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Are the ear cups on Bose QuietComfort Ultra and QuietComfort headphones replaceable?
The ear pads are replaceable, but the ear cups aren’t. You can find replacement pads on online retailers’ sites or the Bose site in your country.
What do the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores mean?
- Timbre (MOS-T) represents how faithfully the headphones reproduce the frequency spectrum and temporal resolution (timing information).
- Distortion (MOS-D) represents non-linearities and added noise: higher scores mean cleaner reproduction.
- Immersiveness (MOS-I) represents perceived source width and positioning: how well virtual sound sources are defined in three-dimensional space.
How has this article been updated?
- This article was updated on November 13, 2025, to add a note about the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen.)
- This article was updated on April 29, 2025, to correct outdated information.
- This article was updated on November 29, 2024, to update measurements for the comparison.
Hey y’all!
Currently in a bit of a dilemma on what headphones I should be getting.
My employer gets me access to Bose’s employee purchase program of sorts and I get a discount on certain products.
Currently, I can get The QC45 from BestBuy for $229 or the QC from my employer website for $269 or the ultras for $329.
Given these reduced prices, which one would be the best option especially given my levels of usage? I’d mainly wear them when I walk to work, travel or at the gym and that’s about it.
Hoping the community can help with some simple insight. I’m currently rocking the corded QC25 that I’ve had for the past ~10 years. Looking to upgrade to either the quietcomfort or the quietcomfort ultra and would appreciate any guidance.
Trade-in program would get me the ultras for about $320 whereas the quietcomfort are on sale for $250 right now. I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile but do fly for work about once a month, so quality noise cancelling is top of my list. Anything special about the ultras worth the extra $70? Clearly I don’t upgrade my headphones that often, so want to ensure I get a solid set that will last awhile. Appreciate any insight!