Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 Is WAY Better Than You (Probably) Think

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TL;DR: The Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 is far more advanced—and far better sounding—than most people realize. Now, out of the box it delivers a heavily V-shaped signature with big bass and bright treble, but beneath that default “store demo” tuning is an extremely sophisticated system designed to overcome the acoustic challenges of closed-back headphones. Once the bass and treble are dialed back in the Bose Music app, the QC Ultra Gen 2 reveals an exceptionally balanced sound profile—one that is arguably better than the Sennheiser HDB 630—and a more refined overall presentation than the previous QC Ultra.

A major part of the improvement comes from Bose’s active systems. The headphone adaptively corrects leakage and seal differences for consistent low-frequency performance across users, but it also has what Bose calls "CustomTune." CustomTune plays a calibration stimulus each time it powers on, “snapshotting” your specific ear canal response and applying a personalized EQ correction. This helps minimize the massive midrange variability inherent in high-acoustic-impedance conditions like closed-back designs. The result is a more stable, individualized frequency response.

While overall attenuation isn’t higher, Gen 2's ANC better prioritizes acute, sudden noises. You also get manual control over ANC, including the ability to fully disable it. Other upgrades include lossless USB-C audio and refreshed color options, though the glossy yokes may not appeal to everyone. Comfort remains class-leading—lighter and more agreeable over long flights than both the Sennheiser HDB 630 and Focal Bathys.

Sonically, the QC Ultra Gen 2 still requires user input to reach its best performance. The default tuning is heavy-handed, but with app adjustments (e.g., –6 bass, –4 treble), it becomes clear, balanced, and excellent sounding. ANC-off mode slightly worsens the tonality in the bass and midrange, so people should use it with ANC enabled—even if you turn the ANC level down.

Compared with the HDB 630, the Bose offers less advanced EQ capability (simple 3-band shelves vs. full 5-band parametric), no low-latency dongle, and less flexibility as an all-purpose headphone. But for travel-focused buyers who care about comfort and noise cancellation first and foremost, the QC Ultra Gen 2 os the more compelling choice thanks to its superior ANC, comfort, and acoustic compensation system.

Overall, the QC Ultra Gen 2 is a highly refined and remarkably intelligent ANC headphone that deserves far more credit than it gets. It’s not a must-upgrade from Gen 1, but for new buyers willing to spend a moment with the app, it delivers excellent sound, top-tier comfort, and some of the smartest acoustic engineering available in a consumer headphone.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/bose-qc-ultra-gen-2-is-way-better-than-you-probably-think
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I think it would be great to have data on exactly what filters are used for each of the adjustments, as well as exactly what the mid filter affects. According to one measurement I saw, increasing the mid band to +5 with no other adjustment seemed to yield a pretty good result, but it’s the only one I’ve seen. Could you test/corroborate that?

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Here’s the thing — even if someone says, “This part is better than the HD630,” that’s ultimately just a subjective reaction. You can always respond with “Well, that depends on the person,” which means the discussion doesn’t really go anywhere.

The “better” points people mention aren’t backed by any official numbers, either. And unlike Sennheiser, Bose doesn’t publish the technical details of their EQ implementation. At best, we only know the number of bands and roughly where the adjustments start. But the importance of those features is also user-dependent, so that argument ends pretty quickly.

It’s not that I’m saying Bose is bad. It’s more like… the way we have to evaluate them ends up being similar to how we judge home appliances:
“This toaster feels like it browns better,” or “This fan feels like the breeze is softer,” — very subjective, because the manufacturer hides almost all of the technical information.

For what it’s worth, I’m still using the Gen 1 and will probably keep using it until it dies. I genuinely like it.