Premium noise-canceling headphones are a big investment, but they can turn your commutes, flights, and focus sessions into private audio bubbles anywhere. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones in this limited edition Deep Plum color are on sale for $279 on Amazon, down from their list price of $429 and it is the lowest price ever which makes them almost half the price of Apple’s Airpods Max.
This “Ultra” version is Bose’s ultimate model and it is (way) better than the standard QuietComfort line and has many improvements that make it worthy of the “Ultra” name. The new features are spatial audio with head tracking, CustomTune technology that changes the sound to fit the shape of your ear and Immersion Mode which combines the best noise cancellation with three-dimensional audio.
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Head Tracking and Spatial Audio Make Personal Concert Halls
The QuietComfort Ultra has Bose’s spatial audio technology which turns stereo tracks into immersive three-dimensional soundscapes where instruments are placed around your head in specific ways. This technology doesn’t just add fake reverb or widening effects but it actually moves audio elements around to make depth and separation that make music sound more real and interesting. Head tracking sensors know when you turn your head and change the soundstage so that vocals stay in front of you and instruments stay in their places which makes it feel like you’re in a room with speakers, where sound sources stay in one place instead of moving with your head like regular headphones.
CustomTune technology looks at the shape of your ears and how sound travels through your ear canals, and then it automatically changes the audio profile to make up for any differences in how sound travels through your ears. Because of the shape and size of your ears, they respond to different frequencies in different ways. This personalization makes sure you hear music the way the artist intended, not a generic tuning that works okay for everyone but not great for anyone. When you first put on the headphones, the calibration process only takes a few seconds and Tone sweeps are played through the drivers while microphones measure how your ears respond.
Immersion Mode uses Bose’s best noise cancellation and spatial audio processing to make it so that outside noise completely goes away and music surrounds you in three dimensions. This mode turns flights or commutes into private listening rooms where the sound of engines and people talking goes away completely and when you want to be alone but still want standard stereo imaging, Quiet Mode gives you traditional noise cancellation without spatial processing. Aware Mode sends outside sounds back through the headphones so you can hear announcements, traffic, or conversations without taking them off.
The microphone array uses beamforming technology to focus on your voice while filtering out background noise which means that calls sound clear even in busy streets or coffee shops. The call quality on older Bose models was okay, but the Ultra is much better because it has better signal processing that separates speech from background noise more effectively.
The battery lasts for 24 hours of regular audio playback and 18 hours of Immersion Mode, which is enough time for several international flights or a full work week without needing to be charged. The quick charge feature lets you listen for 2.5 hours after just 15 minutes of being plugged into USB-C which is great for when you forget to charge overnight and need to leave quickly.
Dropping from $429 to $279 makes the QuietComfort Ultra cheaper than the standard QuietComfort models typically sell for during sales which is a rare opportunity to get flagship features at mid-tier pricing. The combination of personalized tuning, immersive spatial processing and exceptional call quality delivers outstanding value at this discounted price point.
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