Bose QuietComfort Ultra Review

I picked up the new Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones. The headphones are priced at $450 USD/$550 CAD/€500/£450 at MSRP.

In the box, you get the QuietComfort Ultra headphones, USB A to USB C charging cable, 3.5mm to 25.mm audio cable, a carrying case and a user manual. On the bottom of the left earcup, you get the USB C charging port and 2.5mm audio port. On the bottom of the right earcup, you have the bluetooth/power button and a multifunction button for multimedia or call controls and a touch control strip at the plastic wall on the side beside the buttons on the right cup.

The ear cups are made from comfortable soft matte coating and are wire deep and don’t trap too much heat. The hinges to the watching are made out of aluminum. Padding is in a plush leather-like material. The aluminum headband extenders hold the earcups well and don’t move around. The headband holds it down to your head snugly, but don’t clamp as hard as the outgoing NC700, making it exceptionally comfortable for usage for long durations, especially for office use or in noisy environments like on transit or flights. The weight is essentially the same as the NC700, but feels lighter on the head as the headband doesn’t clamp as tightly. Even with glasses, they’re quite comfortable and can be work for extended times. The headphones fold up nicely into it’s carrying case and is compact. This is great if you plan to carry it around and packs away nicely in a bag when travelling. Overall build quality is good and feels premium.

Audio quality is good, as they are using similar 35mm drivers in the NC700. They aren’t quite the level of those who are picky audiophiles or want a studio headphones. Audio is clear, balanced and are a touch more bassy than the NC700. There are some preset EQ modes to choose from for Treble/Bass Boost and Treble/Bass Reducer. The Noise Cancelling is exceptional, outdoing the outgoing NC700. In an office environment at 25% volume, I could not hear co-workers 15 ft away and the HVAC system running.

There is multipoint Bluetooth connectivity and is easy to switch between devices like a phone or laptop. Even walking over 30 feet away, I did not lose connection. Wired audio is just as good as Bluetooth. Unfortunately at this time, audio over USB is not available on the QC Ultras.

For Immersive Mode, it does feel like when you turn your head, the audio adjusts to your head position like you’re sitting in an auditorium. It’s a nice touch, best done when you’re sitting stationary.

With call quality, audio from the mic was clear and audio from my caller came in very well. They couldn’t hear much of the mechanical keyboard on my desk or nearby co-workers.

Battery life comes pretty close to the advertised time at ~22-23 hrs with ANC at full. Charge time from completely dead to full is around 2.5 hours.

Overall, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones have solid build quality, good audio, comfortable with plush headband and earpads, and class leading noise cancelling. Immersive Mode is a neat feature, but still needs some work to perfect it. The only detractor is the premium asking price, but is worth it if you can get it on sale or come across a refurbished or open box unit. We’d highly recommend these headphones for those that want a comfortable headphone that you can use for hours on end, best in class noise cancelling and good audio.