Do you commute into work?
If you do so on public transport, you’ll no doubt appreciate that it’s far from the quietest experience. Whether it’s the constant dinging of the bus bell, someone playing music on the train or the deafening roar of the underground (looking at you, Jubilee line), then the constant early-morning hubbub is the last thing any of us needs.
That’s where the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) come in. With class-leading noise cancellation, they will wrap you in a cocoon of silence so only your precious music or podcasts can get in.
They are now available at a new lowest price too. A £39.78 reduction at checkout means you can pick up these noise-cancelling cans for only £286 at Amazon, down from their previous low of £303.
Bose invented active noise cancellation (ANC) technology, so it’s hardly a surprise that its headphones have consistently excelled at blocking out the outside world.
As our Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) review reads: “Whether you’re riding public transport or walking past roadworks or construction, they provide a blanket of silence so that your music (or podcasts) can bask in the spotlight, eliminating the deepest rumbles and the majority of mid-band hubbub we encounter on our daily travels.”
This second-generation model improves upon the original in several ways, including kicking in quicker to nullify sudden noises in Aware mode.
There is also the option to listen to them wired over USB-C, a battery life that has been extended to 30 hours, and an upgrade to Immersive Audio (Bose’s take on spatial audio).
Our favourite change to Immersive Audio is the new ‘Cinema’ mode, which pulls dialogue into greater focus when watching movies. It’s the most effective use of the technology yet.
There have also been some small but significant gains in sound quality – the second-generation cans are clearer and more detailed than their predecessors, as well as a bit more solid and musically tighter.
“Play Charli xcx’s Von dutch, and the Bose rev their engines, launching themselves into the upbeat track with their best foot forward,” our review reads. “The synths surge with low-end texture and impetus, the beat pulsates with snap and crispness. It’s the same pleasingly smooth, bass-rich character Bose has long favoured, simply more insightful and precise than ever before.”
While they do sound good, they’re not the class leaders sonically in the premium wireless headphones market. That honour goes to the Award-winning Sony WH-1000XM6, which offer greater clarity, texture, drive and dynamic subtlety.
The Sony pair cost at least £335 at the time of writing, however, so the Bose QC Ultra 2 currently have the edge in terms of value, thanks to this record low price of £286 at Amazon. If it’s noise cancelling you’re after, then the QC Ultra Headphones 2 will block out the sounds of your morning commute better than any other.
MORE:
More into buds? Our best wireless earbuds will sort you out
Our pick of the best wireless headphones
Read our Sony WH-1000XM6 review
