Best Noise Cancellation & Ultra High Sound Quality: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) ~20 Day Usage Review

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Hey there, Show-ya Kisaragi (@showya_kiss) here!

Today I’m writing about the “Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation)” that I borrowed from BOSE. I just returned them today, but I used them pretty thoroughly for about 20 days, and I’ve come to a conclusion about what I think of this product overall, so I’m sharing it in this article.

Bottom Line Up Front

First, for those who just want the conclusion: The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) excel in value, sound quality, and noise cancellation – they’re “perfect,” so at this price point, they’re a must-buy.

After returning them, I went back to my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, but I only now realized how much of a burden over-ear headphones had become. Obviously, over-ear headphones have superior noise isolation, but the wearing load is quite high. In comparison, while the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) have slightly weaker noise cancellation since they’re not over-ear, the sound quality difference was negligible (not just “no big difference” – I literally couldn’t detect even small differences with my ears), and despite me typically disliking in-ear designs, I had no discomfort wearing these for extended periods.

Honestly, I put these at the top of my “buy when budget allows” list. Actually, the sense of loss from not having them right now is intense.

Let’s Start with Noise Cancellation

Regarding BOSE’s claim of “highest quality noise cancellation among in-ear format products,” based on my knowledge, they have the best noise cancellation available, so it’s not false advertising.

When you turn on noise cancellation, unless someone’s shouting right next to your ear, you won’t notice anything while listening to music. Even with music off, most noise disappears and silence arrives – you can’t hear normal conversation at all.

This silence creates the perfect environment when you want to focus on work.

I Usually Hate In-Ear Designs

For in-ear formats with serious noise cancellation, your only choice is canal-type earbuds (since non-canal types let external sound into your ears), but I really hate canal-type because they make my ears feel itchy and uncomfortable.

However, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) are canal-type, but they don’t push deep into your ears. Instead, they have gaskets that cleverly fill the gaps around your ears, so there’s none of that unpleasant canal-type feeling. I could wear them all day without burden or discomfort.

If this is what canal-type can be, I’m totally on board. Considering noise isolation and sound reflection, I felt this was close to optimal.

Next, Let’s Talk Sound Quality

When it comes to BOSE, it’s all about sound quality.

I’m not an audio enthusiast and I don’t read audio blogs or articles, so I don’t know what “V-shaped sound signature” means – let me give you specific examples instead. Sorry for the old song choices – I’m showing my age here:

• Enya: Orinoco Flow, Caribbean Blue: The vocal extension is incredible, and Enya’s distinctive “layering multiple vocal tracks to create sound” comes through beautifully. Even her whispers sound gentle and clear, giving you that healing quality – like peaceful tourist destinations spreading before your eyes where you can relax.

• Elephant Kashimashi: Koyoi no Tsuki no You ni: This song has no intro, but before the opening line “kudaranee to tsubuyaite” (muttering “how stupid”), you can hear a small “ah.” And the hope found within this boring world shines brightly. I already loved this song, but now I love it even more.

• Dimmu Borgir: Gateways: This is death metal, but from ultra-low growls to the female sub-vocalist’s near-shrieking highs, every frequency comes through without distortion. It’s not that there’s no flavor – it feels like everything is equally flavored. The song was already cool, but now it’s even cooler.

• Kinniku Shōjo-tai: Owakari Itadaketa Darō ka: I’m a fan of this band, and this song features Tachibana’s metal with pretty intense playing, but listening to it you can tell “there are absolutely no mistakes in the performance.” You hear every single note, not just the atmosphere. Same with Mutsuo. Plus you can hear Ōtsuki Kenji’s breathing – you can picture him singing with intense focus.

Overall, there’s absolutely no audio lag or distortion that you typically get with Bluetooth.

I did experience some audio cutting out when using my MacBook Air in clamshell mode while working, but I think this was because the closed screen became an obstacle blocking the Bluetooth signal rather than a load issue. Adding a compatible Bluetooth dongle would probably solve this.

Since I use Apple Watch paired with iPhone though, I found it easier to send audio from iPhone to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) and control playback with Apple Watch (I use HHKB so I can’t control music from the keyboard).

Regarding sound, my honest feeling is “As expected from BOSE – top-tier sound.” I actually like these more than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones I bought for ¥52,000.

About Battery Life

For battery life, the advertised 6 hours matched my experience. The 24 hours with case charging also aligned with what I felt. During some coding sessions where I stayed up over 36 hours, I could keep using them by charging intermittently without problems.

While I understand wanting to wear them all day, you need some exposure to noise during charging times or you’ll have trouble in real life. I recommend thinking of charging time as “noise tolerance building time” and doing something that doesn’t require concentration.

Summary

Here’s my summary:

• Noise Cancellation: Top-tier among in-ear formats
• Price: ¥39,600, which is ¥200 cheaper than AirPods Pro 2. There was a 6% off sale recently (I missed it and I’m crying tears of blood now)
• Sound Quality: Classic BOSE. I can’t say definitively, but probably the highest quality sound available
• Conclusion: “Buy it.” I think you’ll be happier even if you stretch your budget a bit

That’s it.

Since I already returned them and they’re no longer in my hands, I feel really lonely and genuinely think “that was such a great product…”

I’ve put them at the top of my want list (previously Switch 2 was at the top, but I managed to get two: one for me, one for my eldest son), so I definitely want them when budget allows.

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