Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Review

Our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Experience

The QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are generally a pleasure to use, with a useful app. However, we didn't experience the best connectivity across the board, with problems pairing them with iPhones, but slightly less so with Android.

The case is larger than some, but this isn't a huge surprise, considering the elongated buds are also larger. It is smooth and matte and easier to grip than smaller, shinier cases. It is easy to open and has a pairing button on the back. The case includes LED lights that change color based on circumstance, helping you consider issues, like low battery, as they arise.

The Ultra comes with three silicone tips and stability band sizes to help you customize the fit. We think it is worth taking the time to determine which configuration works best. The soft and flexible stability bands tuck into external ear cartilage, providing stability without pain or pressure.

The silicone-covered in-ear portion is less round and more ovoid, helping decrease pressure. The elongated stems have touch and head gesture controls like volume, track changing, and addressing phone calls.

We found a good combination of wings and tips, but the buds are larger than average, causing tired ears. Some of us only wore them for an hour at a stretch, feeling relieved when we removed them. The Bose is secure enough for everyday activities, rarely falling out, only rolling out during headstands. However, we were nervous about wearing them for active, sweaty pursuits with a lot of bobbing and weaving because losing a pair of buds this expensive would hurt, though the IPX4 rating means they can handle sweat and light rain.

Calls with the QuietComfort Ultra are clear. Whether navigating busy streets or chatting at work, shifting focus from chats with coworkers and online meetings to calling mom on the commute home, everyone could hear us without the all-too-common “What did you say?”

Noise cancellation is where these buds truly shine with crazy good noise blocking! The active noise cancellation (ANC) is stunning. It blocks distractions so effectively that we melted into the music, so much so, that we noticed improved focus and productivity at work, even with noisy distractions.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

The Ultra offers exceptional sound quality. The bass, mid, and high frequencies are outstanding and on par with the highest competitors. The frequency mix is clean and balanced, sounding natural, not overly engineered, helping them deliver a highly adaptable sound profile that beautifully showcases a diverse musical palette.

From country rock ("Do Me Wrong" by the Red Clay Strays) to Americana ("Dust" by Dylan LeBlanc) and classic pop, these earbuds consistently polish favorite songs to a shine. Atmospheric and emotive songs like “Wildfire” by Cautious Clay sound spectacular. As the guitar syncs with the tambourine at 0:09, the earbuds create a sonic environment that envelops you in the moment.

The bass frequencies are warm, resonant, and fully developed, present without overpowering the mix. They occasionally sound slightly overemphasized, but it rarely detracts.

In “Money” by Cardi B, the sparse piano is punchy and prominent without booming or blowing out. The simple beat and bass maintain a powerful presence without ever challenging Cardi's voice for center stage.

Mid-tones have a full and rich timbre but are slightly less emphasized than the bass and treble ranges. The treble tones sometimes dominate, but their rich and velvety characteristics elevate the music so beautifully that we didn't mind. Pieces like the celestial “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy, played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, sound revelatory as the piano transitions into the violin at the 1:05 mark.

These earbuds are among the most powerful, maintaining exceptional sound quality at low and high volumes. Even when you raise the levels, the high notes maintain a crystalline brilliance, and the sound quality holds across the board. Orchestral arrangements, hip-hop, and sparse singer-songwriter tracks sound incredible, regardless of volume. The levels can be inconsistent between tracks, which can be harsh when transitioning between songs. This issue was uncommon.

We recorded the frequency response and compared it with our GearLab House Curve. The Bose mix closely mirrors our preferred curve, although with slightly more emphasis on bass and treble frequencies. Their profile supports our listening experience.

Soundstage

For avid gamers or those who love to sit and let favorite songs transport them, an expansive soundstage can make all the difference. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra offers one of the most expansive and immersive soundstages of any earbud we've reviewed, which is truly breathtaking.

The crisp sound quality and multidimensional listening experience allow for each instrument and vocal riff to be placed in time and space, making the music feel vast, rich, and real. Bose's much-hyped spatial audio feature enhances the sensation. It's a sound bath and the closest we've experienced to having a live concert at our fingertips. The music sounds like it's emanating from beyond the earbuds.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bose Ultra Open

Comfort and Fit

Over a dozen people tried these earbuds to gauge comfort and fit, with mostly positive results.

However, our experience was mixed; not everyone loved the design or the heavier feeling. The maximum amount of time anyone wore them was 5.5 hours. Given that some buds were more comfortable for over 8 hours, it is a serious consideration if you lean toward extended listening.

Noise Cancellation

Unlike their predecessor, the QuietComfort II, these earbuds support Bose's CustomTune technology.

This technology automatically adjusts the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) based on your ear shape. It works well, easily blocking chatter and reducing AC hum. The Bose are pretty effective at blocking low-pitched, consistent sounds, like an airplane's hum or a bus engine's rumble. What sets them apart is how well they cancel out higher frequencies.

We could barely detect the clattering of cups in the cafe. The Bose also does an excellent job of softening lower-pitched background conversations, creating a barrier against the most annoying coffee shop.

Earbuds typically block high-frequency waves physically (passive cancellation) and rely on active noise cancellation to deal with lower-frequency sounds. These earbuds perform well across the spectrum, blocking over 20 decibels in nearly every frequency range, with peaks up to 40 decibels.

App Features

The Bose app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. It provides a customizable experience with manual EQ adjustments and a variety of listening modes, including active noise cancellation, immersive audio, and an “aware” mode that allows environmental sounds to break through.

A CustomTune feature auto-adjusts the sound profile and noise cancellation particulars based on your ear shape, and an ear fit test ensures the earbuds are properly sealed for optimal performance. Touch controls let you skip tracks, cycle through settings, adjust volume, or pause and play your music.

A standout feature of the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds is the adaptive Bluetooth connectivity that aims for “lossless” transfer rates. Achieving them preserves the original sound quality of your music across the air gap, resulting in high-fidelity audio, but your phone must be capable and have a good Bluetooth connection. If not, Bose uses the AptX Adaptive codec to give you the best experience available. Bose markets this system as Snapdragon Sound and it works with compatible Android devices.

Connectivity

We analyzed online data to investigate connectivity issues. The Ultras have one of the highest complaint rates in the group, at 3.79% of 1-star reviews.

Battery Life

The Bose has a disappointingly short battery life, dying after six hours at 75% volume. However, the case offers five full recharges, and a five-minute recharge provides another hour of listening.

While the six hours and ten minutes we experienced are below the average, they exceed the manufacturer's claims of six hours flat. We tested battery life with the ANC turned off; using ANC further reduces playtime.

Call Quality

The Bose has some of the best call quality in the group, surpassing other Bose options, including the second generation of these buds. The Ultra struggled with phone calls from a subway platform, as some ambient sounds bled through and overlapped with voices. Still, the noise was significantly reduced compared to competitors, allowing the caller to focus on the person they wanted to hear. Men's voices come through more clearly than the higher registers of female voices.

In a busy office, we could hear a little bit of the chatter, hum, and clacking keyboards, but we had no trouble clearly hearing the voices, and conversation could flow naturally and uninterrupted.