Keeping your ears open to the world requires sacrifices.

Last month, Bose took an interesting approach to unveiling a new product by launching its Ultra Open headphones exclusively in partnership with the fashion company Kith. Now Bose is back with its own Version that removes co-branding at the same price. On both variants, the 299 Ultra Open headphones sit on the outside of your ear canal and clip onto the ridge of your ear to stay in place. Due to the openness of the design, active noise cancellation (ANC) is debatable, but Bose brings its immersive audio technology for spatial sound to the table.

Bose has already taken the “open” route and unveiled the Open Sport headphones. This model has the hook on the ear that we have seen on some fitness-oriented headphones, only the company has opted for a hard plastic hook that does not bend or does not bend at all. This meant that they were not particularly comfortable and that you could not use them when wearing glasses or a hat. As open-back headphones are gaining popularity, mainly due to the appeal of wearing them “all day long” by allowing them to stay in tune with their surroundings, Bose has created this model that solves all the problems of its previous design. There are some compromises with headphones that are outside your ear canal, but you may be willing to ignore them in the name of style, comfort and functionality.

Bose ultra open headphones

More a fashion accessory than a portable, the new open headphones from Bose bring some compromises.

Design

For the Ultra Open headphones, Bose has developed a two-piece design consisting of a rounded speaker chamber located outside your ear canal and a cylindrical battery matter resting behind your ear. In in the middle is a soft, flexible silicone band that wraps around the edge of your ear, which the company calls a “light grip”. “There are also controls on board, because the battery compartment contains a single multifunction catch on each side.

Bose describes the Ultra Open headphones as “more of a fashion accessory than the traditional wearable” and they are certainly not discreet. They offer a suggestiveness with which you must agree. During my Tests, not everyone I met, even in my own house, was a fan.

“It’s really hard for me to look at you when you have this stuff,” my wife said. “They are an atmosphere. “On the plus side, this atmosphere quickly got me out of a door-to-door conversation with an Internet salesperson, because they suggested that I be “on call”.”

In addition to the polarizing design, the Ultra Open headphones are extremely comfortable to wear. The headphones that go in your ears suit me at most for a few hours before becoming an Endurance Test. The open headphones are different, of course, and they are certainly the most comfortable of the kind that I have tested, thanks to the absence of a hook. And this clip-on pressure is so light that you will not feel any irritation there. However, there is enough grip to keep the IPX4 headphones in place, even during exercise.

Bose Music App and Features

Like most of Bose’s recent products, the Ultra Open headphones work with the company’s music app to access features and settings. There is nothing new here that was not available on the QuietComfort Ultra headphones launched last year, except for a few guides on how to put on the Ultra Open headphones. Most of the tools you need are always located at the front, in the center of the main screen, with elements such as battery life, sound modes, equalizer, immersive Audio and Bluetooth connections easily accessible. Although the app displays multiple devices to stream, you can only sync with one device at a time. And since these are meant to be worn all the time, there is also no automatic Pause.

The application also allows you to reassign what the built-in catch does, but there is only one Gesture to customize: Press and hold. By default, it is configured to switch in the middle stereo and immersive audio modes. You can also use it to change the immersive audio setting (freeze frame, motion, stop), toggle Bluetooth connections, call your voice assistant or simply turn it off completely. The left and right catch’s can be configured individually, performing different tasks on both sides. Bose has a built-in volume control, although there is only one body catch on the headphones. Double pressing and double pressing on the right side raise the level, while the same sequence on the left side lowers it.