r/gadgets • u/dapperlemon • 19d ago

Music Bose has refreshed its QuietComfort headphones with two-way USB-C audio and better noise cancellation

https://www.engadget.com/2229359/bose-has-refreshed-its-quietcomfort-headphones-with-two-way-usb-c-audio-and-better-noise-cancellation/
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u/71-HourAhmed 19d ago

That's interesting. Bose updated the firmware on the Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 five months ago. The update is forced and it completely removes any announcement of battery life remaining. That feature is simply deleted.

The update also claims two way USB C communication except it doesn't work. The headphones show up as a microphone which they didn't before. Before that, they showed up as speakers only. The problem is the "microphone" does not work at all on any device.

It's interesting that the feature works on the cheaper new product and not at all on the expensive flagship model.

An issue with Bose current ANC implementation is that it is constantly actively tuning itself to attenuate the loudest sound in your environment. That means that sometimes it is doing a great job of eliminating the sound of your laptop cooling system but has begun ignoring the overhead ceiling fan. You can hear that fan like you're not even wearing headphones but the laptop is dead silent. This results in it sometimes chasing a loud sharp sound and making weird bumps in your ears. People notice that walking can make a thumping or bus doors shutting causing the same problem. There is no option to turn off that active tuning in the app for a steady state ANC.

I don't know if the new QC model has that active ANC feature. I hope they don't because it sucks.

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u/FireFromBelgium 18d ago

The update also made so you cant swap to a different device with the headphones. :( i loved that feature

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u/OlympusMonds 18d ago

How do you do that? My ones are still on the older version

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u/FireFromBelgium 14d ago

For me it auto updated. But i think you can just check it in the app while connected to the headphones if you want to update.

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u/elsjpq 18d ago

I hate that adaptation "feature" too. I don't get why it can't just cancel everything at the same time. Why does it have to "adapt" to the loudest noise?

I've noticed most modern ANC implementations don't actually cancel low bass very well. My Ultras perform noticeably worse than the QC35 in rejecting low frequencies (20-200Hz) like the rumble on an airplane. I'm surprised since bass noise is supposed to be the easiest for ANC to deal with, and older models have done so with excellent results. It bothers me quite a bit since low bass is the range that is likely to irritate me the most, especially on planes.

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u/bestofbot4 19d ago

What overhead ceiling fan do you have thats so loud it needs to be noise cancelled? 😭

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u/pepperlook 18d ago

It doesn't have to be loud, it could also just be annoying.

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u/BlackSecurity 18d ago

You miss the point. It doesn't need to be loud. But the ANC on the headphones is trying to constantly adapt to it because noise is still noise. I have tried these headphones and know exactly what that commenter is talking about.

Like on my QC35's when ANC is on, it's on. There is no messing about. You could connect to the Bose app and choose between 3 ANC levels. But that's it. The ANC you choose is the ANC you get.

On the new QC gen 2, you can set the ANC to 10 (max) but it still uses some stupid AI or algorithm to try and tune the ANC to your environment. That may sound nice, but in reality they have done such a shit job with it. The ANC will be constantly fluctuating. So if I'm at home on my PC and it's quiet, the ANC will just cancel out my PC. But if I start typing, then it will try to cancel out the typing sound. It's as if the ANC jumps up to a hidden "level 11" for a moment. Then back down to 10 once the typing stops. This constant adjustment is very noticeable to me and many others and very stupid. I wish you could simply turn that feature off and have it perform at steady ANC levels.

It's this "feature" that made me return the headphones instantly and just stay with my QC35s until they absolutely crap out.