The company Bose is considered by many to be a benchmark in the segment of quality sound. We usually see (or rather hear) the audio products of this manufacturer inside more premium ones cars, in movie theaters and of course also in the ears and on the ears of listeners on the go. The latest product labeled Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which I was able to try, belongs to the last category. What are my first impressions of these unconventional headphones/earrings?
A design that has many advantages
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are designed as a device that takes a different path than most conventional headphones. Instead of integrating various ambient and transparent modes, which aim to “let” ambient sound into the headphones (for safety and general overview and the possibility to keep the headphones on while communicating with others), Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have a shape that allows the penetration of ambient sounds movements into the user’s ears quite naturally by its very nature. In this regard, I remembered the older Sony LinkBuds headphones (first generation, the second was already more conventional), which already at the time of its introduction boasted the use of AI and special algorithms to improve sound transmission during calls and, of course, the ability to offer the user a perfect overview of what is happening around him.
Although the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds do not use any AI to improve calls, they offer significantly better sound compared to the aforementioned LinkBuds. After all, I was able to try the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds for a few moments myself and I was very surprised. By the way, if you were wondering how such headphones are actually worn, or put on the ear, the “roller” equipped with charging pins is placed behind the ear and the other part is placed over the pin in the ear so that it faces the ear canal (but does not seal the ear).
The result can resemble earrings and the headphones can be positioned in different ways, so you can wear them in a more horizontal position or move them down towards the earlobe. By finding the right position, you can also adjust the sound delivery, which can for example have more pronounced bass, be louder, etc. Of course, a slightly different position will suit everyone. The advantage of this design, according to the manufacturer, can also be that the owner of the headphones will not appear disrespectful when communicating with others, because technically he does not have headphones in his ears.
The quality will amaze even the most demanding
Regarding the sound quality itself, which I tested in connection with the iPhone 15 Pro and the Tidal application (the paid version, i.e. with songs in the highest possible quality compared to similar streaming platforms), I can mention that I was very surprised by how well the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds sounds. It is definitely too early to give a full-fledged verdict after a few minutes of use, but even so, the sound quality is significantly higher than I would expect from headphones of this design, for example, vocals sounded just as good as with more expensive wireless headphones with a plug design. The bass component was a little less pronounced, but this can be adjusted just by placing the headphones in a different position. In addition, the trend of modern headphones in general is a greater level of bass, which essentially set a new standard in this regard, and the more demanding users, at whom these headphones are aimed, can rather appreciate the balance of the entire sound spectrum.
The headphones are also equipped with a Snapdragon chip with support for Snapdragon Sound technology, namely the latest Qualcomm aptX Adaptive codec. The transmission is handled by Bluetooth 5.3, and the Fast Pair function is available for owners of Android devices for the pairing itself. Of course, the Bose ecosystem can also be used, so headphones will be able to replace the rear speakers in a Bose home theater in the future. This update should arrive in August this year, and to install it, the headphones must be used in conjunction with the Bose Music app, available for both iOS and Android.
Demo of the Bose Music app
Long life, but without wireless charging
In terms of durability, the manufacturer promises 7.5 hours of listening time on a single charge and another 19.5 hours of energy in the box. In total, users should have 28 hours of listening time, which is a very nice value considering the weight of the headphones, which is about 6 grams. In addition to the aforementioned, the headphones can use surround sound from supported sources. The only “preliminary” drawback of this product is the absence of wireless charging. However, according to the manufacturer, it is used by less than 5% of users, which is why it is not found here.
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The headphones are supplied to the Czech market in a very limited quantity (which should be increased in April this year) with a price of approximately 9 thousand crowns. Currently, they can only be purchased from iStyle dealers, later elsewhere.