The second-generation Bose QuietComfort Headphones are good, but don’t stand out

Bose QuietComfort headphones utilized to beryllium innovative. Bose’s noise-canceling investigation is the logic the exertion is wherever it is today, and its headphones group the standard. They were the ubiquitous traveler’s accessory. But complete the past fewer years, it’s felt for illustration Bose has rested connected that reputation, arsenic different companies person caught up. Sony and Apple person some surpassed Bose successful noise-canceling performance, and moreover midrange headphones for illustration the $130 Soundcore Space 2 are adjacent for overmuch little money. That intends the $359 Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen request to guidelines retired successful different ways — and I don’t deliberation they do.

The second-generation Bose QuietComfort headphones look a batch for illustration the QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 that Bose launched past fall, but pinch much integrative alternatively of metallic accents successful the headband and joints. In summation to achromatic and white, the QC Headphones travel successful mauve, a ray avocado green, and a two-tone mint color, wherever the padding is darker than the remainder of the headphones. The colors look nice, but headphones companies (including Bose) person been expanding connected the reliable achromatic and achromatic options for years now, truthful colorful options are nary longer novel.

The caller QuietComfort Gen 2 are designed arsenic a step-down exemplary from the $449 Ultra Gen 2, but they’re somewhat amended successful a fewer ways.

I usually find Bose headphones, including the Ultra Gen 2, to beryllium bassy pinch a peaky precocious end, which the constricted 3-band EQ successful the app could ne'er rather compensate for. But the default listening mode connected the QC Gen 2 headphones is the champion I’ve heard from Bose, and I deliberation astir group would beryllium much than happy pinch the sound (I still for illustration the banal sound from immoderate of the Sony XM series). I do find the midrange muted, causing vocals to sound buried aliases snare hits — for illustration astatine the opening of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” — to suffer their impact. But dissimilar connected erstwhile Bose headphones, I could hole the problem pinch the 3-band EQ successful the app by boosting the mid to +4. It added much beingness and settled successful nicely betwixt the bass and precocious frequencies.

Bose built the QuietComfort line’s long-standing estimation connected progressive sound cancellation. The Gen 2’s is solid, but not arsenic beardown arsenic the flagship Ultra Headphones. I really find that to beryllium a bully thing, though. I acquisition a arena dubbed “eardrum suck” connected the QC Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen because of their fierce sound cancellation. It’s a disconcerting emotion that tin consciousness for illustration a alteration of unit successful your ears (although there’s nary existent unit change). I didn’t consciousness it pinch the QuietComfort Headphones, and while their noise-canceling capacity isn’t quite arsenic bully arsenic the Ultra’s, and surely not arsenic bully arsenic either the Sony XM6 aliases Apple AirPods Max 2 (which don’t origin eardrum suck for me, for immoderate reason), it’s much than capable to artifact retired airplane sound aliases AC units, particularly erstwhile euphony is playing.

While the headphone jack is now gone, the USB-C relationship supports some charging and audio (lossless up to 24-bit/48kHz), for illustration the Ultra Gen 2. Bose besides includes some a USB-C-to-USB-C and USB-C-to-3.5mm cablegram (color-matched to the headphones), truthful it’s still imaginable to link to a 3.5mm source. But there’s nary AptX Lossless aliases LDAC wireless high-res codec support (the Ultra Gen 2 support AptX Lossless, and LDAC is supported connected a assortment of headphones from Sony and others).

The QC Gen 2’s telephone value is astir the aforesaid arsenic the Ultra Gen 2’s, and amended than erstwhile Bose headphones, but that’s a debased bar. Bose still lags down each awesome competitor and is ray years down the tech successful Soundcore’s Liberty 5 Pro earbuds (which will apt travel to its over-ear headphones soon). They adhd other sibilance to my speaking sound and successful large environments compress the sound, which tin origin sentences to clip, making maine difficult to understand.

Call value aside, the Bose sound really bully (especially pinch the midrange tweak), they person coagulated ANC performance, they’re ray and comparatively comfortable, and they person immoderate bully colour options. But the aforesaid tin beryllium said astir the immense mostly of headphones retired there. There’s thing astir the Bose QuietComfort Headphones Gen 2 that really stands out, particularly for $359.

Part of the problem is the price, which puts them successful a no-man’s-land. Current-gen flagships for illustration the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen, Sony WH-1000XM6, and Apple AirPods Max 2 tin beryllium recovered connected waste for $400 aliases a small more, while somewhat older — but still competitory — headphones for illustration the XM5 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 are often $250 aliases less.

That’s not to opportunity the second-gen Bose QC Headphones are bad. Far from it. They’re a beardown statement against spending the other money connected the Ultra Gen 2, but unless you want Bose headphones successful particular, there’s not a compelling logic to get them. The $400 Sony WH-1000XM6 person amended sound canceling, awesome telephone quality, and LDAC support, and I somewhat for illustration their banal sound. They moreover support Auracast pinch immoderate phones. Apple’s AirPods Max 2 person a unique look and the aforesaid heavy integration pinch Apple’s ecosystem arsenic the AirPods Pro, and they tin beryllium recovered for arsenic debased arsenic $430.

Give maine a redesigned look. Give maine high-res wireless support. Hell, springiness maine Auracast. Give maine immoderate logic to opportunity “the QuietComfort Headphones are the headphones to get” alternatively of conscionable different iterative update. They aren’t bad headphones by immoderate means, but Bose utilized to make the champion ANC headphones. Now they’re conscionable different brace that are bully enough.

Photography by John Higgins / The Verge