It’s been 13 years since Bose first made noise cancelling sexy with the first iteration of the company’s popular QuietComfort headphones. Since then various models of the QC series have always hit the market hard, particularly for frequent flyers who place great value on having comfort and quiet in equal measure.
Now it seems Bose is ready to reinvent itself by slapping the “Ultra” tag onto its naming convention. Though the secret wasn’t exactly tight-lipped, the American company has now revealed the new flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds ahead of the busy holiday travel period.
The new Bose products will be released in a staggered approach over the next few weeks. According to current reports, the QC Ultra Headphones arrive on September 21st, while the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds start shipping in early October.
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Bose is touting a “more premium” design that sits between the brand’s popular Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the slim QuietComfort 45s. Although I’m not quite sure a change is necessary given these are still two of the most comfortable over-ear headphones on the market.
Yet the headline here is Bose’s dedication to the future of spatial audio, something competitors like Apple, Sony, and Sennheiser have already invested in quite heavily. While Bose is promising “world-class noise cancellation” (and I have no doubt the company will nail it), the most exciting feature is called Immersive Audio.
Basically, it’s a custom version of spatial audio, which is object-based and helps users really sink into the music with clearer instrumentation and richer, pro-grade details.
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According to the company, Immersive Audio will move beyond artificial special effects and create a wider, more natural soundstage regardless of the audio platform or device being used. This is thanks to two separate specialised modes of spatial audio, the first being “still” mode with head-tracking off and the second being “motion” with head-tracking on so the audio adjusts to your head’s movements to keep the sound in “front” of you at all times.
With up to 24 hours of battery life and an advanced Qualcomm chipset, it’s looking like the QC Ultra series will be another swift victory for Bose. We’ll go more in-depth when we get our hands on some review units but for now, Engadget reports the price point for the headphones will be US$429 (AU$664) and the earphones will be US$350 (AU$541).
An exact Australian release date is yet to be confirmed.
