We are getting our first look at the new Bose Sport Open Earbuds today. These unique earbuds are specifically made for workouts and combine Bose OpenAudio technology with an interesting design that doesn’t go in your ears or cover them, leaving wearers fully aware of their surroundings without comprising audio quality, according to Bose. Head below for a closer look.
New Bose Sport Open Earbuds
The new Bose Sport Open Earbuds feature a unique design that actually sits above — “not over, not in, and not on” — the ear canal to provide what the brand refers to as a redefined listening experience. This design leaves wearers completely aware of their surroundings without comprising audio quality or privacy, according to Bose. The company says you’ll be able to hear your content/calls, but others won’t while staying precisely positioned and protected against the elements during workouts, even with the volume cranked.
Runners and cyclists have been asking us for headphones that let them stay focused on their performance without wires, neckbands, or having to pop out a bud to hear traffic, a training partner, nature, or anything else they don’t want to miss.
Bose says its new Sport Open Earbuds are the “only earbuds” that solve all of these problems.
Above the ear
Measuring out at 48mm by 55mm, with a simple twist they “gently grip” the outer ridge of your ear “to lock in place with no ear tip, virtually no skin contact, and without the squeezing and vibrations from bone conduction.” A small dipole transducer beams audio directly into your ear and cancels out everything else while a microphone system support taking calls while “reducing the interference of wind and noise, and isolating their voice from being audible to others.”
Compatible with both iOS and Android devices, they sport one button on the left bud to access your smartphone’s native virtual assistant while the right earbud controls just about everything else. An IPX4 rating and eight hours of battery life, alongside a protective carrying case, charging base, and the Bose Music App “to access additional features” rounds out the package here.
The new Bose Sport Open Earbuds are available for pre-order starting today at $199.95 with shipping dates set to begin in “mid-January.”
Electronicsforward’ Take
Well, providing the new open Bose buds work as described, this could be an interesting option for folks sick of having plastic stuck in their ears while they are getting their run on. The Bose tax here will be a no-go for some, but the idea of having less contact with the buds during a sweaty workout sounds like an interesting idea to me.
All things considered, there’s likely some fancy tech in play here that provides the open-air privacy Bose is boasting about, but we are certainly paying for it. There really isn’t much on the market to directly compare them to, outside of your basic noise canceling, truly wireless buds, but most folks will probably be just fine with a $50 pair of those. Typical solutions have significantly longer battery life than the charging base system Bose employs here, making some of the higher-end Beats and Apple options equally as enticing and even more affordable in some cases. While you’re really just paying for the Bose audio treatment and the almost no-contact approach here more than anything, that might be something avid fitness junkies will really appreciate.
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