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Apart from the extra shine, the 2nd Gen Bose QC Ultra packs even more battery than the last version, the ability to turn off Noise Canceling and touch controls, and a new Cinema Mode optimized for movies. I like it more than the regular Immersive Mode setting because it’s got a different EQ with less reverb.

But to me, its biggest update is that now it supports wired USB-C audio, which allows you to get 24-bit 48khz Lossless audio while charging the headphones. It also sounds different compared to Bluetooth, and this is something we’ll explore later in the review.

We’ll also compare their performance to the 1st Gen Bose QC Ultra, and some of the most popular headphones in the market, like the Sony WH-1000XM6, AirPods Max, and what I consider to be the best sounding headphones, the B&W Px7 S3.

Microphone Quality

In terms of microphone pickup, the Gen 2 Bose QC Ultra improvement over Gen 1. The noise reduction is much more responsive, and there’s a bit more sharpness to voice capture. As for how it compares to the others, it’s not as silent in the background, and doesn’t amplify my voice as loudly, but it doesn’t sound as muffled or as robotic. The only one with better mic pickup here is the AirPods Max, but the Gen 2 QC Ultra comes very close.

👉 Have a listen to the mic quality samples

Active Noise Cancelling

Active Noise Canceling is where the Gen 2 QC Ultra really shines. Looking at these measurements, they are one of the best noise cancelers, able to deal effectively with low to mid frequency noises.

They are more or less comparable to Gen 1, but they are a little better at cutting noise in the mids to treble, which means you hear less of your keyboard, human chatter or traffic noises.

They do cut a bit more noise in the low frequencies than the Px7 S3, the WH-1000XM6 and the AirPods Max, so they will perform better at cutting noise in general but especially the rumbling noise of a plane’s engine, should you be flying for business or leisure. Now, to be fair, all of them are fantastic noise cancelers, but the QC Ultra Gen 2 is, in my opinion, the best.

👉 Have a listen to the ANC quality samples

Transparency Mode

Their transparency mode is where they don’t seem to be as good. Compared to the previous model, they don’t seem to be passing through as much of the ambience in general, so there’s going to be a little bit of occlusion compared to the airy clearness of the Gen 1 QC Ultra.

And compare the rest to the Gen 2 QC Ultra, you can see that they hug closer to the bass noise level represented by the white line, which means their transparency mode is a tiny closer to not wearing headphones at all compared to the QC Ultra Gen 2. Nonetheless, Gen 2 is still transparent enough for general awareness and verbal exchanges.

Sound Quality

For sound quality, the Gen 2 QC Ultra over Bluetooth sounds very different from when it’s wired, and there’s even a volume difference. Over USB-C, bass performance seems comparable to Bluetooth, but tracks have more clarity and focus, especially in the vocals.

There’s less muddiness, and in the soundstage there is more airyness. As for volume, you can expect 20% volume gain compared to Bluetooth, so 40% volume over USB-C matches 60% over Bluetooth. Over the 3.5mm copper cable, it will sound crisper and brighter in the mids and highs with less bass. But it has very high volume gain, 30% over 3.5mm matches 60% over Bluetooth, so give or take it’s twice as loud. This gives you the option to ruin very long cable extensions if you need to.

But for the sake of comparing them to the others, we’re going to benchmark them based on their Bluetooth signature. After the sound samples, I’m going to explain if it’s worth buying Gen 2 or Gen 1, and I’m also going to compare them individually to the others.

👉 LIsten to the sound quality samples

Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 VS Gen 1

The Gen 2 QC Ultra sounds a little different from Gen 1. There’s more focus on vocals and there’s a bit less bloat in the bass. Gen 1 sounds a bit more laid back, its bass is a little more heavy, vocals and instruments sound a bit crisper, and its soundstaging is a bit more open and you can also hear transient details shine brighter in the background compared to Gen 2.

In many ways, I do prefer how Gen 1 sounds, but if you want less bloat in the bass, more definition and gravity in the vocals, you may prefer Gen 2. But apart from that, for some who already have Gen 1, Gen 2 may look like a compelling upgrade if you want better mic pickup, a slight upgrade to noise canceling, USB-C audio, Cinema mode and longer battery.

Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 VS Sony WH-1000XM6

Comparing the Gen 2 QC Ultra to the Sony WH-1000XM6, the Sony has more vocal emphasis, thinner bass, and its soundstage is a bit more compact. It’s a very different sound indeed, and I think by default the Bose does sound nicer, more relaxed and soothing.

But the Sony’s sound is much more customizable than the Bose, and using my Singapore Spring Custom EQ, it becomes one of the best sounding headphones, with more impact and texture in the bass, richer vocals, percussions and strings, and more airiness.

For the Bose, you can only do bass, mids and treble controls and not much else, and that really limits its audio potential.

I will pick the Sonys because it’s more customizable and more feature rich, it also has audiophile-centric features like LDAC codec support and DSEE Extreme upscaling, but the Bose does have better noise canceling, USB-C audio, and out of the box, they’re more comfortable to wear because they don’t clamp as hard on the head. I can’t say that about the Sonys, although they do loosen up over time.

Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 VS B&W Px7 S3

Comparing the QC Ultra Gen 2 to the Px7 S3, the Bose sounds more relaxed in the soundstage which makes it easy to enjoy, but it doesn’t sound as impressive because what the Px7 S3 brings to the table is realism.

Vocals have more realism and detail, it sounds less veiled, bass is more textured and visceral, and background details are brighter. It also has better layering which gives it a slightly 3D effect. And just like the Bose, it supports USB-C audio. I like that its build quality feels more premium, it has full button controls which is better for winter gloves, but really, the Px7 S3 is a better choice if you prioritize sound quality more.

That being said, I like the Bose because its noise canceling is better, its app experience is cleaner, more responsive, slightly better mic pickup, the option of either USB-C or analogue inputs, fully foldable design which makes them easier to pack away, and its headband has a more gentle clamp, whereas the B&W do clamp a little too tight for long periods of wearing.

Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 VS AirPods Max

Comparing the Gen 2 QC Ultra to the AirPods Max, the AirPods sound great in their own right. Very low distortion with emphasis on clarity in the midrange. But compared to the Bose, their bass sounds thinner, they sound more hissy in the upper mids, and background details are darker, less obvious.

They do have more midrange vocal clarity, but vocals do sound a bit more recessed. Suffice to say, I prefer the sound of the Bose. That’s not to say the AirPods Max isn’t worth buying. Its transparency mode is far cleaner than the Bose, almost like not wearing headphones at all.

And if you’re in Apple's ecosystem, the AirPods Max works like a dream because you can seamlessly switch between devices without going through any pairing process, share audio with other AirPods users, and it also supports USB-C audio like the Bose, so it does have its own special appeal among Apple users like me.

But the reason I keep going back to the Bose is its better noise canceling, better comfort since these are not as heavy, better portability since they fold inwards so they don’t take up as much space in the bag. And you do get more flexibility with the Bose because whether you’re on iOS or Android, you get access to all of their features, settings and firmware updates whereas with the AirPods Max, you only get those with Apple devices.

Check latest prices:

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen - https://amzn.to/4gH7X9d
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones - https://amzn.to/4pz3lWJ
Sony WH-1000XM6 - https://amzn.to/4n6OcuL
B&W Px7 S3 - https://amzn.to/4mn593q (UK)
AirPods Max - https://amzn.to/4lMXZoB

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