Review: Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are unmatched in comfort

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Noise-cancelling headphones keep me sane. Whether I’m going for a stroll or need to keep my focus while working in a busy coffee shop, they’re my not-so-secret weapon for productivity. However, in my old office days, I used to work a solid eight hours with a pair of over-ear headphones that left my ears and head aching by the time 5 p.m. hit. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones have comfort right in the title, but I had to experience it myself.

And reader, these are absolutely the most comfortable over-the-ear headphones I’ve tried. After a couple weeks of testing, my ears have relished the comfort of the Ultras. These Bose headphones come at a steep price of $429 (though you can find them on sale), and I found that you’re paying for their cushiony wear because in my experience the sound quality is not quite up to flagship level.

What is QuietComfort Ultra?

Bose’s flagship line of headphones and earbuds falls under QuietComfort, which promises to block out your surroundings with active noise cancellation while providing plush comfort for all-day wear. The QuietComfort line includes earbuds and over-the-ear headphones.

The line also has tiers, with Ultra signifying the brand’s high-end products featuring Bose’s latest technology, immersive audio.

How much are the QuietComfort Ultra headphones?

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are $429, a steep price. They’re the most expensive pair of headphones in our guide to the greatest headphones, but you definitely don’t need to spend over $400 to get great sound quality and noise cancellation. What you’re paying for is exceptional comfort.

Bose goes two for three on design, connectivity, and controls

The BoseQuiet Comfort Ultras are a beautiful set of headphones available in black, sandstone, and white smoke. The white smoke pair I tested was sleek and good-looking. I wore them on the smallest setting, and in comparison to other over-the-ear headphones, they didn’t provide the most secure fit, but they were comfortable. Where they did outperform other headphones is the actual size adjusting, which stays firmly in place and doesn’t slip when you don’t want them to like other headphones.

The buttons are minimal — maybe to the product’s detriment.

The headphones have three physical controls: A power/Bluetooth button, a multi-function button, and a volume bar. The rest of the settings can be changed using the Bose app, which I generally like. The app is user-friendly and highly customizable for those who care about adjusting audio settings to find your perfect balance of bass and treble.

Switching between modes and Bluetooth sources is easy in the Bose app.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Screenshot courtesy of Bose

The app is where you can also switch between your Bluetooth sources, which is a smooth transition, requiring just the press of a button. However, if you want to connect to multiple devices at once, you’ll miss multi-point pairing here.

The physical buttons on the headphones were a little bit of a nightmare. Setting them up was a breeze, a false start to the rest of my time with them. Maybe it’s because I already use a pair of Bose wireless earbuds and have the app set up, but I just clicked the power button, and the QuietComfort Ultras connected immediately without issues. However, after that, I was in a constant power struggle with the surprisingly finicky power button. Sometimes, it only required a quick press to power on or off, and other times that would fail, and I’d need to hold it for a few seconds at a time. Another Mashable reviewer who also tested these headphones confirmed she had a similar experience. The one upside is that the headphones have an on-and-off tone that plays, so you know when the button is working.

The first time I clicked the multi-function button, it quickly swapped between the different listening modes: Quiet, Aware, and Immersive. However, after that first use, it completely changed, becoming the button for pausing, playing, and skipping songs. I am still trying to figure out why it suddenly changed, and even looking through the manual, I’m unsure how to get the mode changing functionality back. (You can also pause the music by lifting the right ear cup, which only works about 25 percent of the time in my testing.)

The touch controls on the bottom of the ear cups.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The volume button is a nice thought; it’s definitely more functional than other external volume settings I’ve tried. However, it’s not intuitive, especially if you don’t have your phone or computer in front of you. I didn’t know which direction to slide my finger to turn down the music, and several times, I overloaded my ear drums. The volume bar also has multi-function capabilities. I set mine to tell me the battery level every time I press it, which it does — sometimes. Like the rest of the controls, its performance is inconsistent.

Overall, I enjoyed wearing and using the QuietComfort Ultras, but the touch controls were often frustrating.

Good but not great sound quality and noise-cancellation

The first word that comes to mind when describing the sound quality on the Bose QuietComfort Ultras is rich. They tend to run on the quieter end, and I felt like I had to crank the volume a little higher than I do with other headphones, but the sound overall is more detailed.

When I hooked up the headphones to my Apple TV while watching Survivor, it picked up everything from the waves on the Fijian beach and buzzing of insects around contestants — certainly far more impressive than the built-in speakers on my TV. Meanwhile, the headphones caught every minute of synth and beat dropped in the Charli XCX & George Daniel remix of “Welcome to My Island.”

While the general sound quality is solid, I’m less enthused about the different modes. Both Quiet and Immersive modes offer active noise cancellation (more on that soon). Quiet mode delivers a flatter sound, as the music sounds like you’re facing it while the Immersive setting surrounds you with spatial audio. Admittedly, I wasn’t super impressed by the Immersive audio; switching from Quiet to Immersive mode felt like just turning up the volume.

I didn’t like the Aware mode and used it for testing purposes only. Otherwise, in my daily use, I’d never use this mode, as it delivers a horrible hissing noise that I’m used to experiencing on noise-canceling settings, not the transparent sound settings. When testing these headphones, if I had wanted to get a better sense of my surroundings, I just slipped one of the ear cups off my ear for a far more pleasant experience.

While the Bose QuietComfort have similar sound quality to my favorite Sony headphones, they didn’t measure up with ANC.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

I wasn’t thrilled by the ANC on these Bose headphones. The noise cancellation does work better in Immersive mode than Quiet mode thanks to the more well-rounded sound. However, while the noise cancellation is really good at blocking out low-pitched noises, it can’t wholly block high-pitched sounds unless you turn up the sound to unhealthy volumes.

While testing the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, I compared them to my old standbys, the Sony WH-1000XM4, and the Bose’s noise cancellation paled in comparison. The Sony’s bring a tighter fit to the ear, offering passive cancellation as well as active. Because the Bose are looser (and thus more comfortable, it should be noted), you’re not getting that passive benefit.

Still, these headphones have perfectly good ANC. It didn’t wow me, but as I took my daily walk outside, I felt focused and in my own world while blasting the Challengers soundtrack — for motivation, of course.

Bose delivers on all-day comfort, all-day battery

Although I wasn’t floored by many of the QuietComfort Ultra’s features, I will say this — these are the most comfortable pair of over-the-ear headphones I’ve ever used.

Even when wearing the headphones with glasses and earrings, my ears were comfortable all day.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

I wear glasses daily and love hoop earrings—two things that are normally incompatible with over-ear headphones. However, I worked a whole day while wearing glasses and my favorite earrings without discomfort. Whether I was typing at my desk, washing dishes, or walking around town, the Ultras gently cupped my ears without any discomfort—something my Sony XM4s can’t give me (they usually have my ears aching by the end of the day).

While they left me wanting in technical areas, I’m satisfied with their easy comfort. These are great for office workers, especially those who need headphones they can wear all day without discomfort. For the same reason, Mashable has also named these the greatest noise-cancelling headphones for flying.

The battery life on these headphones is excellent. I charged them fully when I first had began testing. A week later, after multiple hour-long walks, a full day of work, and hours of wear while doing chores around the house, they only dipped down to 60 percent. Bose claims they can last up to 24 hours on Quiet or Aware mode or 18 hours on Immersive Audio, and they definitely live up to that in my testing.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones: Are they worth it?

Like anything, these are worth it for the right person. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones offer exceptional comfort. They cup your ears for a secure fit but won’t cause aching ears. If you’re wearing headphones from the beginning of your commute, all throughout the workday, and until the moment you get back home, these are a worthy investment for comfort, not to mention battery life.

However, if you’re looking for superior sound quality, I would describe these as perfectly fine, but that’s not what you’re paying for. If you’re after sound quality, you can find something like the Sony WH-1000XM5, made for the audiophiles, or the Sony ULT, a budget-friendly pair with exceptional bass.