“This is not a technical term, but if they feel the most boring,” explained Steph. “It’s not as clean as A (Sony) but also not as hyped as B (Soundcore), but that doesn’t make them Goldilocks, sounding not very wide, and a bit mid-range heavy.”
D: Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen)
These flagship headphones from the inventors of active noise cancellation first launched in 2023, and have been a consistent best seller ever since, commonly featuring on best headphones lists—including our own—and praised for their great sound and industry-leading noise cancelling. They recently got a number of feature upgrades, like even better noise cancellation, battery life improvements and the addition of wired USB-C audio, but apart from a few subtle tweaks, the overall sound signature has remained the same.
The results here were a mixed bag. Isabel found them, “very hyped in the bass, which loses lead vocal presence. And there’s some high-frequency hyping that’s not equating to detail, which feels like it’s masking for a poorer set of headphones.”
Ian, on the other hand, was initially pleased with the detail, and could “hear the hi-hat clearly,” but he wasn’t convinced they were as strong at the top end compared to C (Apple) or B (Soundcore). However, he concluded they were “much more balanced and better compared with A (Sony), especially in terms of the bass.”
PHOTOGRAPH: Harry Hall
“The others just feel more expansive.” says Kintish. “These feel like everything is down the center. They’re lacking that wide field of sound, and it all feels very small, whereas others—specifically A, B, and C—had a bit more stereo feel to them.”
Interestingly, Steph got the impression the Bose had “a phone filter, or EQ on them.” And admitted that, I’m almost not sure how I feel about them. I don’t dislike them as much as I did E (Nothing). But I’d say there’s nothing exciting about these either.”
E: Nothing Headphones (1)
Nothing’s first over-ear design, tuned in collaboration with KEF, features ANC, support for high-resolution Bluetooth codec LDAC, and USB‑C lossless playback, plus an 80-hour battery, custom EQ and decidedly different looks. Reviews have been hugely positive, including our own, with particular appreciation of their industrial design and feature-rich performance.
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Photograph: Parker Hall
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Photograph: Parker Hall
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Photograph: Parker Hall
“When I was a kid,” reminisced Steph, “I played with my parent’s radio player, and messed about with the graphic equalizer. These headphones remind me of that; some kid just playing with the EQ. What’s going to be exciting? I’m gonna turn this up. I’m gonna turn that up. They’re the most hyped of them all!”
Steph continues, “I wouldn’t choose these headphones, but I could see why a consumer would, because for certain songs, they’re really exciting. I can imagine a teenage version of me loving these.”
