Bose - QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

For me, the xm5 was  a step below the ultras. This was because I wear glasses and the thinner pads can't block noise as well, for me. The ultras has been excellent.  I heard the xm6 is better than the xm5, but they still have a thinish ear pads. 

Recently got the Bose QC ultra to accompany my AirPods Pro 2, and I agree with this review. I will say some songs I feel more depth with the AirPods Pro 2, but I know that wasn’t the purpose of this review.

Yeah, over the years I moved away from headsets to the mic and headphones and I honestly like it a lot more!! I have a blue yeti mic and just Bose noise cancelling headphones.

NC700 are pretty light headphones (around 254 grams) so this surprises me a bit. The XM6 weight about the same, the QC a bit less and the really good ones I have (Bathys/Px8) and the Px7s3 a lot more. Would look at the XM6 which has a phenomenal microphone and ANC solid (if a bit bass forward) sound (EQ helps) and pretty comfortable although I don't like the shallow earpads. The Bose QC Ultra and QC are also right around the XM6 and NC700 in weight but may feel more comfortable for you as they don't use the same headband.

NC700 are pretty light headphones (around 254 grams) so this surprises me a bit. The XM6 weight about the same, the QC a bit less and the really good ones I have (Bathys/Px8) and the Px7s3 a lot more. Would look at the XM6 which has a phenomenal microphone and ANC solid (if a bit bass forward) sound (EQ helps) and pretty comfortable although I don't like the shallow earpads. The Bose QC Ultra and QC are also right around the XM6 and NC700 in weight but may feel more comfortable for you as they don't use the same headband.

You need to be a bit more specific. Do you need/want ANC? Do you need/want microphones for calls? If not I'd get the Drop 6xx which is just a mass produced Sennheiser HD650. They are comfortable, light (a little too plasticky for me but that allows them to be cheaper and lighter) with very good resolution in the mid-range. Add a subbass low shelf filter by EQ and they are perfect. For ANC, I lean toward the Bose QC Ultra 1 or the B7W Px7s3 for comfort and decent but not great sound.

I have three of these and will give my opinions. Best for music is clearly the Focal Bathys with the onboard DAC. This rivals my DCA Noire and LCD-3 headphones for separation and clarity. Not as detailed as the LCD-3 but still clearly the best sound profile of the three. The ANC is the worst of the 3 especially for low dB noises. Microphone also worst of the 3. Comfort is ok but not phenomenal. Most comfortable with the best ANC for me is the Bose QC Ultra with the Sony right behind. Bose and Sony both need EQ and I don't see much of a difference between them for that. Sony has more bells and whistles with the APP with a better environment for adaptive sound control if that is of interest to you. And out of the box Sony sound better but for me still needs a lot of EQ to even out the low and high frequencies. Also I'm not a huge fan of the lack of deep cups for the WH1000X6 but that is just my preference for comfort. But agree just test all three by going to big box store or ordering and returning them. I also agree that the #2 for sound is the Sennheiser Momentum 4 which is the best deal of the four.

I'm going to say no based on the following selection of headphones that I own: Dynamic: Verite Open, Focal Elegia, Beyerdynamic T5/3rd generation and HD650, Planar: DCA E3, DCA Noire, Hifiman HE1000 Stealth, Audeze LCD-2f. IEMs: FiiO FH7s, Westone Mach 40; earbuds: Galaxy Buds Pro 2, Galaxy Buds Pro 3, Jabra Elite Active 8, Sennheiser True Momentum 4, Bose QC II, Bose QC Ultra and ANC headphones Bose NC700, Bose QC Ultra, Sony XM5 and B&W Px8.

To be clear no "wired" headphone has ANC capabilities but almost all bluetooth headphones have wired abilities. Your pick for best in show ANC should come down to XM6 (stay away from the hinge issue with the XM5 unless you get the three year warranty), or the Bose QC Ultra. Step in price would be the Airpod MAX. And I think that studies have shown that for blocking out upper range noise (like crying) the XM6 is the best headphone although the differences are quite modest between it the Bose and the Apple.

I got the Bose QC Ultras, and while they are solid, I'd still rather have the Sony XM5s

I just got the 1st get at Costco for only $160. It's 60% cheaper than the new 2nd gen. IDK if it's worth the $450 price

I'll throw in my 2c based on ones I have actually owned and used both on iOS and Android... 1. Bose QC (or QC45s) or QC Ultra. The most comfortable. Good enough sound, excellent ANC. Fold for easier carrying on the move. They have APTX adaptive/Snapdragon sound but no standard or HD APTX. Not many devices out there support Snapdragon sound 2. Sennheiser M4s. Fantastic sound, terrible ANC. Do not fold. 3. Sony M4s and M5s. Bose level ANC, mostly good if a little muddy at times sound. Cook my ears, the least comfortable by some distance, for me at least. M5s do not fold. 4. B&W P7 S2e. Fantastic sound. Ok, probably good enough ANC. Do not fold 5. B&W P7 S3. Pretty much as per the S2es, but they sound better and maybe the ANC is slightly better too, still not at Bose or Sony levels though. Still do not fold. They have Snapdragon sound, but they also have APTX HD and standard. I could never buy Sonys again unless I was sure the ear cooking had been resolved, I suspect though that this is down to their overall approach to ANC. The Bose QC45s or the new QCs (non-Ultra) are head and shoulders the most comfortable over-ear ANC cans I have owned.

I’m contemplating selling mine after using it maybe 3-4 times over the past few months. I was really looking forward to liking it. As much as I loved the audio quality, they weren’t very comfortable for me, personally. I always end up reaching for my AirPods Pro instead :(

Bose quiet comfort are my fave but are expensive. There was a cheaper brand from Amazon I used to use before I got my current set. I wear them every day

I went to an audiophile store in seoul, south korea. They had all the big competitors there, and you could TRY them all there. I sat in that store for 5 hours testing them all, and I STRONGLY recommend the bose quiet comfort ultras. The headphones blew me out of the water. I've owned them for 4 months now, and I'm still impressed.