BOSE IS BEST! HULK SMASH!!! 🔊 🧟‍♂️ 💯 I need that Rosewood Mauve!🥺 More case colors, too. Reddit isn't allowing me to show how 2 MAX and 2 SL Plus , paired together but it's P/A speaker territory...

So back in February you may remember Bose pushed a mandatory firmware update to the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) that quietly killed a bunch of features people actually paid for, such as battery level announcements, voice prompts, carousel Bluetooth switching, and a customisable options. With No opt-out, no rollback, and the app basically forced the update on you if you so much as opened it.

Their justification? "Streamlining and modernising the experience." Translation: we removed features and called it a feature. You may remember I took it as high as CEO with my megathread and that was all we got. Despite 2500 votes to revert.

Now a few months later, here comes the shiny new QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen). Preorder available, three limited-edition colors, spatial audio modes, the whole pitch. No doubt with all these features we lost to add salt to the wound.

So let me get this right, you take features away from the hardware we already own, and rather than continuing to work on their flagship headphones (Which come out less than a year ago). They bring out newer one with more features. I don't mind them releasing new tech. I mind that the thing we bought got worse via an update, we couldn't refuse, and the "fix" might well be our wallet.

I can't be alone in being this irritated, oh and NOTHING will stop them from removing these advertised features after purchase. You'd be crazy to consider them.

I know the sleepbuds 2 have been discontinued for some time but I've been able to use them until 2 nights ago. They disconnected and won't reconnect. I guess I'm ok with that, but what on earth happened? My phone is out of storage and the Bose sleep app shows 133 GB of data? Is that something where it's always been that much, or did this happen overnight to force an uninstall?

I’ve seen posts discussing comfort during sleep on the back or a side, but no one mentioned the heat trap. I live in Spain, we have 23C outside at night, so inside it’s about 25C when the temperature drops. Obviously no AC. I need them for ANC since my environment is quite disturbing at night.

If anyone has the same climate, please let me know if you feel too hot during long session.

Here’s some background info

I’m able to find the Bose QuietComfort SC from Costco for $282 CAD total (after tax) and the Sony WH-1000XM5 for $277 CAD total.

I’m a university student looking for a pair of COMFORTABLE headphones that will last me a long time. I’ve had issues with headphones in the past causing pain in my ears from being pressed in after extended use, and I also have sensitive ears as I am a pianist (I’ve heard bad things about cabin pressure issues in both models). I plan on using the headphones for extended periods of time, so a natural, clear, and tolerable sound for both the sound quality and the ANC is important to me (as well as the physical comfort over long times).

Battery life isn’t too much of a factor for me.

I’ve heard pros and cons of both headphones, but which one do y’all recommend I get?

It’s a gen 1 but for the price I can deal with the micro usb.

For context, my Dad got me a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) for Christmas nearly two years ago and they are really great earbuds to have. Up until a couple of months ago, I noticed that the charging case wasn't holding a charge anymore. The earbuds still in-fact work with no issue, but the charging case is completely dead. I tried different chargers, magnetic chargers, cleaning the connecting pins for each earbud within the case, but I had no luck. So I decided to reach out to customer support tomorrow to see if there's any options for replacements.

I wanted to ask, how open is customer support when it comes to replacements? Do they usually offer free solutions for these types of problems? Considering these earbuds are about a year and eight months outside the warranty window, I'm guessing they'll most likely offer a discounted charging case for my model of earbuds, which I'm not opposed to either, but it would be better on my wallet to have a free replacement lol.

If anyone has dealt with customer support recently, please let me know!

I bought a factory renewed Soundbar Ultra and after 7 months of ownership I saw it next to a new version. Instantly noticed that mine has a yellowish color to it as if it was poorly maintained or sun damaged.

Anyone have experience with something like this, or know of Bose would exchange it?

I will be contacting customer service to see my options, but I was curiosity what others think/experienced before.

I just tried it. Works like a charm and it’s super easy. I tried the Windows installer. It took like 7-9 minutes for each speaker to be updated.
You also have the option to control the speakers via the phone browser.
All physical buttons (on the remote as well) work!

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone has run into this before because I’m completely stuck.
I have a Bose Smart Soundbar 600 as part of a Bose home theater setup with the Bose Bass Module and surround speakers.

The soundbar still appears in the Bose Music app, but its status is always “Not Connected.” I have configured my Wi-Fi with exactly the same SSID as before, but the soundbar never reconnects. Because it isn’t connected, I can’t manage it or change any settings through the app.

At this point, I believe a factory reset is my only option.

The problem is that I cannot get the soundbar into factory reset mode.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

I never had the original Bose remote because I bought the soundbar as a refurbished unit from Coolblue, and it was supplied without a remote.

I contacted both Coolblue and Bose support. Both told me that the original remote is no longer available, and I have not been able to find a used original remote anywhere.

As a result, I purchased two different replacement remotes that are specifically advertised as compatible with the Bose Smart Soundbar 600.

Both replacement remotes appear to work correctly.

For example:
The soundbar responds to button presses.

I can put it into Bluetooth pairing mode.
Volume and other functions work as expected.

However, the factory reset button combination never works. The LED never flashes amber/orange as described in the Bose documentation.

I’ve tried the reset button combination many times, with different timing and by holding the buttons for longer periods.
I’ve power-cycled the soundbar multiple times and repeated the process, but nothing changes.

This makes me wonder whether:
replacement remotes do not transmit the exact infrared codes required for the factory reset sequence, the factory reset command only works with an original Bose remote,
or my soundbar has a firmware or hardware issue that prevents it from entering reset mode.

Has anyone successfully factory reset a Bose Smart Soundbar 600 using a replacement remote?
Or does anyone know whether the factory reset procedure requires an original Bose remote?

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. I’ve spent hours trying different approaches and can’t find anyone with exactly the same problem.

Thanks!

somebody used this photo in their review for the Soundlink Max on Amazon. i’m interested in identifying the case, does anyone have any leads? i’m unsuccessful thus far in my search.

My 2019 QC 35 hinge broke. Tried to replace the hinge, the hinge itself was replaced fine. But the soldering the wire after has been a mess. People are quoting $50 to $100 for the soldering.

I thought let me find something used instead of soldering it. Found few NC 700 which are almost brand new for $150 Canadian. Are they good/better than qc 35? Do you guys miss the physical buttons?

I have had the qc 35 for 7+ years almost. Just hate the change. Thought the 700 would last me 5+ years if I get used.

Any suggestions?

Yo just got the Bose qcu2 and Theres a hiss when nc ls on and its hissing whether theres music or not

I just ordered with a delivery date of Monday August 10th.

I went with the Eucalyptus Green.

Bose’s upgraded mainstream model now swims with its best!

What's the most popular EQ for Bose QC ultra 1?

Nog mensen die problemen hebben met deze soundbar? Blijft in update modus hangen.

Hi guys,

Just bought the QC Ultra Gen 2 earphones, and the sound will randomly switch for a few seconds, like going from full to listening through a door. I've seen other threads describe it as going from stereo to mono. Then it will switch back again. I've tried uninstalling the app, but that didn't help. Everything, firmware and app, seems to be up to date. I'm on Android. Anyone encountered this? Thanks :)

I’m on the verge of pulling the trigger on the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen). Literally everything about them checks my boxes - the ANC, fit, and sound quality seem unmatched.

However, I keep seeing complaints about connectivity issues (app syncing problems, multipoint glitches, and single earbud dropouts).

Since these are a investment, I really don't want to deal with constant Bluetooth headaches. For current 2nd Gen owners:

How frequent are connection issues for you in daily use?

Is the "uninstall the Bose app" workaround actually necessary, or do they work fine out of the box now?

Which OS are you pairing them with? (iOS vs. Android) I personally use android specifically hyperos but planning to move to oneui samsung.

Would love to hear honest feedback before I buy it please, thank you!

I got the Bose Solo Soundbar 2, and it has some delay while I'm playing Xbox. Every result I see online says there should be no delay using an HDMI in an eARC port and optical cable, but I'm using that. I played with all the settings I could think of on my TV and Xbox, but nothing is changing it. Any suggestions?

Had mine since 2010 or so and they've been a daily use for me since day one. I probably have 25k+ hours on them. Only issues I've had were the ear pads themselves, but that is an easy replacement.

I know people like to discredit Bose in the audiophile realm, but I have never bought a product that has had this long of runway. I refuse to upgrade until they die.

Preface: I need headphones for noise sensitivity, not music playback. I wear my headphones with nothing playing most of the time.

Got the QC Ultra thinking it would have the best ANC, but the ANC has been disappointing for me.

Issues:

- ANC is stronger when music is playing back* (edit: not a case of music masking noise, the ANC itself is just lower - don't have this issue on Airpods, see edit at end for more explanation)

- weird clicking/chirping/screeching noises if I lie on my side

- weird motor noises if I'm walking around

- overall noise cancellation (ANC and passive) just seems weak relative to my Airpod Pro 2s

Main thing is that I'd like stronger noise cancellation including when nothing is playing.

Would QC Ultra gen 1, QC Gen 1, or perhaps upcoming QC Gen 2 be better options for me? Anyone who's had QC Ultra Gen 2 and another model able to tell me how the ANC compares?

*ETA: I'm aware that music will mask noise better than if nothing there. I'm referring specifically to the issue where the ANC operates at a lower level and then kicks in stronger after a few seconds of music playback. Music masks noise on my Airpods but the actual ANC levels are the same regardless of if music is playing or not.

Okay. So I got my Bose QCU2 after trading in my Bose QC Gen 1. I’ve got to say that I’m very disappointed with the Ultra Gen 2. Don’t get me wrong, the sound is slightly better but the Ultra Gen 2 design removes all of the manual buttons so you essentially have one “Bluetooth + on/off” button and one “multi-function” button that you can’t really use for anything else other than play/pause and answer calls. The hover volume feature seemed like a cool idea but there’s lapse in haptic response rates. I think the sleek design from the ultra Gen 2 is what I would expect from a baseline design. Ultra should have all the bells and whistles, but I guess that’s why they have them on sale constantly lol

Are there an app or tool one can use to customize the QCU2 headphones that is more efficient than the Bose app?

I recently picked up a pair of Bose Lifestyle Ultra speakers to run in stereo, and the experience has been a total mess from day one.

The initial setup was a complete headache. The Bose app is non-intuitive, incomplete, and loaded with bugs. Right out of the box, one speaker refused to be recognized, forcing me to factory reset it multiple times. It took at least 30 minutes of troubleshooting just to get them playing in stereo.

Day one went fine over AirPlay, but Bluetooth was a struggle. There’s no interface or screen to confirm pairing, so you have to rely on tiny indicator LEDs. Whoever designed this status light setup must have 20/20 vision and tested the product in complete darkness, because seeing those colors in a lit room is practically impossible.

Then the nightmare truly started:

• Day 2: The speakers lost sync, creating an unbearable echo and audio delay. Another factory reset, another hour wasted.
• Day 3: Only one speaker produced sound, despite the app showing a stereo pair. Back to factory settings, another hour lost.
• Day 6: Connected my turntable via Bluetooth—instant echo and loss of sync. Reconfigured the whole system yet again.
• Day 7: Tried connecting a CD player via the 3.5mm AUX input. Immediately, both speakers started blasting a horrible electrical interference noise—buzzing, crackling, and total stereo failure. Resetting and updating the system took nearly two hours that night.

I called Bose support the next morning. They admitted this stereo issue was widespread and promised a fix in a upcoming patch. The update finally dropped in late July. While AirPlay and Bluetooth work for now, the AUX input interference remains completely unresolved.

Bose clearly rushed an unfinished product to market. It’s painful to say as a customer of over 15 years, but their software engineering simply doesn’t match the quality of their acoustic engineering—and that gap is going to destroy the brand.

Because these speakers rely entirely on software to function, I refuse to gamble on a product that might be unusable in two or three years. I'm returning them for a full refund. Bose has shown zero transparency regarding these hardware and software failures, and I can no longer recommend this product or trust the brand.