BoseQuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones for music with Spatial Audio, Over-the-Ear Headphones with Mic, Up to 24 Hours of Battery Life, Black

I'm in absolute love with these headphones and they were 100% worth every penny for me, I bought these for only £299 in the Black Friday sale last year which was a fantastic deal as they were originally £499 and I'd waited months to purchase them as they were out of my budget for headphones so I was so glad I took the opportunity and I wasn't at all disappointed. If anything, I'm very surprised that these headphones don't receive half the praise, popularity and recognition that they deserve as they are an exceptional pair of headphones and the quality is absolutely outstanding.I'd been to Curry's in September to try out multiple pairs of headphones, I tried out a few different JBL, Sonos, Sony and Bose models and these ones were a clear winner by a long shot for me and I knew I loved them from the start, however I instead settled for the Sony XM5s as I was able to get them cheap second hand whereas I couldn't for these at the time and I had to gaslight myself into liking them because of all the positive reviews they'd received. However, I couldn't get on with them at all for the whole time I owned them and I still really wanted these as I was so disappointed by how poor quality the XM5s were for me personally, I thought the "silver" colour was very ugly, dull and murky, the overall build of the headphones was cheap and tacky and I would constantly overanalyse how the music sounded and have to use several equalisers but I was never able to tune it to a point I was happy and able to thoroughly enjoy my music as it always sounded so muddy and never reached the level of clarity I wanted. So the minute these went on sale, I quickly sold off the Sonys and never looked back and I don't regret my decision whatsoever.From the start, I was blown away by the incredible sound quality, they reach a really good comfortable sound level without any distortion that I'm able to fully enjoy, I'm very used to having super loud tinny earphones blasting in my ears so I naturally prefer loud volumes of music and I know headphones don't reach half that volume but still they're far from quiet and I'm not desperately trying to find ways to make it louder at all like I did with the XM5s. The sound is crystal clear with outstanding, studio level crisp vocals, easily distinguishable instruments/sound effects and has a perfect balance between bass and treble, it took me only a very quick, minimal tweaking using just the Bose app with a very basic equaliser to achieve my desired sound and then I was happy and able to thoroughly enjoy my music without having to keep tweaking it for each song. The noise cancelling is also fantastic and super effective as I'm able to still fully focus on my music even whilst my mums horribly singing along to her music in the other room! 😂 I'm honestly not sure how severely the sound leaks through the headphones (if there's any leak at all) as I only really tend to use these alone in my room but I assume it can't be too bad as I don't think I've seen many people address this issue.I know this all comes down to personal preference as everyone's ears, frequencies, music choices and overall listening experiences are different but for me, Bose's signature sound works perfectly for my ears as I like my music loud, clear and neither an overwhelming or too mild balance of bass and treble and Bose delivers this phenomenally with the Quietcomfort Ultras which is what's made me love and enjoy them so much. From what I can remember from when I tried all the headphones out in September, there didn't seem to be a huge difference between the regular Quietcomforts and the Ultras but still I was definitely drawn to the Ultras and the sound of them straight out of the box even before any tweaking sounded great. They're by far the best sounding headphones I've owned and I'm extremely particular about how music sounds and I can't enjoy it if it sounds too muddy, tinny or quiet but these have taken my listening experience to another level, I listen to a lot of music everyday for hours on end during many different tasks as I'm very passionate about music so to have an excellent pair of headphones to accompany me during my listening time, it's just made me enjoy music even more than I already do.The Bose app to connect and control the headphones is miles better than the Sony app and is so much easier to use and well designed with lots of different functions for various types of listening, I don't personally use the immersive audio function as I'm not a fan of the special effects when listening to music but it was awesome and a really mind-blowing experience when I tried it out, the equaliser is basic and small but it works brilliant, makes a significant change to the sound and I was able to achieve my desired sound very quickly, you can connect to two devices at once when using the headphones which I think is fantastic and it seems to work seamlessly with no lag, pauses or interruptions from either device, it has a few different custom modes when you're listening in various settings and environments which is a big bonus and a great feature even though I use these strictly at home as I currently don't want to risk taking these out with me because I would be absolutely devastated if I broke them, lost them or had them stolen as I love them so much and they were expensive! I also like how they automatically turn on when picked up and put on your ears and the music instantly stops when you take them off and put them down and resumes only when you press play on your device or put them back on, they also automatically turn off after a certain period of time when they're not in use so they're never always left on and draining battery if you don't manually turn them off using the power button.The battery life is brilliant and they can last me up to a good few days before they completely run out of charge, this of course depends on my level of usage each day and if I've used them overnight (even though this doesn't even massively affect the battery level) but I have never felt like I'm constantly having to recharge them unless it's been my choice to do so (I rarely let them fall below 30-20% and like to ensure I've got enough charge for the day if I don't have much time to charge them). Connection to devices is fast, easy and I rarely encounter any issues with playback, I've used the headphones with a Motorola Razr 50 Ultra phone, an iPhone 13, an iPad 10th Generation and an iMac M4 and all have exceptional sound quality with and without equalisers but I was particularly blown away by the sound of the headphones whilst using the iMac and a small tweaking with the Apple Music equaliser as I wasn't super impressed with it's built in speakers! I did experience quite a bit of pausing, lagging and connectivity issues with the Razr however this could be down to either the phone's software and sound system as I know it's quite different to Apple or issues with the Poweramp app I'd commonly use for music as I found that was extremely buggy when I used the headphones, but I haven't at all seemed to have an issue with any of the Apple products I've used the headphones with and the apps always worked fine with all the devices.Calls and voice recording quality unfortunately isn't as brilliant as the sound quality and other functions of the headphones but I feel this is quite a common issue with many headsets and isn't a huge problem for me as there's very rare, if any times, where I need to have crystal clear, high definition microphone quality as I use these primarily for music listening which is where Bose truly flourish but this is definitely something to consider for people who do need standout quality for calls as these are understandably very expensive and you'd expect an equally as great call and music listening experience. However, they are still very usable for calls and you can still both hear and understand the person and yourself well (there has been the odd time my friends seemed to take high enjoyment in repeatedly telling me and making a big deal that he's struggling to hear or understand me whilst I've used the headphones or I've sounded strange but he loves to pick a fault and tell me when he doesn't like something and there's many negative factors at play on his end when we call so it's not always the headphones fault!) and a lot of the time, it's the device you or the other person/s is using and it's internal microphone and the connection during a call that can have an effect on the quality.The overall appearance, build quality and comfort is superb, I've got the white headphones and they look gorgeous both being worn and hung up as I have a headphone stand to proudly display them in my room, the model design and attention to detail is impeccable, they're super easy to clean even with a wet wipe which is essential as mine can get marked with makeup very frequently but still they look immaculate after each clean. They're very comfortable to wear even for prolonged periods of time and even in bed and are a secure fit on the head without being tight, I have no discomfort, pain or irritation wearing these as they feel so light and are easily adjustable, sometimes they can slide around a bit on my head and need readjusting but this is usually only when my hairs covering the cups or I've tilted my head forward or backwards which does make sense and I'd much rather deal with this and still be comfortable than have a sore, tight, tense head which is something I had a lot with the XM5s. They're a strong, durable build made with high quality material and are a comfortable weight to both wear and hold without being heavy nor ridiculously light like the tacky XM5s (hence why they break so easily!), they've survived quite a few accidental drops, knocks and angered throws and slams (still wouldn't recommend doing this!) without even a scratch and the squishy foam padding on the earcups and headband both haven't crumbled or split a single bit.The packaging is by far superior to the XM5s and keeps the headphones and accessories fully protected and secure, the box design is brilliant, the instruction manual is thorough and very helpful, the case feels very premium and keeps the headphones safely stored (bonus points that you can actually fold these headphones and not have to carry around a hideously gigantic headphone case!), it comes with an aux lead so you can use the headphones with older devices that have headphone jacks (I actually haven't tried this yet so I have no idea about the sound quality) and a USB-C charging cable which admittedly is very small and could be a lot longer in length however I've found a lot of headsets come with extremely small charging wires and you can just use pretty much any USB-C charging cable in it so it's not that big of a deal at all.So overall, yes these are quite an expensive pair of headphones and I'm pleased that I paid only £299 rather than £499 for them (as that's a lot for any kind of headphones unless obviously they're professional recording studio kit) and a few factors such as the call quality may be a slight disappointment for some people and of course everyone's got a different opinion when it comes to how a good pair of headphones should sound, however for me they were so worth the money and I've thoroughly enjoyed using them and will continue to do so everyday with no intentions of swapping or upgrading anytime soon as I'm hoping these will last me a good few years. I highly recommend these headphones as they are just simply spectacular and you can really feel the premium quality in the sound as well as the design and fit so you're definitely getting your moneys worth rather than feeling ripped off, I can say with complete confidence that I've much preferred paying that bit extra for these rather than sticking with the cheap Sony XM5s that I knew even from the start in the shop I wasn't fully satisfied with, even buying them brand new they're cheaper than Bose for a reason and it shows!

*Please be aware this review is being written from a totally blind person's perspective. *As I’ll be one of the first to review these headphones due to how new they are, I’ll try to go into as much detail as possible. First off, upon opening the box, you are greeted by a simple layout. The box purely contains the case and the manual. The case is more of an oval shape compared to the NC700, which is more of a square. Inside the case you’ll find the headphones, USB C to A charging cable and an audio cable if you want to connect it to a wired source.Opening the case up, the headphones feel very sleek, around the same size as other pairs, but the first thing I noticed was the fact the cushions mould seamlessly with the headphones, creating a complete seal. There is not that tiny gap like on the NC700 and others. What I liked immediately though was the fact the cushions slip into place with the use of six little tabs which simply snap into place. It’s a lot easier, for me at least, than trying to line them up with a tiny crack as with previous designs.When you turn them on, they have to be on both ears to activate, so Bose can use its tuning technology to personalise to the shape of your ears. This has to be done every time you put them on, turning them on with only one earcup in place won’t work.They truly live up to their name of ‘quiet comfort,’ I am wearing them right now as I type this, and you can almost forget you’re wearing headphones, you can hardly feel them, they almost mould to your head. They truly do hug your ears. The most comfortable pair I’ve ever owned. I also like how the Bluetooth and power button is slightly indented, whereas the multi-function button is perfectly smooth. The volume strip is also able to be felt, and I love how you just swipe it with a finger to change the volume, and you can also configure a shortcut to it, in the Bose Music App.Now moving on to connecting them, it’s just the same as with previous Bose headphones. Turn them on, you’ll hear the tone, and then the voice prompt will tell you they are ready to connect. Select your device and away you go. You can also store up to 8 Bluetooth devices in the headphones, which is a nice feature.The noise cancelling is without doubt the best I have heard yet. You can hardly hear anything when it’s on ‘quiet’ mode. You can also adjust the level of ANC you want, plus in aware mode, there are also ‘active sense’ settings, which block out loud noises by briefly turning on ANC, then turn it off again when the sound stops. This is good for if you're in a restaurant and a blender starts up, for example. These also have ‘wind block’ which mutes the microphones for NC while you’re on a call, so you don’t hear the wind against them. The person on the other end will still hear it though.Now the highlight, the immersive audio. I personally think it’s incredible. I’ve heard details in my music I’d never heard before, it gives the song or other content a completely new layer of depth. Bose weren’t kidding about that. I also have the Apple Air pods Max and these knock spots off those for their spacial audio and head tracking. It really does sound like the music is coming from a speaker in front of you, it sounds like the speaker nearest you when you turn your head, whichever way you turn it. I flicked between spacial and stereo, and I tell you what, I’ll never go back. Stereo sounds bland in comparison to this. I will always use spacial now wherever possible. The base is full, as is the treble and mid-range. You don’t miss anything, just like the artist intended. If you’re like me, you won’t go back either!As soon as I heard these were coming out, I just had to get them. It’s my birthday next month and my family said they would pay for them, but I just had to have them now and wow I do not regret it at all, and neither will you! Just one final note, I researched it last night and Bose will be releasing Ultra ear cushion kits for these headphones soon so we can buy replacements, if necessary, mine will probably wear quickly the amount I’m going to use them. I’ll probably use them on my work laptop too. All in all, yes, their pricey, but your ears will thank you, for both the superior comfort and second to none sound at the same time. Worth every penny, happy listening!Edit: (Because I struggled with this too,) if you want to clear the Bluetooth list and start over, press the power and multi-function buttons at the same time for a few seconds while the headphones are on, until the voice says 'bluetooth device list cleared.'