A Strong Return from Bose: QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Lead to Reclaim the Noise-Cancelling Throne

Bose announces the launch of its QuietComfort Ultra headphones, the second generation, offering a unique listening experience thanks to their quietness, comfort, and superior audio performance, a result of comprehensive improvements. This move comes as a direct response to strong competition from Sony in the noise-cancellation field, with Bose introducing fundamental advancements in noise cancellation technology, spatial audio, wired audio, overall sound performance, and user experience. The QuietComfort Ultra 2 headphones feature enhanced adaptive noise cancellation, where the developed ActiveSense system relies on a new algorithm that distributes noise cancellation more smoothly and quickly. The headphones' microphones accurately detect ambient noise and effectively cancel it, reducing the feeling of ear pressure caused by high noise cancellation levels. They also offer a new customization feature that allows users to completely disable noise cancellation or adjust its intensity, unlike previous generations which were limited to "Aware" or "Quiet" modes only.

New Features and Availability

Among the new features are improved low power mode, longer battery life, and USB-C audio support. The headphones are available for pre-order at $449 in four colors and will be generally available on October 2.

Smart Wear Detection Technology

The headphones operate with smart wear detection technology; when placed on the head, they automatically connect to the paired audio source. When removed and laid flat, they immediately enter low-power standby mode without needing to be placed in the charging case, while retaining the power button for those who prefer to turn them off manually.

Battery Life Improvements

Significant improvements have been made to battery life, offering 30 hours of listening with noise cancellation enabled, and 45 hours without it, compared to a maximum of 24 hours in the first generation.

Wired Audio and Immersive Spatial Audio

Regarding wired audio and immersive spatial audio, Bose has expanded its Immersive Audio feature to include separate dialogue adjustment for movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks. Although Immersive Audio in the first generation was a significant battery drain, the new model provides 23 hours of playback with this feature enabled, compared to 18 hours previously. The QuietComfort Ultra 2 marks Bose's adoption of USB-C for uncompressed wired audio at a quality of up to 16-bit, 48 kHz, and users can listen in wired mode while simultaneously charging the headphones.