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Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 Review: The Pinnacle of Comfort in Noise-Canceling Headphones

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Bose has enhanced its flagship noise-cancelling headphones, introducing the longest battery life, USB-C audio support, and premium materials, making it an even more appealing choice for commuters.


The second-generation QuietComfort Ultra headphones carry a hefty price tag, starting at £450 (€450/$450/AU$700), which surpasses many of its competitors, including the Sony WH-1000XM6.

They exude an air of luxury and comfort. With a refined sliding aluminum arm and updated color, they maintain the same design, weight, and fit as their predecessor, resulting in some of the most elegant and comfortable headphones available.




Available in bolder color options. Composite: Bose

Controls for noise cancellation, immersion mode, and playback are intuitive and user-friendly. A touch-sensitive volume slider also serves as a shortcut for features, such as activating your phone’s voice assistant or starting music from apps like Spotify.

The battery offers up to 30 hours of playback with noise cancellation, providing an additional six hours compared to its predecessor, ensuring it stands toe-to-toe with the best competitors. This duration is ample for one or two flights. A new feature allows lossless music listening on devices while charging via Bluetooth, headphone cable, or USB-C.




Button and slider controls are located on the back of the right earcup, while USB-C and headphone ports are available on the left. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

It supports Bluetooth 5.4 and can pair with two devices simultaneously, like a smartphone for calls and a laptop for music. In addition to the standard SBC and AAC audio formats, Bose includes Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive for enhanced audio quality. Compatible Android device or a Bluetooth dongle.

Specifications

  • Weight: 250g

  • Size: 195×139×50.8mm

  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint, 2.5/3.5mm, USB-C audio and charging

  • Bluetooth codec: SBC, AAC, aptX compatible

  • Battery life: 30 hours

Excellent Sound and Noise Cancellation




The headphone arms fit snugly against your head, with deep and well-cushioned ear cups offering a plush fit. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Bose is a pioneer in noise cancellation technology, consistently delivering exceptional performance. The new Ultra headphones include advanced noise reduction features that effectively handle sounds from airplanes, commutes, and more. While they may not completely eliminate higher-pitched noises like background chatter, they are still highly effective.

A refined transparency mode enables the headphones to dampen sudden loud noises, allowing for awareness of surroundings while retaining comfort. Call quality is impressive as well, ensuring clear communication in both quiet and noisy environments.




The Bose app for Android and iPhone manages settings, updates, and custom options. Composition: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

These headphones excel in everyday listening, boasting a bass-heavy profile tailored to modern music. The bass is impactful yet well-balanced, ensuring clarity across the musical spectrum. While some may find Bose’s sound to be overly clean or lacking in grit, the excellent tonal separation and sound management provide a pleasant listening experience, making them ideal for travel, commuting, and work.

New with the Ultras is Bose’s immersive sound system, Cinema Mode, which emulates surround sound for movies and TV shows. It functions effectively across all connected devices, making it versatile for users with various brands of electronics. This complements the standard immersive audio mode that simulates a stereo speaker setup.

Sustainability




Bose combines luxury with durability, making it travel-friendly. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

The battery can withstand over 500 full charge cycles and is replaceable by Bose. The headphones are generally repairable, with replaceable components like ear cushions available. They do not include recycled materials. Bose has a trade-in program and offers refurbished products, but individual environmental impact reports are not available.

Price

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones (2nd generation) retail for £449.95 (€449.95/$449.99/AU$699.95).

For context, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is priced at £399, the Sonos Ace is £299, the Beats Studio Pro costs £349.99, while the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless is £199 and the Fairbuds XL is priced at £219.

Verdict

The second-generation Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones represent a high-quality choice, delivering the brand’s trademark exceptional sound, leading noise cancellation, and luxurious comfort.

While the Sony WH-1000XM6 may have surpassed it in noise cancellation effectiveness, these remain among the most comfortable headphones available, perfect for both travel and extensive listening sessions.

They fold neatly for compact storage, boast a long battery life of 30 hours, and offer connectivity options through Bluetooth, an analog headphone cable, or USB-C, making them versatile for any device.

Although priced quite high, it aligns with competitors, and prices may decrease during sales. Replacement ear cushions and other components can be obtained from Bose or third parties, ensuring long-term value for your investment.

Pros: Extremely comfortable, leading noise cancellation, excellent sound quality, immersive/spatial audio capabilities, excellent connectivity (including Bluetooth multipoint and USB-C or analog audio), foldable design for travel, a comprehensive app for multiple platforms, and long battery life.

Cons: It is quite expensive, and while the sound and noise cancelling features are superb, the microphone cannot be used with an analog connection.




The headphones can be compactly folded and stored in their case. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian

Source: www.theguardian.com

Are Oysters, Mussels, and Clams the Pinnacle of Sustainable Cuisine?

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Savor a delightful dish of green bivalves

ShutterStock/Plateresca

Consider the idea of sustainable cuisine. While humble lentils may come to mind, is it feasible to indulge in luxurious options while remaining eco-conscious? Bivalves like oysters, mussels, scallops, and clams possess inherent green credentials thanks to their ability to purify polluted waters. Recent research indicates they might also help sequester carbon. Could agricultural bivalves emerge as the pinnacle of sustainable food?

Food production contributes to around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it crucial to identify options that mitigate this damage. In seafood, aquaculture is generally more sustainable than wild fishing; however, farmed fish rely on wild fish for part of their diet. Recent studies reveal that the reliance on wild fish for aquaculture feed is often underestimated. Additionally, fish farms can create significant waste issues from fish excrement and uneaten feed.

A notable advantage of bivalves is their minimal need for supplemental feed. As filter feeders, they consume tiny nutrient particles suspended in seawater and plankton. With most coastal waters currently suffering from nutrient overload due to nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, harvesting cultivated bivalves can help alleviate this excess and purify the waters as a byproduct of their production.

Conversely, harvesting wild bivalves poses ecological threats. For instance, overfishing of wild scallops can damage delicate marine ecosystems like seafans, corals, and sponges. However, comparison shows that farmed bivalves come with significantly fewer drawbacks, especially when compared to rainforest destruction for beef production.

But there’s more to explore. In recent years, various studies have suggested that agricultural bivalves can sequester carbon, potentially allowing farms to earn carbon credits as an additional revenue stream.

Yet, Fabrice Pernett from Brest University in France remains skeptical. A review of over 50 studies has left him unconvinced. Many of these studies are based on theoretical models that assume the formation of calcium carbonate shells absorbs CO.2 from the sea.

However, this phenomenon holds true only over geological timescales. Over shorter periods—critical when addressing climate change—the carbon cycle shows carbonate formation often releases CO.2.

Moreover, the common practice of incinerating waste shells frequently leads to even more CO.2 being released into the atmosphere instead of returning carbon to the ocean to mitigate CO.2 emissions. Similarly, carbon from the flesh of seafood also gets released as CO.2 following consumption.

Some researchers are now claiming that organic matter deposited under bivalves represents a significant carbon sink.

This latest assertion builds upon oyster research conducted within five large enclosures. However, Pernett cautions that similar studies feature shortcomings, such as CO.2 measurements being conducted only during the day and summer months when photosynthesis peaks.

The research team argues this limitation does not influence the findings. “The budget suggests that carbon accumulation and sequestration exceed carbon extracted in shells,” asserts Shuang-lin Dong from China Maritime University. Nevertheless, Pernett is still unconvinced. “Current evidence indicates that bivalve farming releases CO.2 overall,” he remarks.

However, don’t cancel your reservation at your favorite oyster bar just yet. Although bivalve farming may be a carbon emitter, the emissions are relatively low—around 1.4 kilograms of CO.2 per kilogram of edible weight based on 2021 research. This figures significantly lower than that of wheat or corn, all while requiring less land and freshwater.

“Indeed, agricultural bivalves rank among the greenest food sources,” states Pernett. A culinary delight.

Arctic Marine Biology Exploration Cruise: Svalbard, Norway

Embark on an unforgettable marine expedition into the Arctic Circle with marine biologist Russell Arnott.

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Source: www.newscientist.com