Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Deep Plum)

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Deep Plum)

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are Bose’s flagship over-ear noise cancelling headphones, finished here in Deep Plum. They combine Bose’s strongest noise cancellation with Immersive Audio, which takes ordinary stereo and presents it as a wider, more natural soundstage in front of you, and CustomTune technology, which measures your ears each time you put the headphones on and calibrates the sound to them. Battery life runs to 24 hours, and the design folds flat into its carry case for travel.

Key features

• Bose noise cancelling with Quiet, Aware and Immersion modes
• Bose Immersive Audio spatial sound with Still and Motion settings
• CustomTune sound calibration matched to your ears
• Up to 24 hours of battery life, or up to 18 hours with Immersive Audio on
• Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint connection and aptX Adaptive audio
• Lightweight 254 g design with soft protein-leather cushions

Silence, then space

Quiet mode applies the full force of the noise cancelling system, the tool for aircraft cabins, trains and open offices where constant low-frequency noise is the problem. Aware mode does the opposite job, letting the outside world in so announcements and conversations stay audible, with ActiveSense adjusting the transparency to sudden loud sounds around you. Immersion mode pairs full cancellation with Immersive Audio. In its Still setting the soundstage stays fixed in front of you as if you were listening to speakers in a room; Motion lets that stage move naturally with your head. Either way, normal stereo recordings gain width and separation without needing specially mixed content.

Sound and calls

CustomTune runs a short calibration tone when the headphones go on and shapes the frequency response to the shape of your ears, so the bass and treble balance you hear is the balance Bose intended rather than an average. Bluetooth 5.3 supports multipoint, keeping a phone and a laptop connected at once, and on compatible Android devices Snapdragon Sound brings aptX Adaptive audio for higher-quality, lower-latency streaming; SBC and AAC cover everything else. The microphone system is tuned for voice pickup in noisy places, rejecting wind and background noise so calls stay intelligible on a platform or a street.

Comfort and controls

At 254 g with plush protein-leather earcups and a headband that spreads its pressure evenly, the QuietComfort Ultra is built for long-haul wear rather than short bursts. Controls mix physical buttons for power, Bluetooth and mode switching with a touch strip on the earcup for volume, so the everyday adjustments are available without reaching for the phone. The Bose Music app adds adjustable noise cancelling levels, custom modes, and equaliser settings for listeners who want to move away from the factory tuning.

Travel practicalities

Battery life is up to 24 hours with cancellation on, dropping to up to 18 hours while Immersive Audio is running, and a 15-minute charge adds up to 2.5 hours of playback when time is short; a full charge over USB-C takes about 3 hours. The earcups fold flat and the headphones pack into the included carry case, and a wired audio cable is supplied for seat-back entertainment systems or a flat battery. In Deep Plum, the finish is deep and understated rather than bright, suiting a flagship headphone that is meant to be worn everywhere.