Bose QuietComfort Ultra over-ear headphones in the test: top ANC, sound and comfort

Bose has always played a big and important role in the head-to-head race for the best ANC. Especially in recent years, ANC pioneers have placed an emphasis on bringing more and more new models to the market, all of which want to fit in somehow.

This may be easiest with a new ANC flagship: the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is supposed to combine the best ANC and sound qualities that Bose has to offer. But it also (finally) offers features that have long been present in the competition: 3D sound and a high-resolution codec are particularly noteworthy.

This becomes clear even at first glance: Bose remains true to its established and simple design language with the QuietComfort Ultra. Plastic is mainly used here. However, due to the beautiful curves, color shading, and matte finish, it is not as noticeable as many other headphones. Still: Given the high price, there could have been at least a little more visible metal or special materials. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra is comparatively light at 250 grams.

The soft padding on the ear cups and headband, which are covered with artificial leather, contributes significantly to the exceptionally good and supple wearing comfort. Everything looks perfect here. Nothing stings or stings uncomfortably – even after wearing for hours.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra is available in four colors: black, white, moon blue and a limited “Diamond 60th Edition” specially designed for Bose’s 60th anniversary.

The Bose experience is immediately noticeable during initial setup, pairing, and when working through the app and directly on the headphones. Everything is easy to do, well organized and immediately understandable. Direct operation on the headphones has been reduced to the essentials. There are only two buttons on the bottom of the right earcup: a Bluetooth/power button and a multifunction button used for media controls. Completely inconspicuous, but super functional: a bar on the back of the right earphone that can be used to adjust the volume by swiping up or down. It works with pleasing precision.

The companion app is similarly well thought out: the Start menu is well-organized with just six items. Individual functions and setting options can be found in submenus, well organized and compact. In addition to an equalizer with four modes (bass amplifier, bass reducer, triple profit And loss of height), which can also be adjusted individually, 360-degree sound, ANC and a shortcut function can be set.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra has a lot of contemporary technology. In addition to SBC and AAC, there are also high-quality codecs such as aptX-Adaptive. Transmission is via Bluetooth 5.3 – as well as a practical multipoint feature for connecting to two devices at the same time. Special premium functions include immersive 360-degree sound and CustomTune. The latter automatically adapts the sound to your ears if desired. Basically, it seems like Bose has made a conscious effort to ensure that the headphones don’t go overboard with their features and, if possible, take care of everything themselves.

Minimalism in all its aspects: photos of week 42

This also applies to power management, for example: using the wear detection function, QuietComfort Ultra automatically goes into sleep mode as soon as it is put down – and as soon as it rests on your head. But it comes again, starts again. The sleep mode duration can be set up to 24 hours via the app. A nice little convenience with a high level of comfort, especially on long trips when you put the headphones away for a while and don’t want to worry about constantly taking them on and off.

Bose specifies battery life up to 24 hours. A price that can vary considerably through automatic power management and energy-hungry features like ANC and 360-degree sound. In our testing, the battery lasted us confidently throughout the day, despite intensive use, ANC active, and high volume. And if things get tight, the QuietComfortUltra can be used again for up to 2 hours in just 15 minutes of fast charging via USB-C.

In the supreme discipline of headphones, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra hardly shows any weaknesses. Here too, you can expect something familiar: the sound is typical of Bose, with powerful and forceful bass without dominating the mids and highs. A nice, warm balance that sounds very precise, but can also be adjusted using the equalizer if desired. In factory settings, the headphones take care of the sound settings independently. It fits so well in our ears that we ignore the equalizer altogether – which rarely happens in our tests.

Immersive 3D sound with head tracking, which Bose claims to be unprecedented, can be seen as a nice feature. This works well and gives a little more depth to the sound, especially when watching a movie, but in practice it feels like a nice gimmick that you’d hardly want to activate intentionally. We would have been very happy with Dolby Atmos support.

As expected, ANC pioneer Bose’s active noise cancellation is very good. If it is activated, only loud sounds such as voices or utensils clinking can be heard. Very little noise is enough to block out everything. This is very impressive. However, compared to the previous model QuietComfort 45 (test report), ANC effectiveness has improved only by manageable nuances. Both models perform almost identically, at a very high level.

There are three ANC modes out of the box: out of, A And VigilantThe Aware mode shines with a very natural effect and is one of the best we’ve experienced with premium headphones in recent years. Cool feature: You can also create your own ANC profile, for example specifically for running, where ANC can be regulated in ten intensity levels. This is very reminiscent of the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 (test report), which featured a total of eleven levels on board for the first time.

With an RRP of 500 euros, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is priced very high. Bose itself has now significantly reduced the prices on its website: for example, the black and white model is currently heavily discounted. 340 euros To get. Buyers currently pay on Amazon 336 euros,

The QuietComfort Ultra is Bose’s most advanced ANC headphones to date. It features the best ANC performance, a beautiful natural-sounding conscious mode, really good sound, and useful functions. It is also easy to wear, it fits well to the shape of your head and is generally a perfect companion for long trips. But what we like the most is Bose’s well-thought-out concept of presenting headphones that takes care of all the fine details in a pleasant manner. Plus, the successful companion app goes in-depth so you can take control of the controls and settings yourself.

What is still missing are the changes from the previous model: owners of the Bose QuietComfort 45 (test report) should only think about switching to the new Ultra model if they are looking for technical detail upgrades such as high-resolution codec aptX Adaptive or Want 3D. Sound wants to actively use this feature. When it comes to sound and ANC performance, both models are largely similar.

This idea can also be run in the other direction: QC 45 is a great and cheap option, especially for iPhone users who have to use the AAC codec anyway. Otherwise, there are many other worthy candidates in our Top 10: Best Over-Ear Headphones with ANC.