By Emma North

Copyright metro

Sleek and chic? Are these the earphones you’ve been looking for? Our contributer Emma thinks so… (Picture: Metro/Bose)

If you live in London, or somewhere equally noisy, you’ll know the struggle of trying to zone out to a podcast or your music without hearing every Tom, Dick, Harry, ambulance, or train go past.

So, when my longstanding Apple AirPods succumbed to the train tracks of the District Line, I decided to treat my ears to something a little more advanced – the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 Earbuds.

Hailed as Bose’s best ever earbuds, the brand new 2nd Gen design is an upgraded version of the original QuietComfort Ultra’s that launched in 2023 and boast a whole range of refined features.

Delivering seriously advanced active noise cancelling (ANC) the sound these earbuds produce is crisp with strong, deep bass and zero distractions from the outside world.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 EarbudsThe Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) feature advanced active noise cancellation, immersion spatial audio, and a personalised fit. With up to 6 hours of battery life (4 with immersion audio) and a wireless-compatible charging case, they’re incredibly refined. CustomTune tech adapts sound to your ears, while crystal-clear calls and touch controls make them even more practical than their predecessors. Buy Now for £299.95

It’s so good, in fact, barking dogs and buses going past are completely mute as I stroll along the pavements of London.

Getting a good seal around the ear canal is integral to getting that impressive ANC, but Bose has thought of this and included 3 sizes of eartips and stability bands in the box. The Bose app also offers an ear-fit test to make sure your sound isn’t leaking.

What’s really cool is the addition of CustomTune sound calibration technology. Essentially, the welcome chime when the earbuds are placed into your ears bounces off your ear canals back to the earbuds where the microphone picks it up.

The earbuds then measure changes in the sound depending on the size and shape of your own individual ear canal, and adjusts consequential sounds to make them as close to the original recording as possible.

To make the most of your sound experience, the Gen 2’s also offer 3 different listening modes: Quiet, Aware and Immersion.

The Gen 2’s feature CustomTune technology that adjusts sounds to suit your individual ears – cool, huh? (Picture: Metro/Emma North)

Choose Aware and ANC is switched off and the earbuds’ microphone allows external noises to be heard. ActiveSense technology also keeps sudden loud noises from outside at a regular volume.

With the Quiet mode, you get the highest level of ANC. As previously mentioned, any external noise is kept very low indeed but if you’re not a fan of out-and-out ANC, there’s the option of customising the ANC at 10 different levels.

Opt for the Immersion mode, Bose’s version of spatial sound, and listening with this feature is almost like surround sound. Using full ANC, it repositions sounds based on your movements, making them sound more real. For instance, just tilting your head makes the sound move with you. Designed to add depth, it’s not for everyone but it’s definitely a cool feature and head tracking is easily disabled if it gets too much.

It’s worth noting that battery life is decreased a little in this mode. You’ll get up to 6 hours in Aware/Quiet but up to 4 hours in Immersion mode – which is still very impressive!

If getting your phone out to change tracks, increase volume or answer calls is too strenuous, then you’ll love the touch controls of the QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2’s. Simply tap or swipe on the surface of the earbuds and you have full control over functions.

For me, this shortcut took a little getting used to and tucking my hair behind my ear would render me music-less but, settings are customisable and touch control can be fully turned off.

Listen for up to 6 hours in Aware and Quiet mode and up to 4 hours in Immersion mode. (Picture: Metro/Emma North)

A fan of multi-tasking? You’ll love the Gen 2’s call quality. Only available with this model is Bose’s clever SpeechClarity feature which uses AI-based background noise suppression to enhance the clarity on phone calls.

I often pop my earbuds in to chat with family and friends as I’m grocery shopping and every time sound was clear, consistent and crisp.

Alongside the audio quality, there are also upgraded features like the Bose app now displaying the charging case’s battery life and the charging case being compatible with wireless charging.

Plus, the earbuds are available in some cool colourways including black, white, plum and violet.

At nearly £300, it’s obvious that these earbuds are not exactly cheap but, with such advanced ANC tech and second-to-none sound quality, I do believe they’re genuinely worth the investment and I wish I’d made the switch earlier.

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