Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Problems & Best Features after 1 Month)

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The Bose QuietComfort Ultra have huge sound improvement, huge ANC improvement, unbelievable comfort and aware mode, and lots of new features and design optimizations that make these a strong contented for the new king of bluetooth headphones.

Please comment below with any questions you might have. Thank you all for watching! I appreciate you!

Disclaimer: This video is purely based on my experiences, research, and opinions. You and only you are responsible for your actions. I made this channel to advise viewers and I truly hope to help you all out. I love making these videos and connecting with my viewers!
One or more of the products shown in this video may have been sent to me at no cost. This does not influence my opinions; I always cover both pros and cons.
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[zxaaron]

A middle-aged man who rarely wears headphones had a sudden whim this time and spent a lot of money on buying this pair. Wow, I want to say, although it's expensive, it's totally worth it. I love it! The comfort and sound quality are top-notch. I wear it all the time every day.❤❤

[d.]

A comparison between the Ultra and the other Bose headphones would be great, like the the 700, QC 45 and the new Quietcomfort headphones

[TheTechSwedePeter]

The mic on them is amazing, both indoors and outdoors. Amazing job separating your voice from all the noice around

[jrelwaldo]

Hi there!
I recently got the famous Bose QC Ultra Headphones, and I can confirm that despite the drivers (speakers) being similar to the Bose NCH 700, this very recent model sounds even better than its predecessor. I also have the Sony WH-1000-XM4, and find that the QC Ultra's sound signature is much clearer than the Sony model.
What's more, a little adjustment of the well-rounded bass, and the midrange drive the point home even further.
*As a preventive measure, I'd advise you *not to exceed 65% volume, and to take a few listening breaks for the sake of your ears (e.g. 15 to 20 minutes for 1 hour's listening).* Indeed, these headphones have a lot in reserve,
and I didn't notice any major sound distortion, which is very good quality. But be careful with your ears, because they're really powerful!
And yes, the sound is very clear!

Lightweight (257 grams), it folds neatly and has a wider, more comfortable headband.
The depth of the speakers (especially for big ears - you don't sweat as much as with Sony headphones) and its active noise reduction are truly impressive! Somewhat superior to Apple's Air Pods Max, that is!
For the moment (2023), in concrete terms, *it's the best noise-canceling headset!* At the same time, it's the most recent. We'll see how it fares next year (2024), with the future Sony WH-1000-XM6 and Apple Air Pods Max 2.

The "attentive" (transparent) mode is a real success! A notch below the Air Pods Max, and a good notch above the WH-1000-XM4/5. You can clearly hear everything around you.

The immersive mode is a bit of a gimmick, as it gives the impression that the soundstage is getting bigger, but I still find it well worthwhile, especially for films and video games! That's another world!
I also note that this mode is a little more energy-hungry in terms of this product's autonomy (around 19h35 for me, as opposed to the 18 hours announced by Bose).

In fact, as far as battery life is concerned, I think that Bose has underestimated its headphones, because without the immersive mode, and staying at 60~65% maximum volume, I've actually gone up to around 30 hours. The official press release claims 24 hours' autonomy.
. What's more, a mode (even two) designed to cleverly save battery power has been integrated:
_ Like Apple and Sony, the sound stops when the QC Ultra is removed... And restarts once the device is placed back on the head.
_ Automatic sleep mode, when the headset is removed for a long time. It restarts automatically when put back on.
Automatic pairing, no headaches, it works like a charm.

Multipoint is amply correct, and the solid Bluetooth is certified in 5.3 (the latest available), which is much better in terms of wireless connection stability. A very good point in itself.
The WH-1000-XM4 (which is in bleuetooth 4.2) that I've owned since 2021 can cut out from time to time for no reason at the moment...
I don't know why.
Maybe it's due to my smartphone being almost full of internal memory?
I don't know.
In any case, I no longer have this little inconvenience with the Bose QC Ultra.

The application is nice and quite rich! It's straight to the point, and somewhat less sophisticated than Sony's, whose geekiness is its specialty.

As for the buttons, they're all located on the right speaker, behind the ear.
A touch-sensitive surface for volume, and incidentally a personalized touch-sensitive button (press for 2 seconds in the middle of the touch-sensitive surface and that's it), either to obtain a voice assistant, or to indicate battery level or something else, for example...
Personally, I opted for the battery level. How convenient!
And in terms of physical buttons, there are only 2.
. The first, at the bottom of the right-hand speaker, is reserved for switching on the headset.
. The second button is located a little higher up, towards the rear of the speaker.
. The second button is located a little higher up, towards the back of the speaker.
This button allows:
_ 1 short click: play / pause;
1 long click: change mode (immersive, attentive, silent - additional modes can be added and/or removed, such as the outdoor mode with its more or less successful optional "windbreaker" function, for example);
_ 2 quick clicks: next track;
_ 3 quick clicks: previous track.

Personally, I find these two physical buttons rather instinctive and less headache-inducing (100% subjective, of course).
As for the tactile part, I find it better thought-out than the NCH 700 and the Sony WH-1000-XM4/5, in the sense that there's no tactile conflict when unwanted rubbing occurs, such as fabric rubbing when you're in bed, or when you're putting on a hood.

The left speaker features a USB-C input for headphone charging only, and an input for...
A 2.5 mm jack!...

The 2.5 mm jack...
I'll never understand why that is...  Especially as the headphones must be switched on to be effective(!)...
I really don't understand this choice...

As far as phone calls are concerned, the people I'm talking to can hear me clearly, even when there's a lot of noise around me! It's not as sophisticated as the Air Pods Max, but it's still one of the most effective.
My voice is clearly audible, and it's possible to adjust the volume of the voice when telephoning via the headset.
I write this because none of the testers mentioned this detail generally.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to obtain lossless sound via a wired USB-C cable (which is quite incomprehensible to me, especially given its high price at the moment).
The French Batys headphones, for example (albeit more expensive than the QC Ultra), make this possible.

Finally, the price is high (499€) for the moment, but will inevitably drop in the coming months (logically). And then the bargains will start rolling in over the coming year. It has to be!

So, I've tried to be as complete as possible about my pleasant experience with these Bose Quiet Confort Ultra Headphones.

Expensive, yes, it's undeniable, but very pleasant to hold, not at all uncomfortable on the head, light and very comfortable, this top-of-the-range headset (2023) does quite well, if not very well.
A special mention for the active noise reduction, which so far puts it ahead of Apple and Sony.

All in all, this headset is a success, far from flawless, let's be honest, but what it does, it does really well.
Very satisfied overall.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: *the ear pads are detachable and therefore replaceable, in case of any long-term wear and tear.*

Thanks for your work sir!
Respect!👍🏾🔥

Hoping for interesting updates (USB-C wired sound, I dream of it! x) ) to come!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

[BellaArt]

The jet noise cancelling chart helped me decide :) Very thankful for this review

[kisyeuh]

I've been using the Bose QuietComfort Ultra for almost a month now, and I can confidently say that I love them. Whether I'm at the gym or working at home, these headphones have been performing really well. They stay securely in place even during intense leg day workouts. I've done Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, and lying leg curls, and the headphones rarely fall off.

[LassiAndPyry]

I tried these at the airport and couldn't believe what I'm hearing. The ANC is incredible and I must say the spatial audio, which typically is an annoying gimmick, was actually darn impressive and immersive - to the point that I literally TOOK OFF the headphones to see if they have mounted extra speakers in front of me somewhere.

[qwertyx]

im in Asia and been using this for a month. QC ultra definitely heats up your ear specially on humid and warm weather.

[James-lwgi]

The fact that Apple's Airpod Max’s were released in 2020, and they are still among the top is crazy to me. Apple updating them later this year.

I'll still pick a pair of these up and try them out

[IMHO-dmxf]

Nice video Mike.
To me the mic sounded better when you were outside with heavy traffic behind you than when you were inside.
Sounded a little soft and distant when you were inside.

[timmyreckage]

I think that the sony wh-1000xm5 should be in that ultimate comparison video.

[KarlTheExpert]

Got my Ultras a few days ago, some early observations:

- My good ol' QC45 have some white noise that I actually really like, it's very mild and 'smooth', rather relaxing when I use them to just block out the world without playing music. Now the Ultra's background noise is noticeably louder and has a higher pitch. Noticed the same with the Ultras Earbuds when I tried them. Don't know, maybe I'll get used to it, maybe I won't.

- The codec-situation is rather unfortunate. You glossed over this but only very few smartphones are compatible with 'Snapdragon Sound' and if they aren't the fallback for the Ultra isn't regular aptX, it's AAC! For example everything from Samsung will only offer AAC. Afaik not even the Google Pixels support 'Snap Sound'. Why, Bose, why? This isn't acceptable at this price-point. Also people are still waiting for the promised aptX support for the Earbuds II. For shame.

- Sound quality is certainly better compared to the QC45 but still worse than my Px7 S2, those just sound fuller with better bass. Gonna fiddle around with the EQ, maybe lower the highs somewhat.

- Build quality is okay but there are some rough/sharp edges and the plastic is scuffed in some places which others have noticed on theirs too. Feels better than the QC45 but gets clobbered by the Px7 S2. Which weighs more though. Overall not as premium as the price suggests.

- Comfort in general seems to be on par with the QC45.

[ff]

I bought these for the quiet modes. The work really good. I have no complaints, but the controls take some getting used to. I wear them a lot and they do not cause my ears to sweat. No here is my only issue, not problem: the supplied cable/cord used to plug in to a a device is tricky because one end is smaller than the other. I spent a while cussing and fussing (59 yr old, retired Marine). The sound quality is not the best, but I did not purchase these for sound quality, but it is good enough. This was money spent. They do not eliminate all noise, just muffle it. I can put them on and not hear my co-workers or the machinery in the background. Really good product.

[nabeelwillayt]

I always use the immersion option, especially when having long-distance or online calls where the internet connection is low. This mode is heavy; otherwise, you need to disconnect your regular headphones and try to listen using a headset. Secondly, immersion mode is so good in the office while working. You just need more of its use or in a virtual meeting, you require more clarity. It is amazing

[nileshacharya]

I had these about a month. I love the sound absolutely brilliant! The app is not super customizable but good enough. The ANC is great! The best you can buy hence the price tag. BUT I kept really dizzy, vertigo type feeling and had to return them. If I didn't have issue, which I have never had on other headphones I would have kept them. I am now trying the Sony XM5, so far no issues a few days in. I do miss the Bose QC Ultra sound though.

[AdamGbl]

The immersion feature is amazing. It really feels more surround sound and like the music is coming from in front of you (or beside you when turning head) while still having great sound quality and the bass is definitely there. Good soundstage and instrument separation. I don't think the Ultras are as comfortable as the regular qc, as they have a tighter feel, but I definitely recommend them and the immersive audio feature is great. Wish they had better color options.

[malhartembey]

Amazing review!! I’ve been dicey about these since a while and wanted an in depth review of it, this was just that, crisp and to the point, definitely closing the purchase soon. Thank you so much!

[MusicAnirban]

I just returned mine today. It definitely has a pretty wide soundstage but I expected more from the spatial audio feature. Also the mid range is bit muddy, sound is overall bit unnatural though music elements separation is prety awesome. I did hear musical bits which I hadn't before.. Lastly overall build quality should have been better given the $400 price tag.

[neilgilroy]

Just returned mine. Left cup creaked endlessly. Clamping force a little too strong for me too (way more than XM5), headband comfy. (XM5 was uncomfortable for me).

They feel cheap and move a lot despite the quite strong clamping force. Advanced codecs useless on a Samsung - just AAC.

Sound clean with just enough bass but I think a toss up with XM5s depending on preference. Probably these are slightly ahead but I enjoyed the XM5s just as much.

Unbelievably despite the weight, AirPod max most comfy for me out of all of them even though I dislike the sound the most FWIW

[otoshi]

Under 500$
B&W px7 s2e. Bose Ultra. Sony wh1000 xm5.
Sennheiser Momentum 4. Technics A800.
Or if price doesn’t matter, Beoplay H95, B&W px8, Focal bathys, M&D mw75.