I finally found wireless ANC headphones comfortable enough to keep on for an entire flight

I travel a few times each month, and wireless headphones are the difference between a flight or train ride being peaceful or miserable. It’s not hard to find wireless headphones with excellent active noise-canceling (ANC) power. The AirPods Max are my top pick for those who need to block out unwanted sounds. It’s also pretty easy to find comfortable, lightweight headphones. But it’s tricky to find all these qualities in the same pair of headphones.

I’ve spent months testing the Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones, and they’re a worthy successor to the first-generation model released in 2023. The new model strikes a fantastic balance between comfort and noise-canceling strength. The $359 price point for the Bose QuietComfort 2 puts the headphones in a tough spot, though. You may get better value out of buying cheaper cans, like the Soundcore Space 2, or more premium options, such as Bose’s own QuietComfort Ultra 2 headphones.

That said, I found myself grabbing the QuietComfort 2 headphones over my more expensive daily drivers — these are the reasons why.

Bose sent us the QuietComfort 2 headphones for review. It had no input on the contents of this article, and didn’t see it before publishing.

7.5/10

Battery Life

24 hours (ANC on)

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy

Microphones

6 Microphones

Bose’s QuietComfort 2 add a refreshed design, immersive audio, and extra listening modes to an already great pair of wireless ANC headphones. At $359, I would’ve loved to see longer battery life and hi-res Bluetooth codec support. However, these headphones have a lightweight, comfortable design and USB-C lossless audio support — that’s enough to earn your money.

Pros & Cons

• Superb sound for the price
• USB-C audio support; 3.5mm cable in the box
• Lightweight and comfortable design

• Battery life is on the shorter side
• Only AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs supported
• Priced too closely to the QuietComfort Ultra 2 headphones

Bose QuietComfort 2 pricing and availability

Bose launched the QuietComfort 2 headphones in August 2026. The over-ear headphones are available in an assortment of colorways: Black, White Smoke, Rosewood Mauve, Dewdrop Mint, Eucalyptus Green, Hazelnut Taupe. They retail for $359, and can be purchased from Bose or third-party retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.

For context, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 headphones have a retail price of $449. With only $90 separating Bose’s midrange and premium wireless headphone models, it’s worth considering paying more for the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 — which are some of our favorite over-ears for travel.

In the box, you get the QuietComfort 2 headphones, a hard-shell carrying case, a USB-C to USB-C cable with data and charging support, and a USB-C to 3.5mm cable. Either of the two cables can be used with the QuietComfort 2 headphones in wired audio mode.

A familiar but comfortable over-ear design

Bose didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it didn’t need to

Bose reworked the design of the QuietComfort 2 headphones, making notable tweaks compared to the originals. For starters, the headband features more cushioning on the top, and the cushion extends further down the sides. The headband and ear cushions are made out of protein leather, and the ear cushions are removable. The ear cushions themselves are now pill-shaped, and all these design changes combine to make the QuietComfort 2 headphones among the most comfortable I’ve ever worn.

The headphones use an all-plastic design, which some may view as a material downgrade from the QuietComfort Ultra 2 headphones. But the choice to rely on plastic and faux leather comes with two tangible benefits. The cheaper materials help keep the price down, and they also make the headphones incredibly light. The Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones weigh only 230 grams. That’s a smidge lighter than the latest QC Ultra model, and more importantly, it’s featherweight compared to the competition.

At $350 and with a similar design, the Sonos Ace headphones are made to go up against headphones like the QuietComfort 2. However, with a 312-gram weight, the Sonos Ace will feel much heavier than the QuietComfort 2 on your head. AirPods Max 2 are the best noise-canceling headphones on the market in my book, but they weigh 386.2 grams. The heavy, all-metal construction makes me wonder if the incredible ANC power is worth it when I can’t keep them on my head comfortably for more than an hour or two.

I haven’t had the chance to try Sony’s WH-1000XM4C headphones, which are a $300 revival of the ever-popular WH-1000XM4 over-ears. They’re cheaper than the QuietComfort 2 headphones and only weigh a bit more, coming in at 254 grams. While it’s worth including the Sony WH-1000XM4C in your search, I’ve yet to find wireless over-ears as comfortable as the Bose QuietComfort 2. The lightweight feel just can’t be beat, and I can wear them for hours on end without discomfort.

Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

It’s worth mentioning the case that comes with the Bose QuietComfort 2. Most headphone cases feel like an afterthought at best, or a complete disaster at worst (I’m looking at you, AirPods Max and Nothing Headphone 1 Pro). Bose’s included case is downright good. It’s a zippered hardshell case with a textured leatherette finish, a soft interior lining, and a pocket for cables. The headphones twist and collapse to fit flat inside the case, which is easy to put in a backpack or carry-on luggage.

Rounding out the design, the Bose QuietComfort 2 have a pairing slider on the left earcup that doubles as a power button for controls. It’s one of my few gripes about the QuietComfort line — these functions are too important to share a slider. Otherwise, there are physical buttons for playback, volume, and noise control modes. I’ll take these over the capacitive volume controls on higher-priced headphones like the QuietComfort Ultra 2 and Sony WH-1000XM6 any day.

Sound quality and ANC power are solid

The ANC isn’t as strong as higher-end headphones, however

Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

The Bose QuietComfort 2 are a more versatile pair of headphones than their predecessor, and they generally sound great. Some will mourn the loss of the headphone jack on the latest model, but I won’t. The original Bose QuietComfort headphones had a 2.5mm headphone jack onboard, so you needed a special 2.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable to use them in wired mode. The new Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones skip the headphone jack in favor of a USB-C port that supports USB audio.

Bose includes a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to 3.5mm cable in the box, so you have everything you need to use the QuietComfort 2 headphones in wired mode. In my view, this is a better solution than the 2.5mm jack. USB-C cables are simply more common, and the QuietComfort 2 are now capable of 24-bit, 48kHz lossless audio over a wired connection. This is a major upgrade for those that listen to lossless music, even if we had to give something up to get it.

There’s one thing I can’t get over — the lack of high-resolution Bluetooth audio codecs. I get it, if you want high-fidelity sound, you should use a cable anyway. But relying on SBC and AAC alone is disappointing. There are going to be times when you want better sound quality without the hassle of a cord, and a codec like aptX Adaptive or LHDC would’ve come in the clutch. Unfortunately, neither are here. Bose is reserving the hi-res Snapdragon Sound codecs, including aptX Adaptive and Lossless, for the more-expensive QC Ultra 2 headphones.

If I could describe the sound of the QuietComfort 2 headphones in one word, it would be “pleasant.” The sound signature certainly isn’t neutral; there’s overemphasis on the bass, and the mids are quieter, but the highs are strong. You’re going to have no problem hearing the ting of a ride cymbal or the satisfying sharp hit of a snare drum, although bass-heavy tracks can reduce soundstage separation. I noticed this particularly while listening to bass-heavy tracks, but the listening experience was enjoyable overall.

This is no surprise to me, because most listeners don’t actually want a neutral frequency response curve. Instead, they like the bass and treble a little boosted. The good news is that if the QuietComfort 2 headphones don’t sound how you’d like out of the box, the Bose app offers a three-band EQ for a bit of extra customization.

Credit: Brady Snyder / MakeUseOf

The headphones have ANC (Quiet) and transparency (Aware) modes, and they perform well for the price. Transparency mode does too good of a job letting higher-pitched environmental noise through, like the loud hum of my air conditioner, but human voices aren’t as easy to hear. You can use transparency mode in a pinch, though. Bose’s QuietComfort 2 headphones make an incredible seal against your head, which really helps with active noise-canceling power.

Again, these headphones don’t block out the most sound, but they do cancel out noise without adding uncomfortable pressure. This is likely due to how well the QuietComfort 2 headphones create a solid seal and use passive sound isolation. I find that when you absolutely need to reduce ear pressure — on an airplane, for example — flipping on the Immersive mode makes a difference. This is Bose’s spatial audio mode, and it’s onboard the QuietComfort 2 headphones for the first time.

You can turn any audio input into a spatial audio experience that virtually places you in the ideal listening position. It’s like you’re listening to a pair of loudspeakers, and it sounds like the music is coming from further away. This, in turn, reduces pressure and the fatiguing effect that comes with listening to headphones. The cool thing about Bose’s spatial audio feature is that it doesn’t require a Dolby Atmos file. Your headphones take whatever input you give them, and spatialize that input.

To wrap up, it’s clear that the QuietComfort 2 headphones are closer to their Ultra sibling than ever. The lossless audio and spatial audio support on the QuietComfort 2 are signs these headphones are flagship cans available at a midrange price.

Should you buy the Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones?

You should buy the Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones if:

• You need a comfortable pair of headphones that work well with hats and glasses
• You want lossless 24-bit, 48kHz audio support over USB-C
• You value solid ANC, sound quality, and EQ controls

You should NOT buy the Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones if:

• You’d rather splurge on the QuietComfort Ultra 2, Sony WH-1000XM6, or AirPods Max 2
• You need longer battery life than the QuietComfort 2 headphones’ 24-hour rating
• You want headphones with the best ANC or sound quality

The midrange wireless headphone segment can be tough to justify. The price of these headphone models is still fairly high, but you don’t get all the benefits of true flagship cans. While some of these typical limitations still apply to the Bose QuietComfort 2, many of the QuietComfort Ultra 2 perks have made their way down to the midrange model, like lossless and spatial audio support.

With a refined design and even better comfort, the Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones are worth your money. But when the QuietComfort Ultra 2 headphones are on sale, it’s worth considering the upgraded model.

7.5/10

Battery Life

24 hours (ANC on)

Material

Plastic, Leather (Protein)

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy

Bose’s QuietComfort 2 headphones live in a strange middle ground between budget and premium over-ears due to their price. However, if you want comfortable and light wireless headphones with solid sound quality and ANC, you can’t go wrong with the QuietComfort 2.