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Title: Bose overhauls the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones with lossless audio
and longer battery life

Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2025 13:00:18 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bos...

Bose announced a refresh of its QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds over the summer
and now it's back with an overhaul of its flagship noise-canceling
headphones. The company has employed the second-generation moniker once again
on the new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, but this time the list of updates
is a bit more substantial. Bose says it made tweaks to audio performance,
active noise cancellation (ANC), battery life, power efficiency and more.
Surprisingly, the company managed to make its upgrades without raising the
price.

The biggest changes for the QC Ultra Headphones come in the sound department.
First, lossless audio is now available over wired USB-C connection. Bose says
you can expect 16-bit/44.1kHz or 48kHz playback and the setup doubles as a
low-latency option for desktop or mobile gaming. When it comes to Immersive
Audio ΓÇö Bose's take on spatial audio that doesn't require specialized
content ΓÇö the company has added a new Cinema mode.

By "spatializing and balancing background sound with other audio effects,"
Bose says it creates a "movie-like experience" thanks to a wider soundstage
that's placed in front of the listener. As a result, dialogue clarity is
enhanced, which makes Cinema mode an option for podcasts and audiobooks in
addition to movies and TV shows. For general listening, the company provides
deeper bass at high volume, more natural sounding treble and consistent
clarity even when the content is loud. It also reduced the sound created by
the ANC tech so that it's less apparent in quieter environments.

Bose

Speaking of ANC, Bose made the same update here that it did on the QC Ultra
Earbuds. In Aware or transparency mode, the headphones better handle sudden
changes in environmental noise (like sirens) with smoother changes to noise-
canceling levels. On the QC Ultra Headphones, you can now disable ANC
completely or manually adjust it to suit your needs.

Bose extended the battery life to 30 hours of ANC use or up to 45 hours with
noise cancellation disabled. If you opt for that spatial Immersive Audio all
the time, you can expect up to 24 hours of use now. If you run out of juice
before you want to take a break, the QC Ultra Headphones can be charged
during use via the USB-C port. To help you conserve battery power, the
headphones will now enter a standby mode when you lay them flat or fold them
into their case. And when the time comes to resume listening, improved wear
detection automatically turns on the headphones when they're placed on your
head.

Lastly, you'll notice that Bose opted for polished metal on the headband
where the yokes used to have a flat finish. There are also two new colors:
Driftwood Sand (tan) and Midnight Violet (purple).

The second-gen QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are available for preorder today
from Bose in black, white, tan and violet color options. The price remains
$449, same as the original version, and general availability is scheduled for
October 2.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/bos...
ultra-headphones-with-lossless-audio-and-longer-battery-life-
130018894.html?src=rss

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