Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless vs QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Which Headphones Are Better?
Products
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Oct 30, 2025 03:15 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Nov 05, 2025 08:49 PM
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Emphasized (3 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
Our Verdict
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
There are small tweaks to features between the newer Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) and the previous Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless. However, overall noise cancelling strengths are similar, so whichever you choose, it ought to be for other reasons than ANC. The 2nd Gen has a longer battery life, adds USB-C audio, and has less excited treble response. They're slightly more padded, but both are quite comfortable. Their app features, like three-band EQ and presets, mean they share more in common with the original QC Ultra Headphones, than not. The QC Ultra Headphones keep up well with their successor and adhere closer to our target frequency response in the treble (though it depends on your tastes). Both have virtual soundstages, similar control schemes, and aptX Adaptive suite for low-latency or high-quality Bluetooth connection.
Variants
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Black)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Deep Plum)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Diamond 60th Edition)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Lunar Blue)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Sandstone)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (White Smoke)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) (Black)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) (Desert Gold)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) (Driftwood Sand)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) (Midnight Violet)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) (White)
Check Price
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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Amazon.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
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Amazon.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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Amazon.com
Desert Gold
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
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Amazon.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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Amazon.com
Driftwood Sand
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
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Amazon.com
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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Amazon.com
Midnight Violet
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
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Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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Amazon.com
White
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
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Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
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Amazon.com
Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
7.4
7.5
Group Delay
1.2
7.9
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
950 Hz
700 Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Emphasized (3 dB)
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
7.0
6.8
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
1.09 dB
1.14 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.9
9.1
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.1 dB
2.8 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
3.49 dB
3 dB
Mid Bass
3.7 dB
3.04 dB
High Bass
-0.13 dB
1.69 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.4
9.2
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.03 dB
1.25 dB
Low Mid
0.45 dB
-0.69 dB
Mid-Mid
0.66 dB
-0.22 dB
High Mid
-1.05 dB
0.72 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
9.8
7.0
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.59 dB
4.29 dB
Low Treble
-0.52 dB
-3.76 dB
Mid Treble
-1.4 dB
-3.91 dB
High Treble
-6 dB
-6.02 dB
Peaks/Dips
8.1
8.0
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.13 dB
1.1 dB
Dips
1.29 dB
1.54 dB
Stereo Mismatch
6.9
8.1
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.58 dB
0.26 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.41 dB
1.40 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.6°
1.8°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
5.3
7.2
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
6.19 dB
2.55 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
6.67 dB
4.38 dB
PRTF Distance
9.17 dB
10.88 dB
Harmonic Distortion
8.4
9.4
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.15%
0.07%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.40%
0.09%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
100.3 dB
104.9 dB
Virtual Soundstage
3.3
3.3
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
Adjustable
Adjustable
Virtual Surround
No
Immersive Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
1.6.7+g6ebabd2
5.0.20
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
No EQ
No EQ
ANC
Quiet
Quiet
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.5
8.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.56 lbs
0.58 lbs
Clamping Force
0.8 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
7.6
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Decent
Decent
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
Presets
Presets
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Shortcut
Portability
6.4
6.4
Portability Picture
L
7.5" (19.0 cm)
7.4" (18.8 cm)
W
5.9" (14.9 cm)
5.7" (14.4 cm)
H
1.5" (3.8 cm)
1.7" (4.3 cm)
Volume
65.65 in³ (1,075.78 cm³)
71.03 in³ (1,164.01 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
8.3" (21.1 cm)
8.4" (21.3 cm)
W
6.1" (15.4 cm)
6.2" (15.7 cm)
H
2.1" (5.4 cm)
2.2" (5.6 cm)
Volume
107.08 in³ (1,754.68 cm³)
114.28 in³ (1,872.70 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.0
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
9.5
9.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-27.00 dB
-26.46 dB
Bass
-20.79 dB
-18.55 dB
Mid
-29.81 dB
-27.49 dB
Treble
-31.42 dB
-34.94 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.5
9.5
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-22.12 dB
-22.46 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-21.71 dB
-21.01 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-24.15 dB
-25.35 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
7.3
7.4
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
37.83 dB
37.07 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
7.8
7.2
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
281 Hz
91.1 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.3 dB
2.29 dB
HFE
6,088.74 Hz
6,001.45 Hz
Weighted THD
0.055
5.349
Gain
33.39 dB
-11.52 dB
Noise Handling
6.5
7.2
SpNR
SpNR
22.71 dB
26.28 dB
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
7.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.5
7.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.2
8.7
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
29 hrs
37 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
29 hrs
37 hrs
Charge Time
2.3 hrs
2.15 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Audio While Charging
No
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
8.0
App Picture
App Name
Bose Music
Bose
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
Presets
Adjustable
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
Yes
No
Playback Control
Yes
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
6.6
7.1
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
USB-C
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
3.28 ft (1.00 m)
3.28 ft (1.00 m)
Connector
1/16" TRS
1/16" TRS
Latency - Analog
35.0 ms
30.6 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
37.1 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
USB
Bluetooth Connection
7.5
7.6
Bluetooth Version
5.3
5.4
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
292 ms
291 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
372 ms
373 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
85 ms
89 ms
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
AAC Support
Yes
Yes
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
Audio Only
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
Audio Only
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
Audio Only
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Desert Gold
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Driftwood Sand
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Midnight Violet
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Main Discussion
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