Second verse, same as the first

You’d be forgiven for not realizing that Bose released two new pairs of headphones last fall. While the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are flashy with their fancy on-head tracking and spatial-type Immersive Audio, the 2023 version of the classic Bose QuietComfort look identical to the QC 45 that preceded them in 2021, sound basically identical, and don’t have many new features. It doesn’t get Bose’s Immersive Audio version of spatial sound, customized sound profiles, wind-blocking, or even on-ear detection.

It might not even be fair to call this an incremental update so much as a direct replacement, but that doesn’t mean the Bose QuietComfort aren’t worthwhile headphones. In fact, these actually have a few small advantages over its fancier sibling.

What I like

Bose’s favorite song gets a slightly shinier cover

Bose has its ANC headphones down to a science at this point, shaving off a few grams of weight despite moving from a Nylon/pleather/plastic build to a metal/pleather/plastic build. These headphones have the same shape and size earcups and headband, too, so if the last few generations fit your head, this one will, too.

Despite not being quite as plush as the QuietComfort Ultra’s headband, I’ve actually found the regular QuietComfort’s headband to be a more comfortable fit for hours and hours of listening. The band also stays put a bit better, allowing me to headbang to the music while the QuietComfort Ultra and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 slid off my head down to the floor.

Bose’s ANC is absolutely on point with the QuietComfort, allowing me to block out the tiny tyrant stomping around upstairs as I go about my work or after-hours anime marathons. Bose allows you to set up custom profiles to adjust the level of ANC and turn off Wind Block for at-home/indoor profiles. This has been especially useful while moving from the blustery cold fronts outside into the calm, warm embrace of your home, clicking through the allowed four profiles using the left ear’s single action button.

My hair may be windy, but the Bose QuietComfort are silent.

Multipoint audio was a mixed experience on the QuietComfort 45s, but things are much more consistent here on the QuietComfort. Bose still won’t let you mix the media playback to a single device without disconnecting the other one — no one seems to have copied this little gem from Sony yet — but connectivity issues are a thing of the past, and the handoff between devices is nearly seamless.

Bose claims 24 hours of battery life while ANC is on, but I found myself sometimes getting 30 hours at times. Even when the headphones hit 20% or 10% around lunch after not being charged a couple days, I could listen for the whole afternoon before charging back up during dinner. The battery may not reach full as quickly as the previous generation, but the battery also seems slightly larger this generation compared to the 20-22-hour battery life on the QC 45.

What I don’t like

You know the problem with old favorites? They get stale.

There are no major exterior changes here, the way we saw on the QuietComfort Ultra compared to their predecessors, and while nothing’s wrong with this look, even I can’t deny it feels a little boring. Bose has been using — and admittedly refining — this design since the QuietComfort 35 back in 2016. Part of the Ultra’s appeal is that while it’s in the same vein, it’s a softer, rounded look while the QuietComfort feels almost plain today, even with those adorable new Moonstone Blue and Cypress Green colorways.

The lack of advancements inside these headphones is a bit harder to stomach, especially when the list price for these headphones is $350. While missing spatial audio’s head tracking isn’t much of a loss, not at least having on-ear detection to auto-pause your music seems short-sighted, especially as the feature becomes more and more prevalent on other headphones in this bracket.

The lack of USB-C playback is also unfortunate. While having a 2.5mm jack is fine — 3.5mm would be better since 2.5mm to 3.5mm cables are far harder to come by — given that phones haven’t had headphone jacks for half a decade, USB-C playback would be a godsend to users. Rather than needing to find a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter on top of the 2.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable, users could just plug in a USB-C cable to play music and top off the headphones.

Bose stuck to Bluetooth 5.1 on the QuietComfort, but it would have been nice to see Bluetooth 5.3 and Auracast support in these headphones. While it will take years and years for Auracast to see wide public support, given how long the QuietComfort should last, a little bit of future-proofing would’ve been appreciated. Bose’s companion app could also use an update so that it doesn’t take 15 seconds to recognize the headphones that are currently connected.

Competition

The lack of on-ear detection gives the QuietComfort a disadvantage against the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, but all three sound excellent. Sony has better multipoint controls — it allows you to fix playback to one device so that it doesn’t bounce back and forth for every little notification on your phone when watching TV — though I believe Bose has slightly better ANC. ANC is a particular weakness on the Sennheiser, giving Bose a clear edge regarding day-to-day listening quality.

Of course, the biggest competition these premium headphones face isn’t from another company; it’s coming from inside the house.

What’s the difference between the QuietComfort and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra?

$80 and a lake full of minute differences set the “normal” QuietComfort and the fancier QuietComfort Ultra Headphones apart. Let’s start with the most impactful: if you have a smaller head, you might not be able to easily use the Ultras, if at all. The QuietComfort Ultra’s headband is a bit larger, and while I prefer the sound/controls on the QC Ultra, the only pair I can headbang to my music with are the normal QuietComfort. The Ultra still seal around my ears, but I ended up purchasing an extra-padded headband cover to keep them from sliding off my head as often.

The QuietComfort have the standard on/off/pairing sliding switch while the Ultra use a combination of a power/Bluetooth button and head-tracking to control whether the headphones are on, off, or in standby mode. The less expensive QC also sport a normal three-button array for volume and play/pause while the Ultra has a solo play/pause button — plus head-tracking automatic pause — and a touch-sensitive slider for volume control.

Both models have active noise-canceling, though the Ultra’s is slightly better when dealing with crowded areas like airports. Immersive Audio is also exclusive to the Ultra, but I don’t think that’s worth $80 more.

Both models of QuietComfort Headphones have some eccentricities regarding wired playback, and neither support USB-C playback, sadly. The QuietComfort Ultra can only play audio, wired or wireless, while it has enough battery to power on — meaning if the battery is dead, you need to plug in the USB-C cable, charge enough to turn the headphones on, and then plug in the 2.5mm cable. In contrast, the QuietComfort can function even with the power off but cannot be used at all while charging.

Should you buy it?

While the QuietComfort Ultra stole headlines and mindshare, the QuietComfort are what I like to call Good Old Reliable. They don’t break the mold, but they bring enough improvement without a price hike — and they’re already used to a 30% discount, so you shouldn’t need to wait long to get it for an absolutely great value.

Are there fancier headphones with newer aesthetics? Absolutely, but Bose brings the sound quality and the ANC that we know and demand from our primary cans. I’ve spent the better part of two months living in these, and especially when I’m out and about for a day, I trust the Bose QuietComfort to block out the chaos of modern society and let me go about my day with a song in my heart and my ears. And with my smaller head, the QuietComfort actually offer a better fit and finish than its more expensive counterparts.