Bose Ultra Open Ear Headphones: Tested and Reviewed

Noise-canceling headphones are a lifesaver in sure conditions, however generally, I don’t need to be so disconnected from my atmosphere that I am unable to hear what is going on on. Like once I’m biking and want to listen to oncoming vehicles, or touring on public transit and need to maintain my wits about me, I want one thing rather less stifling than my over-ear headphones. In these instances, I put on the Bose Ultra Open Ear Headphones ($299), which let in some ambient noise and are snug sufficient for all-day put on. They’re my go-to for staying conscious of my environment with out sacrificing audio high quality. (To not point out, they’re method comfier than AirPods.)

Bose, Ultra Open Ear Headphones — $299.00

Colours: White smoke, black

Options: IPX4 water resistance, built-in microphone, immersive audio

Battery Life: 7.5 hours

• All-day consolation
• Clear sound high quality
• Immersive audio mode that strikes with you
• Stays in your ear throughout sport

• Can really feel too quiet when ambient noise will get loud

First impressions

After I first opened these headphones, I believed they had been going to be just like bone-conduction headphones, which I don’t personally use as a result of they by no means really feel safe. However after I attempted them on, I noticed they had been in a league of their very own. They wrap round your ear with a “curler” made of sentimental, pliable rubber; it appears just like an ear cuff however you possibly can barely really feel it. While you’re carrying them, they give the impression of being fairly smooth; I’ve gotten a couple of feedback that they appear to be earrings.

Instantly, the listening expertise was fairly totally different from some other headphones I’ve tried. After I turned the amount up, it felt like everybody else might hear my music. (They couldn’t). However this was as a result of even whenever you’re listening at full blast, a number of the noise out of your atmosphere makes its method in. It’s not sufficient to distract you, however sufficient to listen to it if somebody tried speaking to you.

Sound high quality and expertise

I’m not a sound high quality skilled, however these present a clear, enjoyable listening expertise. The audio efficiency within the Bose Extremely Open Ear Headphones is surprisingly strong for open-ear headphones: The bass is punchy with out being overwhelming, the mids are well-defined, and the highs are crisp. Within the Bose App (which is accessible on the App Retailer and Google Play), you possibly can customise the settings and select from presets like “Bass Increase,” “Treble Increase,” or “Treble Reducer.”

The best characteristic is the Immersive Audio mode that “strikes” with you as you stroll round. As you flip your head, the soundscape shifts barely, as if the music surrounds you. This creates a 3D audio expertise that feels extra pure and dynamic. To be sincere, I didn’t discover this proper off the bat, however once I used the demo to change between modes, I might inform a giant distinction between the immersive and traditional audio codecs. It’s notably noticeable when listening to tracks with wealthy instrumental layers and total, it provides depth however is adequately subtle that you just get accustomed to it.

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Bose Extremely Open Ear Headphones: remaining ideas

Whereas the sound high quality is nice, the explanation I really like these headphones a lot as a result of I can put on them for hours on finish with out them hurting my ears like Airpods do. And in comparison with my over-the-ear headphones, I can use these once I run and bike with out getting too sweaty. They’re surprisingly safe in my ear—I’ve tried to toss them round my head to get them to budge however they received’t fly out.

I nonetheless favor over-the-ear headphones for journey and deep work periods, however even if these don’t have a noise-canceling characteristic, they’ve grow to be a staple in my day-to-day life for exercises and commutes.