Bose QuietComfort Ultra
19 reviews
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I just recently purchased these Bose Quietcomfort Ultra headphones from JB Hi-Fi and I have to say, these have to be the best set of headphones I have ever owned. They are definitely premium built, the sound quality is absolutely amazing and extremely comfortable to wear. Settings and options are fully customisable in the Bose app for iPhone, even the ear coushions are replaceable. I also got a great deal at JB Hi-Fi. Show details
I normally don’t write reviews, but I felt it was worth sharing my experience with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones. I bought these headphones a little over a year ago. Besides them, I also own Apple AirPods, which I use most of the time during the day. I usually use the Bose headphones when I’m at home. Unfortunately, my experience with… Read more
this product has been quite disappointing, mainly due to usability issues.
The first problem is the connection process. Connecting the headphones should be simple, but in practice it often isn’t. According to Bose, you need to hold the Bluetooth button for two seconds to connect, but many times when you do this the headphones simply turn off instead of entering pairing mode. Then you have to turn them on again and try once more. Sometimes the headphones appear in the Bluetooth list, sometimes they don’t, which makes the process frustrating.
Another issue is switching between devices. I use a MacBook, iPad, and iPhone, and moving between devices is far from seamless. Compared to Apple’s AirPods ecosystem, the experience feels clunky and inconvenient.
However, the main reason I decided to write this review is the recurring audio problem. Almost every time I connect the headphones, the audio starts cutting in and out at the beginning. The sound will stop briefly and then come back. This happens on my Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It’s been happening since the first day I bought the headphones.
I have installed the Bose app, checked for firmware updates, and confirmed that the software is up to date, but the problem still occurs regularly.
To be fair, the headphones are very comfortable — probably one of the most comfortable pairs I’ve used. They are also significantly cheaper than Apple’s AirPods Max.
However, the usability problems make the overall experience frustrating. Because of these issues, I regret purchasing them and unfortunately would not recommend them.
- +1
This is a reasonable pair of headphones. The QuietComfort headphones are more durable than it looks. It comes in its own hard case for storage, which is small and slim enough to take with you to most places. The case also has a pouch, where the charging cable and AUX cord that are both included. The available colours for this model are Twilight… Read more
Blue, White Smoke and Black
The noise cancellation is pretty good on these, definitely up there. Quiet mode is best for maximising noise cancellation. Immersion mode is almost as good as Quiet, but gives an incredible spatial audio experience. However, Immersion mode drains battery life significantly more than other modes, so I find that it's best to save it for things like games or sometimes videos. You can use Aware mode if you don't want any noise cancellation at all, and you can hear all outside sound just as clearly as if you hadn't been wearing headphones at all. Also, you can create and edit your own custom modes in the available mobile app, to suite your own preferences and needs.
The earpieces are generally very comfortable, and provide a great seal, blocking out most outside noise, but I do notice that after long periods of time my ears do get slightly sore. I think that the reason for this is that my ears are a smidge bigger than the interior of the headphones, meaning that the sides pushing on the sides of my ears just a little. Also, the headphones move forward sometimes too, and don's stay in position. I do have a more square-shaped head though, so I would say that's an issue with me rather than the headphones.
All in all, this is a durable pair of headphones with great sound. There's just those few small issues that I've face, nothing critical, that may well be related to my head's features, and almost no one else will experience the same. For these reasons, I give this product four out of five stars.
The ear cushion material is failing and coming apart after 1 year or normal, in frequent indoor use. Sound is ok but certainly not better than more affordable options such as Huawei or Sony Show details
Follow-up · Battery lifetime is good. The headphone frame is sturdy, and they are good for long-term use. They actually replaced the faulty headphone cushions for free.
For the price of these headphones, I'm quite disappointed in the performance. I recently upgraded from a trusty old pair of Bose AE11 SoundLink headphones, and through age and sheer volume of usage were close to end of life. I decided to stay true to Bose as a tribute to how good my last pair were. I was super excited to upgrade, though have been… Read more
somewhat disappointed with some things here. Firstly, the power settings on the QC U is intermittent at best. With the absence of a standalone power switch (or button), ive switched on the inbuilt feature to turn off when taken off my head. Unfortunately, the performance of this is very poor. Often I will take my headphones off, leave the room, and even open up another device (laptop) to find the audio is still (or newly) connected to the headphones. I have had this happen even into the next day when I've taken them off the previous evening meaning they have remained on all night! This obviously affects battery life (which is normally pretty good), so I find myself having to charge them more than I'd like.
Secondly, while the overall sound quality is great, there is something happening with either noise cancellation or voice suppression. I originally returned my first pair for a replacement as it seemed there was a fault. With my second pair, while not quite as obvious, it's still very much noticeable. When listening to music, and normally while walking around outdoors, the volume will randomly cut down about half volume. This is completely random and doesn't seem to be triggered by anything particular, and often last 30 seconds or so before reverting back. This also sometimes presents as sound dropping completely in 1 ear cup. I have adjusted all settings, and changed noise cancellation, though this behaviour seems to persist in all scenarios disappointingly.
Thirdly, and my final complaint, these headphones feel overly flimsy. Not necessarily weak, or easily breakable, just a touch floppy, droopy, rubbery in their structure. The do feel premium in many ways, however in comparison with my old pair, I feel like I need to be more careful with handling them as they flop about. They also don't stay on my head as well as my old ones, and I have a large head.
Overall, these are decent headphones when working correctly. They are comfortable, sound great (when not cutting out), fairly easy to use, and the noise cancelling is great (almost too good for my liking).
Overall, these are a solid set of headphones, however the downfalls are just too significant for the price point in my opinion. 3 out of 5 stars.
Cheap plastic und Buttons and slow in connection. Needs multiple attempts to connect. NC not better as with older models. Not comparable with QC45. I suggest not buying them but staying with QC45 or trying Sony. Show details
While the headphones are great at noise canceling and comfortable to wear, they amplify what is playing so much that I cannot use them to listen to background music. I’ve tried Spotify and YouTube as well as Apple Music and all are painfully loud -… Read more
but not when connected to my AirPods.
They are ok if you are using them to watch a show or do a meeting, but anything you want quiet they do not work.
I contacted Bose to see if there were any settings and was told minimum volume was not something you could modify. I’ve also tried a few third party apps that say they can reduce the minimum volume without any luck.
Follow-up · Never managed to find a way to manage the painfully loud volume with media. I only use these for meetings and environments where I really need noise cancellation. Not useful as an everyday option. Would not recommend.
These headphones do not feel or sound like they are a premium product. They feel cheap, the swivel element for feel like they are about to fall apart and have a squeak to them like they are old. They are anything but easy to use, they take 5 seconds to turn on, which doesn't sound like a long time but when you are use to the older QC35's which… Read more
were amazing you feel like you have a faulty product. Bose have tried to make a "smart" product but its anything but, when you move your head to the side everything just stops, i had to get on a live chat to Bose for them to tell me how to swich that stupid feature off, then you have the stupid volume slider on the side is hit and miss. I brought a pair for $29 headphones from Aldi which just work, I cant really tell the difference in sound quality and dont have all the annoying "smarts".
After 4 months of medium use, and being gentle with it, the bose qc ultra earpads are already falling apart, one side has the foam exposed and the glue of the leather undone, the otherside looks like its about to pop, i am astounded how a $600 pair of headphones does this, this is absolutely horrible to do, sound quality is great but the leather quality is so bad Show details
You need to have a new phone for the Bose App to work. This important fact is not mentioned in any specs when researching these headphones. I can connect via bluetooth on my phone, and yes the sound is great, but i can't access heaps of features because apparenytly my phone needs to be a higher version than it is. I called Bose Customer Support… Read more
and the guy who answered wasn't aware of this issue. It took 2 hours on the phone for this little known fact to be identified. Really NOT HAPPY. The problem could easily be fixed if BOSE tweaked their App. Unbelieveable and so frustrating. Come on BOSE, fix this issue please, give me the choice of choosing Quiet Comfort Ultra from the products on the BOSE App.
This review could be summed up by one word: WOW!! – This review could be summed up by one word: WOW!! From the moment I put on the headphones and heard music, I was astonished by how incredible they sounded. - Warm, rich bass without being boomy. - Clear, smooth midrange without any harshness. - Crystal clear high frequencies without any noticeable distortion. The external noise cancellation is… Read more
the best I've heard. When I put on the head phones and listened to music for the first time, I was in the company of various family members, each of whom thought I was exaggerating when I was raving about how incredible it sounded. Then each of them in turn tried the headphones and each agreed that I was not exaggerating. In addition to superb sound quality, I like also that I can connect to more than one Bluetooth device at the same time. So if I'm connected to my lounge room hi-fi via Bluetooth and my phone rings, my phone interrupts the stream from my lounge room (as I'd want it to) and I can take the call via the headphones. Callers have reported to me that the sound of my own voice is clear and much the same as if I was talking directly into the phone (albeit just a little quieter, but not a lot). As soon as the phone call finishes, it switches automatically back to the previous Bluetooth stream from my lounge room. The headphones have been excellent to use on train journeys. I imagine that they would be most suitable for walking too, but I wouldn't know because I don't listen to music while I'm walking, preferring to take in the ambience of my surroundings. I'm not a runner, so I don't know how they'd go while running, and because the headphones go over the ears with a band over the top of the head, they would not be suitable for bicycle riding, because you could not wear these headphones and a bicycle helmet at the same time. There's an optional setting that makes the audio sound like it's coming from in front of you rather than between your ears, which is excellent for watching television. The app to configure the headphones via my Android phone (also available for iPhone) is easy to use. I like also how the headphones fold up into a relatively small carry case. It's a bit of a trick folding them up the right way. I didn't take much notice when I took them out the first time and it took me a couple of minutes to work out how to fold them up correctly to fit. Now that I know it's not a problem at all and they fold up nicely in a few seconds. In summary, I have never heard another set of headphones that sound even close to how good these sound. Longevity is the only thing that remains untested. If they last a few years then I will not be able to fault them.
Bose are no longer respectable – Such shocking build quality, plastic for a premium price, so many issues don't know where to start. The whole company has gone down. Avoid all Bose products
Great product – I’m surprised by the mix reviews. These headphones offer superior sound quality to anything else I’ve tried in their price range. They fit well and are comfortable, the immersive audio function is great and noise cancelling is superior. The microphone function works fine, as long as you have them around the right way. Excellent product. Show details
Find out how Bose QuietComfort Ultra compares to other Wireless Headphones
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Regression – I have previously owned QC35's and QC45's. Since purchasing the QC ultras, I can see that the incentives are based around form over function, lack of repair and maintenance, invasive bloatware and a variety of other frustrations. Show details
Very expensive headphones, lasted less than 5 months – I paid almost $600 for this pair of headphones in March, less than 5 months ago. I now find the ear pad has come away from the headphone body and exposed the underlying foam. I assumed it would be a simple matter of replacement under warranty, given the price of the item, and the short duration since purchase. Not so. Bose considers this to be… Read more
"normal wear and tear", not covered by any warranty. Eventually, after threatening a complaint to fair trading, they agreed to make a "one-off" "exception" and send me a repair kit. Which I have to fit.
Before spending your money on Bose items, be aware that Bose themselves expect them to last less than five months.
You need these Earbuds – If I could give 6 stars I would. How can such good quality sound come from such a small device. The immersion setting brings a new level off sound to the table. Clear high treble with great low frequency bass. Definitely worth the money. No need to second guess on these Earbuds. Noise cancelling is the best
One of the worst yet most expensive set of earbuds I've purchased – I typically wait until I've had a product for a reasonable time before submitting a review here. However, my Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are away "getting repaired" just five months after purchase. I have many other earbuds and headphones to… Read more
compare with, both Bose and other brands. Specifically, I have a set of Bose QuietComfort II earbuds, which are actually still working fine after five years and sound almost as good as the Bose QC Ultra, however the Ultra earbuds have a TERRIBLE connectivity issue. It means that when you get them out of the case and put them on to use, most of the time they DO NOT CONNECT. It's not exactly the same issue every time, sometimes one connects and the other doesn't, sometimes they will activiate but not connect to my phone even though it's close enough. Sometimes the earbuds just fail to activate at all, as if they don't realise they are out of the case and in my years. This issue has been consistent for all five months. Recently I discovered that the rubber grommet that is attached to the left earbuds had split, so I took the set back to JB Hi Fi, telling them that when the replacement is available, that I wanted to swap it for a different brand. I'm thinking of trying Sony wf-1000xm5 next time. Although my old Bose QC II earbuds still work just fine, the case lid doesn't stay closed any more so I have to put something heavy on top when stored. So I'm making do with those until I get the new Sony earbuds. Other issues are mostly related to control using touch sensitive pads on outside of earbuds. Although the earbuds can tolerate a splash of water now and again, the touch sensitive areas on outside of earbuds go berserk at times when even slightly damb. Like when touching an earbuds after washing your hands. The mechanism is capacitive so perhaps they are too sensitive. When trying to change volume or control in other ways, the right things tend to happen only around one half to two thirds of the time. If I wear my hat a certain way, just touching on earbuds may change to next track or pause etc. Combined with having to take earbuds out of ears, back into case and back into ears several times JUST TO CONNECT TO MY PHONE is enough to have me swearing at these waste-of-good-money earbuds. You'd think that being among the most expensive available, they would work reliably. Not with these ones. Combined with the issues that I've seen come into other Bose products, I'm no longer one that simply keeps buying Bose for the good brand that it used to be. The QC 35 headphones I've had for some time keep switching on by themselves, flattening the battery. Bose replaced them and new ones started doing this as well. So now I've given up on using them in bluetooth mode and use with cable only. Can't do this with the QC Ultra earbuds as Bluetooth is the only connection they have and it SUCKS. I didn't give one star as when they do work, the sound is indeed very good as well as the noise cancelling. But certainly not worth all the stress that goes along with them. If you absolutely must buy Bose earbuds, at the very least avoid these "Ultra" models.
My own experience comparing with other earbuds: Bose QuietComfort earbuds (originals, not Ultra): No complaint, after five years the latch on the case broke but I can still use if I hold cover down with something heavy. Samsung Buds II Pro: I had these for two hours only. Why? There is a fault in the sensor of some units that tells whether you have each earbud in your ear. Some people have had one fail to do this. Both of mine failed to do this, from the very first time I used them. JB Hi-Fi replaced them immediately. Comparing the audio quality I'd say they are about right for a product that is roughly half the cost of the best I've tried. For me, clear but noticably lower quality. Sony WF-1000XM5: I got these when the Samsung Buds II Pro were returned to JB Hi-Fi. Worked flawlessly immediately. Very impressed with many aspects including sound quality which are on par with Bose Ultra. The method of control seems far more reliable, as if the switches are tactile rather than capacitive. Various operations happen much quicker than I've experienced before. I was expecting the main issue to be discomfort of buds in ear, however I have no complaint in this area. After a couple of hours of use it looks like these are keepers! Many features that go beyond others.
Follow-up · I was asked to do a follow up to my review. Since posting original review I've used only Sony earbuds, and am happy with them. I had the Bose QC Ultra earbuds only for short time, and my review seems accurate to my experience with them. Meanwhile I've been using Bose QC headphones for many years, and although needing replacement pads every 12… Read more
Premium price, great sound, with shocking pairing – I'm a Bose superfan, used QC45 for years and QC35 before that. Now really disappointed, had a weird experience with my QC45, and now terrible experience with Ultra model. Positives: The comfort, build, audio and noise cancelling quality is next level, LOVE IT. Negative: The pairing is terrible, which means it doesn't work. Many different issues,… Read more
all because they are trying to be too smart with their pairing experience, their auto-detection (When you take it off your head) does weird stuff.
Example of the problem Here's the scenario/example, which happens multiple times a day to me. (I've reset all my devices and headphones multiple times, reconnected it to power to reset it, to 3x phones/computers, same result) 1) Open the headphones they wake up and connect to device - yay 2) Take them of and unpair from device - hold power button down, this sometimes works, other times kicks it into pairing mode to find new devices 3) Paired with phone, now I want to pair with my computer, press the power button to pair, it either tries to find new devices or turns off - great 4) 1-2 times per day it will go into a state that is on, but not paired, and then I can't turn it off, turn it on. If I hold the power button it wont go into typical 'connecting' mode and make the sounds when it connects, etc. But then a device will detect it as paired, but no audio playback. The app registers that the headphones have paired, and the controls on the headphone play/stop music, but no sound.
Each time it happens I try different steps (open, close, power on, off, charging cable,etc) for 2-10 minutes, sometimes it fixes instantly, other times like right now 20 minutes of attempts and no luck. I'll try again later.
I have since tried all support articles on Bose, multiple videos on YouTube, and finally tried… Read more (+1 reply)
Works as advertised but has major shortcomings – Noise cancelling and voice calls works as advertised. But the headset does not work, either noise cancelling nor playing audio, when charging. So annoying. I can disconnect the USB-C charging cable and the headset automatically reconnects and noise cancelling starts again. Plug it in and it stops again. I am disappointed that I bought this… Read more
headset for day-to-day office use for online meetings, make mobile phone calls and to be my office "walls" from noisy neighbors in an open plan office. I leave my headset in the office locker and so I charge it only at work at my desk. My Jabra Evolve2 85 headset worked whilst charging so why Bose cannot?
Another issue is no audio via the USB-C cable. I have had Bluetooth connection issues with Windows and the same headset connected to my Windows and to my Android devices (Android always works). So, I would appreciate if I could connect audio over USB cables (again as Jabra Evolve2 85 headset).
Also, the headset volume controls do not change smoothly but suddenly jumps in large steps. No fine control for low volume changes.
Yes. I would buy the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, but I cannot give it 5/5. Though the music and noise cancelling is better for the Bose headphones, I am leaning back towards my Jabra Evolve2 85 headset.
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Update, Jan 2025. So, in Jan, 10 months old, they stopped working during phone calls. After I… Read more