Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
The Next Generation of…
11/05/2023 15:11
Call it what you will: spatial audio is the next big thing to come to headphones, but didn’t we already have this before? Dolby pushed for more speakers with virtualized branding of 7.1 surround sound in previous generations and subsequently pushed out the Dolby Atmos, which largely dropped speaker numbers. This is probably good, though, as most listeners aren’t audiophiles and probably couldn’t tell you the difference in Dolby speaker numbers. They want their music to sound good, and Bose does not fail to deliver. Audio, independent of the encoding stream in these new QuietComfort Ultra headphones, is spatial in its immersive audio algorithms. Whether this truly surpasses previous generations is debatable. Is today’s immersive audio really that different from virtualized Dolby Digital 7.1? It’s hard to say, but it does sound good. The bass, perhaps, like all headphones, is its weak point as lower tones felt less punchy than those of an external speaker system. Where it loses ground on sound, it makes up for it in noise cancellation.
Noise cancellation has improved substantially, and pass-through features allow you to listen to your surroundings aware, which makes mealtime on an airplane especially easy to navigate as you can continue listening while asking for your entrée. New head-on detection is a nice addition. If you take the headset off, your media automatically pauses, and the new capacitive volume control, while totally unnecessary, is a fancy touch as opposed to prior buttons.
One new feature that earns some criticism, however, is the new molded carrying case. prior generations allowed you to fold up and fit your headphones in easily. The new molded case requires exact adjustments and orientation of the headphones to place it back into the case which is a bit more cumbersome. The price point for immersive audio is also $100 more and you’ll have to determine whether that’s worth it to you. Fortunately, Bose has offered the QuietComfort non-Ultra model this year too without Immersive Audio with the cost savings.
Overall Bose continues to deliver the ultimate noise cancelling headphones for which they have set the standard for generations, and you will not be disappointed with The Bose QuietComfort Ultra.
Pros:
- New spatial audio with Bose Immersive Audio
- Exceptional noise cancellation with pass-through modes
- Capacitive volume controls
Cons:
- Molded carrying case seems to be a step back in ease of use
TheChanClan
Mililani , Spojené státy americké
Age: 41
Gender: Female