Bose has released many extremely popular headphones over the years, and recently announced the latest generation of its QuietComfort headphone series: the QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen).
The new generation of QuietComfort headphones features smarter, gap-correcting noise cancellation, new, fresh styling with a lower-profile fit and, of course, improved sound.
Bose sent me a set of the new QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) to test out for the last couple of weeks, and after putting them through their paces, I’m impressed.
They are better than the previous generation, yet they still stay at a relatively affordable price point for consumers.
The new, second-generation QuietComfort headphones feature a new headband design with adjustable sliders, something most headphones have. They provide a comfortable fit for long periods, with the earcups clamping around your ears and preventing the headband from supporting all the weight.
The clamping force is good but far from the highest I have used. This seems to aid comfort, and the soft synthetic leather cushioning on the earcup pads also helps. Now, the earcup pads aren’t the biggest or the most premium I have used, but they offer a squishiness that helps them to mould around glasses.
The earcups on the new QuietComfort headphones 2nd Gen aren’t touch-sensitive like some more expensive consumer headphones, but instead, all controls are buttons. Some folks prefer this, some do not. I actually prefer the touch controls because I find them faster for me to find the right control.
For example, if I am pausing the music, instead of just tapping the earcup, with buttons I need to find the correct button first, which can take time if there are more than one grouping of buttons on the earcup and then tap it – yes, first world problems.
In saying that, the buttons on the QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen that control the media are the only buttons on the right earcup and the play/pause button is not as prominent as the forward and back/volume up and down buttons so it is relatively easy to find quickly. I quite like how they have done this, and although it seems small, it’s these small things that make a consumer headphone like this a premium set.
The left earcup houses the power/Bluetooth pairing sliding button and the Action button. The Action button can be customised to control the level of ANC – quiet, aware or immersion – or a press and hold to change the immersive mode, access your Assistant or open Spotify.
The Bose QuietComfort headphones 2nd Gen deliver a pleasurable listening experience. Even using the stock EQ in the Bose app was good enough. It offers really good bass which I thought was deep with plenty of punch, just what you’d expect from Bose.
The mid-range was good without being overpowering. It just seemed to lack the wider soundstage and accuracy that you see from the more expensive Sennheiser Momentum 5 headphones.
This was especially evident in the upper end of the register, with the sound still good, with the ability to hear the intended definition but when you compare them, they aren’t up to the more expensive Momentum 5 headphones. They lack the brightness that you hear on these more expensive headphones. The Sennheiser headphones will cost you nearly 50% more so, is it worth the extra cost? To most folks, probably not.
Without comparing them, because at this price there’s not much equivalent, they are extraordinarily good. The overall sound produced was accurate with good, crisp, deep bass while delivering pleasing mids and highs as a whole. There really isn’t much wrong with them.– and that was even without applying any EQ settings in the stock app. You can make them sound even better using a third-party EQ.
My go-to music player, PowerAmp has an EQ that you can fine-tune the sound to your exact preference (or use one of the community-saved profiles), and I normally use that. In this case it improved the audio even more but if you’re using Spotify or an app without an EQ, you’ll be just fine using the EQ within the Bose app.
Those who want a more complete, overall sound, from the best possible audio source may want to look elsewhere, with the Bluetooth version and codecs supported by the QuietComfort 2nd Gen limited.
The QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) supports only Bluetooth 5.4, and with many headphones releasing this year jumping onto the 6.0 bandwagon, it seems to be an own goal from Bose. Bluetooth 6.0 delivers enhanced BLE, ultra-low latency, and native LDAC and LC3+ for Hi-Res support.
As for audio codecs, the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) are limited to SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs and lack aptX and LDAC support. Now, this will not affect everyone, and in fact will affect very few, but if you are an audiophile and want the option to use these advanced codecs, you will be looking elsewhere.
For the vast majority of the population, not only will you not be able to tell the difference but you will not care even if you could. I know I struggle to and that is with a lot of back-and-forth testing, of which how much is a placebo effect I’m yet to determine.
A quick word about the TrueSpatial Technology Bose includes in these headphones. It’s good but if you want to listen to music truly as it was produced and want the best possible sound, this technology is a gimmick for me – I’m not a fan, whoever does it at this stage.
The Bose app is where you control everything and it can get a little confusing when trying to figure out whether to use immersive audio off or on, ANC off or on or transparency mode. Immersive audio is where the audio “follows you around.” Again, not a fan of this either. It apparently adds “depth to your content,” but I found it minimal at best.
Battery life is good but less than many other equivalent headphones. They provide 24 hours of playback (or 18 using immersive audio), which is still enough for even the longest trip, so I don’t see an issue with having less than other headphones when what they have is easily enough.
The more I used the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen), the more I loved them. They are super comfortable, living up to their name, producing the signature Bose audio quality. Although the sound quality isn’t audiophile-quality, it is better than most other consumer-grade headphones, and most people likely can’t discern much difference between this and a much more expensive set of headphones.
Bose has done a great job keeping the price relatively stable compared to the previous generation and compared to similar products, and for that reason they get a thumbs up from me. If you want the best sound quality without forking out audiophile-quality pricing (over 00) but don’t mind paying more than the Bose RRP, look at the Sennheiser Momentum 5. Since the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) are nearly 50% less, they do make a compelling purchase argument.
The Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) are available now from Bose.com.au and at select retailers for RRP9.95, in Black, White Smoke, or three new limited-edition colours: Eucalyptus Green, Dewdrop Mint and Rosewood Mauve.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
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