# Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones and 9 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend them for comfort and noise cancelling that beats AirPods and Powerbeats, though critics find the sound mediocre and the lack of an ANC-off mode frustrating.

## Why people recommend it

- Comfortable, lightweight, roomy earcups (2 comments): "live up to their name for comfort. Very lightweight and the earcups are large enough that they don't pinch" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47403573)) "the QC Ultra is a lot more comfortable reliable on day to day usage" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47403931))

## What people warn about

- Cannot turn noise cancelling off (2 comments): "You cannot have noise-cancelling off for better battery life or to cope with windy conditions" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47374406)) "The sound was mediocre at best and you can't turn NC off" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46543869))
- Sound quality not as good as rivals (3 comments): "a $170 pair of closed-backs sounds infinitely better than the $550 Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra nonsense" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47258961)) "Neither sound as good, even after EQing them as close to the Harman curve" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47408946)) "The sound was mediocre at best and you can't turn NC off" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46543869))
- Expensive for what you get (3 comments): "Nearly $400 headphones and they have an LED that glows while charging so I can't charge them in my room at night" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48600855)) "a $170 pair of closed-backs sounds infinitely better than the $550 Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra nonsense" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47258961)) "not a fan of the bose qc ultra over-ear despite the cost" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47396040))
- Charging LED and power-off quirks (2 comments): "Nearly $400 headphones and they have an LED that glows while charging so I can't charge them in my room at night" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48600855)) "the headphones turn off when plugged in and have to be turned back on while charging" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47403222))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [AirPods Max](https://hackerapproved.com/p/airpods-max-2.md): 56 recommend
- [Sony WH-1000XM5](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sony-wh-1000xm5.md): 23 recommend
- [Bose QuietComfort headphones](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bose-quietcomfort-headphones.md): 22 recommend
- [Sennheiser Momentum 4](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sennheiser-momentum-4.md): 7 recommend
- [Sennheiser HDB 630](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sennheiser-hdb-630.md): 6 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Bose+QuietComfort+Ultra+Headphones&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://www.bose.com/home)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones", https://hackerapproved.com/p/bose-quietcomfort-ultra-headphones/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).