Bose Returns To Reclaim Its Crown From Sony With New Flagship Headphones

Bose/ZDNET

Follow ZDNET: Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Bose unveils its QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd gen). 
• A caller low-power mode, improved artillery life, and USB-C audio item nan headphones' caller capabilities. 
• They're connected preorder for $449 successful 4 colors, pinch wide readiness connected Oct. 2. 

Four months aft Sony took nonstop purpose astatine Bose's sound cancellation crown, Bose has a response: caller flagship over-ear headphones. Bose's acclaimed QuietComfort Ultra headphones return, and nan 2nd procreation promises upgrades to sound cancellation, spatial audio, wired audio, audio performance, and personification experience.

Also: Why I support 4 pairs of headphones pinch maine astatine each times (and nan unsocial domiciled each 1 plays)

Bose's first-gen QuietComfort Ultra headphones are immoderate of our favourite noise-canceling headphones, and nan QuietComfort Ultra 2 promise meaningful strides to reside nan first generation's pitfalls. Here's what's new.

Improved adaptive sound cancellation

Bose says nan QuietComfort Ultra 2 athletics an improved adaptive sound cancellation algorithm that deploys sound cancellation smoother and quicker. The company's adaptive sound cancellation characteristic is called ActiveSense, and users tin activate it erstwhile listening successful Aware mode.

Also: I tried Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds' AI sound cancelling, and can't spell backmost to regular ANC

An improved ActiveSense intends nan headphones' microphones tin amended observe disruptive noises successful your environment, and swiftly yet smoothly cancel them, decreasing nan emotion of unit buildup successful your ears from accrued sound cancellation.

This characteristic isn't caller to Bose's premium headphones, but it's a exertion that needed immoderate refinement. If nan improved algorithm useful arsenic good arsenic nan 1 successful nan QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2, I person precocious hopes.

Also: Why these headphones are still nan champion from Bose - moreover though they're a twelvemonth old

A mini yet notable alteration is simply a personalization feature: wholly disabling sound cancellation. Historically, Bose's headphones could execute successful either Aware aliases Quiet mode, forcing users to take betwixt full consciousness aliases silence. The caller headphones let for turning disconnected sound cancellation aliases adjusting its strength.

Power button? Unnecessary (but still there).

Most headphones person deterioration detection, a characteristic that uses sensors to find if nan headphones are connected aliases disconnected your head. When nan headphones observe that you took them off, they region your audio and resume erstwhile nan headphones are backmost connected your head. When removed, nan headphones won't disconnect from your audio source, and whitethorn enactment powered connected for 15 to 30 minutes earlier powering off.

Also: JBL's newest speaker ushers successful a caller value category, appealing to broader user needs

Bose builds connected this conception by utilizing deterioration discovery to find nan headphones' powerfulness status. When you put them on, they will automatically link to a paired audio source, à la Apple's AirPods Max. However, dissimilar Apple's over-ear headphones, nan QuietComfort Ultra 2 will instantly participate a low-power standby mode erstwhile removed from your caput and laid level -- you don't request to put them successful their case.

The champion portion astir Bose borrowing this characteristic from Apple is that Bose retained a powerfulness button, truthful you tin move nan headphones disconnected if you prefer.

Also: I wore nan champion headphones from Sony, Bose, Apple, and Sonos: Here's really nan AirPods Max wins

Bose besides promises improvements to artillery life -- 30 hours pinch ANC on, and 45 hours pinch ANC off, compared to nan first-gen QuietComfort Ultra's 24-hour maximum. 

Wired and Immersive Audio

The first-generation QuietComfort Ultra headphones debuted pinch Bose's proprietary spatial audio format, Immersive Audio. Bose has expanded its Immersive Audio characteristic to see a abstracted tuning for speech successful movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks. 

Also: Marshall's latest sound systems are making maine reconsider splurging connected Bose

When it was first released, Bose's Immersive Audio was deed aliases miss, sometimes making euphony sound excessively computerized. It was besides a artillery drain, bringing nan headphones' artillery life from 24 to 18 hours, but Bose says nan caller exemplary will person an improved 23 hours of playtime pinch Immersive Audio on.

The QuietComfort Ultra 2 marks Bose's take of USB-C for wired, lossless audio playback up to 16-bit, 48kHz. Users tin besides perceive to nan headphones successful wired mode while keeping nan headphones connected to a charging source.