Bose’s New Headphones Are the Best Value on the Market

Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. We may earn a commission from these links. Here’s how we test products and why you should trust us.Bose5 min readThere’s a reason Bose became a favorite among travelers at airport lounges across the world. The company more or less invented consumer noise cancellation, and for years, nobody did it better. Then Sony, Sonos, and other brands caught up, leaving Bose to figure out how to stand out in a category it used to own outright. These days, the title of the best wireless headphones is harder and harder to win.The second-generation QuietComfort Headphones are Bose’s latest bid to stand out. They’re not a complete reinvention of the category, but they’re a solid pair of over-ear cans that deliver on the things that matter most, including sound, comfort, and value. I went in ready to be underwhelmed. Instead, I came away thinking they’re the most sensible pair Bose has made in a while.ProsStrong noise canceling that’s comfortable out of the box, even with glassesImmersive Audio and wired USB-C losslessConsCall quality could be betterBose sells a flashier flagship in the $449 QuietComfort Ultra. But at $359, the updated QC Headphones are the ones most people should actually buy. They borrow the Ultra’s more refined shape, with pill-shaped ear cups and a headband that adjusts smoothly; however, they swap some of the metal in the joints for plastic, which makes them feel a little less premium. (But they still feel sturdy, and the folding hinges are metal instead of plastic, so the most break-prone spot should hold up.)At 230 grams, the QC Headphones are about 10 grams lighter than their predecessor, with extra padding on the crown and plusher, user-replaceable earpads that fully surround your ears. Bose says it optimized the clamping force for a secure but light fit. I wore them for hours throughout my testing and experienced minimal discomfort, even over my glasses. They can fold flat to save space, and there are some nice new colors alongside black and white, like eucalyptus green, rosewood mauve, and the two-tone dewdrop mint I tested.What Bose Gets RightThe noise canceling is strong enough to block out the drone of an airplane engine and the hum of an AC unit, especially with music playing. And it’s comfortable without the “eardrum suck” that Bose’s pricier Ultra can cause—that feeling of constant pressure in your ears, almost like a plane descending. I wear glasses, and the fit stayed comfortable without affecting the noise canceling performance. Bose says a new six-mic system stops noise from leaking through the small gaps your glasses arms cause in the seal, and in my testing, it lived up to the brand’s claims.While I did bump up the mids a bit in the app’s three-band equalizer for more pronounced vocals, the sound is some of the best I’ve heard from Bose out of the box. The brand’s headphones typically ship with bass-heavy, peaky tuning, but the default here is solid. It’s well-balanced and warm, with a slightly elevated low end.The right earcup features three buttons that make it easy to control everything. A multi-function button sits in the middle, flanked by volume up and down. One press plays or pauses, a double- or triple-press skips forward or back, and the same button answers and ends calls. Bose made the volume buttons sit a little higher than the center one, so you can tell them apart by feel.The left earcup has its own button that cycles through listening modes—Quiet, Aware, and any custom modes you’ve set up—with a voice prompt telling you which one you’ve selected. There’s also a slider to enter Bluetooth pairing and turn the headphones on. And in the Bose app, you can reassign the press-and-hold shortcut on the multi-function button to trigger your phone’s voice assistant or cycle through the Immersive Audio modes. I’ll take these physical buttons over a touch panel any day. Bose’s own pricier Ultra features a touch-sensitive volume strip, which can be fussier to use.Should You Upgrade? Probably Not.If you own the 2023 QuietComfort Headphones, save your money. The price has gotten a small bump (from $349 to $359), but the experience is mostly the same, including the same all-day comfort, strong noise canceling, 24-hour battery, and impressive sound. The second-gen model adds Immersive Audio, lossless audio via USB-C, Bluetooth 5.4, and a better seal for glasses wearers. It’s also a bit smaller than the 2023 version, so if you have a larger head, the fit may feel tight. The old 3.5mm headphone jack is gone, replaced by USB-C. Upgrade only if you specifically want spatial audio or wired lossless. If anything, the better deal right now is on the first-gen pair, which you can get on sale for as low as $150.The CatchesCall quality is where the QC Headphones fall short. It’s better than older Bose headphones and fine for a quick call from a coffee shop, but it trails Sony and Apple. There’s also no auto-pause, so your audio keeps playing when you take the headphones off. USB-C now offers lossless audio over a cable, but there’s no wireless high-res at all, which the Ultra offers. At $359, the QC also sits in an awkward spot. If you spend a little more, you can get the Ultra, Sony’s WH-1000XM6, and Apple’s AirPods Max 2 for around $400 on sale.Should You Get the QC Headphones or QC Ultra?If you’re set on Bose, the real decision is whether to go with the QC Headphones or QC Ultra. The QC Headphones offer great sound out of the box and excellent noise canceling. Spend about $90 more and you get a more premium build, stronger noise canceling (the Ultra has 10 mics to the QC Headphones’ six), wireless high-res via AptX Lossless, and a slightly richer, more detailed sound.It’s worth noting my colleague Bryn Gelbart’s take on the Ultra (Gen 2). He said they deliver noise cancellation that’s aggressive enough to cause that ear-pressure feeling, and his fix was to turn the strength down in the app. The QC’s is gentler by default.The VerdictPlenty of headphones beat these on paper. Sony’s WH-1000XM6 top them on noise canceling, calls, and wireless audio, and the AirPods Max 2 are the obvious pick if you live in Apple’s ecosystem. But if you already know you want Bose, the second-gen QC Headphones make a strong case that you don’t need to spend extra money on the Ultra. The fit is among the best of any over-ear headphones you can buy, and they’re great at blocking out noise at a coffee shop or on a commute.Noise-canceling headphones have matured to the point where no new pair reinvents itself every new generation, and that’s worth celebrating rather than lamenting. Judged on those terms, the QC Headphones (2nd Gen) are an excellent entry. For most people, that’s smart money.Shop $359, amazon.com