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Make some sacrifices to keep your ears open to the outside world.
Last month, Bose introduced its Ultra Open Earbuds exclusively through a partnership with the fashion brand Kith, adopting an intriguing strategy for a product launch. Bose has now returned with its model, dropping the co-branding but maintaining the same cost. The $299 Bose Ultra Open Earbuds for both types attach to the ridge of your ear to stay in place while sitting outside of your ear canal. Active noise cancellation (ANC) is unnecessary because of the open architecture, however, Bose does provide Immersive Audio technology for spatial sound.
Bose has already ventured into the “open” market with the 2021 release of the Sport Open Earbuds. The business chose to employ a rigid plastic hook on that model instead of the over-the-ear hook used on certain fitness-focused earbuds. The hook is rigid and does not bend or flex in any way. This meant you couldn’t wear them with a hat or glasses, and they weren’t the most comfortable. Bose created this model to address all the problems with its prior design since open-type earbuds have grown in popularity, primarily due to its ability to provide “all day” wear by keeping you aware of your surroundings. When it comes to style and comfort, you might be ready to overlook the trade-offs associated with earbuds that are not inside your ear canal.
Design of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
Bose designed the Ultra Open Earbuds in two parts: a cylindrical battery box that rests behind your ear and a spherical speaker chamber that sits outside of your ear canal. Between is a flexible, soft-touch silicon strip that forms a “light-as-air grip,” according to the firm, that wraps around the edge of your ear. Additionally, there are onboard controls because each side of the battery barrel has a single multifunction button.
The Ultra Open Earbuds are not subtle—Bose characterizes them as “more fashion accessory than traditional wearable.” They offer a lewk, which you should accept. Even in my own home, not everyone I met during my testing was a fan.
Despite their polarizing appearance, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are incredibly comfy to wear. I can tolerate in-ear headphones for no more than a few hours before they start to wear me out. Of course, open-type earphones are different, and because these don’t have a hook, they are by far the most comfortable I’ve tried. Additionally, there is no soreness there because of how little pressure there is on the clip-on. Even when working out, there’s enough grip to keep the IPX4-rated earbuds in place.
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds: Apps and Features
For access to features and settings, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, like the majority of Bose’s latest products, are compatible with the company’s Music app. Except for some instructions on how to put on the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, nothing about these new earbuds isn’t already included in the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds that were released last year. The majority of the tools you’ll need are still prominently displayed on the home screen, making it simple to access features like Bluetooth connections, sound modes, EQ, battery life, and immersive audio.
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds come with some extra features.
Although the app lists several devices to stream from, you can only sync with one at a time because the Ultra Open Earbuds lack multipoint Bluetooth connectivity. Additionally, there is no automatic pause because these are designed to be worn constantly.
Additionally, you can change the function of the onboard button using the app, however, you can only customize the press-and-hold gesture. It is configured by default to alternate between Immersive Audio and stereo modes. It can also be used to switch between Bluetooth connections, activate your voice assistant, adjust the Immersive Audio option (Still, Motion, Off), or turn it off completely. It is possible to customize the left and right buttons separately, assigning distinct duties to each side. Even though the earbuds only have one physical button, Bose does offer internal volume control. The level can be raised or lowered using the same sequence on the left and right, respectively, by double pressing and holding.
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds: Sound Quality
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds’ ability to be worn anyplace on your ear where they feel and sound the best is one of their distinctive features. This could be along the back edge or at the base of your ear. According to Bose, as long as the speaker component is positioned first and then the silicon “flex arm” is wrapped around the rear, the location around your ear does not affect the overall sound quality. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds sound and feel better in certain places than others, but when I first put them on, I always have to make a tiny adjustment to find the sweet spot.
According to Bose, the Ultra Open Earbuds provide “a breakthrough experience” by combining its spatial Immersive Audio technology with Open Audio. The former lets you listen to music with “almost no sound leaks” to those nearby, according to the manufacturer. This is only true, in my experience, up to a volume level of roughly 50%. Above all, in quiet environments, those in your vicinity will be able to hear what you’re listening to. There’s a general rumble that anyone close can hear, though not in great detail until you turn up the earbuds all the way.
Call quality of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
The Ultra Open Earbuds are excellent for hearing oneself on calls because of their design. You never feel the need to yell or worry about a poor transparency mode because your ears aren’t blocked. Voice quality is passable for conversing, but only in calm settings. That background clamor is especially noticeable to the person on the other end if you meet medium-to-high levels of ambient noise, which I replicated with a white noise machine and a louder-than-average bathroom fan.
Battery life of Bose Ultra Open Earbuds
The spatial Immersive Audio significantly reduces battery life on the Ultra Open Earbuds. According to Bose, you can use it for up to 4.5 hours when turned on or 7.5 hours when not. This is not surprising because battery life suffered on both the QC Ultra Headphones and Earbuds during Immersive Audio. However, halving the anticipated playtime is a smaller reduction than what I saw with those two models. I was able to get slightly more than five hours of playback at a 75 percent level during my tests, practically the whole time with Immersive Audio turned on.
