The Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) are huge in size — and sound

Music has always been a big part of my life. From performing to my little slice of peace, being immersed in tunes is my favorite place to be.

Unfortunately, I’ve struggled to find earbuds that truly give me that experience. I’m more of a headphones fan (the Nothing Headphones are my current favorite), but earbuds are a better fit when I go for walks or exercise.

However, I always run into a fit problem, a sound issue, or I absolutely hate the controls.

I admit that I was a bit skeptical of Bose’s latest version of the QuietComfort Ultra Buds, but I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

While they still aren’t where I want earbuds to really be, they check most of my boxes.

8/10

Battery Life

6 hours

Microphones

Built-in Microphone

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.3

Price

$299

If you’re looking for some great-sounding earbuds that deliver on comfort, you can’t go wrong with Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. With a secure fit, immersive sound features, and wireless charging, the company addressed some of the issues with the previous model. However, if you aren’t a fan of overly sensitive touch controls or huge earbuds, these may not be a fit for you.

Pros & Cons

• Incredible, and immersive sound
• Snug, customizable fit
• Wireless chargin

• Overly sensitive touch controls
• Connectivity issues
• Short battery life

Price, availability, and specs

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are available at retailers like Best Buy and Amazon, and on Bose’s own website for $299.

While I’m reviewing the black model, if you prefer a bit of color, the buds are also available in Midnight Violet, Desert Gold, White Smoke, and Deep Plum.

The QuietComfort Ultra buds also come with a charging case, a small charging cable, and small, medium, and large ear tips.

Ultra comfortable, but super-sized

Go big, or look elsewhere

With comfort being in the actual product name, I would expect the QuietComfort Ultras to fit like a dream. Bose delivers on this; these earbuds are very comfortable.

With one simple turn, I popped the buds right into my ear, and they felt instantly secure.

Since they include a Cinema Mode feature, I really wanted to put them to the test by keeping them in for a good stretch of time, even if I wasn’t using them.

I’m happy to report that I went an entire 8-hour workday with very little discomfort. Not something I would recommend, mind you, but I’ve had to remove previous buds much sooner.

I have small ears, so I typically have to change the ear tips on my new earbuds to find a good fit.

Like other brands, the QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) buds come with small, medium, and large tips to find your perfect fit. You can also test the fit using Bose’s companion app and adjust it to your liking.

As far as staying put, they barely budged when I did my burpee test, and they have an IPX4 rating. So, these buds should be just fine during most workouts.

While the fit is nice, I feel like I need to address the elephant in the room. No, seriously.

These earbuds are massive, so of course they fit snugly — it’s a bit like putting a tiny brick in your ear. I’m more surprised that they are as lightweight and comfortable despite all that.

To accommodate these large buds, the case is easily the biggest one I own.

They are still earbuds, though, so they will take up less space than headphones on a trip.

I don’t mind the size, but if you don’t like bulky earbuds, these aren’t for you.

The beat goes on, but not for too long

Long-lasting wear that I wish lasted longer battery-wise

So, they fit well, but how do they sound?

I’m more than happy to report that the UltraComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) buds sound amazing right out of the box.

From music to YouTube videos to phone calls, Bose clearly knows what they are doing in the sound department.

When listening to a video podcast, I felt like I was actually in the studio during the recording.

In the Bose app, you can tweak the settings to your personal taste, or throw on Cinema Mode if you want to immerse yourself in a movie.

I found myself instantly vibing to some low-fi videogame covers and rocking out to DEVORA’s What Doesn’t Kill Me, but the genre shifts sounded incredibly distinct. The vocals came in clear, the instruments sounded full, but each instrument stood out, blending to make a beautiful sound.

I also tried out an acoustic version of T-Swift’s Fate of Ophelia and Lil’ Jon & The East Side Boys, Ying Yang Twins’ Get Low to check the overall range, and was not disappointed.

Video calls and phone calls were also clear and crisp, probably thanks to the SpeechClarity tech. Regardless, everything came in clear during my calls, even when I was walking through town on a mildly windy day.

The UltraComfort Ultra buds have four different modes: Quiet, Aware, Immersion, and Cinema. You can use the touch controls to cycle through each option, except for Cinema, which can be accessed via the app.

Like everything else, these modes can be adjusted to your liking, allowing you to increase the ANC and toggle ActiveSense on to fine-tune the sound level. The ANC is pretty decent, though I think OnePlus did it better on the Buds 4.

The worst part about having good sound and ANC is that the QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) buds don’t last for very long.

The buds hold on for around six hours when you don’t use ANC — only four if you do — which is on the lower side when it comes to battery life.

However, these buds do have wireless charging, unlike the previous model, and it only takes two hours to charge to full.

Things can get a little touchy with the touch controls

They sound good if you can stay connected

One of my biggest complaints with the QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) buds involves the touch controls.

I’m generally a fan of more tactile approaches when it comes to controls, but I understand there’s limited space on earbuds.

However, unless you’re used to using earbuds, the instructions on the box can be a little confusing. The box symbols can be easily missed, and the controls themselves are incredibly sensitive.

During my testing, I turned my earbuds off an infuriating number of times just by adjusting my glasses or fixing my hair.

Unlike other earbuds, such as the Google Pixel Buds 2a, there’s no chime or sound to indicate whether your tap has been registered. It’s a single tap to play or pause, two to skip, or three to go back.

It would have been nice to have a little chime to keep me from tapping one too many times.

Finally, while the Ultra Buds have multi-point connection, that connection can sometimes be a little sketchy.

You can toggle between devices via the app or program them to switch devices instead of modes, but I don’t think I’d ever want that. I can see how it could be useful if you switch devices frequently, but it might be easier just to adjust it in the app.

Also, at certain points, my right earbud would disconnect. Also, at times my buds would randomly cut out during songs.

While this only happened once or twice briefly during testing, I wanted to make a note of it.

Should you buy the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)?

I must admit, I was impressed by the QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) buds. They are a big improvement over the previous model, and they offer outstanding sound and comfort.

However, I want to point out that they cost $299, which is a bit pricey. While you are paying for sound, the buds still have a few technical issues that need to be ironed out. So, you might want to wait until they go on sale to grab them.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience with them. While they may not be the prettiest buds, you won’t have anyone questioning if you’re wearing any — they will definitely see them.

If you’re looking for comfortable earbuds with great sound, these could be the perfect fit.

8/10

Battery Life

6 hours

Microphones

Built-in Microphone

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.3

Price

$299

If you’re looking for some great-sounding earbuds that deliver on comfort, you can’t go wrong with Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra earbuds. With a secure fit, immersive sound features, and wireless charging, the company addressed some of the issues with the previous model. However, if you aren’t a fan of overly sensitive touch controls or huge earbuds, these may not be a fit for you.