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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Bose unveils its QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd gen).
- A new low-power mode, improved battery life, and USB-C audio highlight the headphones’ new capabilities.
- They’re on preorder for $449 in four colors, with general availability on Oct. 2.
Four months after Sony took direct aim at Bose’s noise cancellation crown, Bose has a response: new flagship over-ear headphones. Bose’s acclaimed QuietComfort Ultra headphones return, and the second generation promises upgrades to noise cancellation, spatial audio, wired audio, audio performance, and user experience.
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Bose’s first-gen QuietComfort Ultra headphones are some of our favorite noise-canceling headphones, and the QuietComfort Ultra 2 pledge meaningful strides to address the first generation’s pitfalls. Here’s what’s new.
Improved adaptive noise cancellation
Bose says the QuietComfort Ultra 2 sport an improved adaptive noise cancellation algorithm that deploys noise cancellation smoother and quicker. The company’s adaptive noise cancellation feature is called ActiveSense, and users can activate it when listening in Aware mode.
Also: I tried Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds’ AI noise cancelling, and can’t go back to regular ANC
An improved ActiveSense means the headphones’ microphones can better detect disruptive noises in your environment, and swiftly yet smoothly cancel them, decreasing the feeling of pressure buildup in your ears from increased noise cancellation.
This feature isn’t new to Bose’s premium headphones, but it’s a technology that needed some refinement. If the improved algorithm works as well as the one in the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2, I have high hopes.
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A small yet notable change is a personalization feature: completely disabling noise cancellation. Historically, Bose’s headphones could perform in either Aware or Quiet mode, forcing users to choose between total awareness or silence. The new headphones allow for turning off noise cancellation or adjusting its strength.
Power button? Unnecessary (but still there).
Most headphones have wear detection, a feature that uses sensors to determine if the headphones are on or off your head. When the headphones detect that you took them off, they pause your audio and resume when the headphones are back on your head. When removed, the headphones won’t disconnect from your audio source, and may stay powered on for 15 to 30 minutes before powering off.
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Bose builds on this concept by using wear detection to determine the headphones’ power status. When you put them on, they will automatically connect to a paired audio source, à la Apple’s AirPods Max. However, unlike Apple’s over-ear headphones, the QuietComfort Ultra 2 will immediately enter a low-power standby mode when removed from your head and laid flat — you don’t need to put them in their case.
The best part about Bose borrowing this feature from Apple is that Bose retained a power button, so you can turn the headphones off if you prefer.
Also: I wore the best headphones from Sony, Bose, Apple, and Sonos: Here’s how the AirPods Max wins
Bose also promises improvements to battery life — 30 hours with ANC on, and 45 hours with ANC off, compared to the first-gen QuietComfort Ultra’s 24-hour maximum.
Wired and Immersive Audio
The first-generation QuietComfort Ultra headphones debuted with Bose’s proprietary spatial audio format, Immersive Audio. Bose has expanded its Immersive Audio feature to include a separate tuning for dialogue in movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks.
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When it was first released, Bose’s Immersive Audio was hit or miss, sometimes making music sound too computerized. It was also a battery drain, bringing the headphones’ battery life from 24 to 18 hours, but Bose says the new model will have an improved 23 hours of playtime with Immersive Audio on.
The QuietComfort Ultra 2 marks Bose’s adoption of USB-C for wired, lossless audio playback up to 16-bit, 48kHz. Users can also listen to the headphones in wired mode while keeping the headphones connected to a charging source.
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