I just received a pair. I am not impressed with the spacial separation, but impressed with noise cancellation. For their price, I was expecting an emersion of a sound field around my head and felt i was listening in a two dimensional stage. Am I missing something here? I am not a brand loyalist of Bose, but treat every brand equally until results prove otherwise.
I got the 1st gen regular QC from Costco for $160 !
And I also ordered the new QC Gen 2 ultra.
Went from the basics to the best !
The question is, is it really worth the extra $300 for the QC Ultra Gen 2 ??
Why? It's Predict the Bitcoin price?? It's just a headphone ..
I got a chance to do a side-by-side test of a new pair of MX4 and MX6 next to each other and wanted to post my thoughts since I always read reddit reviews myself before buying things.
First off I've been a long time MX4 user (since 2020) but sadly my pair has reached the end of life. I use my headphones on average for 10 hours a day when at work/school so I am a heavy user but I am in no way an "audiophile".
Comfort: The MX4s absolutely win out here. I don't even notice I'm wearing them. The MX6s have a lot more force on the sides and not enough support on the top band. I found myself adjusting them every few minutes. I think this is due to the topband on the MX6 not being wide enough. But the MX6s does have a larger space for the ear and I found that nice - it would probably be even better for people who have ears that stick out a bit. I also found the MX6s to be not as hot. But this doesn't outweigh the fit of the MX4 for me. Also I have long hair and this didn't impact either of them.
Sound quality: I think this is a tie. The MX4 sounds "warmer" (or at least that's what my musical friends tell me i'm describing). I listen to rock/pop/alternative so I think the warm sound is nice. The MX6 sounds "crisp" and it has a better "sound stage". It's like listening to each sound individually rather than the entire sound together. I think this is just a personal preference. I will say the MX6 has significantly better bass. You can feel it like if you were at a concert. I didn't try it but I would think this would be much better for watching movies.
EQ and App: Another tie. Both of these have an equalizer and the app works perfectly on both. This also may come down to the type of music that you listen to.
ANC: MX6 wins here. The noise cancelling on the MX6 is great. I couldn't hear a TV next to me at all. There's no pressure in the ears at rest and there isn't any skipping or popping when I move around. The MX4 also has great noise cancelling, it's just not quite as good. Same TV I could hear some of the dialog from it if I focused. it complexly disappears if there's any music. I have worn the MX4 at the office and have had people come right up to me without me noticing. I would say both are more than what's needed but the MX6 is probably \~5-10% better. It's probably caused by having more pressure on cups.
Durability: Can't say. The MX6 defiantly feel like a quality product. But the MX4 has held up to HEAVY use and abuse and been dropped multiple times with no ill effect (not even scratches). Actually even the hardware on my old MX4 is fine but the battery life if just a lot lower than it should be and the ear caps are in scraps (the WC replacements are just not as good sadly).
Connection wire: MX6 obviously wins. USB-C for charging and connection is objectively better.
Case: MX4 is better. Okay this is nitpicky but I like case on MX4 better. I prefer the zipper to the latch thing on the MX6 case. I also felt that I had to line up the MX6s into the mold before it would close correctly. Where the MX4 you just toss em in. The MX4 case is also slightly smaller.
**Verdict:** I think the MX6 IS the better headphone but I prefer the MX4 more. The MX6 is also **not** worth the extra $200. I bought the MX6s for $426 on and the MX4 for $195. If they were the same price i'd recommend the MX6 because of the sound range and ANC.
Post script: I also tried a Bose QC Ultra Gen2 at the store. I will say that these are more comfortable than either of the Sonys and I though it had better sound quality. But the ANC was not as good as even the MX4. Not bad, just not as good.
Could you explain what the “booming” problem is that people are referring to? I’ve never had that experience and I have two pairs of regular quiet comforts and I have a pair of quiet comfort Ultra GEN one and also the new GEN two. I don’t think I’ve ever had a “booming” problem.
I wonder if it is because of the technology they had to put into that cord which eliminates the need for DAC? I spent a couple of hours on the phone with a Bose technician asking all kinds of questions before I actually bought the Bose quiet comfort Ulta Gen 2 because I already had Ultra Gen one and I wanted to make sure I was not wasting my money. I asked him if I would hear a difference in sound between Ultra generation one and ultra generation two if I were connected via Bluetooth and he said no. He said the difference would come between Ultra Gen 1 and Ultra Gen 2 when you listen with the USC direct cord. He said the technology in Ulta Gen 2 will yield a more definitive lossless audio sound but only through the cord.
Excellent review. I agree with you about the “cocoon experience.” I have these in midnight violet and I love them. My Bose quiet comfort Ultra Gen 2 headphones turn my every day household chores into a joyful time. I now look forward to doing chores because I am isolating myself in a beautiful world of sound. In regard to the issue of how comfortable they are – – I never even think about the fact that they are on my head or how long I’ve had them on. I just have to position them not to fall off around my ponytail or my bun lol. Have you tinkered with the EQ? I have been playing with my EQ settings through the Bose app. Have you tried listening to Lossless Audio using the USC direct cord to iPhone? That was one of the reasons I bought Ultra Gen QC 2 (eliminates the need for DAC). I also have the Gen 1 in Sandstone - the difference between GEN 1 and GEN 2, for me, is that GEN 2 has the USC for direct connection to iPhone, for example, eliminating the need for DAC, and then also Gen 2 has a more stable connection and doesn’t drop like my GEN ones occasionally did. Also the Gen 2 did not come with a USB cable - just what you see below in the photo.
https://preview.redd.it/05gox0v0mvyf1.jpeg?width=4073&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b5ce85e524f67e2aed4545281bddff7c7837e1a
Accomplished-Pipe243
