Over-Ear Headphones · owner-verdict comparison

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Grado SR80x: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Grado SR80x: 60% of 55 owners recommend it, vs 36% of 434 for the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)

36%of 434 owners recommend
36% recommend · 24% neutral · 40% don't
Owners praise
  • 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
Owners complain about
  • 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
Full owner report →

Grado SR80x

60%of 55 owners recommend
60% recommend · 18% neutral · 22% don't
Owners praise
  • Punchy, dynamic, "fun" sound signature that owners describe as energetic and addictive rather than flat or clinical
  • Excellent entry point into higher-end audio for the price, with many owners keeping their pair for a decade or more
  • Clean, airy sound with surprising clarity and detail retrieval for a budget open-back can
Owners complain about
  • Glued-together build (drivers, gimbals, rodblocks, headband) that owners view as flimsy, breaks over time, and often requires DIY hot-glue or aftermarket-part repairs
  • Bright, treble-forward tuning that a meaningful minority finds fatiguing or outright harsh on longer listening sessions
  • Stiff, thick, unwieldy stock cable that's awkward to manage and a recurring standalone complaint
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

Get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) 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
Skip it if
  • Anyone sensitive to background noise during podcasts, quiet passages or silence
  • Walkers, runners and commuters on rough roads, where the noise canceling pops
Get the Grado SR80x if
  • ✓First-time audiophiles wanting an affordable, exciting-sounding upgrade from stock earbuds
  • ✓Listeners who love an energetic, forward, treble-tilted sound signature
  • ✓Home/desk listeners who don't need isolation or a lightweight on-the-go cable
  • ✓Tinkerers open to swapping pads or modding to fine-tune comfort and bass
Skip it if
  • Anyone sensitive to bright, fatiguing treble on long listening sessions
  • Buyers wanting a durable build, since the glued drivers and stiff cable feel fragile and cheap

What Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) owners say

“I’m loving both Bose models though.”
— Zealousideal_Bid2690 on Reddit
“Its very good. quality is top notch”
— Adorable_Toe79 on Reddit
“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.”
— TheLawPlace on Reddit

What Grado SR80x owners say

“SR80x (120€ new) was my first audiophile headphone over two years ago. They were so good that within a week I returned them to upgrade to SR225x”
— Hunter-97-G on Reddit
“Grado SR80s were my first decent pair of headphones too, and I still love them - still have them and listen to them something like 15 years later.”
— srmd22 on Reddit
“Using chinese components. And a lot of glue... You'd think with all that American Engineering, we could not use Glue, and instead use... maybe screws?”
— KaosC57 on Reddit

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) vs Grado SR80x: frequently asked questions

Is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) or the Grado SR80x better?

Real owners lean toward the Grado SR80x: 60% of 55 owners recommend it, vs 36% of 434 for the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).

Who should get the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)?

Owners point the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) at frequent flyers who want quiet on a plane and a case that fits a carry-on, and glasses wearers and anyone whose head hurts in tighter-clamping headphones.

Who should get the Grado SR80x?

Owners point the Grado SR80x at first-time audiophiles wanting an affordable, exciting-sounding upgrade from stock earbuds, and listeners who love an energetic, forward, treble-tilted sound signature.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) is a background hiss or white noise floor with nothing playing, audible to many owners though not all. For the Grado SR80x, it's glued-together build (drivers, gimbals, rodblocks, headband) that owners view as flimsy, breaks over time, and often requires DIY hot-glue or aftermarket-part repairs.