On September 21, audio brand Bose held the 2023 Bose New Product Launch and Brand Gala and unveiled the latest flagship of the classic noise-cancelling headphone line QuietComfort (QC), Bose QuietComfort, Noise Cancelling Headphones Ultra.
If you're familiar with audio headphones, you're no stranger to Bose and QuietComfort, the inventor of noise-cancelling headphones, Bose's QuietComfort is the pioneer of noise-cancelling headphones, and is still regarded as the "noise cancelling benchmark" for its excellent noise-cancelling properties.
The new Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra are the new flagship of the QC series, which not only has upgraded noise cancellation capabilities, but also features Bose's latest immersive spatial audio technology and supports Snapdragon Sound technology, which takes the earbuds to the next level.
So, what exactly is the listening experience like on the new Bose QC Ultra, the flagship Bose headphones? Below, follow in the footsteps of I Love Audio Network to experience the charm of Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones Ultra.
Guided tour
The new flagship of QuietComfort, the legendary noise-cancelling headphone line, the new Bose QuietComfort™ Headphones Ultra are iterated upon in many ways. In order to fully appreciate all aspects of the new product, we conducted experience evaluations on the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones Ultra in three categories: "Unboxing", "Hands-on Experience", and "Data Measurement".
The main logical structure of this review is as follows:
- Unboxing Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra
- Packaging & Accessories
- Exterior details
- Get hands-on with Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra
- Connect, pair, and app
- Wearing experience
- Listening experience
- Noise-canceling experience
- Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra data measured
- Measured weight
- Charging and battery life
- Wireless connectivity capability test
- Device compatibility testing
- I love the audio network summary
You can quickly find the section you want to see based on the headings in the text.
Unboxing Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra
Packaging & Accessories
In recent years, Bose has adopted a new and fresh style on the packaging, and so has the new Bose QuietComfort headphones Ultra.
In terms of packaging, the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones Ultra are designed with a hanging carton, and the "Morning Mist White" version that I love audio network got this time is white as the theme color, and the top product picture area is supplemented by a touch of green, which is very fresh.
On the front of the package, the Bose logo divides the package into two halves, with a detailed image of the headphones at the top and a product image of the headphones at the bottom, with the product name QUIETCOMFORT ULTRA HEADPHONES and the product feature NOISE CANCELLING.
THE PRODUCT NAME QUIETCOMFORT HEADPHONES IS SHOWN AT A GLANCE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE BOX.
On the right side of the box, there is a slogan from Bose, "Sound is Power", and a product information label for the national version.
A list of the bottom of the package, indicating the manufacturer and regulatory information of the product.
A glimpse of the back of the Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra package, with a product image at the top, a design concept in four European languages, and compatibility features at the bottom: MFi certified, Android compatible, Bluetooth connectivity, and Snapdragon Sound support.
The packaging is designed in a double-layer box, and all the contents are removed when the package is opened. The box list for Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra includes the headphones, carrying case, charging cable, audio cable, and paper documents.
At a glance, the storage case of the "Morning Mist White" earphones is creamy white and capsule-shaped, with the Bose logo in the center. The surface of the storage box is made of leather, which is more comfortable to the touch.
The zipper opens the storage box, and you can see that there is a cable storage space on the left side, and the storage space for the earphones is on the right.
There is also a description of the folding status of the earphones next to the storage position.
A list of charging cables, a USB-A to USB-C cable with a modest length and the same color as the earbuds.
The audio cable is 2.5mm AUX on one side for headphones and 3.5mm AUX on the other side for connecting audio source devices, and is in the same color as headphones.
Exterior details
Look back at the product. Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Ultra has the same exterior as above, with a sandy white surface of metal, plastic, and leather, with a matte finish and a metallic finish on the earcup frame.
A glance at the left side of the earcup, with the Bose logo on the outside of the earcup, in an oblique oval shape.
A view of the right earcup of the earbuds, which is basically symmetrical with the left earcup.
The inner part of the headband is filled with sponge, and the outer layer is made of leather, which is comfortable to the touch and has a strong sense of integration.
The two sides of the head beam are provided with a retractable structure at the end position, and the stepless adjustment is adopted to meet the wearing needs of users with different head shapes.
The headband and earcups are equipped with a swivel structure, which is made of metal with excellent texture, and supports two-axis rotation, which is easy to adjust and wear, and fold and store.
When you rotate the earcups outward, you can see the outside of your Bose QuietComfort® headphones Ultra.
The inside of the earbuds is at a glance, and the inner mesh of the earcups on both sides is marked with L and R direction markings, making it easy for users to distinguish the direction.
The set of action buttons is located at the bottom of the earcups on both sides. On the bottom of the left earcup, there is a USB-C charging port and an AUX wired audio jack.
At the bottom of the right earcup, there is a power/Bluetooth button, as well as a multi-function button. It is worth mentioning that on the side, there is also a small bump bar for sliding to adjust the volume.
Get a look at the smallest look of Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra when folded, so you can take it with you in your pouch and take it with you on the go.
Get hands-on with Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra
Connect, pair, and app
The new QuietComfort headphones Ultra feature a new set of control buttons, but they're still quick and easy to connect. In the factory state, press and hold the power button to turn on the earphones, and the earphones will automatically enter pairing mode, and then select pairing from the Bluetooth settings of the phone.
Once connected, select "Bose QC Ultra Headphones" in the system audio output.
In addition, Bose QC Ultra Headphones support Snapdragon Sound, which prompts you to connect with the aptX Adaptive codec when connected to a compatible Qualcomm Snapdragon chip.
About Snapdragon Sound Snapdragon Sound
Snapdragon Sound – An innovative audio, connectivity and mobile technology from Qualcomm that aims to create a seamless immersive audio experience for devices such as smartphones, wireless earbuds and headphones, as well as between devices.
With a Snapdragon-enabled phone, you can enjoy higher sound quality (up to 24-bit 96kHz audio), lower gaming latency, and clearer calls with aptX™ Adaptive technology.
In terms of apps, the official app for QuietComfort Headphones Ultra is Bose Music by Bose.
The Bose Music app offers an elegant connection pairing process that includes noise cancellation mode selection, immersive audio switches, EQ equalizers, quick action settings, and more.
When it comes to controls, the Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra are unique. There are only two control buttons that can be pressed on the whole machine, namely the operation button and the switch button, of which the operation button corresponds to the media control and noise reduction control, and the switch button is responsible for the switch and Bluetooth connection.
So, how do you adjust the volume? The secret lies in the protrusion on the back of the right earcup, and by sliding your fingers on this line, you can freely control the volume increase or decrease, which is very dexterous.
In addition, as a headphone, Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra also comes standard with a cable connection function, which allows you to use the headphones in wired mode using the included 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm AUX audio cable, which is suitable for non-wireless scenarios such as PC, PC viewing, gaming, and more.
Wearing experience
Let's enter the wearing experience link. One of the main selling points of the QuietComfort family is "Comfort," and thanks to its ergonomic design and overall materials, Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra feel great on the ear.
First of all, when it comes to the overall wearing experience of the headphones, the overall weight of the Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra is at the mainstream level of headphones, so it doesn't overwhelm the head. In addition, the soft sponge at the headband position also distributes the weight of the earbuds well throughout the head, so that the top of the head will not be too pressed after wearing.
In terms of earcup comfort, the Bose QuietComfort® Ultra earcups perform well in terms of fit, breathability and pressure on both ears.
The soft sponge material on the outer ring of the earcups makes the earcups fit the head perfectly, while the leather material on the outside has good breathability, so it will not be too stuffy in most scenes. In addition, the curved pressure of the headband is relatively moderate, not too much pressure on the ears, and not too loose, resulting in an excellent two-ear wearing experience.
When wearing Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra, they look the same from a distance.
Listening experience
The biggest highlight of the new Bose QuietComfort headphones Ultra is the upgrade in terms of sound and sound – the further upgraded CustomTune technology for better personalized tuning, and the new "immersive audio" brings the QC series into the era of spatial audio.
First of all, CustomTune technology allows the earbuds to intelligently analyze the ear canal and actively adjust it according to the shape of the ear canal to present a personalized sound field, so every time you put on the earbuds, you will hear a sound similar to "power on sound", but in fact, the earbuds are measuring the characteristics of the ear canal.
The Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra generally follow the style of the QC series, with just the right amount of stylized adjustments, with a quick response at low frequencies and warm and cold clocks with excellent clarity.
The most intuitive experience of this technology is that when listening to QuietComfort Headphones Ultra, you can hear more nuanced details when listening with QuietComfort Headphones Ultra thanks to the updated CustomTune technology that optimizes everyone's ears.
The second major technology is the "Immersive Audio" mode, which is designed for the soundstage of music.
When immersive audio is turned on in the app, the sound field of the headphones is greatly enhanced, and the sound seems to be changed from the original binaural to a space, which improves the sense of immersion in listening.
In addition, immersive audio also supports "head tracking", after selecting the "(sound field) static" mode, the headphones will detect the head movement in real time through the sensor to change the sound field, which is equivalent to the "head tracking" of the AirPods system, and its response speed has reached the first echelon of head tracking in the current headphones, and the delay is basically difficult to feel, bringing an unprecedented sense of presence.
Noise-canceling experience
Bose's QuietComfort line, one of the most iconic noise-cancelling headphones in the audio world, takes the leap forward in noise cancellation with its latest flagship, the Bose QuietComfort® headphones Ultra.
In the office, commuting subway, outdoor and other different scenarios, I love audio network tests found that in the default "noise cancellation" and "immersive audio" modes, that is, the mode with the highest noise cancellation, Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones Ultra can almost eliminate the external ambient noise (white noise), into a quiet and immersive listening space.
In terms of medium and high frequency burst noise, the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones Ultra also has a good performance, with excellent passive noise cancellation + active noise cancellation capabilities, although it will not be completely eliminated and greatly reduced, but it can still have a good shielding effect for noise such as keyboard clicks and mouse clicks.
In terms of noise cancellation modes, Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones Ultra can choose between a custom noise cancellation level, a transparency mode, and an anti-wind noise mode, which allows users to customize the noise cancellation function according to their actual use case.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra data measured
Measured weight
The weight of the headphones is 255.5g, which is the usual level of mainstream headphones, and with a comfortable headband and earcup structure, it will not put a lot of pressure on the head.
Charging and battery life
The Wired Charging of the Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra was measured by the CHARGERLAB POWER-Z professional tester and the wired charging rate of the earphones is 1.7W. The headphones support fast charging, and 15 minutes can be charged to 2.5 hours of continuous listening time.
In terms of battery life, Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra have 24 hours (regular) and 18 hours (immersive audio) battery life.
Wireless connectivity capability test
Bose QuietComfort uses Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity technology, which is anti-interference, low latency, low power consumption, and officially supports wireless connections up to 9 meters. In order to test the wireless connectivity capability of the headset, we conducted a wireless connection distance test on it, as follows:
We tested the wireless connection stability of the headphones by placing a phone in a fixed position in the office (right in the floor plan), then wearing a Bose QuietComfort connected to the phone and walking along four routes a, b, c, and d. Thereinto:
A Route: Pass through the office area of a colleague, where a large number of wireless devices such as computers, mobile phones, and other wireless headsets are working;
Route B: Passed through a partition wall and a transparent floor-to-ceiling glass;
C Route: The path is close to a straight line, and there are few obstacles during the period;
D Route: Pass through the reception room and negotiation area, during which there are scattered obstacles, but there is no electronic signal equipment.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra have been tested to maintain a stable connection from start to finish in all four paths, with no disconnection or stuttering, and excellent overall wireless connectivity, making it safe to use in busy scenarios, such as train stations and commuter subways.
Device compatibility testing
Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra are feature-rich and feature with the addition of immersive audio, and we've tested their compatibility with the main features of the headphones to work smoothly on major phones.
When connected to Bose QuietComfort Headphones Ultra from four different brands and operating systems, all four phones work seamlessly together for basic playback, noise cancellation, and control.
The companion app "Bose Music" has been launched on Android and iOS, and the immersive audio is enabled by this app, so mainstream mobile phone users can get it with confidence, but if you use it on a computer or other device, this feature will not be available for the time being.
I love the audio network summary
The latest generation of Bose's legendary noise-cancelling headphones, QuietComfort, Bose QuietComfort® Ultra embodies the word "Ultra" with enhanced noise cancellation, CustomTune and advanced technologies for immersive audio features.
Audiophile-wise, thanks to CustomTune and Spatial Audio, Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra take your hearing to the next level, taking the soundstage and presence to the next level.
When it comes to noise cancellation, Bose QuietComfort® Headphones Ultra take active noise cancellation a step further by dramatically reducing ambient noise for an immersive, quiet sound, living up to the name QuietComfort.
If you're looking for a full-featured headphone with a focus on spatial audio and noise cancellation, look no further than Bose QuietComfort.