Bose
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
Nobody seriously disputes that these have the strongest noise cancellation you can put in your ears — low rumble just vanishes, and the CustomTune calibration means it works across different ear shapes. The second gen fixed the first gen's most annoying gaps: the case finally charges wirelessly, multipoint is on board, and AI noise suppression cleaned up what used to be mediocre call quality. What Bose didn't fix: 6 hours of battery is behind Sony and Technics, and running Immersive Audio knocks it down near 4. At 7.7g per bud they're chunky, and people with smaller ears feel it on long sessions. No LDAC either — aptX Adaptive on supported Androids, AAC otherwise. Sound is punchy and pleasant rather than audiophile-precise, and the app EQ is a basic three-band affair. Buy them for the silence; everything else is merely good.
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Specifications
Highlights
Pros
- ✓Strongest earbud ANC anywhere — low rumble just vanishes
- ✓CustomTune calibration adapts silencing to your ears
- ✓Gen 2 finally adds a wireless-charging case
- ✓Multipoint finally arrives in the second generation
- ✓AI suppression fixed gen one's mediocre call quality
- ✓aptX Adaptive on supported Android phones
Cons
- ✗6-hour battery trails Sony XM5 and Technics AZ100
- ✗Immersive Audio drops runtime near 4 hours
- ✗Chunky 7.7g buds fatigue smaller ears
- ✗No LDAC, and EQ is a basic three-band
- ✗Wind overwhelms the ANC outdoors, owners report
Owner Insights(3,100 discussions)
Nobody who owns these argues about why they bought them: the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) have the strongest noise cancellation you can put in your ears, and owner testing after a year of daily use still backs that up — roughly 85% average noise reduction, with low-frequency rumble effectively erased. The CustomTune calibration that re-measures your ear canal on every insertion is a real differentiator, keeping ANC performance consistent across ear shapes where rivals vary. And the second generation fixed the first gen's most-complained-about gaps: wireless charging, true multipoint, and calls cleaned up by AI noise suppression.
The long-term ownership picture has one loud asterisk: wind. The mics pick up gusts and turn them into a distracting rumble layered over your audio, and after nearly a year of firmware updates owners walking, running or cycling outdoors still call it a constant frustration. Battery is the other structural weakness — 6 hours with ANC trails Sony and Technics, and Immersive Audio pulls it toward 4. The 7.7g buds are also simply big; owners with smaller ears report soreness on long sessions and wish for more than three tip sizes. Scattered reports of case failures and connection dropouts within weeks exist too, so buy somewhere with painless returns. Sound is punchy and enjoyable rather than reference-grade, and the three-band EQ won't satisfy tinkerers.
Buy these if silence is the entire point — frequent flyers and open-office workers say nothing else comes close, and that's worth the $249-299 ask to them. If you want a better all-rounder, the Sony WF-1000XM5 gives up a step of ANC for better battery, LDAC and a lower street price; iPhone owners should weigh the AirPods Pro 3, which get within striking distance of the silence with far deeper ecosystem integration. The strongest alternative is actually Bose's own first-gen Ultra Earbuds, which deliver most of the same ANC at a steep discount if you can live without wireless charging and multipoint.
Pros
- +The strongest noise cancellation in any earbud, period — long-term owners measure roughly 85% average noise reduction and say low rumble simply vanishes
- +CustomTune calibration adapts ANC and sound to your ear canal each time you insert them, so performance holds across different ear shapes
- +Second gen finally adds wireless charging on the case and true multipoint — the two gaps first-gen owners complained about most
- +AI noise suppression meaningfully improved call quality over the first gen; colleagues stop asking owners to repeat themselves
- +Upgraders from the first gen report clearer sound with noticeably better bass control
- +Punchy, pleasant tuning that flatters commute listening even if it isn't audiophile-neutral
- +aptX Adaptive on supported Android phones for higher-quality streaming than AAC
- +Stability fins plus three tip sizes keep them anchored through workouts despite the size
Cons
- −Wind noise is the defining long-term flaw — microphones turn gusts into a loud muffled rumble over your audio, and a year of firmware updates hasn't fixed it
- −6 hours of ANC battery trails Sony and Technics, and running Immersive Audio drops it near 4 hours
- −At 7.7g per bud they're chunky — owners with smaller ears report pressure and soreness on long sessions, and only three tip sizes are included
- −Scattered but recurring hardware complaints: charging cases failing within weeks, buds refusing to reconnect, and support experiences that test patience
- −Some owners report faint hiss audible in all modes in quiet environments
- −No LDAC support — aptX Adaptive or bust, and iPhone owners are stuck on AAC
- −The app EQ is a basic three-band affair, limiting for anyone who wants to reshape the sound
- −Full $299 list price is a hard swallow when the equally silent first gen is regularly on deep discount
Common Questions
Compare the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
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