The ANC is incredibly good, my girlfriend was stood next to me in the street speaking quite loudly and I couldn’t hear anything
Praise
Home Entertainment
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
Best ANC Headphones for Commuters
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are Bose's 2023 flagship ANC headphones, built around best-in-class noise cancellation and a new Immersive Audio spatial mode. They pair 35mm angled drivers with multi-mode ANC and 24-hour battery life at a $599 CAD price point on Amazon.ca (ASIN B0CCZ1L489).
18 mentions · 6 threadslast mention Jul 2025ClearPick Score
8.3 / 10
Good
Score informed by 18 owner mentions across 6 Reddit threads · see every quote ↓
8 positive3 mixed7 negative
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Best ANC Headphones for Commuters
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones
~$599 CAD est. on Amazon.ca
View on Amazon.ca →Opens Amazon.ca · Affiliate link✅ Ships to Canada
✅ Prime eligible (most orders)
✅ 30-day Amazon returns
✅ No extra cost to you
Every mention, sourced
Real comments from Reddit, linked to the original thread. Nothing paraphrased.
Comfort is awesome, portability is awesome too and their battery is more than enough for me, tho still a little behind Sony 30h battery and Sennheiser monstrous 60h battery life.
Praise
The call quality is terrible, people say I'm quiet, sometimes it doesn't pick me up at all and it sounds bad overall ... The battery time is terrible, probably because it's always processing, it also doesn't help that they charge super slowly
Complaint
First day using them they disconnected from my bluetooth 2x and my music paused a few times too during my shift. It got pretty annoying.
Complaint
This actually is a very good headphone. One of the better ANC products out there.
Praise
Agree that the call quality is dismal - been unusable for me since day 1. Staggering how little BOSE care about this given they knocked the ANC-call-quality out of the park with the amazing NC700’s.
Complaint
I'm considering replacing them (I can hear the creak whenever I'm on the move) but also this is criminal for a product this expensive...
Complaint
I have the QC ultra, air pod max and the new Sony xm6. ... Boy was I impressed all over again. From premium build quality, to superb noise cancellation and great music producing ability.
Praise
The ANC buzz isn't terrible but it is there. If you toggle between ANC on and ANC off in a dead silent room, you'll notice a huge difference. It's not a problem when you have music playing (which is how they should be used).
Mention
The problem with Bose Quietcomfort Ultra is ANC bumping sounds. While you are walking, running or commuting on nasty roads. Unfortunately, it is unusable for me, I will have to switch to Sony again.
Complaint
honestly XM5s and Momentums both felt like they cheaped out on the materials, even bose to some extent but it still felt more premium than the other two.
Comparison
I have had APM, M4’s, and xm4’s, the QC Ultras are by far my favorite. ... the only two that I could stand the whole day of wearing were these and the APM’s—but the QC Ultras sound so much better.
Comparison
I actually disagree with every single criticism you listed. The Bose QC Ultra is absolutely fantastic. ... My one gripe is the lowest volume setting is too low and the next level up is too loud.
Praise
I just recently purchased the Ultras and yes, creaking on my pair but only on the left cup when I'm walking around. the headband also creaks too. ... I got them exchanged twice at 2 different retailers and while the headband creaks less on the replacements, the left cup still creaks here and there.
Complaint
Bose does not know how to make microphones, I've used QC35, QC45, QC Ultra and none, I mean none of them had a decent mic. You can't talk on the phone wearing one of them.
Complaint
I have been using QC Ultra at home whereas I have been using Xm5 at work ... XM5 is hands down best for that Teams call in a noisy environment. QC Ultra...I actually enjoyed it at the office noisy environment for music but that mic is horrible compared to xm5
Comparison
The Bose Ultras are much better - for me - than the Sonys were. The sound is better (once you dial back the overbearing bass a bit) and the ANC is very effective.
Comparison
Same deal here, I can’t detect any hiss whatsoever from my QC ultras. More importantly for me, the soundstage on the Bose is significantly wider than the XM5, with a bit more clarity and separation.
Comparison
✅ What Works
- ANC performance is the benchmark of the category — owners in r/headphones and across long-term review coverage consistently rank the QC Ultra's noise cancellation as the most effective available, blocking low-frequency rumble, air conditioning, and open-plan office noise more thoroughly than Sony or Sennheiser competitors.
- Comfort is exceptional for extended sessions — nearly every owner review notes hours-long wear without fatigue, and long-term users flag it as better than Sony XM5 and AirPods Max for multi-hour flights or work-from-home use.
- Immersive Audio (spatial sound mode) works as advertised for movies and spatial content — a recurring positive is the sense of being placed inside the soundstage, particularly on Apple Music and supported streaming platforms.
- Sound quality is clean, balanced, and forgiving — even without EQ, owners consistently call the tuning enjoyable out of the box, with no harsh peaks or missing bass.
⚠️ Worth Knowing
- ANC cannot be fully disabled — it runs at all times in all modes. Owners who prefer to toggle ANC off to preserve battery consistently raise this as a frustration, and it directly shortens battery life compared to rivals that allow ANC off.
- 24-hour battery life is the weakest spec in the flagship ANC category. Owners coming from Sennheiser Momentum 4 (60h) or Sony XM5 (30h) regularly note that a transatlantic flight plus layover can exhaust the battery.
- Immersive Audio divides opinion on music — while compelling for spatial content and film, a recurring topic is that it can reduce soundstage intimacy and instrument separation for stereo music. Some owners disable it entirely for daily listening.
ClearPick Verdict
Owners who commute daily or work in loud open offices put the QC Ultra's ANC above everything else they've tried — the consensus in long-term impressions is that it does what it promises at a level competitors haven't matched. The comfort-to-noise-cancellation combination earns consistent praise. What owners qualify is the battery: 24 hours runs out before the most demanding multi-leg travel days, and with no way to disable ANC to stretch it, this is a real ceiling. At $599 CAD, buyers are paying a premium for the best ANC on the market.
