Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT in 2025. I’ll also be comparing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen vs 1st Gen, Sony WH-1000XM6, Apple AirPods Max, Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3, Px8 S2, Sennheiser Momentum 4, and more!
I’m going to do my best to share whether these headphones are worth it, and ideally who these headphones are for. I’ve owned these headphones for a while now and have quite a few thoughts.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist.
Let’s dive right in!
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen Headphones review in short
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen improves upon the 1st generation model in every single way, most notably, with its sound quality, noise cancelling, and battery life. Although there are better options for pure sound quality, it’s very hard to beat as an all-arounder. This is a nearly perfect product by today’s standards and performs favorably against its main competition including the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen), Sony WH-1000XM6, Apple AirPods Max, Sennheiser Momentum 4, Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3, Sonos Ace, and Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2.
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Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Pros and Cons
- Very good sound quality
- Elite noise cancelling performance
- Incredibly comfortable and lightweight
- Pricy
- Lots of plastic
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Sound Quality
Stock sound first impressions…
I was very much underwhelmed with the stock sound of the 1st generation QC Ultra, which I noted in my review.
Thankfully, that is simply NOT the case here.
The stock sound of the QC Ultra 2 is much more tonally balanced, with a pleasing sound profile that emphasizes beautiful, rich mids, while having an impactful but clean bass, and smooth treble.
What jumps out to me stock is the mids, vocals and instruments are nicely detailed and full-sounding.
The bass is present but seems much cleaner and tighter than the bloated, unfocused bass of 1st Gen.
The treble has some nice detail but remains smooth and NOT sibilant or harsh-sounding.
Mind you, I’m testing the QC Ultra 2 back-to-back with the excellent $799 Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, so call it a pleasant surprise that the sound quality wasn’t so much of a downgrade.
That said, much like the 1st Gen, I then proceeded to tinker with the 3-band EQ included in the Bose app, which I’ll include the EQ settings below…
Best Equalizer Settings for Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2
V1 – Mainly for Pop, Hip Hop, Extra Bass
- Bass: +4
- Mid: -2
- Treble: +2
Result: Fun, bassy, more lively and consumer-friendly sound. More sub-bass emphasis, with vocals still cutting through the mix. Much more bass-heavy than 1st Gen QC Ultra, while still retaining similar levels of mid and treble detail.
Last Updated: 10-10-25
Bass
The bass was previously a “weakness” of the 1st Gen, but now it’s become the strength of the 2nd Gen, IMO.
It’s full, impactful, but still focused and clean enough to enjoy as an audiophile. Not an easy feat for this class of wireless headphones.
Best of all, it does NOT overpower the mids and treble, even when pushed harder with EQ.
Surprisingly, I think I enjoy the bass response on the QC Ultra 2 over excellent-sounding headphones like the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, and Cambridge Audio Melomania P100.
In short, this is a FUN, consumer-friendly headphone that can give you that “club-like” booming bass, but also have enough mids and treble to enjoy pretty much all genres.
Mids
Did I say the bass was the strength?
Depending on the EQ, the mids are what immediately jumped out to me when listening for the first time stock.
Vocals and most instruments are full, detailed, with relatively good timbre.
I tested the QC Ultra 2 with the more-expensive Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2, and the mids were surprisingly not lacking.
This may surprise some people, but these 2 headphones were more similar than different due to the sound profile of the QC Ultra 2.
That is an amazing compliment to the Bose headphones, as the Px8 S2 is the best wireless headphone I’ve tested to date.
Treble
Personally, I think the treble is one of the weaker aspects of the QC Ultra 2.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s detailed enough and smooth, never really sounding too sibilant or harsh.
But it doesn’t seem to scratch the itch for me like the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 or Audeze Maxwell, with its hyper-detailed 90mm planar drivers.
That’s a tall task to ask, especially considering the bass and mids are quite good and more than make up for it.
But if I had to nitpick, it would be the treble and the more audiophile technicalities below…
Audiophile: Soundstage, Resolution, Separation, Imaging, Timbre
When it comes to audiophile technicalities, I think the QC Ultra 2 improves upon the 1st gen in terms of resolution and overall fidelity, especially since the bass is now much cleaner and doesn’t upset the mids and treble.
We’re getting a fuller and more detailed sound with less compromise, since I had to EQ the 1st gen heavily to make them sound good.
Soundstage was already a strength on the 1st gen, and that nice spacious soundstage is present here again.
Most of the wireless closed-back headphones have a tendency to sound compressed and claustrophobic, but instruments and vocals breathe nicely and are more open-sounding.
To give the final score for the QC Ultra 2, I tested it back to back with headphones that I felt it competed with, including the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 and Cambridge Audio P100.
The Bose really wasn’t far behind either, and actually closer to the Px7 S3 than the P100.
But I felt it was fair to put it right below the Px7 S3, and a couple points below the P100.
Still, for a headphone that can do all the other categories so well, this is some pretty impressive sound quality we’re getting in the same package.
Sound Quality Score: 9.1 out of 10 (after EQ)
Comfort
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen is one of the lighter headphones we’ve tested, and a little under 8 grams heavier than the 1st gen:
- Bose QuietComfort (2023 model) – 236.1 grams
- Sony WH 1000XM5 – 245.9 grams
- Sony WH 1000XM4 – 251.6 grams
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st gen) – 254.4 grams
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd gen) – 262.2 grams
- Beats Studio Pro – 268.6 grams
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 – 292.9 grams
- Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2e – 305.2 grams
- Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 – 312.0 grams
- Sonos Ace – 318.1 grams
- Bowers & Wilkins Px8 – 320.1 grams
- Bang & Olufsen H95 – 323 grams
- Focal Bathys – 350 grams
- Apple AirPods Max – 387.8 grams
The design of the QC Ultra 2 is unchanged from the 1st gen, and for good reason.
Simply put, it doesn’t get more comfortable than the QC Ultra headphones, and I’ve tested over 30+ of them at this point.
The QC Ultra has the recipe for success: lightweight, plush cushioning, and minimal clamping force.
There’s only a handful of headphones that have received a perfect Comfort score, but the QC Ultra may be at the very top above all of them.
Comfort Score: 5 out of 5
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Noise Cancelling
Features
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen was released in October 2025 and has the typical modern wireless ANC headphone features:
- Bluetooth 5.4 (new for 2nd gen)
- Cinema Mode (new for 2nd gen)
- Lossless Audio via wired USB-C cable (new for 2nd gen)
- Multiple built-in microphones for taking calls
- Active Noise Cancelling
- Transparency Mode
- “Wind Block”
- Spatial Audio (“Immersive Audio”)
- Companion Smartphone app to customize EQ, settings, and update firmware
- Includes a compact-sized premium Hard Shell case (same as 1st gen)
- 2.5mm to 3.5mm stereo cable
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Battery Life
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen has an improved 30 hours of battery life versus the 1st Gen’s 24 hours, an increase of 6 hours on a single charge.
- Marshall Monitor III – 70 hours (ANC on), 100 hours (ANC off)
- Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE – 60 hours (ANC on), 100 hours (ANC off)
- Audeze Maxwell – 80 hours (no ANC included)
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 – 60 hours
- Sony WH-1000XM6 – 40 hours (ANC off), 30 hours (ANC on)
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) – 30 hours
- Sony WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM4 – 30 hours
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 and Px8 – 30 hours
- Sonos Ace – 30 hours
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen) – 24 hours
- AirPods Max – 20 hours
In my testing, I found this figure to be accurate.
30 hours with noise cancelling on is about average to a little above average, beating out headphones like the AirPods Max and 1st Gen QC Ultra.
Build Quality
The build quality on the QC Ultra 2 is identical to the 1st generation since the design and materials are unchanged, aside from cosmetically, where the hinges and headband is shinier now.
I find the build quality to be average to slightly above average for its price.
There is a fully-metal headband and hinges which is nice to see and feel, better than the plasticky Sony XM6.
But the earcups and exterior of the headband do use plastic to save weight, and feels a bit cheaper to the touch.
Overall, it’s not bad at all, but not as premium looking for feeling as the AirPods Max.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Noise Cancelling Performance
Noise cancelling has always been a strength of the Bose QuietComfort brand, and the QC Ultra 2nd gen is the best noise cancelling performance to date.
There is an elite tier of ANC which is a pretty small list: AirPods Max, Sony XM6, Sonos Ace, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st and 2nd gen).
I would say the noise cancelling has been slightly improved over the 1st gen, it seems to be more consistent with less side effects and quirks over the 1st gen.
The 1st gen had some “bumping issue” when moving, along with an audible hiss/white noise.
I’m getting less of that so far in the QC Ultra 2.
Overall, if ANC is a top priority, you can’t go wrong with the QC Ultra 2.
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Noise Cancelling Score: 5 out of 5
Value
At $449 USD retail, the Bose QC Ultra 2 is certainly expensive, but about the same price as its main competition like the Sony XM6.
Cheaper than the AirPods Max at its full $549 retail price, but lately has been hovering around $479 to $519.
Simply put, I can’t think of an all-arounder with as little to no weaknesses as the QC Ultra 2.
Perfect comfort, elite noise cancelling, and very good sound quality, is a rare combination in this class.
Personally, I think the QC Ultra 2 is worth every penny and is likely my choice for what I’ll take on travel and flights moving forward.
But I’ll temper the score here for now, as the competition is still quite good and $449 is still expensive.
Value Score: 4.0 out of 5
Are the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Headphones Worth it?
Simply put, I’ve reviewed over 30+ wireless noise cancelling headphones, and the QC Ultra 2 has the very rare combination of perfect comfort, elite noise cancelling performance, and very good sound quality.
The 2nd Gen improves nicely upon the already-formidable 1st Gen QC Ultra, which I already believed competes favorably against the Sony XM6 and AirPods Max.
Now if you already own the 1st gen, the question becomes: “Should you upgrade?”
I still think the 1st gen is 90% the same headphone as 2nd gen, but it is improved in every single way.
I’d personally go with the 2nd gen over the 1st gen every time now, unless there was some crazy sale on the 1st gen (like under $300 or so).
Also, if you’d like to support 100% independent unbiased reviews, consider using my affiliate links to shop and even save money! Thank you.
Some very Strong Alternatives in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Sony WH-1000XM6
- Apple AirPods Max
- Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S3
- Sennheiser Momentum 4
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen)
- Sony WH-1000XM5
- Bowers and Wilkins Px8
- Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
- Sonos Ace
- Bose QuietComfort (2023 model)
- Beats Studio Pro
Some Relevant Comparisons in this class of noise cancelling headphones are:
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Apple AirPods Max
- Bose QuietComfort vs QuietComfort Ultra
- Sonos Ace vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Sound Quality: 9.1 / 10 (after EQ)
Comfort: 5 / 5
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Noise Cancelling: 5 / 5
Value: 4.0 / 5
Total: 23.1 / 25
Order the LATEST VERSION for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Updates
- October 10th, 2025: Added “V1” Equalizer setting
Read Next
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Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen) Review
Bose QuietComfort Ultra vs Sony WH-1000XM5: Which is Best?
Bose QuietComfort Review (2023 Model)
