Scored on 434 verified owner verdicts, from 2,932 comments read across 1 community
TL;DR
Few sets of headphones divide their buyers this evenly. Comfort is the consistent draw, holding up across an eight hour flight or a full day of work calls, glasses included, alongside noise canceling that flattens engine drone, fans and traffic. Against that sit two complaints raised over and over: a steady hiss or white noise floor when nothing is playing, which some owners notice on day one and others never hear at all, and adaptive noise canceling that pops or thumps with each footstep and after a slammed door. A firmware update that took device switching off the headphones themselves turned a further run of long-time Bose buyers against them.
36% of 434 verified owners recommend the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
2,932 comments reviewed · scored on the 434 clearest verdicts
36%
Recommend
157 owners
24%
Neutral
102 owners
40%
Don't recommend
175 owners
Last 6 months:39% recommend(205 recent verdicts)→ holding steady vs older reviews
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
36%
434
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
No clear verdictiGood-to-know notes — setup, tips, and things to watch for. We use them for the pros, cons, and who it's for, but they don't reflect a definitive opinion on the product, so they're never counted in the score. See the 'Good to know' section below the quotes.Setup, tips & quirks
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191
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
What owners like
Comfort over long flights and full work days, including for glasses wearers
Ear cups deep enough that ears sit inside them rather than being pressed
Noise canceling that buries steady noise like engines, fans and road hum
Warm bass-forward sound that owners tune to taste with the app's bass shelf
Compact case that packs down smaller than most rivals for travel
What owners flag
A background hiss or white noise floor with nothing playing, audible to many owners though not all
Popping and thumping when walking, running, or when a door slams nearby
A firmware update that removed switching devices from the headphones themselves
Connection dropouts, clumsy multipoint and auto-sleep that will not wake back up
Call and mic quality that colleagues complain about on meetings
Who it's for
A great fit if
Frequent flyers who want quiet on a plane and a case that fits a carry-on
Glasses wearers and anyone whose head hurts in tighter-clamping headphones
All-day desk wear where the headphones go on in the morning and stay on
Listeners who like a full bass-forward sound and will spend a minute in the app
Look elsewhere if
Anyone sensitive to background noise during podcasts, quiet passages or silence
Walkers, runners and commuters on rough roads, where the noise canceling pops
People who take most of their calls and meetings on the headset mic
Buyers who wanted to switch between devices with a button on the headphone
Synthesized from what Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) owners say — not a spec sheet.
Common questions
Are the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) worth the money?
Owners lean against them: 36% of 434 owners recommend the 2nd Gen and 40% would not. That is one of the weakest splits in this category, and it lands on a set that sits at the top of Bose's headphone line. Comfort holds up the positive half, with glasses wearers and long-flight owners describing hours of wear without pressure. The negative half is about behavior rather than sound, a hiss with nothing playing, canceling that pops, and connection trouble.
What is the hiss people hear with nothing playing?
A noise floor from the canceling circuit, and how loud it seems varies by ear and by room. Some owners hear it immediately, one describing the canceling fluctuating and hissing for seconds after every sudden noise, which makes podcasts and quiet passages the worst case. Another, two weeks in, calls them dead silent on maximum canceling in a quiet room. A quiet room inside the return window is the only honest test.
Why do they thump or pop while walking?
The canceling adapts to sudden sound and pressure, and owners hear that adjustment as a thud or a pop. One owner of the first-generation Ultras cringes when a door shuts elsewhere in the house; a 2nd Gen owner says the headphones drive you mad unless the background noise stays constant. The Bose app carries more than one lever: the cancellation level is adjustable, ActiveSense, the dynamic adjustment that tracks the noise around you, can be switched off in Aware mode, and canceling can be turned off altogether, which disables the external mics.
Can they hold a phone and a laptop at once?
Yes. Bose's support page for the 2nd Gen says they stay actively connected to two devices when Multi-point is on, toggled under Settings then Bluetooth Connections in the Bose app, with calls ringing through from both. What changed is where switching lives: a firmware update moved device switching off the headphones themselves, and owners describe that as gutting multipoint and want the function brought back.
Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen or Sony WH-1000XM6?
Neither set convinces its owners: the 2nd Gen sits at 36% of 434 here, the XM6 at 35% of 571. Owners who tried both land in different places, one returning the XM6 after home, walking and meeting use, another surprised the Bose sounded better after planning to keep the Sony, a third rating Sony's audio clearly ahead even after long testing. Comfort is the Bose argument; controls and sound are the Sony one.
Does the 2nd Gen do anything the first Ultra headphones did not?
Bose lists real changes, though one owner rates them cosmetic. Bose names on-head detection that powers the set on and off with no power button, lossless wired listening over USB-C, canceling that can be switched off entirely, an all-new Cinema mode and Bluetooth 5.4. The owner here puts the difference at looks and a slightly sturdier build, with sound and canceling identical to the original Ultras, a splurge rather than a logical upgrade.
Top quotes, sourced
2,932 reviewed · 402 shown
Sentiment
Sort
Reddit▲ recommend
“I come from the xm5 earbuds and just bought the QC Ultra 2nd gen’s because even though I loved the Sony’s, I don’t like wearing them knowing there’s too much toxic chemicals in them.”
Reddit— neutral
“A firmware update for the bose qc ultra 2 basically removes multi point connection and the xm6 seems like they have the hinge problem still. Seems like both have their issues.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I had the Ultra headphones which caused severe skin irritation. I got rid of them as the only solution was buying third party ear pads which would have changed the sound.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“Bose was never comfortable to me, I tried from 35 over to the latest and microphone is still on xm4 level, and i find them uncomfortable even when testing them in store.”
Reddit— neutral
“If you're moving around a lot and size isn't a concern, the Headphones would probably be better as the earbud Ultra IIs seem to slip out of my ears (much more than my old Bose QC II earbuds).”
Reddit▲ recommend
“My ultra used daily for over a year is still working great. Had some firmware issue at the start but currently it is Ok. Good anc, great sound and sturdy.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I've owned both of these and currently use the QC Ultra. They both sound great and have really good ANC. The Bose ANC feels slightly better”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“My QCU headphone experience has been disappointing from day one when I realized I now have to wait for (what feels like) an eternity just for audio confirmation that I actually powered them on/off.”
Reddit— neutral
“Found the audio really enjoyable and could live with their quirks for most part. (like the separate 2.5mm to listen wired) Dealbreaker was the creaking plastic headband.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I hated the creaks and clicks, they don’t feel very well made. I went to the usual QCs instead, proper buttons as well. I much prefer Sonos Ace for build quality.”
Reddit— neutral
“bose are extremely limited in settings but they do give the immersive audio for free without needing a subscription to something else. they do sound great also just limited performance for me”
Reddit▲ recommend
“for me the ultra is better than sony, better sound, better spacial sound, a bit better anc imo, mich better comfort on longue time wearing”
Reddit▲ recommend
“Super comfortable and ANC is top notch. Personally I really enjoy the sound quality and immersion mode feels very nice if you're sitting.”
Reddit— neutral
“But I am happy with the device. It's very very comfortable for a person like who is not a headphone guy at all. I wish bose brings back the fuction which they removed.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I did go with the XM5 over the QC Ultra only because the QC noise cancelling has this weird air pressure feel - does anyone else get that? It was too much for me”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I’ve been using the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones and I’m ready to throw them across the room. They won’t stay connected, I can barely get them to turn on or off, and syncing them is a nightmare.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“So much more comfy and roomier in the ear cups. My first pair of the Bose were defective / ANC balance was off. Second pair is working amazing, could immediately tell they weren’t broken. Give it a go I think you’ll love em”
Reddit— neutral
“Ultra was a little too much on the clamping force. But that depends on headshapes too. Noise cancelling is awesome on the xm5s. All other aspects yes qc ultra for sure”
Reddit▲ recommend
“the Bose QC Ultra Generation 2 is on par with the Sony WH XM5's ANC.....which was the best I had ever experienced when I owned the Sony”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“QCU2 will just drive you crazy unless the noise is constant. If there are sudden noises, the ANC will fluctuate and hiss for a few seconds after every noise.”
Reddit— neutral
“The sound quality is amazing, they feel like wearing clouds on your ears, the battery is great and the ANC is probably the best in it's class. BUT the headset quirks and popp while wearing them.”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“the suction feeling is horrible when music is not on and they did give me a dizzy feeling,nauseous. My daughter said the same thing. The sound isn't as loud as I thought it should be. Will be returning them.”
Reddit— neutral
“Yes, way overblown issue, i hate updates for most products and they definitely didnt make them any better ..but if you never had them before you wouldn't even notice”
Reddit▲ recommend
“the QCs just sounded better overall. Just my opinion, but I was fully ready to stay with the XM6s, and was surprised they weren’t it.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
Redditⓘ good to know
“that's why i have reduced the time to 20 minutes on the app from 24 hours. If you prefer less then I suggest you to put it even less, ig there was option for 10 minutes aswell”
Redditⓘ good to know
“You can "fix" the not-so low volume by adjusting the eq on the app. Pull each "frequency" (bass, mid, high) down several notches. This worked quite well for me.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Ich hatte dieses Knistern auch im linken Ohr. Was geholfen hat, war die Verbindung in der Bose App zu den zu den Kopfhörern zu trennen.”
