These Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are a great addition to my Bose Earbud collection! I've had a few different sets of earbuds in my time, and I've always come back to my Bose set for the noise cancelling, comfort, range and ease of use, and overall sound depth. Where these new Ultra Open Earbuds add to the market is in the fit, function, and overall music experience. These things are perfect for when you want great sound and still want to hear what's going on around you. In addition, the immersive sound feature is something you have to experience yourself.
Pros:
Design: At first glance, I wasn't sure about this design and its ability to stay on your ear, but once I figured out the fit from the instructional videos, I was surprised at how well they stayed attached with the unique fit. I tried everything to get these to fall off. From shaking my head vigorously to jumping up and down. I tried them on my family members too. Once that didn't work, I took them through some group exercise classes and a three mile run. They stayed on perfectly. The different feel does take a little bit of time to get used to as you may feel like they will come off, but they didn't. As an added bonus, I tend to perspire pretty heavily when I work out and the open ear design allowed this to be less of a problem than with the usual closed ear systems (the more you sweat, the more often the earbuds come off; these stayed on the entire time without any adjustments).
Immersive Sound: This is where these buds shine. The immersive sound feature turns your listening into a concert like sound experience. When you move, it feels like the sound is following you along. You have to experience it to understand.
Uses: Working, exercise, going on a walk, cleaning around the house/yard, you name it, I tried it. They are just a good all around set of earbuds.
Cons: These do have cons, but they are mostly due to things the buds are not designed to do.
Noise Cancelling: With the open ear platform, the sound of your environment gets in. These are not designed for noise cancelling, quite the opposite. They are designed for you to hear your environment, and your tunes at the same time.
Bass: Again, with the open ear style, you lose some of the driving bass you can expect from a noise cancelling pairing like the Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds. When I want some thump, I turn to my quiet comfort.
All in all, these buds and associated features are an unique set up to enhance a crowded market. The open ear buds are a game changer for letting in the sound, but having the sound travel along with an active user.