The Good

• Comfort Comfort is consistently praised and considered one of the biggest advantages of the QuietComfort Ultra.
  • “Bose isn’t comfortable because it’s the most comfortable headphones in the market.” (32 upvotes)
  • “I find the 1st gen Ultra more comfortable than the XM6. The Bose headband is wider with more padding, the ear cups are bigger and deeper, and the clamp force is lighter.” (28 upvotes)
  • “Mine are great, no issues at all.” (34 upvotes)
• Sound Quality Users describe the sound as clean, balanced, and natural — ideal for casual listening.
  • “They sound crisp, lively, and natural. They actually have very good bass representation and extension.” (15 upvotes)
  • “The sound quality is amazing — not far from the Ultras, especially for music.” (8 upvotes)
• Noise Cancellation (ANC) The QuietComfort line maintains its reputation for class-leading ANC performance.
  • “Far better [than competitors]; it has one of the best ANC systems on the market.” (16 upvotes)
  • “The QC’s ANC was class leading.” (11 upvotes)

The Not So Good

• Connectivity Issues Users frequently mention unreliable Bluetooth connections and syncing problems.
  • “They are notorious for not connecting, not syncing, and stopping working altogether.” (8 upvotes)
  • “I’ve had issues where it randomly disconnects while I’m listening, or when I take them out and put them in my ear they don’t even connect.” (9 upvotes)
• Finish Quality The glossy finish on the second-generation model received widespread criticism.
  • “Hate the high gloss of Gen 2 — it’s distracting and shows every handprint, micro-scratch, and mark.” (51 upvotes)
  • “The glossy looks cheap — I’ll keep my 1st gen.” (15 upvotes)
  • “The high gloss kind of makes it look cheaper to me.” (15 upvotes)
• Power-On Issues Some users report inconsistent or slow power-on behavior.
  • “The wonky power-on is very annoying. After about 12 months, I still can’t get them to reliably turn on.” (14 upvotes)
  • “Does anyone know if the Gen 2s power on faster? The Gen 1 seems to take ages to start up.” (9 upvotes)

Comparison to Alternatives

• vs. Sony XM Series
  • “I tried both recently and Sony’s comfort was not on par for me — I’d definitely prefer Bose.” (10 upvotes)
  • “I got the Bose QuietComfort Ultras a while ago, returned them, and bought the XM6s today.” (27 upvotes)
  • “Same — I found Sony’s ear cups so shallow that the tips of my ears hurt after just 30 minutes.” (14 upvotes)
• vs. Apple AirPods Max
  • “I have the AirPods Max and QC45s. My take — they’re close in ANC, APMs have better sound quality, Bose are lighter but feel cheaper.” (11 upvotes)
  • “AirPods Max are over.” (11 upvotes)
• vs. Sennheiser Momentum
  • “I returned my XM5 and got the Sennheiser Momentum 4.” (35 upvotes)
  • “I feel that the Gen 1 has restriction in the bass compared to the Sennheiser.” (13 upvotes)

Tips and Tricks

• Comfort Adjustments “Play around with the headband — small adjustments made a big difference in the fit.” (17 upvotes)
• Firmware Updates “Voice pickup is really good now.” (15 upvotes) “Wow, I found it’s loads better on 4.9.30.” (9 upvotes)
• Case Protection “The original case is anything but sturdy. I often transport it in my bike bag, and twice the case opened.” (50 upvotes)

TL;DR

Overall, Reddit users give the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones mostly positive but cautious reviews. They are praised for exceptional comfort and top-tier noise cancellation, which remain industry benchmarks. Sound quality is generally well-regarded, though not always considered audiophile-grade.

However, issues such as connectivity bugs, fingerprint-prone glossy finishes, and mediocre call quality dampen enthusiasm. Many users feel the incremental upgrades between generations do not fully justify the higher price.

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