Not on mobile typically. But if you find a good one, by all means you should use it. I just caution folks when using apps like wavelet, since apparently the values don’t correspond correctly.
@Turambar Have you tried this EQ setting on Bose QC Ultra 2’s? It sounds quite good with these adjustments (and measures well too). I also listen to a lot of metal, for what it’s worth.
Also, as Resolve mentioned, be sure to put the headphones on prior to powering them on so Custom Tune is able to do its thing.
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I got a pair of these when I saw a sale pop up, and I just got them out of the box last night. The out-of-the-box sound is impressive. The bass, as you might expect, is stupid – which I say in that sort of youthful, ironic sense meaning that it’s absurd but in a way kind of awesome. It’s excessive, but doesn’t seem to fly apart though, at least on a couple tracks I listened to. Perhaps after I take it down a bit it’ll seem as if the treble is too much too. But my first reaction was to the bass.
I didn’t see anything on “CustomTune” in the app – is it the name for a feature set that works automatically? Or is there another download I need for it to do some special work?
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Interestingly, if eyeballing this chart is reliable (always a risky thing, I know), it looks as if -5 on the bass takes care of that pretty well, while -5 on the treble only adjusts the curve slightly, but still kind of nicely.
CustomTune is just the way it calibrates when you turn the device on. So make sure you put it on your head before turning it on.
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I happened to be in the market for a new ANC headphone/earbud when I saw your review. I was intrigued by HDB630, but having past experience with Sennheiser TWS, I could only assume the HDB630’s ANC is decent but still nowhere near the level of Bose.
I’ve owned Technic AZ80 for a couple of years and while they are top rate in sound quality, they lack in ANC. Technics’s ANC isn’t bad, but it isn’t anywhere near on par with the Bose QC earbuds I had a few years ago. Living in NYC, my use case for portable audio is typically riding the noisy subway or walking around the noisy city streets where even the sound quality of the best IEMs money can buy doesn’t outweigh active noise cancelling (who cares about perfect sound quality when the ambient noise floor is +70dB?).
And so, having seen Resolve’s glowing review, I pulled the trigger and bought QC Ultra gen 2 (could Bose please fix their naming convention?? lol). Anyway, I’ve also been quite impressed with this generation. Bose ANC is as world-class as ever, and now the sound quality is also well beyond what my OG Bose QC earbuds had to offer. It has been a while since I last heard Bathys, but from memory I don’t recall being any more impressed than I am by the new Bose (whose ANC is in a whole other league).
I think we’re getting closer and closer to the point where ANC headphones/earbuds are actually competitive with wired alternatives. We aren’t quite there yet, but the year-over-year progress is noticeable.
If only Technics or Sennheiser could raise up their ANC game (or Bose could buy Technics or Sennheiser…). A Technics AZxxx (or Sennheiser HDB6xx) w/ Bose ANC would be GAME OVER.
Thank you very much for your review of the QC Ultra Gen 2. Because of your review I purchased a pair as I was sick and tired of my Pixel Buds Gen 1 (which I’m glad I didn’t have to pay for). I’ve never been a headphone wearer (or earbuds for that matter) - at least not since I used to carry and AKAI walkman device back in my University days (ah, mixtapes). I needed something for air travel as (for some reason) I always seem to be in the seats just behind the exit row right next to the engines. While I did have my eyes (ears?) on a the Focal Bathys MG, I really didn’t need something that high end to watch movies on my tablet over Bluetooth while on the plane. I had my first flights with the QCs in January and I was more than impressed on not only how they performed sonically (yes, I did dial back the bass and treble to -5 each) but how the entire noise of the aircraft just disappeared. I have no comparison to other ANC headphones but if any do a better job on eliminating all the noise I need to give them a try. A longer flight is happening this month so looking forward to even more time not listening to the whine of the jet engines. Thanks for your great review.
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Thanks for the great video / article on this Resolve - upgraded to these from Sony WH XM3’s (which would always cause ear pain) and the difference in comfort and sound is incredible. I can wear these for hours no problem. I think Sony really made a mistake not focussing on comfort / build quality; I tried the XM6 in store and immediately had to take them off as they were crushing my left ear.
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I’ve just started to play with a QC Ultra Gen 2 and noticed something important though: the noise floor when using ANC is quite high (prevents usage at low volume) when playing any non silent audio (it is so high that it seems Bose settled on a phase out of 5 sec when not playing, so I’m not sure of what exactly the hiss is a side effect of, ANC seems to work fine without hiss when not playing…)
There are a good number of people complaining about it on Reddit, and I find it quite annoying given it seems some older Bose models did not have this issue, and the Sony XM6 certainly has not. Also, this seems to make the new 24 bit support even more useless than it would be on a non noisy headphone.
It is still a good headphone but I wish reviews would mention and measure it. I had heard about it but it was described as very low, so I thought it was clearly lower. It is usually not too bad when playing at « normal » volume though (except in some quieter moments).
I was hoping I could use the QC U gen 2 as a broad usage wireless headphone but because of this I will stick mostly to the Sony XM6, which I find not bad with an EQ like: 31 0 / 63 -1 / 125 -1 / 250 -1 / 500 1 / 1k 3 / 2k -1 / 4k 0 / 8k 2 / 16k -1, and in other circumstances the HDB 630.
@Resolve thank you for your reviews and your channel. I find them very informative. I wanted to ask what probably is a rather basic and amateurish question. I’ve only really recent started my audiophile journey, as it were.
I have a Google Pixel 10 which means it does have LDAC but doesn’t have a aptx lossless, or adaptive, only the standard aptx. Would the Sony XM6 with its LDAC sound better on my pixel 10 or are the relative advantages of codec not outweighed by the superior tuning and ‘custom tune’ advantages of the Bose Ultra Quiet 2, which would default to big standard APTX ? I hope that makes sense 
Codecs don’t really matter with modern devices. They’re all good enough typically. LDAC looks good on a spec sheet, and it’s a nice to have, but what really matters is frequency response.
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Thank you for taking the time to respond. I realise I’m late to that party on this review!I
I see. And by frequency response (apologies for the obtuse question), you mean how well it reproduces the base, mids and trebles, which I take it you feel is superior with the Bose Ultra Quiet 2 over the Sony XM6.
I presume frequency response will also impact to some degree instrument separation, sound stage and other dimensions of sonic experience
I’m surprised how many tech sites like Tech Radar or PC Gamer (which are not audible specialists admittedly) argue the XM6 are the best and don’t think about overpowering base muddying the sound, or don’t even acknowledge the existence of the custom tuning of Bose Ultra Quiet 2.
I’m just a regular layman consumer, but even I can begin to hear, with a bit of education the muddying impact of aggressive base or a shrill treble.
I’m not Resolve, but yes. The measured frequency response is essentially showing you the bass, midrange and treble tuning. That frequency response will absolutely affect instrument separation, soundstage and other sonic attributes.
Both the Bose and Sony have unhinged levels of bass and treble to my ears in their stock tuning configuration. Thankfully, both have basic EQ capabilities built into the app. I personally prefer the Bose to the Sony and returned the latter. My Bose EQ is -5 bass and -5 treble. I prefer the sound quality of the Sennheiser HDB-630 to both of them, though, for what it’s worth.
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Yup, that’s exactly right. I’m not sure about those outlets but it’s entirely possible that they didn’t use CustomTune correctly. The main issue with the Sony is that it has some fine-grained high frequency problems that can’t be fixed by their supplied graphic EQ.
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Just so you know, I have a Pixel 9 and it doesn’t have a certain certification (snapdragon?) that Bose requires for aptx so you will end up having to use either AAC or SBC. I think this also applies to Pixel 10. Unless you get a Bluetooth dongle for the phone or run it off USB C. Personally I think it sounds fine on AAC but just wanted to give you a heads up.
Would you say the Bose QC Ultra 2 frequency response and algorithmic magic with its custom tuning is meaningfully better than QC Ultra gen 1?
Thanks mate. Yes, unfortunately it is the same on the pixel 10. But as resolve asserts the codex don’t really make much difference because they’re all good enough, but what does is the frequency response. So I’m persuaded now that’s more important which makes sense. Of course.
QC Ultra Gen 2: Possible iOS Volume-Limit Resynchronization
I’m seeing a repeatable volume behavior with the QC Ultra Gen 2 on iOS and would be interested in determining whether it is device-specific or more widespread.
With the iPhone’s system volume at maximum, the volume slider in the Bose Music app shows approximately 70%, rather than 100%. If I manually move the Bose slider to 100%, the output level genuinely and audibly increases for about 3–5 seconds. The slider then returns to its previous position and the level drops, without any input from me.
My test results are:
| Headphone / source | Result |
|---|---|
| QC Ultra Gen 2 + iPhone (AAC) | Volume returns to the apparent ~70% ceiling |
| QC Ultra Gen 2 + MacBook over Bluetooth | No apparent ceiling; substantially higher maximum level |
| Soundcore Q30 + the same iPhone | No apparent ceiling |
The QC Ultra Gen 2 is running current firmware. On the iPhone, I have disabled Reduce Loud Audio under Headphone Safety, disabled headphone notifications (including through the Health app), and confirmed that no Screen Time restriction is active. I also changed the device region from France to the United States and restarted it. Volume normalization and related loudness settings are disabled in the streaming apps.
Since the QC Ultra can produce the higher level for several seconds, the available amplifier/headroom does not appear to be the immediate constraint. The behavior looks more like a software ceiling being reapplied. Given that the Q30 is unaffected on the same iPhone, while the Bose is unaffected on macOS, one possibility is a Bose firmware/iOS interaction involving AVRCP absolute-volume synchronization. The Bose Music app could also be resynchronizing the reported volume in the background, but this is only a working hypothesis.
A few questions:
- Do other European QC Ultra Gen 2 owners see this automatic volume rollback on iOS?
- Is this documented as an EN 50332-3 compliance measure implemented in Bose firmware rather than by iOS?
- Has anyone measured maximum SPL on the QC Ultra Gen 2 using iOS versus macOS?
- Does removing the Bose Music app change this behavior?