This one function satisfied me to make use of the Bose QuietComfort Extremely Gen 2 as an alternative of Sony’s WH-1000XM6

I’ve had a busy month of journey the place I have been to a few nations and logged over 60 hours of flying time. An excellent headset is a must have, and is normally one of many first issues that goes in my journey bag. I used Nothing’s Headphone 1 up to now (largely because of the seems and sound high quality), however I upgraded to Bose’s QuietComfort Extremely Gen 2 within the final month, and it has been excellent.

I used the sooner mannequin, the QuietComfort Extremely, for fairly some time now, and I just like the design and customizable sound together with terrific noise isolation. The QuietComfort Extremely Gen 2 does not change issues an excessive amount of; it seems the identical and has the identical nice sound. Basically, it is an iterative replace that addresses two points: audio over USB-C and battery life. The QC Extremely Gen 2 lasts as much as 30 hours on a cost, six hours greater than its predecessor.

The rise in battery life makes all of the distinction in common use, and why I went with the QC Extremely Gen 2 over different headsets I’ve readily available. Notably, I discovered it to be higher than the Sony WH-1000XM6 for my very own use; it’s a smidgen lighter at 250g, but it surely matches a lot better on my head, and I discovered it to be extraordinarily snug on long-haul intercontinental flights. The scarf has an excellent vary of adjustability, and it distributes the burden of the headset evenly.

One other plus level is that it does not take up as a lot room; it folds down flat (similar to the Sony), however the carrying case is not anyplace as giant, and that makes the QC Extremely Gen 2 just a little simpler to fit into my admittedly-crowded tech bag. The clamping power is not as excessive, and the snug match and plush ear pads have a huge effect on a 20-hour flight. I had the headset on your complete time whereas touring to the U.S. from India, and more often than not, I did not even discover it was there.

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That brings me to the following half: noise isolation. Each Bose and Sony do a superb job on this space, and I discovered the QC Extremely Gen 2 to tune out the incessant whine of jet engines with none issues — it handles the low rumble of engines just a little higher than Sony. Truthfully, in case you’re a frequent traveler, investing in a headset with good noise isolation is the very best factor you are able to do, and the QC Extremely Gen 2 is among the many finest — if not the very best general — on this regard.

The angled design of the audio drivers means you get detailed sound, and Bose does a standout job with spatial audio, providing an expanded soundstage that is spectacular. Once more, this makes a distinction on an extended flight, and whereas Bose does not have intensive EQ choices, I at all times discovered the model’s tuning to be preferable to my tastes — extra so than the WH-100XM6. The bass specifically is vibrant and detailed, and it makes listening to most genres that rather more pleasurable.

There are different niceties, together with the power to get lossless audio over USB-C. This is not one thing that I care about whereas touring, however it’s fairly helpful whereas I am dwelling, and it was enjoyable connecting the headset to my Fiio K19 DAC and listening through Roon. The headset will get the AptX suite as commonplace, and I did not have any points utilizing it with my Vivo X300 Professional and Discover X9 Professional. Like all different Bose headsets, it will get the power to connect with two gadgets, and switching between the 2 is easy.

I did not see any issues with Bluetooth connectivity, with the headset simply pairing to all of the telephones I examined over the course of the final month, in addition to my iPad Professional M4. It is simple to attach the headset to a brand new gadget as nicely; the small print are saved in your Google account, so when it’s in vary of a brand new gadget, you mechanically get a dialog field asking if you would like to connect with it.

Then there’s the battery life; that is the place the QC Extremely Gen 2 does significantly higher than its predecessor. The WH-1000XM6 nonetheless has the general edge, however I did not have any points getting the QC Extremely Gen 2 to final near 30 hours. Fortunately, quick charging is undamaged, so a 15-minute cost offers you an extra two hours of music playback, and that positively is useful.

Consolation performs an enormous position when selecting a journey headset, and the QuietComfort Extremely Gen 2 will get all the things proper on this space — and that is why I exploit it over the WH-1000XM6. The sound high quality is among the many better of any headset, and it holds as much as the pains of long-haul journey. Whereas I am going to admit that the WH-1000XM6 is nice in its personal proper, I discovered the QuietComfort Extremely Gen 2 to be better-suited to my wants, and it’s now a mainstay in my journey bag.