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Price
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones cost $429 and come in Black, Sandstone (a Bose.com exclusive), or White Smoke. The QuietComfort Headphones are $349 and come in Black, Cypress Green, Moonstone Blue (also a Bose.com exclusive), or White Smoke.
QuietComfort Headphones (Credit: Tim Gideon)
When it comes to price and color variety, there’s a clear winner here, as the QuietComfort Headphones cost $80 less than the QuietComfort Ultra and come in an extra variant.
Winner: QuietComfort Headphones
Design and Accessories
Both pairs of headphones feature generously cushioned headbands and earpads with vegan leather lining. The Ultra Headphones use bulkier headband and earpad materials, but they weigh only slightly more than their counterparts (roughly 9 ounces vs. 8 ounces). I experienced no comfort issues with either model during my extensive testing.
To my eye, the Ultra Headphones look more modern and stylish since they have fewer obvious seams and blend an array of physical and capacitive touch controls. Both live up to Bose’s high-quality build standards, however.
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Credit: Tim Gideon)
Both pairs fold flat to fit inside their included hard-shell, zip-up case. They also come with USB-A-to-USB-C charging and 3.5mm audio cables.
Winner: QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Bluetooth and Codec Support
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones support Bluetooth 5.3 and include the Snapdragon Sound Technology Suite, which unlocks support for the AptX Adaptive codec in addition to AAC and SBC. That’s a big step forward for Android users since it allows for higher-quality streaming than Bose’s previous entries. Google Fast Pair and multipoint pairing (with up to two devices) are also available.
As for the QuietComfort Headphones, not much has changed from the QuietComfort 45, with continued support for Bluetooth 5.1 and the AAC and SBC codecs. This latest model does gain support for multipoint pairing, however.
Winner: QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Battery Life
Bose estimates that both pairs can last about 24 hours per charge. The main difference is that the Ultra Headphones take around 3 hours to fully charge, whereas the QuietComfort Headphones require 2.5 hours. Their battery life figures factor in the use of Quiet (ANC) and Aware (transparency) modes since there’s no way to turn either off. If you enable the immersive audio features on the QuietComfort Ultra, expect the battery life to drop to around 18 hours. Your codec choice and typical listening volume will also affect your real-world results.
Winner: QuietComfort Headphones
Bose Music App and Other Features
Both pairs of headphones use the Bose Music app, which is available for Android and iOS. The app is among the most intuitive I’ve tested and doesn’t overwhelm with unnecessary add-ons. It includes a basic EQ along with several options for controlling the mix of Quiet and Aware modes. Of course, only the Ultra Headphones give you access to immersive audio settings because the regular model doesn’t support that feature.
Both models support SimpleSync, a feature that lets you pair your headphones with other Bose soundbars and speakers for simultaneous listening with independent volume control for each. You can even mute the speaker while keeping the volume in the headphones at whatever level you choose.
Bose Music App (Credit: Bose)
Whereas the Ultra Headphones can launch Spotify, read out battery status, cycle through immersive audio modes, and summon your voice assistant when you press and hold their capacitive volume slider, the QuietComfort Headphones have a dedicated Action button that provides a battery life readout or Spotify Tap functionality.
Winner: QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Active Noise Cancellation
After extensive testing, I can attest that the Ultra Headphones offer better active noise cancellation than the standard model. The performance difference isn’t massive, but the Ultra Headphones handle varied noises better and react more aggressively to both head movements and environmental changes. Simply put, if you are looking for the best noise cancellation from an over-ear model, the Ultra Headphones are unbeatable.
Both models let you blend Quiet and Aware modes via a slider in the app and offer an optional Wind Block feature. But only the Ultra model has ActiveSense Aware, which cuts back loud noises while still letting you monitor your environment. The ActiveSense Aware mode didn’t blow me away on either the Ultra Headphones or the Ultra Earbuds, so it’s no great loss from the regular Headphones.
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Credit: Tim Gideon)
Hardware-wise, the two models take different approaches. The Ultra Headphones employ an impressive 10 microphones (five per earcup). Three of the four external mics that surround the earcup are feed-forward mics, while another assists with voice pickup. Each earcup additionally has a fifth internal feedback mic that works with the others to handle noise cancellation.
For comparison, the standard Headphones use a total of six microphones (three per earcup). Two mics on the exterior of each earcup handle both ANC and voice pickup, while a dedicated ANC mic sits internally.
Winner: QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Audio Signature and Immersive Audio
If you have ever used a pair of Bose headphones, you know what to expect from the company: bright highs and rich lows. Bose doesn’t stray from this formula with either model. The two headphones do use different drivers, however: 35mm dynamic drivers for the Ultra versus 40mm drivers for the standard model.
Bose’s answer to Apple’s spatial audio, called immersive audio, is available only on the Ultra Headphones and Ultra Earbuds. In testing, I found it quite similar to Apple’s effect: audio adjusts to your head movements in Still mode but stays stationary in Motion mode. It’s difficult to say whether the implementation from Apple or Bose is better because neither does much to improve the integrity of the audio experience (in fact, sometimes it’s the opposite). That said, if spatial effects appeal to you and you are loyal to Bose, the Ultra Headphones are your sole over-ear option.
Winner: QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Credit: Tim Gideon)
The Best of Bose
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones come out on top in most of the categories we consider, but whether they are worth the extra $80 depends on how much you value their advantages. For example, if you don’t mind losing out on the ActiveSense Aware feature, a more adaptive noise cancellation approach, AptX Adaptive support, and immersive audio modes, then the less expensive headphones are a perfectly good way to save some money. But if you don’t want to make any compromises, the Ultra Headphones offer the best over-ear noise-cancellation experience you can get right now.
If you aren’t ready to commit to either pair of Bose headphones, meanwhile, check out all of our other headphones roundups, including the best noise-cancelling headphones and the best over-ear headphones overall. Plenty of options from Apple, Sennheiser, and Sony may better suit your needs.
If you want something more discreet, consider the $299 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, which cancel noise even better than the two over-ear models. The latest earphones from Bose, the $179 QuietComfort Earbuds, don’t have the same class-leading active noise cancellation, but they still sound great and cancel noise pretty well for the price.