Bose has updated its QuietComfort Headphones with new features, design changes, and a familiar price. The second-generation model costs $359, matching the previous version when it debuted. That gives the new headphones a clear focus: bring more of Bose’s higher-end features to the regular QuietComfort line without raising the cost.
The review was published on September 11, 2026, a few days after CNN Underscored published its best Bose headphones list on September 7, 2026. This new model sits below the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in Bose’s range, but it borrows several features from that product. The result is a pair of headphones that changes more than its name while keeping the QuietComfort identity intact.
A familiar design with two important changes
Bose rebranded these headphones as the QuietComfort Headphones a few years back, and the second-generation version stays close to that established look. Billy Steele described the design as fitting “the aesthetic of the regular QuietComfort line,” but Bose still made two notable changes: an updated headband and a refined earcup shape with improved ear pads.
Those updates give the new model a clear physical difference from the previous QuietComfort Headphones. Steele said Bose “refined the shape of the earcups while installing improved ear pads for better cushioning.” The revised headband and ear pads are part of the broader design update, while the earcup change also affects how users interact with the headphones.
Bose moved the power and Bluetooth pairing switch from the outside of the right ear cup to the bottom edge of the left ear cup. That is a small adjustment, but it changes where users reach when turning the headphones on or pairing them with another device. The move is one of the easiest ways to tell the second-generation design apart from the previous version.
Immersive Audio arrives on the regular QuietComfort line
The largest feature addition is Bose Immersive Audio, which comes to the QuietComfort Headphones for the first time. Bose describes Immersive Audio as spatial audio that upscales any movies, shows, or music. The headphones also include Cinema Mode, giving users another option for listening to video content.
Another feature borrowed from the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones is CustomTune. It calibrates the audio and noise cancellation to the user’s ears, connecting the listening experience to the way each person wears the headphones. Bose also keeps its strong noise cancellation performance, so the second-generation model adds new tools without giving up one of the main reasons to choose the QuietComfort line.
ActiveSense adds a new layer to the Aware mode. When sudden noise spikes occur, it automatically applies noise cancellation instead of leaving the listener exposed to the full disruption. Bose says ActiveSense now responds more naturally to brief periods of disruption before returning to ambient sound mode, and it better compensates for changes in the ear cup seal caused by glasses.
Users who want full control can disable noise cancellation through the Bose app. That gives the headphones three clear approaches to outside sound: noise cancellation, Aware mode with ActiveSense, or no noise cancellation at all. The settings are useful because the second-generation QC Headphones do not force one listening mode on every situation.
USB-C replaces the old wired connection
The new headphones also change how wired listening works. The previous QuietComfort Headphones had a 3.5mm port, but Bose removed it from the second-generation model. Wired connectivity now runs only over USB-C, and the headphones support lossless audio through that connection at up to 24-bit/48kHz.
A USB-C to 3.5mm cable comes in the box, which lets users connect the headphones to equipment with a 3.5mm output even though the headphones themselves no longer have that port. For wireless connection through equipment without built-in Bluetooth, Bose offers an optional $30 accessory called AirFly.
USB-C also handles charging, and the headphones can charge while in use. That combines the new wired audio connection with a practical power option, although the removal of the 3.5mm port remains a clear difference from the previous version.
At $359, the second-generation QuietComfort Headphones keep the same price as the previous model while adding Immersive Audio, Cinema Mode, CustomTune, ActiveSense, USB-C lossless audio, and updated physical controls. Bose also changed the headband, earcups, and ear pads, yet kept the noise cancellation performance tied to the QuietComfort name.
That balance defines the update. The second-generation QC Headphones are not a complete break from the earlier model; they are a refreshed version that brings features from the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones to Bose’s regular QuietComfort line. For the same $359 starting point, the changes target design, sound, noise control, and connections in one package.
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