Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs. Bose QuietComfort Headphones

• 

  Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones

  Our overall top pick

  The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are arguably some of the most impressive headphones in the world. You get a luxurious and stylish design, impressive sound, and adjustable ANC. The new immersive audio is also a huge plus.

  advantage

  • immersive audio
  • aptX codec support
  • Quality design

• 

  Bose QuietComfort headphones

  Close to runner-up

  If you like the look of the QuietComfort Ultras, but the price dazzles you, the Bose QuietComfort headphones may be a better choice. They have a solid functional design and you still get top-notch sound and ANC.

  advantage

  • Two ANC modes
  • More affordable than Ultras
  • Practical, sturdy design

  shortcoming

  • No immersive audio
  • Lacks adjustable ANC

There’s no doubt that Bose makes some of the best headphones in the world, combining premium design with top-notch sound quality and super-effective active noise cancellation – something you’re unlikely to get if you shell out for some of their audio kit disappointment. Recently, Bose has caused a lot of buzz by launching a new and revamped version of its QuietComfort headphones.

There are three pairs of over-ear headphones in the Bose range. Premium Bose QuietComfort Ultra, mid-priced Bose QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones, or for those on a tighter budget, Bose QuietComfort SE. If you’re looking for something more discreet, there are two pairs of earbuds to explore, including the top-of-the-line QuietComfort Ultra earbuds and the more affordable Bose Earbuds II.

The latest over-ear headphones replace some of Bose’s most popular headphones from the past few years, replacing the flagship Noise Canceling 700 headphones with QuietComfort Ultra headphones, while the new QuietComfort models replace the older QuietComfort 45 headphones. With similar names and designs, the differences may look (and sound) subtle at first, so which one is best for your budget and music listening preferences? We’ve looked at key buying factors like price, specs and availability, and analyzed the headset’s key features like design and performance in detail to help you make your decision. Please read on.

Prices, specifications and availability

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra are premium headphones with a price to match, selling for $430 at the time of this writing. On the other hand, the Bose QuietComfort headphones are priced at $349, making them a bit more affordable. Both are now available for purchase globally. For a quick side-by-side comparison of their specs, check out the chart below and read on to learn more about what the differences mean.

• 	Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones	Bose QuietComfort headphones
  Battery Life	24 hours	24 hours
  Material	Plastic, aluminum, leather (protein)	Metal, plastic, leather (protein)
  Bluetooth	5.3	5.1
  Noise reduction	Active noise reduction, echo reduction, adjustable noise reduction	Active noise reduction
  microphone	Built-in microphone	Built-in microphone
  weight	0.56 pounds	0.52 pounds
  color	black/white smoke/sandstone	black/white smoke/cypress green/moonstone blue
  Battery charging time	3 hours	2.5 hours
  aspect	7.7 x 5.5 x 2 inches	7.68 x 6.18 x 3.15 inches
  suitcase	include	include

design

Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones have a more stylish and sophisticated look, while Bose QuietComfort’s design is more practical and fun.

Made from plastic, leather and aluminum, Ultras feature gentle curves and a sleek, contemporary style. The headband connects to the earcups with a slim brushed metal strip; despite being thicker than the older NC 700S, the headband still has a luxurious feel. Unlike the 700, they fold up for easy transport, come with a protective case in the box, and weigh 250 grams. You can buy Bose QuietComfort Ultra in three stylish colors: black, white, smoke, and sandstone.

When placed side by side, the Bose QuietComfort headphones don’t look much different than the Ultra models, but they’re made of more plastic than metal. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it makes them feel resilient. You also get two additional available colors: Cypress Green and Moonstone Blue. The QuietComfort headphones look almost identical to their predecessors, have a foldable design, weigh 240 grams, and come with a travel case. No matter which one you choose, both pairs of headphones should feel comfortable, thanks to the smooth vegan leather-covered, padded earcups.

Controlling the two pairs of headphones is completely different, although both let you adjust volume, skip tracks, pause music, and switch between listening modes without having to reach for your phone. That’s because the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones have touch controls and multifunction buttons to get the job done, while the Bose QuietComfort uses physical buttons, which means you need to know where each control is.

Battery life, charging, functionality

Fortunately, battery life doesn’t make this decision any harder, as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Bose QuietComfort can last up to 24 hours of music playback with ANC turned on. That being said, using immersive audio mode drops the Ultra’s battery life to 18 hours. Both products support USB-C charging; the QuietComfort Ultra headphones take about 3 hours to charge, while the QuietComfort headphones only take about 2.5 hours.

The Ultras have slightly better connectivity, with Bluetooth 5.3 and support for the aptX Adaptive codec (as well as AAC and SBC), while the QuietComfort headphones have BT 5.1 and only support the AAC and SBC codecs. It’s unlikely to make a huge difference day-to-day, but it makes the Ultras more reliable and accurate.

Both sets of devices support multipoint connections, so you can connect them to multiple devices at the same time. This means you can connect them to both your laptop and your phone at the same time, and easily switch audio between the two.

No matter which pair of headphones you choose, you can use them with the Bose Music smartphone app for Android and iOS. Within the app, there’s an adjustable equalizer and controls for ANC mode. Both headphones also support SimpleSync, a tool that allows you to listen to audio from multiple Bose devices simultaneously while controlling the volume of each device independently.

Sound quality and ANC

One thing Bose can guarantee is excellent, enjoyable sound quality. The two pairs of headphones sound a little different, though. There’s a 35mm driver in the Ultra headphones, while there’s a 40mm driver in the QuietComfort headphones, partly because of the different hardware under the hood.

Listen to the sound of the Ultras, they are unmistakably Bose. The low-end has a strong, warm rumble that stands out from the rest of the soundstage, but they still manage to portray neat detail in the higher frequencies. The sounds are dynamic across a variety of genres, and all instruments are handled well no matter how used they are.

QuietComforts places a strong emphasis on bass delivery. You’ll immediately realize that the audio is solid and punchy. But beyond that, they’re also balanced and clear. Long story short, they sound great. Both headphones can play music over a wired connection, which is an inevitable win for audiophiles who don’t always fully believe in Bluetooth.

You can expect solid noise cancellation from both products, as they both feature an adjustable Quiet mode to block out distracting sounds, and a Sense mode that balances external noise with music, so you can still hear what’s going on around you. . Through the Bose Music app, you can create your own custom combination of the two and adjust the ANC based on where you are and what you’re doing. The Ultra headphones take this a step further, including an additional ActiveSense Aware mode that should help cancel out particularly damaging noise while allowing you to listen to other sounds in your environment.

One notable difference between the sound of the two pairs of headphones is that the QuietComfort Ultra comes with Bose’s shiny new immersive audio feature, which gives the impression that the sound is happening right in front of you, rather than coming from either side. This new feature allows spatial audio to be used with all types of content and devices, not just those specifically created with it. It has two modes: still mode (when you’re not moving) and sport mode (when you’re moving). Motion adds head tracking to the mix, so when you’re on the go, the sound still feels like it’s right in front of you.

judgment

Whether you choose to buy Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Bose QuietComfort headphones depends largely on your budget. The former is for those looking for premium style and plenty of content, while the latter is for those on a smaller budget who are more focused on function than form and need something sturdy, especially if you plan on using your next pair of jars for regular travel or work.

The Ultras deliver in just about every way possible; they look incredible, you get the benefits of immersive audio, and the sound is world-class, but at an eye-popping cost.

The Bose QuietComfort headphones are slightly cheaper, but you’ll still be impressed by their functional design, top-notch sound quality, and solid noise cancellation.