Bose has also improved the call quality of the QC Ultra headphones. The company says a new AI-powered setup called SpeechClarity works with the headphones’ “eight microphones, dynamic mixing and adaptive filters” to focus on your voice. Bose says it uses sound enhancement technology originally developed for headphones that can reduce background noise such as wind or office noise. During my testing, the redesigned system silenced a noisy fan, making it completely disappear from my recordings. However, the overall voice quality suffers, as the audio sounds a bit static when all audio processing is activated.
Fortunately, you no longer need additional accessories to charge your QC Ultra headphones wirelessly. With the first generation model, you had to buy something to enable wireless charging. Bose has now packed all of this into the body of the second generation unit, a welcome update that should have been there from the start. When the first QC Ultra earbuds were released in 2023, wireless charging was already the norm.
What’s so great about the QuietComfort Ultra headphones (2nd generation)?
As mentioned, the overall ANC performance of the QC Ultra earbuds remains unmatched. If you want to block out distractions, this is the best option while still delivering excellent sound quality. Bose actually does a better job of blocking out human voices than most of its competitors, which can be difficult for much of the competition.
The sound quality of these headphones is still excellent. You won’t notice as much detail as with Noble Audio’s FoKus Rex5 or Technics AZ100, but clarity is still excellent here. Bose says the tuning has been “slightly refined” to improve bass response and smoother high frequencies. I’ve noticed that songs with deep bass, like “Locked Club” by Deftones, are lighter on the bass. The high instruments in songs like Miles Davis’ ‘Green Haze’ now sound clearer and cleaner than before.
Despite the larger size, this year’s garment offers a surprisingly balanced and comfortable fit. Bose has added a new cover to the earcups of the QC Ultra headphones to help prevent earwax build-up. The touch controls still work reliably and you can disable them entirely on this second-gen version.
What’s not to like about the QuietComfort Ultra headphones (2nd generation)?
The biggest complaint I have with the redesign of the QuietComfort Ultra headphones is the lack of battery life improvements. I was disappointed when I read the June announcement and found that better battery life wasn’t part of the updates, and I still can’t get enough of it. With this model, you get up to six hours of use with ANC enabled. If you listen with immersive surround sound enabled as before, the time is reduced to four hours. A few extra hours would have been welcome, enough to keep the QC Ultra headphones in place for a full work day without having to give them a lunch break in the suitcase.
While I don’t really care for the design, I know the look of the QC Ultra headphones isn’t for everyone. There is a kind of mini Bluetooth headset here, and the overall size of the headset is larger, while much of the competition aims to be the smallest. Like I said, this doesn’t compromise on comfort or stability, and I’m willing to bet that many potential buyers are willing to live with aesthetics in exchange for the kind of silence that the QC Ultra Earbuds offer.
Summary
The updates to the second-generation QC Ultra headphones aren’t a completely new product, but they still offer enough to represent a significant improvement over the previous version. ANC and call performance have improved, and while late to the party, the addition of built-in wireless charging is a welcome change. Other updates, like optimizations and the ability to disable touch controls, are quality-of-life changes that really improve the overall experience. Bose did all this without changing the price compared to the 2023 model, a surprising choice given the current economic climate. Simply put, the QC Ultra headphones are still the best choice for noise-canceling wireless headphones, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Generation) are available in the US starting today, August 28th. The general sale date is scheduled for September 10th.
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