Bose – an inviting and waterproof pair of ultra-high-performance open earbuds for listening to heavy music in a loud environment

The Ultra Open Earbuds generally sound how I expected them to. And that’s to say that they’re clear, nicely detailed, and consistently pleasant to listen to. But you’re never going to be doing critical listening with buds like these. Bose is beaming sound at your ears with impressive precision, but that’s no substitute for ordinary earbuds that can deliver music with a fuller frequency range and greater depth and power at the low end. It’s extremely challenging to bring oomph to your tunes in a form factor like this, so bass is easily the leading weakness of these earbuds. I’m not saying it’s completely MIA, but you need to adjust your expectations and be okay forgoing the majority of the boom and rumble in your music. Some people won’t mind the sacrifice, but I routinely noticed it while testing the Ultra Open Earbuds.

There is a high price for that distinction which puts the Ultra in a tight spot. The $350 price is more than most flagships, but they cannot be your earbuds because of their struggles in louder environments. I’ve had a few technical issues with my new product. The inviting sound is worth a look for anyone looking for high- performance headphones.

The battery barrel sits behind your ear while a flexible band wraps around the part of your ear called the earbud. It’s not obvious when you have the right fit, which is a thing I often don’t say about earbuds. You’ll find yourself checking a mirror (or your phone’s selfie camera) to see if the positioning is right. Bose said that the sound can be different depending on the position of the Ultra Open Earbuds, but you should shoot for the diagonal look in the photos and the press materials. Once they’re on, you control the buds by pressing the clicky round button at the top of each battery barrel, which feels natural in no time — and thankfully never jostles the earbuds loose. The silicone-coated flex arm is durable enough to withstand bending and even some twisting, and the earbuds are rated IPX4 for water resistance, so don’t worry about sweat or rain.

The Bose Music app has an auto volume feature which will make the earbuds raise and descend based on the environment you are in. When in a noisy coffee shop, the volume goes up a tad, but it will go back down once you get to the office or home. This setting never tries to drown out your environment; it aims to keep your private soundtrack on an even keel with whatever else might be happening. Call quality was generally good, but again, if you’re caught in a loud spot, it’s going to be difficult to hear whoever’s on the other side. This downside is familiar to anyone who uses AirPods, Sony’s LinkBuds, and other open-style buds, but those don’t cost nearly as much.

Bose does not have noise cancellation in their open-air products and I am not happy about the lack of a wireless charging option. There’s no multipoint either, a feature that’s becoming table stakes for flagship earbuds and one that would be quite useful on a product you’re supposed to wear all day long. Bose is supposed to help people with juggling multiple devices, but it’s not doing enough. I will update this review when the multipoint arrives via a software update. In the meantime, you can assign the shortcut feature of either earbud’s button to “switch source” to quickly hop between previously paired devices.