
Apple
Recommended

Bose
Still the ANC king — but a measured upgrade, not a reinvention
Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)
Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)
Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)
Rich, detailed sound with exceptional spatial audio for movies and music.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Bose's CustomTune snapshots your ear anatomy and compensates the sound to it, and Gen 2 adds a more balanced, less bass-heavy tuning plus a custom three-band EQ. Most reviewers call it the best-sounding Bose headphone yet, though the stock tune still leans bass-forward and a three-band EQ limits how far you can refine it.
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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Apple AirPods Max (USB-C)
Top-tier ANC with excellent transparency mode.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Noise cancellation remains the QC Ultra's headline strength — adaptive ANC that reviewers repeatedly call best-in-class for travel and the office, measured at an 87% reduction in perceived outside loudness. The new option to switch ANC fully off is the main functional change; transparency (Aware) mode is good but lacks Sony's automatic talk-detection.