Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2

If you want the best noise-cancelling and comfort that money can buy, Bose delivers once again with their second-generation QuietComfort Ultra earbuds — they're just not a must upgrade for first gen owners.

I use them when I mow the lawn and also when I go to the grocery store and might want to chat with a random neighbor. On calls, they’re as good or better than the last pair, with mics that pick up my voice but seem to magically reject unwanted background noise like some kind of anti-HVAC Gandalf.

The best noise-cancelling earbuds are further improved thanks to enhanced ANC and other upgrades.

The second-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds produce warm and bright audio, charge wirelessly, and are unmatched in their ability to silence your surroundings, making them easy to recommend.

The fact is, Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra 2 do one thing really well, and that’s block out noise. In some cases, only having one great feature could be considered a flaw, especially for earbuds that cost $299, but ANC is one of the main reasons why people buy wireless earbuds in the first place, so Bose seems to have focused its energy in the right direction.

It's hard to imagine a pair of wireless earbuds sounding much better than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds second-gen. Especially at the $300 price point. $300 is a lot of money, of course, so they should sound good. But as everything gets more expensive, $300 isn't what it once was.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Generation earbuds improve upon their predecessors in some minor ways like multi-point connectivity whilst retaining the core components of industry-leading sound quality and noise cancelling.

If you're a music lover who wants zealous audio quality, great noise cancellation and excellent mics for call-handling, you've found your set of earbuds – the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2 better all their rivals in these key areas. They miss a few features such as LDAC support, and while I had absolutely no issue with fit and comfort using my relatively small ears, Bose's earpieces are still on the larger side and they are rather conspicuous when worn. As an overall proposition, though, Bose's second-gen Ultra earbuds are going to be incredibly tough to beat in 2025, if noise-nixing is your priority.