Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones (2nd Gen) Bring Immersive Audio Down From the Ultra Line

The wireless headphone market has become a knife fight, with Sony, Apple, Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins, and Bose all competing for the same premium buyers. The newly announced Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen enter that battle by borrowing one of the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen’s biggest features, further blurring the line between Bose’s two flagship noise-cancelling models.

Built around the company’s long-running noise-reduction platform, the QC Gen 2 combines a refreshed industrial design with Bose TrueSpatial technology and three Immersive Audio modes: Still, Motion, and Cinema. The result is a more modern version of one of the most recognizable wireless headphones on the market, although Bose may now have to explain why some buyers should still pay more for the Ultra.

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Immersive Audio Is No Longer Reserved for the Ultra

Bose TrueSpatial technology is the most significant upgrade, bringing three Immersive Audio modes—Still, Motion, and Cinema—to the standard QuietComfort line for the first time.

Unlike spatial-audio systems that require content mixed in Dolby Atmos or another immersive format, Bose Immersive Audio can process conventional stereo from virtually any source. Its digital signal processing moves the presentation outside the listener’s head and creates the impression of listening to a pair of stereo loudspeakers positioned in front of them.

Still Mode: Anchors the virtual soundstage in front of the listener. As the listener turns their head, the apparent position of the music remains fixed in the room, similar to listening to stationary loudspeakers.

Motion Mode: Keeps the virtual soundstage aligned with the listener’s head as they move. It is intended for walking, commuting, and other situations in which a room-anchored presentation could become distracting.

Cinema Mode: Expands the perceived soundstage for movies, television, and spoken-word content while keeping dialogue focused in the center. Background effects are distributed more broadly to create a larger, more theatrical presentation without requiring a native surround or spatial-audio soundtrack.

The important distinction is that Bose is not adding more channels to the original recording. TrueSpatial uses processing and head tracking to reinterpret two-channel audio as a wider, externalized listening experience.

Sound Design

The QuietComfort Gen 2 retains Bose’s proprietary SoundDesign digital signal processing, but adds lossless wired playback over USB-C at up to 24-bit/48 kHz. The distinction matters: lossless audio is available through the USB-C connection, not over Bluetooth.

Noise Cancellation That Adapts to the Fit

Bose has renamed its noise-cancellation platform QuietControl, but the QuietComfort Gen 2 also introduces several meaningful refinements over the first-generation model.

New adaptive feedforward controls are designed to improve performance when the earcups cannot form a perfect seal, which can happen when listeners wear glasses, hats, or have hair trapped beneath the cushions.

The six-microphone system can now better compensate for those small gaps, helping the headphones maintain more consistent noise cancellation under less-than-ideal fit conditions.

Bose has also refined ActiveSense in Aware Mode. The system applies noise cancellation more smoothly and naturally when sudden sounds occur, reducing sharp spikes from passing trains, traffic, or other loud interruptions without completely shutting out the listener’s surroundings.

For a more traditional listening experience, noise cancellation can be adjusted manually or switched off entirely through the Bose app for Android and iOS.

Listeners can also create Custom Modes that combine their preferred levels of noise cancellation and acoustic transparency. These settings can be cycled quickly using the action button on the left earcup.

Refined Comfort and Style

The QuietComfort Gen 2 features a redesigned headband with smoother adjustable sliders and softer synthetic leather cushioning that rests more comfortably against the head.

Bose has also optimized the clamping force to provide a secure fit without making the headphones feel heavy or overly tight. Newly shaped oval earcups are designed to follow the natural contours of the listener’s head and improve long-term comfort.

Contrasting color accents inside the earcups add a subtle two-tone look that gives the familiar QuietComfort design a more modern appearance.

New Colors

Alongside the standard Black and White Smoke finishes, Bose is offering three limited-edition color options:

• Eucalyptus Green: A muted, nature-inspired green with warm yellow undertones, designed to complement current fashion and interior color trends.
• Dewdrop Mint: A playful 1990s-inspired finish that combines a soft mint exterior with teal accents inside the earcups.
• Rosewood Mauve: A deeper, more expressive option that pairs a rich mauve finish with vibrant fuchsia accents for a bold two-tone appearance. 

Controls

The QuietComfort Gen 2 uses physical buttons positioned on both earcups, allowing listeners to control playback, calls, and listening modes without reaching for their phone.

Buttons on the right earcup handle primary functions, including play/pause, volume adjustment, and answering or ending calls. A dedicated button on the left earcup cycles through listening modes and can be assigned as a shortcut for the connected device’s voice assistant or Spotify Tap.

Spotify Tap should not be confused with Spinal Tap, although Bose has yet to confirm whether the volume control goes to 11.

Connectivity

Wireless connectivity for the QuietComfort Gen 2 is provided by Bluetooth Core 5.4 with multipoint connectivity that allows seamless switching between two connected devices. This makes it easy to move between music, calls, and more. Android users can also take advantage of Google Fast Pair for simplified setup.

Two-way USB-C audio supports both high-quality wired playback and voice input through the headphones’ microphones, making the QuietComfort Gen 2 suitable for calls and videoconferencing through apps such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Bose also includes a USB-C-to-3.5 mm cable for connecting the headphones to analog sources, including seatback entertainment systems on aircraft.

Battery Life

The QuietComfort Gen 2 provides up to 24 hours of listening time, dropping to 18 hours when Bose Immersive Audio is enabled. That places it ahead of the AirPods Max 2, which delivers up to 20 hours with Active Noise Cancellation, but behind the Sony WH-1000XM6 and its 30-hour rating with noise cancellation switched on. Apple’s 20-hour estimate includes Spatial Audio, however, giving it a slight advantage when Bose’s comparable Immersive Audio processing is active.

Bose allows the headphones to continue playing while they are being charged, so a depleted battery does not have to end a wired listening session. A 15-minute quick charge provides up to 2.5 hours of additional playback.

Bose App

The Bose app for Android and iOS provides a three-band equalizer, customizable listening modes, and configurable shortcut controls. Users can also manage connected Bluetooth devices, install firmware updates, and adjust additional headphone settings from one central interface.

Comparison

The Bottom Line 

Bose built its reputation on noise-reducing headphones, and the QuietComfort 2nd Gen continues that tradition. It also enters one of the most competitive segments of the wireless headphone market, facing the Sony WH-1000XM6, Apple AirPods Max 2, Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless, and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 at nearby premium price points.

Bose and Sony remain the strongest choices for buyers who prioritize noise cancellation and travel comfort, while AirPods Max 2 will have considerable appeal for listeners already invested in Apple’s ecosystem. Those who place sound quality ahead of maximum noise isolation should also audition the Px7 S3 and MOMENTUM 5 Wireless, both of which offer compelling alternatives without moving into a substantially higher price category.

That brings us to the $450 question that will matter most to potential buyers: if the QuietComfort Gen 2 now includes Bose Immersive Audio, USB-C lossless playback, and many of the features that once separated the two models, does spending more on the flagship still make sense?

Bose has not announced a QuietComfort Ultra 3rd Gen, but the shrinking feature gap raises an obvious question: how long can the current Ultra remain sufficiently different to justify its higher price?

For now, the QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen remains Bose’s flagship over-ear model and retains several meaningful advantages:

• A more premium design with polished metal components and softer cushioning
• Bose’s most advanced over-ear noise-cancellation performance
• CustomTune technology, which calibrates the sound and noise cancellation to the listener’s ears
• On-head detection with automatic Bluetooth standby and a low-energy deep-sleep mode
• A capacitive touch strip for volume adjustment
• Snapdragon Sound support, including lossless wireless playback with compatible Android devices

Those extras make the Ultra the stronger choice for frequent travelers, Android users with compatible Snapdragon Sound devices, and buyers who want the best noise cancellation Bose currently offers.

For everyone else, the QuietComfort Gen 2 may now represent the better value. It delivers the core Bose experience, including Immersive Audio, physical controls, USB-C audio, and adaptive noise cancellation, without charging buyers for every premium feature in the cabinet.

That leaves Bose with a positioning problem. The QuietComfort Ultra remains more luxurious and technically complete, but it no longer feels like an entirely different class of headphone. Whether its stronger noise cancellation, CustomTune processing, premium construction, and lossless wireless support are enough to justify the higher price will ultimately depend on real-world performance.

eCoustics Headphone Editor Will Jennings is currently testing our review pair, so we should have answers to those questions rather soon.

Price & Availability

The new Bose QuietComfort Gen 2 Headphones will open for preorder beginning August 8 on Bose.com and through select resellers for $359, and will start shipping on August 13. Available in Black, White Smoke,  or three new limited-edition colors: Eucalyptus Green, Dewdrop Mint, and Rosewood Mauve. 

The previous Bose QuietComfort headphones are priced at $359 at Amazon, but are likely to go on sale as phased out.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 headphones are priced at $449 at Amazon

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