Bose helped write the book on noise canceling when it entered the market way back in the 1970s. Lately, the brand has been on a tear, with the goal of creating the ultimate in sonic solitude. The QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 are Bose’s latest and greatest creation, offering some of the very best noise canceling we’ve ever tested.
Just as importantly, they’re currently on sale for $50 off. Now, this might not seem like a huge discount on a $450 pair of headphones, but this is the lowest price we’ve seen on these headphones outside of a major shopping holiday. So if you missed your chance during Black Friday but you have a spring break trip to Mexico or Hawaii on the calendar, this is your best bet.
The Best Noise-Canceling Headphones Are on Sale
I’ve wondered over the past few years if the best noise cancelers even needed another potency upgrade. Previous efforts like Sony’s WH-1000XM5, Apple’s AirPods Max, and Bose’s own QuietComfort 45 offer enough silence that my own wife gives me a jump scare when she walks up behind me.
Then I had a kid.
Bose’s properly named QuietComfort Ultra not only do a fantastic job quelling the many squeaks, squawks, and adorable pre-nap protests my baby makes. Now that my wife and I have turned my solo office into a shared space, I can go about my business in near total sonic freedom, even as she sits in on a loud Zoom call.
In testing, we found Sony’s latest WH-1000XM6 offered a slight bump in noise canceling performance over Bose’s latest, due in part to their zippy response time when attacking unwanted sounds. But both were within a hair of each other when tested across frequencies. I prefer Bose’s pair for travel, due to their more cushy design that lets me listen for a full cross-country flight in luxe comfort.
Upgrades to the latest generation, like the ability to sleep them and quickly wake them, make these headphones surprisingly more intuitive to use daily. The new built-in USB-C audio interface lets you listen to lossless audio directly from supported devices, a nice touch now that Spotify has joined Apple Music and other services with lossless audio support.
Speaking of audio, the QC Ultra Gen 2’s performance is impressive, providing clear and crisp detail and dialog, with a lively touch that brings some added excitement to instruments like percussion or zippy guitar tones. It’s a lovely overall presentation. I’m not a huge fan of the new spatial audio mode (what Bose calls Cinema mode), but it’s always nice to have options.
These headphones often bounce between full price and this $50 discount, so if you’ve been waiting for the dip, now’s the time to buy. If you deal with daily distractions like me, whether at home or in a busy office space, you’ll appreciate the latest level of sound-smashing solitude Bose’s best noise-cancelers ever can provide.
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