2023-11-11 14:30:26
Presented as a slight evolution of QC Earbuds 2the new QuietComfort Ultra (or QC Ultra) headphones from Bose perpetuate an already well-established formula. Building on the manufacturer’s extensive experience in noise reduction, on paper, they have all the arguments specific to high-end Bluetooth headphones. Enough to justify their higher than average price (350 euros)?
Bose QC Ultra Earbuds
Type: true wireless headphones with active noise reduction
L’avis d’ON-mag : (5/5)
Price: 250 euros
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Sobriety and almost universal comfort
Much more compact than the first QC Earbuds, the QuietComfort Ultra are certainly not the least bulky headphones of their kind, but Bose compensates for this with a sober and rather harmonious design. Neither really typical AirPods Pro nor close to Sony’s WF-1000XM5, these true wireless headphones have a shape all their own, balancing several trends.
Semi-intra type (short cannula), incorporating oval tips and a system of holding fins, the QC QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are particularly comfortable. No pressure is felt in the ear canals, the fit is excellent and the weight is negligible. Almost as comfortable as AirPods Pro, but even more stable, they can function as sports headphones, despite their “only” IPX4 certification.
Although not premium, the manufacturing quality is quite serious. The plastic used for the body of the headphones is dense, the whole thing is well assembled and the few touches of cheerfulness (shiny surface) don’t look too cheap. We are a little more critical regarding the charging case, the hinge of which is marked by a little play. Another fault, very questionable at this price level: the absence of wireless charging.
Complete ergonomics, turnkey experience
In the now-gone era of its great rivalry with Sony on Bluetooth headsets, Bose had a reputation for delivering products that were less feature-rich, but more simple and intuitive to use. Although not very comparable to the WF-1000XM5, the Bose QC Ultra retain this tradition: simple and complete controls, clear but limited smartphone settings application.
As such, the touch controls located on the back of the stem are used very well. Navigation involves a set of short presses, switching between noise reduction modes requires a long press and adjusting the volume is done quite naturally, by scanning the area vertically. This arrangement is efficient and symmetrical since the same commands allow you to trigger the same actions on both headphones.
The dedicated application, Bose Music, is a great example of simplicity. Here, it’s impossible to get lost, all the functions are represented in the form of tiles; only a few secondary features are hidden in the “settings” tab. If the majority of users will find what they are looking for, fans of functions of all kinds will perhaps feel a little limited. The abundance of functions like Sony Headphones Connect is far away, Bose focusing on the essentials.
Ultra technological, give or take a few votes
We expect no less from the pioneer of active noise reduction: the sound insulation provided by the Bose QC Ultra ranks at the top of the basket. Apparently a little less effective than the latest Sony headphones in terms of bass and mids, those from Bose are much more permissive: the WF-1000XM5 require absolutely perfect placement of the tips in the ears to give their maximum, where the QC Ultra allow some deviations. Conversely, due to the in-ear format, Sony has the advantage over its adversaries in terms of cutting high frequencies. In practice, both references achieve such a high degree of noise reduction that it is very difficult to find a situation that really puts them in difficulty.
Without being fabulous, the “Aware” mode (sound feedback) of the Bose QC Ultra headphones is natural enough to be usable without any discomfort. This good use of microphones creates a certain contrast with the call quality. The voice, balanced and intelligible in a quiet environment, struggles to exist in a noisy environment. We are far from the mush offered by Sony’s headphones, but the performance is not brilliant, especially when we remember the extraordinary performance of the Bose Headphones 700 on this point.
Another small oddity is that the product’s connectivity is limited to support for SBC/AAC codecs… except with Snapdragon Sound-branded smartphones, for which AptX Adaptive can be activated. This constitutes a simply lunar example, but unfortunately speaking, of the Bluetooth standard seen under the prism of Qualcomm and its world of royalties.
Concerning autonomy, the Bose QC Ultra display an average score, since they reach around 6 hours 20 minutes with ANC, a figure to which we must add a little more than two additional cycles thanks to the battery in the charging and storage box .
Power and immersion
When listening, unlike the balanced sound philosophy of its headphones, Bose chooses here to emphasize sensations. The sound signature of the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds shows a clear emphasis in the bass and low-midrange, resulting in a very nice fullness and an obvious sensation of power. However, Bose does not fall into the trap of being too sharp, since the treble, apart from a small peak of brilliance, retains a certain linearity.
The performance of these very technical headphones is a little below that of the WF-1000XM5, particularly in the bass register, which is even more refined on the Sony side, as well as on the management of the soundstage, less extensive on the Bose side. More balanced, the Technics EAH-AZ80 are also a bit more audiophile. However, in all cases, we benefit from high-end sound quality. The Bose QC Ultra are rich and nuanced enough to adapt to the majority of music styles and controlled enough to never seem overwhelmed by the complexity of a song. It lacks a little finesse in the treble, but these headphones lack nothing and are extremely pleasant to listen to.
The slight sound advantage of this new version comes from the integration of Immersion mode, which simulates a 3D representation from a stereo stream. Although very often dispensable, this technology manages here to project the soundstage surprisingly well forward, at the cost of some inaccuracies and echo effects. We are far from dealing with a gadget function, even if it is not a revolution either.
In summary
Complete and comfortable, the Bose QC Ultra true wireless headphones offer a high-end technological experience. Excellent active noise reduction (ANC), technical and musical sound, complete ergonomics, these creations only present limitations on certain secondary points. But while they tick just about all the boxes for a universal product, connectivity aside, they don’t really bring anything new compared to the more affordable QC Earbuds 2.
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Specifications
Type: true wireless headphones with active noise reduction (ANC) Semi-intra port with retaining fins Qualcomm S5 Bluetooth 5.3 chip Supported codecs: SBC, AAC, AptX Adaptive (only with Snapdragon Sound smartphone) Certification: IPX4 Immersive sound technology with head tracking (deactivable) 4 microphones per side (in call) Announced autonomy: 6 hours with ANC (AAC codec), 3 additional recharges via the case Fast recharge: 2 hours of autonomy with 20 min of charging Weight: 6. 24g per earphone; 59.6 g for the charging case
Price: 350 euros
Our opinion
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