If anyone reads this has returned their 2nd Gen Ultras and gone away from Bose, and you mainly use them for noise cancelling, please let me know what you switched to.

In the second week of June I bought the 2nd gen QC ultras because my last pair has been experiencing frustrating issues with one earbud doing less to make the noise canceling effective. I have sensory issues and that previous pair had been a life saver (though they did have to be sent away a few times while under warranty) both at home and out and about, enabling me to participate in family outings, exist in a shopping mall, and find some peace and near-silence (except for the times they would refuse to connect or come alive for no reason).

After doing research on alternatives and hearing over and over again that nothing came close to Bose’s noise cancelling, I was still skeptical as half of users seemed to have no problems while the other half reported having issues straight out of the box. But after seeing that one of the stores in my town was doing a 30 day money back guarantee and they were $100 off for EOFY, and also desperate for that quiet bubble I was used to and desperately needed, I decided to give them a shot.

It seems like I am one of those people who is having issues from the get go. They don’t seem to cancel half as much noise, and I thought maybe I just hadn’t found the right band/tip combo to have the right seal after using them in a restaurant for the first time. But every single combination of bands and tips, the app says it’s a “good seal” yet I’m finding no difference in noise canceling success. I can play music in one room and walk into another room with the earbuds in and quiet mode on, and still hear the music. And that music is just playing on my old iPod touch’s built in speaker, not even on full volume. They also completely stopped cancelling noise when someone closed the car boot while I was in the front passenger seat.

I don’t know what to do other than return them and try something else, but I’m worried about buying something that doesn’t fit my ears and fall out and my money being wasted. Especially now that all the sales are over. If anyone reads this has returned their 2nd Gen Ultras and gone away from Bose, and you mainly use them for noise cancelling, please let me know what you switched to.

My circumstances are:

- yes, I did run the software update through the app

- I have a Samsung phone, so Apple alternatives are not an option

- I often use the noise cancelling function without music playing (it always worked fine with the old ones, making sound around me quiet enough to withstand and still being able to hear the people I was with if I needed to)

…and all I ever want to do is go to one. Whenever we go to a pet shop with fish, I take so long watching them that my mum has to move me along because I would be there for hours! I even found a place where they have a dark room which is really cool.

I went to an aquarium once when on a trip interstate when I was younger and they had a jellyfish room. I could watch jellyfish ALL. DAY. I often watch videos of them as well as just fish/under the ocean videos and they are something I fall back on when everything is too much and they make me feel calm. I also found an ocean diving game. But I really wish I could go back there again.

Other than seeing fish in stores, I’m not really sure how I can help my strong urge to be at an aquarium. I really want to see jellyfish, rays, etc 😭

…how do you flatten it out? I’ve tried putting them inside a book, inside a flower press and even ironing them (safely) but they go back to being curled up! Hopefully someone else does this and knows a hack for this problem because I can’t store them all rolled up 🥲