Bose’s goal in developing the new Ultra Open Earbuds was to create a pair of headphones that you could wear all day. With snap-on design side Instead of going inside your ears, they’re not traditional. Bose released some impressive new products last year, but in the grand scheme of things, they were all pretty iterative. The Ultra Open Headphones represent the company’s biggest swing in a long time. Will they go down as another short-lived experience like the SoundWear Companion or the Bose Frames? Or, as Bose hopes, are these a glimpse into the future of wearable technology?
I don’t think there is a simple answer. These unusual headphones won’t be for everyone, and their hefty $299 price tag immediately puts them out of reach for many buyers. Speaking for myself, I’m not the target market, someone happy to plug their ear canals with high quality buds in the name of perfect sound. Ultra Open Headphones are for people who want to be aware of their surroundings at all times; you will basically design them always hear outside noise – and you’ll hear it naturally, at full volume. Whether you’re biking, running, working in an environment where regular headphones aren’t practical, or just plain uncomfortable with the whole in-ear concept, these let you get through your day, stay fully alert. , and sum it up with a soundtrack the whole time.
I’ve learned this by wearing headphones for many years now many people just don’t enjoy the feeling of headphones sealing their ears. That’s why Apple’s standard hard plastic AirPods remain so popular. That’s why you see Samsung, Sony, and many other companies selling one-size-fits-all products alongside their silicone tip-style buds. This is one of the main reasons why bone conduction headphones exist.
But there is no bone conduction here. Like the Frames before them, the Ultra Open Headphones use Bose’s OpenAudio technology to channel sound into your ears, while keeping your channels completely unobstructed and minimizing annoying sound leakage to those around you. This freedom comes with its own trade-offs. The Ultra Open Headphones lack noise cancellation altogether, and their bass response won’t be the same as traditional in-ear competitors. No winning physique and no good seal.
These are unlike previous Bose headphones. They are intended to look like a fashion accessory as much as they are technological. For this reason, the company purposely did not put its logo on the brushed metal exterior. And the fit is unlike anything I’ve ever tried. After taking them out of the very normal stuffing box, your first thought is probably, “Ugh, how am I supposed to wear these?” I did a little experiment, gave them to a few friends and left them to figure it out. Spoiler: they needed some guidance.
Here’s the gist: the battery barrel sits behind your ear, and a flexible silicone band connects it to the “earbud” part, which surrounds your ear cartilage and sits just inside the antihelix of your ear. It’s not always clear when you’ve got the right fit, which is… not something I often say about headphones. You can find it by looking in the mirror (or your phone’s selfie camera) to see if the placement is correct. Bose told me that the sound can vary slightly depending on where the Ultra Open Earbuds are positioned, but you want to shoot for the diagonal look seen in these review photos and the company’s press materials. Once they’re on, you control the buds by pressing a clicky circular button on the top of each battery barrel, which never feels natural and thankfully never pushes the earcups. The silicone-coated flexible arm is durable enough to withstand bending and even some twisting, and the earbuds are IPX4 rated for water resistance, so you don’t have to worry about sweat or rain.
As with anything, the overall look will be divisive, but Bose’s approach has its merits. First, the Ultra Open Headphones are very comfortable. You shouldn’t think like that cutting touch your ears, as this indicates that they are under unpleasant pressure. Can you feel them? Of course. But even after wearing them for five or six hours, any discomfort or ear fatigue was negligible. The twist arm grip is light enough that sometimes I forget they’re there, but I can still barely shake my head without them falling off. The grip is definitely secure enough for running and other exercises. The low ear placement also means you can wear glasses, hats and (some) jewelery without them getting in the way. However, it is important to recognize that all ears are different and these may not be the best fit for everyone.
The Ultra Open Headphones generally sound like I expected them to. And that means they’re clear, beautifully detailed, and consistently enjoyable to listen to. But you’ll never get a critical audition with buds like these. Bose delivers sound to your ears with impressive precision, but it’s no substitute for conventional headphones, which can deliver music with a fuller frequency range and greater depth and power in the low end. It’s pretty hard to get your tunes sounding in a form factor like this, so bass is easily the main weakness of these headphones. I’m not saying it’s completely MIA, but you have to adjust your expectations and ditch most of the boom and thud in your music. Some people won’t accept this sacrifice, but I saw it regularly while testing the Ultra Open Earbuds.
I’ve learned that the biggest appeal of Ultra Open Headphones can also be a detriment. Turns out, given the choice, I don’t really like hearing the world at full volume when I’m dressed. in any a pair of headphones. New York City can be a truly overwhelming cacophony of construction, the deafening screeching of subway cars, and general panic. In these scenarios, I prefer the smart transparency modes of many modern headphones, which can detect sudden spikes in ambient noise and reduce some of that harshness. Bose itself does this with its other headphones, and the Ultra Open Headphones leave you fully exposed to noise no matter how loud the volume is – sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.
An optional, default Auto Volume feature in the Bose Music app will allow you to automatically raise and lower the volume of the headphones based on your environment. If you’re in a noisy coffee shop, you’ll notice that the volume goes up a bit, and it goes down again when you get home or sit down in the office. This setting will never attempt to throttle your environment; it aims to keep your personal soundtrack on par with anything that might happen. Call quality was generally good, but again, if you’re stuck in a loud area, it’s hard to hear who’s on the other end. This disadvantage is familiar to anyone who has used AirPods, Sony’s LinkBuds and other open-type buds, but they don’t cost nearly as much.
Bose includes the same Immersive Audio (spatial audio) processing that first came to its other “Ultra” headphones and earphones last year. The story is the same: Immersive Audio sounds great every time on a random song. But I mostly stopped doing that, dropping the headphones from 7.5 hours of continuous listening to 4.5, significantly reducing battery life. The charging case carries another 19.5 hours of juice.
I can’t fault Bose for not having noise cancellation on such an outdoor product, but not having something as basic as wireless charging (unless you pay for an extra case) is annoying. There’s also no multi-point feature, a feature that would be quite useful for a product that’s become a table-top flagship headphone and one you’ll need to wear all day. Many people are constantly juggling multiple devices, and Bose needs to do a better job of that. The company says multipoint is coming later this year via a software update, and I’ll update this review. Meanwhile, you can set the shortcut function of both headphones buttons to “switch source” to quickly switch between previously paired devices.
Stepping back, I can appreciate Bose’s ambition and willingness to break away from the pack. It’s a gamble, and the Ultra Open Headphones are undeniably unique. The fit takes some getting used to, but if you can live without the thick bass, they serve their purpose of blending your music and everyday life. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a serious price discrepancy here. $300 is hard to swallow for headphones that, with their basic design, are a few steps below the traditional in-ear competition. The bass presence of the Ultra Open Headphones is simply not up to par.
There’s no doubt that creating a completely new headphone form factor requires extensive research and engineering. Actually, I to know so stay tuned for more information on this in the future. But if Bose wants the Ultra Open Headphones to avoid the same fate as other promising but niche gadgets — I still miss that damn neck speaker — it needs to rethink its value proposition before it’s too late. I think there’s a real audience for these, but it’s too unusual to ask for much until the concept is proven. Otherwise, that big swing won’t make much of an impact.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge