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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you prioritize audio quality, especially for music and TV, the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones provide an excellent experience with top-notch noise isolation, optimal for air travel and immersive listening. They also offer superior build quality, battery life, and an over-ear design that's foldable for better portability. On the other hand, if you're looking for something more affordable for active use, the JBL Live Pro 2 earbuds are lighter, have good sound quality, and are sweatproof, making them suitable for exercise. However, they may not be as comfortable for long periods and lack features like active noise cancelling and low latency audio, which can be important for TV watching and gaming. Both options have built-in controls and support wireless charging, but only the Bose has a detachable cable for wired use. The choice depends on whether you're willing to invest in higher quality and more features or prefer a more budget-friendly option for active, everyday use. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
Very good for music
Excellent for gaming
Excellent for TV and video
Best in class for air travel
Advantages of the JBL Live Pro 2
Very good for exercise
Key differences
Music
8.3/10
5.9/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is very good for music, while the JBL Live Pro 2 is poor.
Gaming
9.3/10
5.3/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is excellent for gaming, while the JBL Live Pro 2 is poor.
TV and Video
9.0/10
5.5/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is excellent for TV and video, while the JBL Live Pro 2 is poor.
Battery
29.0 Hours
8.3 Hours
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has 29 hours of battery life. The JBL Live Pro 2 has 8.3 hours of battery life.
Cost
$429
$150
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has a price of $429 and the JBL Live Pro 2 costs $150.
Build Quality
9.0/10
7.0/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has excellent build quality, while the JBL Live Pro 2 has good build quality.
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones and JBL Live Pro 2 are both poor for phone calls.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
6.0/10
5.8/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones to be only fair for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL Live Pro 2 is poor.
Noise Reduction
9.1/10
9.1/10
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones and JBL Live Pro 2 are both excellent for noise reduction.
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How the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones and the JBL Live Pro 2 compare to other earbuds and headphones
"The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are a credible step up from previous Bose ANC headphones, and they're built to hang tough with the competition for years into the future. No waterproofing is a bit of a letdown, but these headphones have the technical chops to make most quite happy."
"The JBL Live Pro 2 TWS occupy an interesting space in the wireless earbuds market. They’re a step up from cheap wireless earbuds and allow you to access better sound quality without having to make the jump to more premium options from the likes of Bose, Sony and Sennheiser. They’re an entertaining listen, easy to use and manage to pack in a lot of useful features. We think they’re well worth a listen."
Get a great deal on the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones or the JBL Live Pro 2
About Bose
Bose is an American audio equipment manufacturer based out of Framingham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1964 by Amar Bose with the goal of creating a speaker system that could accurately recreate the sound of a concert hall, Bose has become one of the most prominent players in the modern consumer audio market due to the premium feel of their products and their wide brand recognition.
About JBL
JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.