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TECH REVIEW

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How do they work? The speaker sits outside your ear and pipes music directly into the ear canal. The good news? There’s very little sound leakage to annoy folk around you. As a concept, think of them

as earbuds in constant aware/ transparency mode, except you don’t have to keep fiddling with an earbud or app to initiate it. Are they comfortable? Yes! We’ve had them on for up to seven hours non-stop and barely noticed them. In fact, after five minutes of wear, we completely forgot we had them on until a call came in. It’s hard to understate how much of a game changer they are for users wanting to keep them in all day, without trying them. You’ll want to keep them in, too – they do look very cool. How do they sound? Far better than they probably should, given the uniqueness of the design. While you won’t get comparable sound quality to a set of over-ears or traditional earbuds, the Ultra Open Earbuds are close. The sound quality is very good. They also incorporate Bose’s version of spatial sound, the recently introduced Immersive Audio. The ’Still’ mode puts the sound in front of you in two invisible speakers. A second mode, ’Motion’, retains the spatial audio and shifts the entire soundstage with head movement, so you’re never out of the party. How long will the battery last? Bose claim 7.5 hours of playtime, with that reduced to 4.5 with Immersive Audio on, and that came close to our observations. There’s 19.5 hours in the charging case, ready to go. And talking of the case, it’s slimmer than the Quiet Comfort Ultra one and slips nicely into a jeans pocket. Summing it up It’s a bold play from Bose but a good one. Not everyone can enjoy the portability and convenience of earbuds, and that’s the area where the Ultra Open Earbuds will thrive. And you can wear these all day – and beyond – without any fatigue. The sound quality remains excellent, with the additional bonus of being in the moment with your surroundings while remaining immersed in your music. They are like nothing we’ve seen or worn before. Are they for me? These are certainly pitched at the dynamic early tech adopter who is keen to stay ahead of the pack in trends and innovation, but the design will have universal appeal. The Ultra Open Earbuds are sharp; they look good, feel good, are practical to wear and deliver on the audio stakes. What’s not to like?

The new Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are something different. So different, in fact, it might take a while to get your head – or, in this case, your ears – around. Words Paul Jones OPEN YOUR EARS

B ose is renowned for leading the way in consumer tech innovation, and that’s exactly what the audio company has done here with the introduction of Ultra Open Earbuds. True in-ear wireless earbuds are an

L-shaped bud holds the drivers, and a short flexible band attaches this to a barrel that contains all the important

electronics. The barrel has a touch button on the end.

The L-shaped speaker

hooks into the ear while the barrel rolls

out around the back and snaps shut behind the ear to hold the earbud in place.

excellent alternative for those who find over-ear headphones inconvenient to wear, but not everyone is down with wearing traditional in-ear earbuds.

It doesn’t matter what size your ear is – the flexible band will fit any shape. Visually, they

look like sonic earrings.

Ears come in various shapes and sizes, so a good fit is not always guaranteed, despite interchangeable ear tips. Discomfort is another issue some users experience, especially when wearing earbuds for a long time. And that’s where the Ultra Open Earbuds concept will flourish. What are Ultra Open Earbuds? These earbuds are a unique design and will fit all ears – but in a completely different way. An

58 MARCH 2024

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