Today, after having enjoyed my Bose QC45 headphones for 3 years, suddenly the sound quality became noticeably garbled and horribly unpleasant. This occurred while listening to music on my iPhone, my iPad, and my digital piano. I figured the speakers were somehow blown, and so I bought a replacement headset. So I was baffled when my brand new Quiet Comfort headset was just as garbled on all the same devices!! I finally found a headset review that said Bose was aware of a problem with their Bose Music app causing distortion, but had no remedy. So I realized I didn’t absolutely need the app to run either headphones, and I deleted it and restarted each device. Lo and behold, NO MORE DISTORTION with either headset on any device!!! I then tried redownloading the app, and I no longer had the same distortion problem. This has cost Bose some money, as I now will return the new unnecessary headset, and I almost abandoned Bose altogether. So not only was the app software responsible for all this hassle, but there is no easy way to report this problem to Bose, hence this app review. Bose, you need better software and better feedback avenues.

I have had any number of non-Apple truly wireless headphons, including the Beats Studio Buds, many pairs of Ankers, and the Jabra Elite 75 and 7. All were fine, with their share of shortcomings. I decided to treat myself to a premium pair. I tried the Sony WF1000XM5s and didn't find the noise cancellation to be markedly better than others for 1/3 the price. I then tried the Quiet Comfort IIs and really liked them but then the Ultras came out and they were life-changing. There is this incredible sense of serenity when I turn on the ANC in the subway to work and hear that reassuring hush that locks me into a podcast or audiobook and shuts out the craziness around me. They are quite comfortable and the app is pretty straightforward, though perhaps every 4th or 5th use I have to do a little fiddling to get a connection. I have an iPhone 15 and I probably could have gotten Airpods, but those don't fit my ears well and the Bose have been a wonderful alternative. I have a pair of full sized over the ear Ankers for a long flight, but these are perfect as my daily driver headphones.

I have been putting off replacing my AirPods way too long and after using these Bose headphones now for a few days, I deeply regret not replacing them sooner. I know comparing these to wireless earbuds is kinda like comparing apples and oranges but the point is that there is no way to get this kind of audio depth and clarity with noise reduction offered by this amazing product. So comfortable. So easy to operate. If you have some sort of stigma about wearing OTE headphones in public, let it go. The fidelity and comfort of these headphones is unrivaled and you won’t give one rip about what others might think (who cares anyway) about how you look in public. You’ll be too busy enjoying the best audio experience to notice. I researched a lot of options. I initially bought some Sony wireless earbuds but returned them as they were uncomfortable and way too complicated to setup. So immensely glad I switched. Seriously this is one of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time. Don’t second guess it. Do it.