Audio
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Review: Critics' Verdict
"Reviewers agree: noise cancellation is up there with the best, but key rivals sound more transparent." — RightWei synthesis of PCMag and What Hi-Fi?
No single aggregate score — here's what the reviewers agree on, below.
The short version
Critics report that the second-generation QuietComfort Ultra is Bose's strongest over-ear package yet. Noise cancellation is among the best available. Comfort, the folding design and USB-C lossless audio also stand out. Sound is richer, clearer and tighter than before, but reviewers say Sony, Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins offer greater transparency. At $449, that sonic gap matters.
What reviewers loved
- Class-leading noise cancellation that reviewers place among the best available
- Comfortable, smart folding design suited to long listening sessions and travel
- Lossless USB-C playback adds a useful high-quality wired listening option
- Deep, rich sound with better clarity, detail and musical tightness than the original Ultra
- Effective spatial audio for movie watching, according to What Hi-Fi?
What held it back
- Costs $449, while PCMag says the Sony WH-1000XM6 delivers better audio and more effective noise cancellation
- Sonic transparency trails the latest rivals from Sony, Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins
- Wired listening still requires battery power
- The physical redesign is minor, with most changes focused on finish and functionality
Buy these if comfort, folding portability, powerful noise cancellation and USB-C audio matter more than getting the most transparent sound at this price.
Skip them if sound quality is your first priority or you want wired playback that works with a flat battery.
What the reviewers say
PCMag rates the second-generation headphones as excellent and praises their deep, rich tuning, longer battery life, polished frame and lossless USB-C playback. Its main reservation is the competition: the reviewer says Sony's WH-1000XM6 offers better audio and more effective noise cancellation.
What Hi-Fi? reports small but meaningful improvements in clarity, detail, solidity and musical timing compared with the original Ultra. It also praises the comfort, folding design, spatial audio and feature set. The trade-off is sonic transparency, where it says newer Sony, Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins rivals have moved ahead. Trusted Reviews lists a 30-hour battery and 250g weight.
⚙ Best settings — dial it in
The supplied reviews do not publish specific EQ or calibration values, so we will not invent any. These two listening modes are directly supported by What Hi-Fi?'s findings. For fully calibrated values, see What Hi-Fi?.
| Movies | Try the spatial-audio mode. What Hi-Fi? found it effective for movie watching. |
|---|---|
| Lossless wired listening | Connect over USB-C. What Hi-Fi? confirms lossless USB-C audio support. |
The competition
Sony WH-1000XM6
The clearest alternative. PCMag says it offers better audio and more effective noise cancellation.
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3
Worth considering when sound quality takes priority. What Hi-Fi? says Bowers & Wilkins is among the rivals now ahead for sonic performance.
Should you buy it?
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) make the most sense for frequent travellers and office listeners who value comfort, compact folding and top-tier noise cancellation. The new USB-C audio option and improved spatial mode fix meaningful weaknesses in the original. They are harder to recommend to sound-first shoppers because critics find more transparency elsewhere, and PCMag gives Sony's WH-1000XM6 the overall edge. Disclosure: RightWei summarizes independent reviewers' hands-on tests and does not test review units itself.
Sources
RightWei aggregates and summarizes independent reviews — we link to the original hands-on tests so you can go deeper. We don't test units ourselves.