I Tested the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and They Sound Pretty Darn Awesome

Over the past few years, I’ve tested and reviewed literally dozens of wireless (Bluetooth) earbuds from well-known and lesser-known brands. What I’ve discovered is that the offerings from Bose continue to stay at the top of my list for the best that’s out there. 

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra in-ear earbuds are currently the company’s flagship earbuds, although the company has several less expensive options, like the QuietComfort Earbuds ($149), and Bose Ultra Open Earbuds ($249). What you get with these top-of-the-line, premium earbuds are powerful noise cancellation, spatial audio, and a customizable listening experience when you take advantage of the Bose mobile app (for iOS or Android). 

What I like best about the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, beyond their sound quality, is their sleek and modern design. They have just a small stem and the earbuds come with multiple eartips to ensure an extremely comfortable fit. When you plan to engage in a high-action activity, you can add a pair of the included stability bands to keep the earbuds firmly in place without compromising comfort or audio quality. This is a feature offered by few competitors. 

These earbuds also come in six elegant colors, including black, white, lunar blue, moonstone blue, white smoke, and what Bose refers to as its Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition color. Another thing I love about these in-ear earbuds is that they work nicely with any smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, computer, e-reader, Bose TV soundbar, or smart TVs that allow for Bluetooth wireless connectivity. 

Each earbud’s integrated microphone system does an excellent job handling audio for hands-free voice or video calls and for providing superior noise cancellation. So, if you’re looking for premium-quality earbuds that are loaded with impressive features — and that sound really good — keep reading to learn more about my experience using the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds in a wide range of settings.

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Who Are the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds For?

These earbuds are ideal for use at home, in a noisy office setting, during a commute, while traveling on an airplane, or just about anywhere else you want to experience clear audio and be able to remove unwanted ambient noise. In fact, if you place them in your ears and activate the noise cancellation feature without adding an audio source, you can enjoy near total silence, even when you’re in a loud environment.

As part of my testing, I wore the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds while mowing my lawn and using a leaf blower, and the earbuds nicely removed the loud sound from these lawn tools and allowed me to enjoy clear music. They also did a great job eliminating almost all noise from an airplane engine and babies crying during a flight, and performed nicely eliminating traffic sounds while I was walking through the busy streets of New York City.

Yes, these earbuds can be used during an indoor workout, but if you plan to run, walk, or cycle outdoors, I’d suggest the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds instead, since these offer a different design that provides more situational awareness for added safety.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are priced at $299, although they occasionally go on sale. This means they’re a bit pricer than the Apple AirPods Pro 2, Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro, or Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds, any of which you can typically find on sale for under $200. From a price standpoint, the QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are more in line with the premium and bestselling Sony WF1000XM5 and Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds. 

Whether you’re a student, business professional, remote worker, stay-at-home parent, someone who enjoys listening to audio while walking their dog, or anyone else who appreciates really clear audio when listening to music, audiobooks, audio from TV shows or movies, or podcasts, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are well worth the investment. I found they work exceptionally well removing unwanted noise when participating in hands-free calls, too. This includes if you’re in a busy office setting or walking outdoor around a noisy city.

Enjoy Premium Noise Cancellation, Spatial Audio, and More

One thing that Bose has always done exceptionally well with its earbud and headphone products is provide superior noise cancellation compared to competitors. When you combine the company’s proprietary technology with its audio expertise, you can expect premium quality audio — and that’s exactly what you get. 

However, to further enhance the listening experience, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds now offer spatial audio. This is technology that when supported by the audio source, makes it feel like sound is emanating from all around your head, even when you move your head around while listening. While this feature enhances the music listening experience, it works even better when listening to audio in conjunction with TV shows, movies, and even audiobooks that support it. 

If you’re listening to audio from a concert that was recorded live, it sounds like you’re with the musical artist, sitting in the best seat in the theater. Plenty of other earbuds now offer both noise cancellation and spatial audio, but Bose does an incredible job implementing these technologies to make whatever you’re listening to sound amazing — without distortion when using the noise cancellation feature.

Experience Four Distinct Listening Modes and Customizable Audio

Right out of the box (after they’re fully charged), you can pair the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds to your smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, computer, etc., and then access whichever music streaming service you prefer. You can then enjoy your favorite tunes or playlists.

However, when you use these earbuds in conjunction with the Bose app on your mobile device, it’s easy to quickly switch between three pre-created listening modes or create your own. And at the same time, you can control the playing audio from within the Bose app.

I found myself using Immersion mode most of the time when using the earbuds, since it creates the most immersive and clear listening experience while removing virtually all of the ambient sound from the outside world. And thanks to spatial audio, if you move your head around, the audio follows your movements accordingly.

Here’s a summary of available listening modes and onboard control options:

Quiet Mode

Activating this mode turns on the highest level of noise cancellation possible. If you turn on the ActiveSense feature from the mobile app, the noise cancellation feature automatically adjusts based on ambient sound where you are.

This means if things get louder around you, it’s not then be necessary to turn up the volume of what you’re listening to. The earbuds will automatically compensate. This feature works really well in a wide range of settings, and best of all, it does not impact the quality or clarity of the audio you’re listening to.

Aware Mode

Noise cancellation removes as much ambient noise in your surroundings as possible so you can enjoy the silence or focus on whatever audio you’re listening to. Aware mode allows some of that ambient noise in, so you can stay aware of your surroundings.

This situational awareness is ideal if you’re walking through a city and need to remain aware of upcoming traffic, for example. It also works nicely if you want to hold a conversation with someone in your immediate surroundings, but don’t want to remove the earbuds from your ears.

Immersion Mode

When wearing both earbuds, Immersion mode enhances and adds depth to whatever you’re listening to. To get the most out of this feature, first use the Bose app to calibrate the earbuds to your ears. Next, select either Still or Motion, based on whether you’re sitting or lying down, or walking, running, or otherwise in motion.

Custom Mode

Instead of using one of the pre-created modes, tap on the EQ button found in the Bose app and then use the on-screen sliders to manually adjust the bass, mids, and treble to the exact setting that generate the audio exactly how you want to hear it. As you’re doing this, you can tap on the Bass Boost, Bass Reducer, Treble Boost, or Treble Reducer buttons to help find the personalized adjustments you like the most.

You Get Onboard Control, Too

Whenever you’re wearing one or both earbuds and listening to audio, tapping on an earbud pauses the playback. Tap again to restart the audio. However, if you remove one earbud from an ear, the audio pauses automatically and then restarts when you place one or both earbuds back in your ears. Double-tapping an earbud while audio is playing allows you to skip to the next track, while a triple-tap jumps back to the previous track.

Simply by swiping a finger up and down along where it says “Bose” on either earbud, you can turn the volume up or down. There’s also a customizable Shortcut option for the left earbud that allows you to activate or deactivate a specific feature that you choose simply by touching and holding your finger over the word “Bose”. Use the mobile app to set up the Shortcut feature.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Expertly Handle Hands-Free Calls, Too

These days, people often spend several hours per day participating in phone calls or video calls via their smartphone, tablet, or computer. If you want to be heard and clearly hear the people you’re speaking with, regardless of what’s going on around you, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds feature a specially designed microphone system that works with Bose’s proprietary noise cancelling technology.

When you use these earbuds in conjunction with the Bose app, you can further fine-tune your experience when engaged in hands-free calls. Out of all the wireless earbuds I’ve tested, it’s these Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds that stand out for their consistently clear audio quality during calls — both indoors or outdoors.

The earbuds’ onboard touch controls also work when participating in hands-free calls. Tap on an earbud once to answer an incoming call. If you get a second incoming call, tap the earbud again to answer the new incoming call and place the existing call on hold. When the phone is ringing and you choose not to answer, double-tap on an earbud. 

Check Out the Charging Case for the Bose Ultra QuietComfort Earbuds

The charging case that comes with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds is a bit larger than the case that comes with some other competing earbuds, like the AirPods Pro 2. However, the case (with its rounded edges) easily fits in a pocket so you can keep it close by. In addition to serving as a safe place to store the earbuds, the case has a built-in battery that can recharge the earbuds and extend playback time up to 18 hours (three full earbud charges) without needing an external power source. 

When the case’s battery needs recharging, simply connect the included charging cable. The USB Type-C side of the cable plugs into the bottom of the charging case, while the USB Type-A side can plug into a computer or another power source. Use an optional power adapter (sold separately) to plug the charging case into an electrical outlet. 

To fully recharge the case with the earbuds inside, the case needs to be plugged into an external power source for about two hours. An optional wireless charging case is available, but it’s priced at $49, In my opinion, is not worth the added expense. 

Ensure the Perfect Earbud Fit 

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are among the few that include both small, medium, and large ear tips, as well as stability bands. These bands can be attached to each earbud to provide a more snug fit, without compromising comfort. These are useful if you plan to participate in more action-oriented activities and you don’t want the earbuds to accidentally fall out.

Using the Bose app, there’s a built in calibration mode used to help adjust the earbuds for a perfect fit. This process just takes a few minutes, only needs to be done once, and is well worth the time. A proper fit ensures the best quality sound. And while you’re using the earbuds, their Bluetooth 5.3 compatibility allows you to move up to 30 feet away from the music source, yet still maintain a strong wireless signal to the pair device.

My Final Thoughts: Are the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Worth It?

Two features that are noticeably missing from the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are a wireless charging case and multiport connectivity. However, the Bluetooth pairing process is extremely easy with any compatible device. And while the Immersive listening mode sounds truly amazing, it drains battery life much faster, so you can expect about four hours of listening time per charge instead of six hours. 

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are among the very best currently on the market for consumers. Yes, they’re a bit on the pricier side, but these earbuds do everything that Bose promises when it comes to providing clear, immersive, and very rich audio in virtually any listening situation. 

In fact, these earbuds have become a trusty companion for me on long airplane flights and train rides, as these are times when I use my Apple iPad Pro to watch TV shows and movies, and want to hear the most immersive audio, without also hearing all of the noise around me. There are less expensive earbud options on the market — plenty of them. But in this case, between the quality and performance of these earbuds, and the way Bose uses its proprietary technologies to make them work, the $300 investment is well worth it.