Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Bose

8.4

Excellent

Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

Sennheiser

8.4

A closed-back studio reference that gets out of your way

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

What Reviewers Agree On

Noise cancellation is best-in-class — marginally better than Sony XM5
Immersive Audio spatial sound is surprisingly convincing and enjoyable
Comfort is excellent for long listening sessions
Build quality and premium materials feel worth the price
Call quality is very good with clear voice isolation

Deal Breakers

Battery drops from 24 to 18 hours with Immersive Audio enabled

Pros & Cons

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Pros

Noise cancellation is best-in-class — marginally better than Sony XM5
Immersive Audio spatial sound is surprisingly convincing and enjoyable
Comfort is excellent for long listening sessions
Build quality and premium materials feel worth the price
Call quality is very good with clear voice isolation

Cons

Detailed Comparison

Sound Quality

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Rich, warm sound signature that most listeners will enjoy, though audiophiles may want more neutrality.

The sound is warm, rich, and engaging — Bose has clearly invested in tuning these for mainstream appeal.
Immersive Audio is genuinely impressive for movies and spatial music mixes, but it's a battery hog.

Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

Reviewers converge on a balanced, natural tuning with deep but controlled bass, a clear top end and a surprisingly wide stereo image for a closed-back — engaging enough to enjoy music with, neutral enough to make most mix decisions on. The one recurring caveat is a mild mid-bass lift that keeps it from being perfectly flat.

AudioTechnology calls the balance 'amazing', singling out how organised the low frequencies are — tight and defined — and says you can listen for as long as you need without fatigue.
Recording Magazine lands on 'full and natural' with a deep-reaching yet balanced low end and a fast, accurate top end that stays clear and detailed without becoming harsh or tizzy.

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Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

What Reviewers Agree On

Balanced, natural tuning with a deep but well-controlled low end — engaging enough to enjoy, neutral enough to trust for mix decisions
Exceptional long-session comfort: feather-light 272g build, plush velour ear pads and very little clamping pressure
Thoughtful design for glasses-wearers — grooved/softer pad sections let the arms of glasses sit without breaking the acoustic seal
Strong passive isolation for a closed-back, making it well-suited to tracking and monitoring with minimal click-track or headphone bleed into mics
Practical wired design — detachable mini-XLR cable usable on either ear cup, a coiled noise-decoupling section, and 130-ohm impedance easy to drive from a laptop or interface

Deal Breakers

Polarising value — at $399/$439 several reviewers and owners argue a closed-back with a mild mid-bass lift costs more than rivals like the FiiO FT1 or the open-back HD 6XX justify
Sparse accessories — only velour pads, one coiled cable and a soft bag in the standard box; a proper hard case costs an extra $40 (Pro Plus)
A mild mid-bass overemphasis (roughly 2-5dB) means the tuning isn't perfectly flat — for the most critical mixing, an open-back is still the safer reference

Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

Pros

Balanced, natural tuning with a deep but well-controlled low end — engaging enough to enjoy, neutral enough to trust for mix decisions
Exceptional long-session comfort: feather-light 272g build, plush velour ear pads and very little clamping pressure
Thoughtful design for glasses-wearers — grooved/softer pad sections let the arms of glasses sit without breaking the acoustic seal
Strong passive isolation for a closed-back, making it well-suited to tracking and monitoring with minimal click-track or headphone bleed into mics
Practical wired design — detachable mini-XLR cable usable on either ear cup, a coiled noise-decoupling section, and 130-ohm impedance easy to drive from a laptop or interface

Cons

Polarising value — at $399/$439 several reviewers and owners argue a closed-back with a mild mid-bass lift costs more than rivals like the FiiO FT1 or the open-back HD 6XX justify
Sparse accessories — only velour pads, one coiled cable and a soft bag in the standard box; a proper hard case costs an extra $40 (Pro Plus)
A mild mid-bass overemphasis (roughly 2-5dB) means the tuning isn't perfectly flat — for the most critical mixing, an open-back is still the safer reference

Comfort & Design

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Premium build and excellent comfort, though slightly heavier than the previous generation.

These are incredibly comfortable for multi-hour listening sessions — the protein leather earpads are plush.
They're noticeably heavier than the QC45 — I felt it after 3+ hours of continuous wear.

Sennheiser HD 480 Pro

Comfort is the HD 480 Pro's most universally praised quality — a 272g build, plush velour pads and very little clamping pressure let it disappear on your head for hours. A clever glasses comfort zone in the pads and a solid, replaceable build round it out; the only gripes are velour-only pads and the heat they trap in warm rooms.

SoundGuys says the 272g build feels very light, with clamping force tight enough to stay put without excess pressure, and a thin metal headband that distributes the weight well.
Recording Magazine calls them stunningly light and comfortable — easy to wear for hours with next to no clamping pressure, jaw pain or neck fatigue.
SoundGuys, B&H Pro Audio and Headphones Pro Review all highlight the glasses comfort zone — softer, grooved pad sections let the arms of glasses sink in without breaking the acoustic seal.
The Headphone Show calls the comfort exceptional — among the better closed-back studio headphones out there — with build quality it rates as excellent.
Practical detail: braille markers on the ear-cup yokes and embossed L/R markings let you identify left and right without looking inside, and the headband padding and pads are removable, replaceable and washable.
Reddit owner Polycosm says they 'very much disappear on your head' thanks to the light weight and ultra-soft velour pads, after coming from premium Bluetooth cans and IEMs.
SoundGuys notes heat build-up can be an issue in warmer climes during long sessions, and the box ships with velour pads only — no fabric/mixing pad option like the open-back HD 490 Pro offers.
One dissenting r/Sennheiser owner calls the build cheap plastic with small, smushed pads and the worst isolation they've experienced — a clear minority view against the broad comfort consensus.