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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 10, 2024·
If excellent noise isolation and comfort for long flights are your priority, the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones are superior, but they come at a premium price. They also support AptX Adaptive codec which can improve wireless sound quality. Alternatively, the Sennheiser 450BT is much less expensive with solid overall performance and includes AptX Low Latency, which is better for gaming and watching TV due to reduced audio lag. While both models have active noise cancelling and are good for travel, the Sennheiser may not isolate noise as effectively as the Bose. If budget is a concern and you need headphones more suitable for gaming, the Sennheiser might be the better choice. 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 Sennheiser 450BT
- Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
8.3
6.2
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is very good for music, while the Sennheiser 450BT is only fair.
Phone Calls
5.3
6.9
The Sennheiser 450BT is only fair for phone calls, while the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
6.0
7.9
The Sennheiser 450BT is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is only fair.
TV and Video
9.0
8.1
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones is excellent for TV and video, while the Sennheiser 450BT is very good.
Cost
$429
$139
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has a price of $429 and the Sennheiser 450BT costs $139.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has excellent build quality, while the Sennheiser 450BT has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Gaming
9.3
8.8
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones to be excellent for gaming, while the Sennheiser 450BT is very good.
Noise Reduction
9.1
9.1
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones and Sennheiser 450BT are both excellent for noise reduction.
Battery
29.0 Hours
27.5 Hours
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones has 29 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser 450BT has 27.5 hours of battery life.
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How the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones and the Sennheiser 450BT compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones | Sennheiser 450BT |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$429 | $139 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Bose | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | November 1, 2023 | February 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired + Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 8.3/10 | 6.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 9.3/10 | 8.9/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 9.1/10 | 8.1/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.4/10 | 6.1/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 29 Hours | 27.5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | No | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 3 Hours | 2.3 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 9.1/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7.4/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 255 Grams | 240.4 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Waterproof Rating | |||
Waterproof Rating | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones
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Dig into reviews and images
SoundGuys
Christian Thomas | January 2024
"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."
Sennheiser 450BT
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Sound Guys
Lily Katz | March 2022
"The Sennheiser HD 450BT is a very good pair of headphones for the price, noise canceling is good and sound quality is great—quite rare at this price point. Like any product, this headset isn’t without its faults."
Get a great deal on the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones or the Sennheiser 450BT
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 Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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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
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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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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.
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