Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) Review: top-tier ANC with a couple of annoying quirks

I’ve been using the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) in Desert Gold for a few weeks, mostly for work, commuting, and a couple of flights. I came from a mix of older Bose QC35s and Sony WH-1000XM4, so I wasn’t going in blind. At this price, I expected strong noise cancelling, solid comfort, and no stupid surprises. I’ll be honest: they mostly deliver, but there are a few things that bug me.

The first impression when you unbox them is pretty straightforward: nice case, headphones look modern, and they feel lighter than they look. No crazy unboxing ritual, just plug them in for a bit and connect via Bluetooth. The app wants you to log in and update firmware right away, which is annoying but standard these days. Once that’s done, they pair quickly with my phone and laptop.

My use cases are pretty simple: I wear them 6–8 hours a day for work calls and music, plus 2–3 commutes a week and some Netflix in the evening. I also tested them on two 2–3 hour flights to see how good the noise cancelling really is. I don’t baby my gear, so they went in and out of a backpack, got folded, unfolded, and worn while walking around the city.

Overall, they feel like a serious product, not a toy, but they’re not flawless. Sound and ANC are very good, comfort is strong, battery is fine, but there are some fit issues and a couple of design choices that are a bit odd for this price. If you’re thinking of dropping this kind of money, you’ll want to know where they shine and where they’re just okay. That’s what I’ll break down below, without the marketing sugar.

Let’s be direct: these are not cheap. You’re paying for the Bose name, strong ANC, comfort, and some modern extras like spatial audio and USB audio. Compared to Sony WH‑1000XM5 or AirPods Max, they sit in the same price zone, sometimes a bit less if you catch a sale. If your priorities are top noise cancelling and all-day comfort, they justify their price better than many others. If you mainly care about pure sound quality per pound spent, there are cheaper wired or even some wireless options that sound as good or better.

For me, the value is decent but not mind-blowing. The things that feel worth the money are: very good ANC, easy app, strong comfort, and the fact they handle everything (Bluetooth, USB, analog cable) in one unit. The things that make me hesitate are: the slightly loose fit, the plastic-heavy build at this price, and the fact that Immersive Audio is more of a gimmick than a daily feature for me. I also think Bose could have pushed the battery a bit more to stand out.

If you already have a recent pair of Sony XM4/XM5 or a previous Bose QC model that still works well, I’d say don’t rush to upgrade unless you really want the new ANC and spatial features. The step up is nice but not night-and-day. If you’re coming from older or cheaper headphones and travel a lot, then yes, you’ll feel a clear jump in comfort and quiet. Just be aware of the fit issue: if your head is on the smaller side, you’ll probably love them; if it’s larger or you move around a lot, try them in-store first if you can.

Overall, I’d rate the value as “good but not crazy”. They are solid premium headphones that do most things very well, but the price is high enough that the small flaws stand out more. If you find them on discount, they make a lot more sense. At full price, you need to really care about Bose’s ANC and comfort to feel satisfied with the purchase.

Design-wise, the Desert Gold version looks clean and a bit more original than the usual black or silver. It’s not flashy, more like a soft champagne/gold tone with black pads and inner parts. In person, it looks decent and doesn’t scream “gamer headset” or anything. I wore them in the office and on the train and nobody stared, which is what I want from headphones. If you want something more low-key, though, you might prefer the black version.

The form factor is classic Bose: rounded ear cups, a simple headband, no crazy angles. Controls are a mix of physical buttons and a touch strip on the right ear cup for volume. You get a power/Bluetooth button, a custom button for ANC modes, and the touch strip for sliding volume and tap gestures. Once you get used to it, it’s fine, but the touch strip is a bit too sensitive sometimes. I accidentally changed volume when adjusting the headphones on my head more than once.

The folding mechanism is simple: the cups rotate flat and fold inwards into the case. It feels reasonably solid, but not tank-like. The joints don’t creak on mine, and the movement is smooth. The case itself is slim enough to fit in a backpack, but it’s not tiny. If you travel light, you’ll feel it. That said, I prefer this to some bulkier cases I’ve had with other brands.

One design issue that came up for me (and that one of the Amazon reviews also mentioned) is how secure they feel on the head. The clamp is on the lighter side, which helps comfort but also means that if you bend forward or move your head quickly, they can shift or feel like they might slide. They never fully fell off for me, but I definitely had a couple of “hmm, that’s loose” moments. For walking and office use, fine. For running or working out, I would not trust them. Overall, the design looks good and feels modern, but Bose clearly prioritised comfort over rock-solid grip.

Bose claims up to 30 hours of battery life, or about 23 hours with Immersive Audio turned on. In my real use (roughly 70% music, 30% calls, ANC always on, Immersive Audio off most of the time), I was getting around 24–26 hours before needing a charge. That’s over two to three workdays for me. So the claim isn’t totally off, but you won’t hit 30 hours unless you listen at lower volume and with all the fancy stuff off.

Charging is done through USB‑C, and a full charge takes about 2.5–3 hours from almost empty, which matches the spec. There’s a quick charge effect even if Bose doesn’t shout about it: 15–20 minutes on the charger gave me enough juice for a long commute and a couple of calls. You can also use them while charging, which is handy at a desk. I plugged them into my laptop via USB‑C and used them as a wired USB headset while they charged, so no downtime.

There’s no wireless charging, which would have been nice at this price but honestly isn’t critical for headphones. What matters more is how often you have to think about it. In practice, I charged them roughly twice a week with heavy use. The app gives a pretty accurate percentage, and the voice prompts tell you the battery level when you power them on, so you’re not guessing.

If you turn on Immersive Audio a lot, expect battery to drop faster. I tested one full day with Immersive Audio always on, and I got a bit under 20 hours before they were close to empty. So if you’re travelling long-haul and want to use that mode the whole time, bring a charger. Overall, battery life is good enough that it doesn’t get in the way, but it’s not some crazy multi-day monster. For most people, it’s perfectly fine.

This is probably the strongest point of these headphones. The ear pads are thick and soft, and the headband padding is decent without being bulky. I wore them 6–8 hours straight on work days, with only short breaks, and I didn’t get the usual hot-spot on the top of my head that I get with heavier headphones like AirPods Max. The weight distribution is well done, and they really do feel lighter on the head than they look in photos.

Clamping force is fairly light. Compared to my Sony WH-1000XM4, these press less on the sides of the head. That’s good for glasses wearers: I wear glasses, and I didn’t get painful pressure where the arms meet the ear. The trade-off, like I said earlier, is stability. If you tilt your head down to tie your shoes or pick up a bag, you feel them shift. Not always a big move, but enough to be annoying. One Amazon reviewer saying they fall off isn’t totally wrong; I wouldn’t say it’s that bad for everyone, but the fit is clearly on the loose side.

Heat build-up around the ears is moderate. After a couple of hours, my ears are warm but not sweaty, and that’s in a normal indoor environment. On a hot train or plane, you obviously feel them more, but that’s true of almost any over-ear. I didn’t get itching or irritation from the pads, which I sometimes do with cheaper fake leather. So for long listening sessions at home or in the office, they are genuinely pleasant to wear.

For movement-heavy stuff, like walking fast, light jogging to catch a train, or doing chores around the house, they’re still okay but you feel that they’re not locked in. If you’re planning to use them for gym workouts or running, I’d say forget it; go for in-ears or something with stronger clamp. So in short: comfort for stationary or light movement is top notch, but security on the head is just average.

These headphones sit in that zone where they feel premium in the hand, but when you look closely, you remember it’s mostly plastic with some metal reinforcement. The headband has a metal core and the sliders feel smooth, not cheap. The ear cups and hinges are plastic but don’t creak on mine, and they survived being dropped from desk height onto a wooden floor with no visible damage, which matches what one Amazon reviewer said about theirs surviving a fall.

After a few weeks of daily use, no obvious wear on the pads or headband yet. The pads are soft and don’t show cracks, but with this type of material, I expect them to wear over a year or two, especially if you sweat a lot or use them every day. At least they seem replaceable, though Bose pads are usually not cheap. The headband fabric hasn’t peeled, and there are no paint chips on the Desert Gold finish so far.

The folding mechanism feels reasonably solid, but I wouldn’t abuse it. This doesn’t feel like something you’d want to twist or throw around. The carrying case is stiff enough to protect them in a backpack. I tossed them in my bag next to a laptop and some cables and they came out fine. The only small concern is the touch strip: since it’s on the side, I do wonder how it will hold up after a year of constant finger swipes and taps, but that’s more of a long-term question.

Water resistance is listed as waterproof in the data, but I would treat that with caution. These are not sports earbuds; I wouldn’t wear them in the rain on purpose. Light drizzle on a short walk is probably fine, but I wouldn’t rely on them for heavy outdoor use. Overall, build quality is good but not bulletproof. If you’re relatively careful and use the case when travelling, they should last. If you’re rough with gear, you might want something more rugged or cheaper to replace.

On sound, these lean slightly warm with strong bass and clear vocals. Out of the box, the bass is a bit boosted but not crazy. For pop, hip-hop and electronic, it’s fun and punchy. For rock and acoustic, it’s still fine, but I dialled the bass down a notch in the app to keep things from sounding too thick. The midrange (voices, guitars) is clean enough that podcasts and calls are easy to follow. Treble is present without being harsh, at least to my ears. Compared to my older Sony XM4, the Bose feels a bit cleaner in the mids and slightly less boomy in the low end once you tweak it.

The noise cancelling is genuinely strong. On flights, it cut out most engine drone and a lot of chatter. You still hear faint announcements, but they’re much lower. On the train, it removed the low rumble and a good chunk of background noise, leaving only some higher-pitched sounds. It’s not total silence, but it’s very comfortable. Compared to my Sony XM4, I’d say the Bose cancels low frequencies a bit better, and the overall feeling is more “quiet bubble”. The Aware Mode works as expected: you hear outside sounds, and your own voice doesn’t sound too weird, which is important for calls.

The Immersive Audio (spatial audio) is a bit of a mixed bag. For movies and some tracks that are mastered for it, it gives a nice sense that the sound is in front of you instead of in your head. It’s cool for a while, especially in Cinema Mode. But for regular music, I ended up turning it off most of the time. It slightly changes the tonality and drains more battery (Bose says 23 hours with it on vs 30 hours off). So for me it’s a fun extra, not a core feature. If you expect your whole library to suddenly feel like a surround system, you’ll probably be a bit underwhelmed.

For calls, the microphones are decent. People on the other end said my voice was clear, even in a moderately noisy street. The AI noise reduction does cut some background sounds, but it’s not magic; if a bus passes right by you, they’ll still hear it. Indoors, for Teams/Zoom, no problem. Latency for video is fine over Bluetooth on my phone and laptop, and even better over USB‑C. So overall performance is strong: good sound, very good ANC, spatial audio is fun but optional, calls are solid but not mind-blowing.

On paper, these are classic high-end over-ear Bluetooth headphones: ANC, Bluetooth 5.4, up to 30 hours of battery, USB‑C charging, 3.5 mm jack, microphone for calls, plus Bose’s spatial audio (they call it Immersive Audio). In the box you get the headphones, a hard case, a short USB‑C to USB‑C cable, and a 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm audio cable. No wall charger, which is normal now but still a bit annoying if you don’t already have a bunch.

Pairing is easy. Hold the power button, they show up instantly on phone and laptop. The Bose app is almost mandatory if you want to tweak ANC levels, EQ, or Immersive Audio. The app is fairly clear: you can create modes (Quiet, Aware, Immersion) and adjust how much outside sound you let in. There’s also a simple three-band EQ (bass, mids, treble). I set up one profile for work (mids slightly up for voices) and one for music (bass slightly boosted, treble a bit up).

In daily use, connection stability is pretty solid. I walk around my flat and office without dropouts. Bluetooth range is roughly what they claim: around 8–9 meters with a wall or two in between before it starts cutting. Multipoint works, but not flawlessly. It connects to phone and laptop, but switching audio between them sometimes takes a couple of seconds, and occasionally I have to disconnect one device in the app to make the other behave. Not a deal breaker, just mildly irritating at this price.

They also have a USB audio mode: if you plug them via USB‑C to your laptop, they show up as a USB audio device. That’s actually handy for calls because latency is low and sound is stable. I ended up using USB at my desk and Bluetooth when walking around. Overall, as a package, they’re pretty complete: wireless, wired, USB, good app. No big missing feature, but also nothing radically new compared to the last few years of premium headphones.