Listen up: Bose just updated its flagship headphones with the new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones while also dropping its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. Both offer the company’s advanced Immersive Audio modes and improved active noise cancellation (ANC) to silence the world around you — and both are available for preorder right now.
Bose’s new top headphones mix ANC with premium materials and all-new Immersive Audio modes.
Bose’s in-ear version of the new over-ear headphones are complete with ANC and redesigned stability bands. Shipping in early October.
If you don’t need immersion, you can still get premium sound and ANC for a lower price (and a cool green colorway).
Bose offers a new challenger for best headphones
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, Bose’s latest over-ear headphones, are priced at $429 and seem to be worthy successors to the Bose 700 (currently marked down by $50 to $329 at Amazon) they replace. Listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” on the headphones, I felt like I was almost swimming in the clear, strong sound of the modern and classic hits.
But apart from the baller sound we expect from an OG audio company like Bose, the bigger news is the new Still and Motion modes. Taken together, these features are now branded as Immersive Audio. Both made the music sound better than the standard stereo setting but differ in the soundstage they present. “Still” puts the sound in a fixed location, which is situated in front of you when you start listening, say, at your desk. Turning on “Motion,” I heard Rodrigo’s hit “stay” in front of me as I walked around the press event room.
In a demonstration to show their capability as noise-canceling headphones, Bose played a loud and obnoxious audio file simulating the sounds of the New York City subway system. Until I was told to take the QuietComfort Ultra headphones off, I had no idea the noise was there. A neat trick, and I was amazed at how well the headphones hid the cacophony. But, in those cases when you want to hear what’s going on around you, without taking your headphones off your ears, the QuietComfort Ultra also offer improved ANC — thanks to two additional microphones (now at 10 total). And to make sure you can get the level of ANC you want when you want it, Bose’s CustomTune audio calibration (which can be tweaked in-app) will help optimize for each user.
One new feature you might not notice in Bose’s Ultra is the volume touch control strip on the underside of the right ear cup. When I tried it, this control worked well, and it’s situated far enough away from the other controls (the power/Bluetooth and multifunction buttons) that you won’t get confused. All you do is gently swipe up and down with one finger to make your audio louder or softer.
I also appreciated the materials and build quality of the QuietComfort Ultra, which felt practically weightless on my head. The super-soft vegan leather used for the cups and under-band is an excellent touch, as is the precision found in the mechanisms used to slide the aluminum arms of each side in and out. Each arm can rotate inward to lay flat in the travel case Bose includes. Both the light weight and rotation are features I hope to see in future iterations of the Apple AirPods Max.
These headphones are rated for up to 24 hours of battery life without Immersive Audio and up to 18 hours with it enabled. They charge via USB-C port, and there’s also a 2.5mm jack; Bose includes cables for both. You can nab them in black and a hue called White Smoke, and they’re shipping in early October.
Bose also upgraded its best earbuds
Immersive Audio is also available in the $299 QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (which replace the QC Earbuds II, currently marked down by $20 to $279 at Amazon), which it also sells in both black and White Smoke. We were able to try them on, but there was no music playing on the new earbuds, so we can’t speak to the audio quality. In terms of design, however, they feature new metallic accents, along with adjusted stability bands for a better fit. I also didn’t get a whole lot of time to try and dislodge them accidentally, but they did feel snug.
The Ultra Earbuds are rated for four hours of battery life with Immersive Audio, and six hours of battery life with it off. The buds still offer ANC, touch controls and an IPX4 water resistance rating. Their charging case refuels via USB-C. These are also shipping in early October.
Bose’s new ‘budget’ over-ear headphones
Bose also revealed the standard QuietComfort Headphones, priced at $349 and available for preorder now (shipping on Sept. 21). Sold in black, White Smoke and a limited-edition Cypress Green, these headphones may not have the new Immersive Audio tricks, but Bose’s stellar ANC should be enough at this price.
The QuietComfort Headphones charge over USB-C, they’re rated for 24 hours of battery life on a single charge and they include an audio cable with in-line microphone.