As an urban dweller in the PNW who cycles, long walks, and loves to listen to music - I was delighted to use these open earbuds through a typical day of remote work and outdoor adventure. (Toggling through different devices and sound settings is customizable using the app.) However, right after receiving my buds, I ended up flying to San Francisco for a client meetup. I generally prefer using my Bose QuietComfort Headphones in noisy environments (particularly on an airplane), but opted instead to try out my new listening device - which fit lightly in my coat pocket, and could be easily used for more than one function on my trip.
Initial Impressions: First things first, I'm impressed by the small eco-friendly packaging and ease of information found during unboxing. There is a QR code on the left tab which directs you to a setup guide. The right tab has shorthand instructions easy to grasp. Getting started was straightforward and took maybe 1-2 minutes? If you use the setup guide, you'll see there are some fit instructions, which were helpful for me since I had never used an open earbud like this one.
My initial assessment of the fit was that it felt unusual, but after having them on for a few minutes I quickly forgot about them. The wrap around nature makes them feel secure without any pinching sensation. While I could at first feel a small amount of the product near my ear canal, I would say it was no more present than using a standard earbud.
I found the introduction to the different audio settings in the setup guide on the app to be quite informative and was eased into the customization options which are well worth your time. The preprogrammed user settings were frankly very intuitive, as was the general use of these earbuds. Personally, I only added a couple of button prompts to keep things simple, while leaving the other preprogrammed ones as they were on arrival.
The case is a nice size and weight with the magnetic pull inside being comfortably strong, allowing the earbuds to saddle instantly, making charging a breeze.
Performance: The sound quality is completely as expected from a Bose product. The ‘Immersion' setting was absolutely my favorite. It's like “stereo” but better; living up to its name, if you close your eyes you can practically feel the artist's sweat during a long rift. I found if I turned the sound up to max volume, I could still hear things happening around me but not very well. By nature, these are not intended to block surrounding noise. Listening at a normal volume, I could easily hear gate instructions at the airport and any announcements while on the plane. (A double-edged sword. Why do we have to sit through long advertisements by flight attendants for credit cards now?) In the future I will likely stick to the Quiet Comfort for the plane ride, but will keep these in my pocket for the rest of my journey.
The ‘Immersion' setting has an interesting feature - when you move your head, the music stays front facing but then moves to the direction of your head if you keep it faced that same way for a few seconds. This added to the feeling that I was at a concert, which was kinda fun.
Critical Considerations: Removing one or both earbuds does not stop the audio. I'm not sure I care about this exactly, but it is worth a mention. Unlike Apple earbuds, moving from one device to another is not seamless. (Though you can toggle with an earbud button which makes this pretty effortless.) I found the ‘Stereo' mode allowed for the music to be played with a louder sound quality than when in ‘Immersion' mode. The ‘Bass Boost' was noticeably better in ‘Stereo' mode verses ‘Immersion' mode as well. Lastly, there's an amazing lot of features in the Bose Music app. I would love for Bose to add a Widget so I can add it to my shortcut menu on my iPhone to get me to the app and its features more quickly.
Final Thoughts: These are an amazing product, especially for people who due to safety concerns need to hear more of what is happening around them. You do not lose any sound quality or depth of experience during regular activity while gaining peace of mind. Additionally, I feel the fit quality will meet the needs of a wide range of ear shapes and sizes. I heartily recommend these earbuds!
