- Quick verdict
- What stands out
- Watch-outs
- What we would choose first
- Comfort
- Noise Cancellation
- Keep narrowing your shortlist
- Keep exploring
- Sony WH-1000XM5 Review: Still the Noise-Cancelling Standard
- Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones 2024: Our Top Picks After 80+ Hours of Testing
- Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra: Which Noise-Cancelling Headphone Wins?
Quick verdict
The most comfortable headphone we have tested, period. The improved ANC still trails Sony, but for all-day wearers, the comfort difference more than compensates.
What stands out
- Best comfort of any headphone tested
- Improved ANC vs QC45
- Spatial audio works well
- Excellent call quality
Watch-outs
- More expensive than Sony XM5
- ANC doesn't match XM5
- Microphone pickup in wind
Quick answer
What we would choose first
Bose has long owned the comfort crown in the noise-cancelling headphone market. The QC Ultra retains that reputation while closing the gap on Sony’s ANC performance and adding new spatial audio features that work surprisingly well.
Comfort
These are the most comfortable over-ear headphones we have worn. The pressure distribution is exceptional — even after 8-hour sessions, there is no ear-pad fatigue. The headband padding is generous without feeling bulky.
Noise Cancellation
In our standardised test, the QC Ultra achieved 34dB attenuation — behind the Sony XM5’s 38dB, but meaningfully improved over the QC45. The noise floor is exceptionally low with no perceptible pumping artefacts.
Explore next
Keep narrowing your shortlist
Keep exploring
Sony WH-1000XM5 Review: Still the Noise-Cancelling Standard
Three weeks of rigorous testing confirm the XM5 remains the benchmark for consumer noise-cancelling headphones in 2024.
Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones 2024: Our Top Picks After 80+ Hours of Testing
We tested 14 headphones over 80 hours. Here are the only ones worth buying, for every budget and use case.
Sony WH-1000XM5 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra: Which Noise-Cancelling Headphone Wins?
Two weeks, two headphones, identical test conditions. We have a clear winner — and it is closer than the specs suggest.
