Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) Review: top-tier comfort and ANC, with a few quirks

I’ve been using the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) in Midnight Violet as my main headphones for a while now – work, commuting, and a couple of flights. I didn’t baby them, I just used them like I normally would: tossed in a backpack, long calls, Netflix, Spotify, some gaming on a laptop. At this price, I expected them to be very good, but I also went in looking for flaws, because spending this much on headphones should hurt a bit if they’re not pulling their weight.

The first thing that hit me is how focused these are on comfort and noise cancelling. Bose is clearly trying to win the plane/train crowd and people who sit with headphones on for hours. If that’s your use case, they make a strong case right away. If you’re more into hardcore audiophile tuning, or you want loads of smart features and gimmicks, you might feel they’re a bit more conservative.

In day-to-day use, they’re basically my “leave-me-alone” headset. I grab them when I want to drown out background noise and just get stuff done. The sound out of the box is on the warm and punchy side, and with a bit of EQ in the Bose app, they can hit pretty hard, especially with bass-heavy tracks. The spatial / immersive modes are fun but not something I leave on all the time.

They’re not perfect though. The price bites, there are some small annoyances with controls and the app, and I’ve seen a few people report crackling/popping issues that would be a deal-breaker if it happened to you. So this isn’t a “go buy them blindly” review. I’ll walk through where they shine and where I think Bose could have done better, based on actually living with them instead of just testing them for an hour.

Let’s be blunt: these are expensive. You’re paying top-tier money for a pair of over-ear headphones. So the question isn’t “are they good?” – they are – but “are they good enough for this price compared to Sony, Apple, and sometimes-discounted older models?” For me, the value mainly comes from three things: comfort, noise cancelling, and overall ease of use. If you travel a lot or wear headphones for half the day, those three points matter more than having the absolute sharpest sound or the most features on paper.

Compared to Sony WH-1000XM5/XM6, a lot of people (including one of the Amazon reviewers) prefer the Bose for long-term comfort and slightly cleaner design. Sony sometimes wins on features and customisation, Bose tends to win on out-of-the-box simplicity and ANC smoothness. Compared to AirPods Max, Bose feels less fancy in the hand but far better on the neck and head over time, and usually comes in cheaper. If you can snag the Bose during a discount, the value gets a lot more convincing.

Where the value feels a bit shaky is around build feel vs price and the odd report of technical issues like crackling. At this level, even isolated hardware or firmware quirks stand out. Also, if you don’t care about spatial audio, Cinema Mode, or USB voice, you might feel like you’re paying for features you don’t really use. In that case, an older QC model or a discounted Sony could be smarter.

Overall, I’d say: if you care a lot about comfort + ANC + solid, enjoyable sound and you actually use your headphones for long stretches, the price can be justified. If you’re more casual – just a bit of music here and there at home – these are probably overkill, and you’d get better value from something cheaper. They’re a good long-term investment if you’re going to abuse them with daily use, but not the best “bang for buck” if you’re on a tight budget.

Design-wise, these are pretty restrained. If you’re expecting something super flashy, you won’t get that, but they do look more modern than the old QC line. The Midnight Violet colour is actually quite nice in real life: it’s more of a deep, dark purple that almost looks black indoors, and only really shows the colour when light hits it. So if you want something a bit different without screaming “look at my headphones”, this hits a good middle ground. I personally like that they don’t shout for attention in a train or office.

The earcups are smooth plastic with a matte-ish finish, and the headband has a metal core with a plastic outer shell. There’s no weird glossy plastic that picks up fingerprints everywhere, which I appreciate. The buttons are all on one earcup and are physical, not touch sliders, except for the capacitive volume strip. That mix is a bit odd at first. I had a couple of accidental triggers with the touch volume area when adjusting the headphones, but after a few days I got used to where to grab them.

One thing I like: the L and R markings are clear on the inside, unlike some Sony models where you kind of squint to figure out which way is which. The folding mechanism feels thought-through: they fold flat and also inwards, so you can wear them around your neck or tuck them into the case easily. The hinges don’t creak on my pair, and they move smoothly without feeling over-tight. I did a couple of “shake tests” just for fun, and they stayed on my head without flying off.

Overall, the design is pretty solid. It’s not going to win any art awards, but it looks like a premium product without being overdesigned. The main downside is that it’s still mostly plastic on the outside, so if you really like the cold metal feel of something like AirPods Max, this might feel a bit less fancy in the hand. On the flip side, that plastic helps keep the weight down, which matters more once you’re wearing them for three hours straight.

Bose advertises up to 30 hours of battery life, or about 23 hours with Immersive Audio on. In real use, with ANC always on, mixed volume, and immersive modes only sometimes enabled, I was getting roughly 3–4 days of office use (around 5–6 hours per day) before needing to charge. On a long-haul flight plus some airport time, they comfortably handled the whole trip with some juice left. So for travel and normal daily use, battery life is more than fine.

Charging is straightforward via USB-C. From low battery to full takes around 2.5–3 hours, which lines up with the spec. There’s also a quick-charge style benefit: plug them in for about 15–20 minutes and you get enough juice for a few hours of listening. One Amazon reviewer mentioned being surprised by how quickly the percentage jumps in the first minutes – I noticed the same. It’s not magic, but it’s fast enough that you can top them up while making coffee and be good for a long commute.

One nice touch: you can charge and listen at the same time over USB-C, which is handy if you’re at a desk and don’t want to think about battery at all. There’s also the USB voice feature, so you can use them as a wired USB headset for calls with the built-in mic and skip Bluetooth entirely. That’s actually quite handy if you do a lot of video calls from a laptop and don’t want any wireless hiccups mid-meeting.

Are they class-leading in battery? Not really – some competitors push 40+ hours. But in practice, unless you forget to charge things for days on end, these are good enough that battery becomes a non-issue. The only mild annoyance is that, like most modern headphones, you’re stuck relying on the app or voice prompts to know your exact level, and there’s no removable battery. When the battery eventually degrades after a few years, you’ll be living on shorter runtimes or wired use.

Comfort is honestly one of the biggest reasons I keep reaching for these instead of other headphones I have lying around. They’re light for over-ears in this category (around 240–250g range depending on how you measure), and the clamping force is firm enough to stay put but not skull-crushing. I’ve worn them for full workdays – 3–4 hour stretches with short breaks – and my head and ears didn’t feel sore afterwards. That’s not the case with everything I’ve tried, especially heavier metal builds.

The ear cushions are soft and thick, with that “pillow” feel you expect from Bose. They fully cover my ears with room to spare, and I don’t get any hot spots on the top of my head from the headband padding. I’ve even fallen asleep on the couch with them on, and while they’re not exactly designed as a sleep headset, I didn’t wake up with my ears screaming at me. One Amazon reviewer also mentioned falling asleep with them a few times without issues, so it’s not just me.

Compared to Sony WH-1000XM5 (and even older XM3/XM4), these feel slightly lighter and less clampy. Compared to AirPods Max, they’re way more comfortable for long sessions just because of the weight difference alone. The trade-off is that the Bose don’t feel as tank-like as the AirPods Max, but in daily use I’d rather have less neck fatigue. If you wear glasses, the cushions do compress a bit around the frames, but I didn’t get that immediate pressure line that some tighter headphones create.

Only real nitpick: in hot weather or if you’re walking a lot, your ears will warm up, as with pretty much any over-ear with synthetic leather pads. They’re fine for office, home, flights, and trains. For running or heavy workouts, they’re not ideal – they stay on, but they get sweaty and feel a bit overkill. For their intended use (travel, work, commuting), comfort is a strong point and one of the main reasons I’d recommend them over some cheaper but harsher models.

In terms of build, these feel well-assembled but clearly prioritise lightness over tank-like sturdiness. The headband has a metal core, but most of the outer shell and the earcups are plastic. That’s not necessarily bad – it keeps weight down and helps with comfort – but if you’re someone who throws headphones around or has a history of snapping headbands, you’ll want to be at least a bit careful. I did some rough handling (twisting the band slightly, folding/unfolding repeatedly, tossing them in a backpack in the case) and nothing felt loose or creaky on my unit.

Anecdotally, one Amazon reviewer upgraded from the first gen after six years of daily use, which is a good sign for long-term Bose reliability in general. That said, these are still electronics with moving parts and a lot of plastic. The ear pads are replaceable, which is a big plus: on a lot of cheaper headphones, the cushions wear out and you end up replacing the whole device. Here, you can swap pads and keep them going longer. The hinges feel decently solid, but I wouldn’t go stress-testing them on purpose.

The case is rigid enough to protect from drops in a bag or being slightly squashed under other stuff. It’s plastic, not some fancy metal, but it does the job. I wouldn’t sit on it, but for normal travel it’s fine. The finish on the Midnight Violet model hasn’t scratched easily for me yet, though like any matte plastic, I expect it’ll eventually pick up small marks if you’re careless with keys and sharp objects.

One thing to flag: the mention of popping and crackling from one reviewer could point to either a bad unit or some firmware/connection bug. If you get that kind of issue, don’t try to live with it – just return or warranty it. At this price, you shouldn’t be troubleshooting basic sound integrity. Overall, durability feels decent but not bulletproof. Treat them like a premium gadget, not like a pair of cheap beaters you can throw around, and they should hold up well enough for several years.

On sound, these lean towards a warm, punchy profile. The bass can hit hard, especially if you bump it in the EQ. One reviewer mentioned running bass at 10, mids at 6, treble at 3 and testing with Billie Jean – I tried something similar and, yeah, the low end thumps nicely without turning everything into a muddy mess. Vocals stay fairly clear, and there’s enough detail for most people. Are they “audiophile reference” level? No. But for everyday listening, movies, and games, they sound very good and are easy to enjoy for long sessions.

The spatial / Bose Immersive Audio modes are fun for certain content. For music, it sometimes adds a sense of the sound coming from in front of you instead of inside your skull. For movies and series, Cinema Mode does help sound effects and background audio feel wider. I wouldn’t say it’s life-changing, and I don’t keep it on all the time, mainly because it eats more battery and sometimes feels a bit artificial on some tracks. Good to have as an option, not essential.

Noise cancelling is where these really earn their place. On planes and trains, they cut low-frequency rumble very well. Office noise, AC, fans, and general hum mostly disappear. Voices are reduced but not totally gone – that’s pretty standard – but they get pushed into the background enough that music or podcasts easily cover them. Compared directly with Sony’s top ANC, I’d say Bose is at least on par and often a bit better with low-end rumble. Aware Mode works decently too; you can hear your surroundings without feeling like a mic is screaming in your ears.

On the downside, there is at least one Amazon review mentioning intermittent pops and crackling. I personally haven’t hit that, but if you get a faulty unit, at this price it’s absolutely not acceptable and I’d return or swap them immediately. Also, they do leak a bit of sound at higher volumes, like most over-ears, so if you’re blasting music in a silent office, people near you might hear a faint hiss of what you’re playing. Overall, though, sound quality + ANC together are a strong combo and a big reason people stick with Bose.

On paper, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) tick most of the usual premium boxes. You get Bluetooth 5.4 with about a 9-metre range, active noise cancelling, spatial audio (Bose calls it Immersive Audio), up to 30 hours of battery (closer to 23 with immersive modes), and USB-C charging. They also throw in some extras like a USB voice mode for calls over USB-C, Cinema Mode for watching movies, and multipoint-style switching between devices. The Midnight Violet version is a limited edition colour, which is basically a dark purple that looks pretty low-key in normal lighting.

In the box, you get the headphones, a hard protective case, a short USB-C to USB-C cable, and a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm audio cable for wired listening. No wall charger, which is standard now but still slightly annoying at this price. The case is compact enough to fit in a backpack without taking over the entire compartment, and there’s a little internal slot for the cables so they’re not just rattling around.

Bose pushes the app pretty hard. You need the Bose app if you want to tweak EQ, switch between noise cancelling modes (Quiet, Aware, Immersion), update firmware, and play with the spatial audio and Cinema Mode. Without the app, you can still do the basics with the buttons, but you’ll miss a big chunk of what makes these feel “premium” in 2024. The app itself is okay – not the smoothest, not the worst. It’s usable, but it does feel like one more thing you need to manage.

Overall, from a spec sheet point of view, they sit right where you’d expect versus Sony WH-1000XM5/XM6 and Apple AirPods Max. If you’re coming from older Bose QC headphones, this feels like a natural step up: better ANC, more features, slightly fancier design, and more software tricks. The question is less about specs and more about whether the actual experience justifies the asking price, especially when Sony and others sometimes go on sale more often.