I love running in these luxury open earbuds – and they’re still on sale before Black Friday

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

What is the deal? 

The Bose Ultra Open earbuds are on sale for $250, $50 lower than their unique value. This deal applies to the Black, White, Lunar Blue, Moonstone Blue, and even the Diamond sixtieth Anniversary Version colorways. Yow will discover this deal on Amazon Walmart, andBose’s website.


ZDNET key takeaways

  • At $300, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds are an incredible different to bone-conduction headphones. 
  • Because of Bose’s OpenAudio know-how, the earbuds are perfect for runners who wish to get pleasure from music whereas remaining conscious of their atmosphere. 
  • An absence of contact controls means it is advisable to maintain your cellphone shut for navigation.

Dwelling within the metropolis, I am not the most important fan of utilizing noise-canceling headphones or earbuds whereas I train within the park, stroll round on busy streets, or commute on the subway. However I am a music lover who cares loads concerning the sound high quality of what I hearken to.

Certain, bone conduction headphones exist, however they typically have a one-size-fits-all strategy, both feeling too unfastened or cumbersome on the pinnacle. You might additionally allow transparency mode in your noise-canceling earbuds to raised hear your environment, however I typically cannot hear my music over the New York Metropolis chaos. 

Additionally: These headphones solved my biggest issue with listening to music while running

That is why when Bose despatched me its new Ultra Open Earbuds, I used to be excited to strive a substitute for each of the above choices for my out of doors actions. Might these earbuds be a runner’s greatest pal? Here is my verdict.

Ranging from the surface, the brief and stout case makes it very pocketable, however the enjoyable occurs while you open it as much as reveal the Extremely earbuds inside. The earbuds have a G-shaped design that resembles a clip-on earring, which I’ve by no means seen earlier than. They cling to your outer ear, and the curved cylinder on the underside wraps round it to anchor it into place. Shake your head all you need: these earbuds usually are not budging. 

Additionally: These Bose earbuds are my favorite for noise cancellation

To create a sound that’s each loud and personal (there’s a little sound leakage), the earbuds make the most of Bose’s OpenAudio know-how, which is a component bone conduction and half air conduction. Bone conduction happens when sound instantly vibrates the bones within the internal ear, and air conduction occurs when sounds are transmitted by means of the air and into the ear canal. If the vibrations from bone-conduction headphones are likely to make you dizzy or uncomfortable, these are an incredible different.

A hand holding one of the Bose Ultra Open earbuds

The Extremely Open earbud is formed like a G.

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

I took the Extremely Open earbuds on 4 out of doors runs and located they excelled in low to reasonably noisy environments, like a busy road. I may hear each element of my music and each honk and siren from the vehicles on the highway. Once I listened to Automotive Seat Headrest’s Cannot Cool Me Down, I used to be properly conscious of the sounds round me and nonetheless loved each element within the track. 

Whereas working within the park to Olivia Rodrigo’s Brutal, I turned on Immersive Audio, Bose’s spatial audio characteristic, which permits a multidimensional listening expertise. With this characteristic turned on, the track’s guitar riffs and Rodrigo’s layered harmonies seemed like they had been throughout me, which electrified my run.

Additionally: I tested sleep earbuds made by ex-Bose engineers, and they worked like a charm

These earbuds usually are not as performant in areas the place you’d need noise-canceling know-how, like on a subway or airplane. Since they do not (and might’t) cancel noise, you will not hear all your audio whereas carrying these in exceptionally noisy locations. I wore the Extremely Open earbuds on the subway whereas listening to a podcast and heard most of what my favourite podcaster was saying, however many sentences had been drowned out by the clanging metallic vehicles. 

Bose Ultra Open earbud on an ear
Nina Raemont/ZDNET

I am not the kind of consumer who wears earbuds even after I’m not listening to music, however with the ear-hanging design of the Extremely Open, I listened to my music on the commute to Dealer Joe’s and stored them on as I shopped. These are essentially the most snug and informal earbuds I’ve worn and will simply put on them for a complete day and never really feel fatigued.

Additionally: I travel with Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra headphones, and not the Sony XM5. Here’s why

For battery life, the Extremely Open can last as long as 7.5 hours earlier than needing a recharge, so even energy customers should not should stress about endurance. One problem I’ve had with Bose earbuds prior to now is that when the battery begins to falter, so does the connection. That is no completely different with the Extremely Open earbuds, so I would suggest recurrently charging them to keep away from this. Additionally, the earbuds lack pause and play contact controls, which I had gotten used to on my outdated pair, so you will should maintain your cellphone useful to start out and cease your music. 

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

In case you are searching for a pair of earbuds that places spatial consciousness on the high of the precedence listing, the Bose Ultra Open earbuds are the best way to go. I would suggest these to out of doors exercisers, however I would additionally suggest them to anyone who listens to music in every single place they go however needs an earbud that will not take them out of their atmosphere. 

Nevertheless, in case your day-to-day takes you to environments the place you do want noise-canceling, take into account your different choices. If you would like earbuds with stellar transparency mode and efficient noise-canceling, take into account the Apple AirPods Pro 2, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and for much less cash, the JLab JBuds ANC 3.

When will this deal expire? 

Offers are topic to promote out or expire at any time, however Bose says that this deal runs by means of Oct. 13. ZDNET stays dedicated to discovering, sharing, and updating the very best product offers so that you can rating the very best financial savings. Our workforce of specialists recurrently checks in on the offers we share to make sure they’re nonetheless stay and obtainable.  

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