Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen

Bose's QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen earbuds deliver the best ANC you can buy right now, paired with rich, immersive spatial audio and all-day comfort. Battery life is average at 6 hours, and the mic won't win any awards, but for travel and focus, they're peerless. Prices swing from $240 to $330, so hunt for a deal.

Bose didn't get to be the name in noise canceling by resting on its laurels, and the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen earbuds are the company flexing everything it knows about making the world go quiet. These true wireless buds pack ActiveSense adaptive ANC, CustomTune personalized sound, and Bose's new Immersion mode that mixes spatial audio with noise canceling into one button press. If you've ever sat on a plane next to a crying baby or tried to focus in a noisy open office, these were basically built with you in mind. Travelers and everyday listeners who want to disconnect without thinking about it are the target, and Bose has carved out a throne in that space that few can touch.

What makes the Ultra 2nd Gen interesting isn't just that they're excellent at canceling noise, it's that they manage to sound fantastic while doing it. The 1-driver dynamic setup supports hi-res audio over aptX Adaptive and the spatial audio isn't a gimmicky add-on, it genuinely gives your music a wider, more cinematic stage. Throw in rock-solid Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint, and you've got a set of earbuds that can switch between your phone and laptop without skipping a beat. We've tested a lot of earbuds in our database, and the Bose sit at the very top of the ANC and sound quality charts, which is no small feat.

But the competition is fiercer than ever. Sony, Sennheiser, Samsung, and Technics all have heavy hitters in this $250+ bracket, each with their own spin on what premium earbuds should be. So the question isn't whether the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen are good, they're undeniably great. It's whether their particular strengths line up with what you need, and where they leave a little something on the table for the other guys to scoop up. As always, we've put them through our benchmarks and real-world listening to give you the no-BS story.

The sound here is outstanding. With a 96th percentile ranking against every headphone we've tested, these earbuds deliver a warm, detailed signature that makes acoustic tracks feel intimate and bass-heavy songs punch without getting muddy. CustomTune tech automatically adjusts the EQ based on the shape of your ear, and it works, this isn't a flat, one-size-fits-all preset. When you flip on Immersion mode, Bose's take on spatial audio widens the soundstage so much you'd swear you forgot to take off a pair of open-back headphones. For movies and games, the head-tracking adds a weirdly convincing layer, though we left it off for most music listening.

ANC is where Bose continues to absolutely embarrass the rest of the market. The 97th percentile score backs up what your ears will tell you: the QuietComfort Ultra delete low-end hums like airplane engines and bus rumble with eerie effectiveness, and the adaptive system shifts modes so smoothly you won't notice the transition. Transparency mode, which Bose calls Aware, sounds natural enough that you can hold a conversation without pulling a bud out. The catch? Battery life is the spec that keeps this package earthbound. At 6 hours with ANC on, you're in the middle of the pack, good enough for a commute and a few calls but not a transatlantic flight without a case top-up. The case gives you 18 extra hours and Qi charging is a bonus, but a 47th percentile battery score means you'll be reaching for that case more often than owners of Sony's XM5 will.

Pricing is all over the place depending on where you look, we've seen these listed anywhere from $240 to $330 across vendors. That spread is wild, and if you can snag them at the lower end, you're getting a screaming deal. Our budget score of 95.2 says these earbuds deliver tremendous value even at full price, because the ANC and sound quality are best-in-class, and Bose backs them with a name people trust. For context, that score puts them ahead of most true wireless earbuds in our database, you're paying for elite noise canceling and audio that doesn't compromise. Still, if money is tight and you don't need the absolute pinnacle of ANC, something like the EarFun Air Pro 4+ gets you 80% of the way for less than half the cost.

There's also the long game to think about. Bose products hold their value and the company's support is solid, so you're buying into an ecosystem, not just a pair of buds. If you find the Midnight Violet colorway for $240 at a reputable store, that's the move. At $330, you're competing with Sony and Sennheiser on pure feature count, and that's where the battery shortcomings start to sting a little more.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 are the obvious rival, and they beat the Bose on battery life (8 hours), have a more detailed equalizer app, and slightly more secure fit for light workouts. But Sony's ANC, while great, doesn't quite reach Bose's vacuum-like silence, and the XM5's foam tips aren't as universally comfortable. If you want a single set for both travel and the gym, Sony's versatility is hard to ignore. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 come out swinging with even more audiophile detail and a refined build, but their ANC can't match Bose, and the fit is bulkier, for pure sound quality nerds, Sennheiser is the answer, but for commuters, Bose is the pick.

Technics' EAH-AZ100-K is a wildcard that's flown under the radar, it matches Bose on ANC strength nearly and beats it on battery, but the app and spatial audio implementation aren't as slick. Samsung's Galaxy Buds3 Pro are the obvious choice if you're deep in the Galaxy phone ecosystem, with seamless device switching and good ANC, but they trade blows on sound and comfort. The Bose stand alone when you want the best ANC and spatial audio in a supremely comfortable package, but if you need all-day stamina without a case break, look at Sony or Technics first.

If your primary use case is pounding out miles on the pavement or hitting the gym hard, skip the Bose. Their fitness score of 76.3 in our testing reflects a fit that's comfortable while stationary but not locked-in enough for intense movement, and the IPX4 rating only handles sweat and light splashes, not a full-on rain run. A dedicated sport pair like the Jabra Elite 8 Active or the Sony WF-1000XM5 with their secure foam tips and longer battery life will serve you better for workouts.

Budget-conscious buyers who just want good ANC without bleeding-edge performance should also look elsewhere. The EarFun Air Pro 4+ gives you solid noise canceling, decent sound, and nearly twice the battery endurance for under $100. The Bose are a luxury item for silence lovers, and if that's not your main obsession, the premium price is hard to justify over these scrappier alternatives.

For the traveler who lives in airports, the commuter stuck on noisy trains, or the office worker who just wants to vanish into a playlist, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen are about as good as it gets. The ANC is a genuine productivity tool, not just a feature, and the sound quality is so pleasant you'll look for excuses to keep them in. The comfort is top 10% in our testing, meaning you can wear them for an entire workday without your ears feeling punished. If that's your world, these are worth every penny.

On the flip side, if you're someone who pounds the pavement for daily runs or spends hours in remote video calls where mic quality is make-or-break, you might feel the edges here. The battery is merely okay and the microphone, while clear in quiet rooms, can't compete with a dedicated headset. For those use cases, we'd nudge you toward the Sony WF-1000XM5 for better call pickup and longer battery, or a dedicated sports-focused pair from Jabra if sweat is a constant factor.