Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen Review: Worth the Price?

Bose’s noise-cancelling headphones have become the most used headphones for the daily commute. Look up from your phone or your book, and you will probably spot someone wearing a pair.

The QuietComfort 2 Headphones arrive at an interesting time. The market has more choice than I can remember, from mid-range models to cheaper options, so finding a quality pair is not hard.

The second-generation QuietComfort Headphones bring several upgrades. The question is whether they are enough to make this an essential buy.

The best sequels keep what worked and improve on it. Bose has made a few changes to this pair, and they are sensible ones.

The design is closer to the Ultra model. The power button has shifted from the earcup to the underside. The headband adjuster is now silent, so it no longer goes “clackety clack” when you move it. The headband is also bigger and wider, which spreads the weight across a larger area.

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The buttons have changed in shape and feel too. I find the playback button a little hard to locate because it sits slightly recessed, and my presses do not always feel confident. Overall, though, the headphones feel more premium even though they look the same.

Then there are the colors. My sample is Rosewood Mauve, and you can also choose Black, White Smoke, Eucalyptus Green, Dewdrop Mint, and more.

These give the headphones a personality that plain black and white cannot. There are limited editions too, and judging by the Bose website, every color seems to be constantly low on stock.

Bose headphones are almost always comfortable, and the name gives that away. There is little pressure on top of your head or around your ears, and the protein leather earcups give you a soft contact surface.

Can you remove the earpads? A few tugs suggest you cannot. Can you replace the battery? That looks unlikely too. Is there a 3.5mm port for analogue wired listening? No. You can still go wired by connecting to a device through a 3.5mm port, along with USB-C.

The headphones still fold, and they collapse into a carry case that is rounder and a bit smaller than before. It is an evolution of the QuietComfort series, and it is an intelligent design.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen Noise Cancellation

Let’s get into the noise cancellation. In short, it is very good. If that is all you need to know, skip to the next section.

If you want more detail, here it is. The headphones need a firm seal. Bose says they cope better when the seal is loose, or if you wear glasses or have long hair, but sound still leaks in when the fit is poor.

Once you get the seal right, background noise hollows out with ease. On the Underground, I had no trouble hearing my music. On a plane, the cabin noise faded to the back of my mind, so I could focus on working, watching films, and listening to music.

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On the ground, it squashes traffic and softens people’s voices. It is not silent, but you will hear very few distractions on a daily commute. It also handles wind noise without much trouble. It performs the way you would expect a pair of premium headphones to perform.

I ran a Pink Noise test against the previous model, and the QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen are more consistent and let in less sound from the sides. They suppress noise a little less than the Ultra model, though they are not far behind.

Against the Beats 360 and the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless, they land in a similar spot. The Bose quiets sound a bit better than the Beats and may trail the Sennheiser by a small margin.

Transparency mode is clear. Some headphones near this price amplify the outside sound. The Bose simply passes it through the microphones.

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Call quality is decent. Background sounds do get through, and they sit at about the same level as my voice. The other person could hear what I said, but some rivals, notably the much cheaper Anker Soundcore Space 2 Pro, isolate the voice better.

In quiet places, the headphones are fine. Background noise only becomes a problem in loud areas.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen Features

Compared with its rivals, Bose does not go all-in on features. What you get is less about tuning the sound and more about choosing the kind of experience you want from the headphones.

The new TrueSpatial Audio modes, Immersion and Cinema, can be starred so they appear when you cycle through the ANC modes. You can also turn head-tracking on or off.

You can adjust the EQ, but it is simple. You boost or cut the bass and treble, or use a three-band custom EQ.

The QuietComfort Headphones 2 support Bluetooth multipoint. I had one problem with my sample, though. It kept trying to connect to another source and disconnecting from my phone. Removing the other sources seemed to fix it.

On wireless support, you get Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC and AAC streaming, plus Bluetooth LE Audio but no Auracast. It is a shame Bose did not include aptX, but that is where the Ultra series comes in. USB-C audio is also supported, for files up to 24-bit/48kHz.

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Wireless performance was excellent. I had no issues anywhere I took the headphones. In the Bose app, you can check battery life, change the volume, and control playback.

You can also adjust how much of your own voice you hear on calls and set a shortcut, such as your voice assistant or Spotify Tap.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen Sound Quality

I liked the original QuietComfort Headphones and still do. The main difference between old and new is how each one presents the soundstage. The original sounds bigger, but it is less defined and has less punch in the low frequencies than the 2nd Gen.

The new pair puts the soundstage a little more forward, and vocals sound a bit more natural. It also pulls out slightly more treble detail, though the change is not massive. Bose made tweaks, not wholesale changes.

You get a smooth midrange, warm bass that is balanced rather than rich, and clear, bright highs. These are very cushy-sounding headphones, and you could listen for hours without fatigue. The tuning works well across many music genres, though I do have a few nitpicks.

They are not especially dynamic. The gap between quiet and loud barely exists. The headphones do not rise and fall with the music, and everything stays on the same level.

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They are not the most energetic either. They are enjoyable to listen to but not exciting. The sense of rhythm and flow you get from the Sennheiser and the Sony WH-1000XM6 is not as fluent here.

What you do get is a nice sense of balance. Vocals are smooth, the soundstage is spacious, and while the bass does not dig deep, it still brings a pleasant warmth and weight. It is a pleasing sound, even if it lacks the verve of some rivals.

Wired listening loses some of that warmth and smoothness. The sound becomes more direct and insightful, but energy and dynamics stay about the same. It is colorful next to some of its peers, yet still not the most thrilling.

The new Immersive Audio modes were previously exclusive to the Ultra models. Immersion mode is less detailed than stereo, but the soundstage is big and wide. The headphones’ smoother tone helps here, because detail does not drop as much as you might expect.

Cinema mode is where I think it works best. Dialogue sounds natural, and the soundstage grows bigger and moves forward, which brings detail closer to your ear. It boosts the mids and lows, and head-tracking comes along too, though I do not move my head much when I watch films or TV.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen Battery Life

Bose rates these headphones at up to 24 hours per charge, or 18 hours with Immersive Audio on.

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I ran a battery drain test. The headphones fell to 80% after four hours, which works out to around 20 hours per charge if my maths is right. I expected more, since the re-released WH-1000XM4C lasts 27 hours and costs less than the Bose.

A quick 15-minute charge gives you 2.5 hours of playback. A full charge from empty takes three hours.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen Verdict

Bose has built a capable pair of wireless over-ear headphones that improve on the older model in several ways. The price sits close to the Ultra headphones, though, and that may make them less appealing to some buyers.

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt the QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen are better than the 1st Gen. The sound tweaks are positive, the noise cancellation is stronger, and the design is smarter. The Spatial Audio modes are a welcome addition too, especially Cinema mode.

Pricing is where it gets tricky. The QC Headphones 2 cost $299.95. The QC Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen have recently dropped to around $350, and they perform better overall.

If a discount is available, I would lean toward the Ultra model. If the QC Headphones 2 cost $50 less than they do now, I think they would offer great value.

Even at the current price, you still get a very good pair of headphones, especially if you mainly use them to get through the daily commute.