it again for about three seconds and it turns on again. Finally, those pillowy ear and head pads make these the absolute most comfortable headphones I’ve ever experienced. Plus, they’re so light weight to boot. It amazes me how long I can wear these without any discomfort. That is a first for me with headphones. A word on battery and charging. They charge fast enough though I haven't actually measured it. But although you can use them while the charger is plugged in to their USB C port, the headphones will not charge unless they're turned completely off, it seems. And if you use Bluetooth and noise cancelling along with the Immersion Mode, your battery life seems to be no more than 7-8 hours, but that's still pretty good. Best to keep them topped off on the charging though. But please, do yourself a favor and tune out the naysayers. I don’t know, for the life of me, what they’re talking about. Are we reviewing the same headphones? These things are the cat’s pajamas, especially if you get them at $300. Have no fears!

SarahC1985 United Kingdom

Simply amazing, I'll never go back, music to my ears!

*Please be aware this review is being written from a totally blind person's perspective. * As I’ll be one of the first to review these headphones due to how new they are, I’ll try to go into as much detail as possible. First off, upon opening the box, you are greeted by a simple layout. The box purely contains the case and the manual. The case is more of an oval shape compared to the NC700, which is more of a square. Inside the case you’ll find the headphones, USB C to A charging cable and an audio cable if you want to connect it to a wired source. Opening the case up, the headphones feel very sleek, around the same size as other pairs, but the first thing I noticed was the fact the cushions mould seamlessly with the headphones, creating a complete seal. There is not that tiny gap like on the NC700 and others. What I liked immediately though was the fact the cushions slip into place with the use of six little tabs which simply snap into place. It’s a lot easier, for me at least, than trying to line them up with a tiny crack as with previous designs. When you turn them on, they have to be on both ears to activate, so Bose can use its tuning technology to personalise to the shape of your ears. This has to be done every time you put them on, turning them on with only one earcup in place won’t work. They truly live up to their name of ‘quiet comfort,’ I am wearing them right now as I type this, and you can almost forget you’re wearing headphones, you can hardly feel them, they almost mould to your head. They truly do hug your ears. The most comfortable pair I’ve ever owned. I also like how the Bluetooth and power button is slightly indented, whereas the multi-function button is perfectly smooth. The volume strip is also able to be felt, and I love how you just swipe it with a finger to change the volume, and you can also configure a shortcut to it, in the Bose Music App. Now moving on to connecting them, it’s just the same as with previous Bose headphones. Turn them on, you’ll hear the tone, and then the voice prompt will tell you they are ready to connect. Select your device and away you go. You can also store up to 8 Bluetooth devices in the headphones, which is a nice feature. The noise cancelling is without doubt the best I have heard yet. You can hardly hear anything when it’s on ‘quiet’ mode. You can also adjust the level of ANC you want, plus in aware mode, there are also ‘active sense’ settings, which block out loud noises by briefly turning on ANC, then turn it off again when the sound stops. This is good for if you're in a restaurant and a blender starts up, for example. These also have ‘wind block’ which mutes the microphones for NC while you’re on a call, so you don’t hear the wind against them. The person on the other end will still hear it though. Now the highlight, the immersive audio. I personally think it’s incredible. I’ve heard details in my music I’d never heard before, it gives the song or other content a completely new layer of depth. Bose weren’t kidding about that. I also have the Apple Air pods Max and these knock spots off those for their spacial audio and head tracking. It really does sound like the music is coming from a speaker in front of you, it sounds like the speaker nearest you when you turn your head, whichever way you turn it. I flicked between spacial and stereo, and I tell you what, I’ll never go back. Stereo sounds bland in comparison to this. I will always use spacial now wherever possible. The base is full, as is the treble and mid-range. You don’t miss anything, just like the artist intended. If you’re like me, you won’t go back either! As soon as I heard these were coming out, I just had to get them. It’s my birthday next month and my family said they would pay for them, but I just had to have them now and wow I do not regret it at all, and neither will you! Just one final note, I researched it last night and Bose will be releasing Ultra ear cushion kits for these headphones soon so we can buy replacements, if necessary, mine will probably wear quickly the amount I’m going to use them. I’ll probably use them on my work laptop too. All in all, yes, their pricey, but your ears will thank you, for both the superior comfort and second to none sound at the same time. Worth every penny, happy listening! Edit: (Because I struggled with this too,) if you want to clear the Bluetooth list and start over, press the power and multi-function buttons at the same time for a few seconds while the headphones are on, until the voice says 'bluetooth device list cleared.'

Oliver United States

Bose's best offering to date if you value sound quality, comfort, and ANC

I own the Bose QC45 and have recently tried comparable headphones in this class including the B&W PX7 S2 and Sennheiser Momentum 4. The Bose QC Ultra are probably the best among this group when it comes to my top three priorities - sound quality, comfort, and ANC. Here are my relative rankings in these categories: SOUND QUALITY I was a bit skeptical at first that Bose's new Immersion Mode would amount to a mere marketing gimmick, but it's really unlike anything that I've ever heard. It's hard to describe (you have to listen for yourself!). Immersion Mode somehow gives the sense that the audio source is in front of you (almost like speakers), which ultimately creates a more expansive, 3D-ish effect that makes the music "come alive." I now listen exclusively in Immersion Mode and don't know that I can go back to the more traditional, "closed-off" sound of other headphones. The QC Ultra is a definite step-up from the QC45. I was also impressed with the B&W PX7 S2's balanced and clean sound signature; however, I had to return my pair because the left ear cup suddenly and inexplicably went dead after only a week of gentle use. I contemplated repurchasing because of how good they sound but don't want to take the chance on receiving another dud. While the M4 has a loyal following, I was personally disappointed by the Sennheiser sound signature. The M4 was too bass-heavy for my taste; moreover, the clarity/separation for vocals and instruments was muddy and often overpowered by the bass. Rankings: QC Ultra >= PX7 S2 > QC45 > M4 COMFORT Both the QC45 and QC Ultra live up to the "comfort" in their names. Their light weight and plush padding are second to none, with perhaps a slight edge to the QC45. The PX7 S2 is also quite pleasant to wear but a little heavier compared to Bose. I was not a fan of the M4, which felt a bit cheap to me; the material used for the ear pads was not breathable (think hot ears), and the clamping force was tighter than Bose and B&W. Rankings: QC45 >= QC Ultra > PX7 S2 > M4 ANC Bose has earned a reputation as the "King of ANC", a title that is well-deserved IMO. Both the QC45 and QC Ultra are noticeably more effective at drowning out ambient noise than the PX7 S2 and M4. Rankings: QC Ultra = QC45 > PX7 S2 = M4 Hope that my observations help you if you're trying to decide between these headphone options. I plan to keep the QC Ultra as Bose has made substantial improvements to the QC45, namely the Immersion Mode, that justify the price differential for me. I do wish that the battery life were longer, but its other distinguishing features make up for it. Overall, I'd give the QC Ultra 4.5 (rounding up to 5) stars!