Bought these in 2022 and I’m finally reviewing these after testing others. Sound is fantastic for the open style, can run with these while wearing a hat and sunglasses. But the battery life is trash. For this price they should last at least as long as my Jlabs that I got, which I use much more often since the case is a charger(bose case is not a charger). I now just use these at work since I can hear people talk while wearing.

I decided to get rid of my AirPods Pro and try these. I have some califlower ear so traditional ear buds rarely fit. I put memory foam tips on my AirPods so they’d stay in on runs but still found myself having to push them in regularly throughout exercise. So, I’ll be comparing these to the AirPods Pro, which I really enjoyed other than the fit. Sound: The sound is fantastic. This has much deeper base and fuller sound than the AirPods Pro. Both have good sound but I’d give the advantage to Bose. Privacy: I was actually surprised how much the sound on these is directed right at the user. I turned them up very loud just a few feet from my wife and she said she couldn’t hear them. Although, because the AirPods Pro are actually buds, they have a noise canceling feature which isn’t possible for open ear Bose. However, it is nice to be able to hear what is around you without fumbling for the volume (unless it’s really turned up). Transparency is better on these than the AirPod transparency mode. This category is even based on your preference. Fit: I read some reviews that these can pinch the ears and hurt over time. I haven’t had this experience. Although they are bulky, they are light and hardly recognizable on the ear. Also, they are very secure. I have no concerns of these falling off, no matter how vigorous the exercise. Advantage Bose Range: One of the downfalls of this device is the range. With my AirPods I could go about anywhere in a 2 story house and not lose connection if I left my phone on the charger. However, the Bose will begin to drip connection if you get more than 100 feet away or move behind a wall or two. Advantage AirPods Pro Convenience: The battery on these is great. Much longer than the AirPods. However, the case does not charge. You have to take them out of the case and place them exposed on a custom magnetic charger. While the Charger is nice, I really dislike not being able to charge them on the go in their case. Seems like a huge blunder. Advantage AirPods. Overall, with the sound and actual fit, I’m really liking these. The charging and range are not very significant to me so it’s worth the switch. I’d highly recommend them!

OK..here goes... I received my open earbuds yesterday and put them in after an hour in recharge. I went to the local mall and, in the car, put my face mask and glasses on. About 40 steps inside the store i took my glasses off and the right earbud fell off my ear and on to the floor. After i found the right ear bud i felt for the left one and it was missing! I RAN my footsteps back to the entrance and out to my car. After a thorough search i found the left bud in the driver’s side arm rest and finally took a breath! I was REALLY spooked after spending more than 200$ and almost loosing the pair in the first 10 min of wearing! I went home without shopping and stayed home listening to the earbuds the entire time while doing my usual house-type things. One of the buds fell off again when i bent to pick up something off the floor. THEN i started thinking about how i will wear the earbuds. I ride horses and my bike as my primary type of exercise and like to listen to book.... while doing both i will probably need to bend at the waist and maybe not know that an earbud has fallen off. First of all I LOVE the sound. I only listen to books or the spoken word, no music. I have read all the reviews i have found and people comment about the lack of enough base. That is not a problem with the spoken work. The sound for me is wonderful and full-bodied. So after an afternoon in the house wearing the earbuds this is what i came up with to make them just about totally stable on my ear. I have 2” wide double faced carpet tape and cut two strips of 2” wide by 1/4” long. I applied the tape to the TOP inside (skin side) of both earwires and then removed the outside covering to reveal the sticky outside. THEN i put them on my ears and went about my day listening to a book. That little bit of sticky has kept the ear wires from becoming dislodged even when i wear glasses or i take a mask off and put one on. It is also very easy to remove the earbuds. I don’t know how often i will have to re-do the sticky tape but it is a small price to pay to be able to enjoy the open ear buds and not constantly be afraid that i have lost one because i did something or moved in a way that they might fall off. With this easy fix i would buy the earbuds again because of the great sound and the total comfort to wear.

I have gone through numerous earbuds to find something that I feel is comfortable and sounds great while out running. I can absolutely say these are the best sounding earbuds I have ever tried; comfort was a little trickier. ***** So, if you are considering these earbuds than I would have to assume that you are hoping to use them for exercising, and I can confidently say that I had no issue with the earbuds moving or falling off while I did runs, HIIT, and Core training. Even on longer hour sessions I never noticed them sliding, and they never needed to be readjusted. They did a great job of staying in place. They same can not be said for some other earbuds I have tried. Other models I normally must readjust or press back into my ear after 10 – 15 minutes of use. One area that had me concerned after my first few workouts was that when I went to take them off, I would feel a pain on the top, outer part of my ear, the part that the hook of the earbud rested on. At first, I thought it was just that my ears needed to get used to something resting there, but the pain was consistent every time after using them for 5 – 10 minutes. After investigating a little further I realized it was because the earbud hook was being pressed into my ear by my glasses. If I readjusted my glasses after putting on the earbuds, I would feel no pain. If you don’t wear glasses then you should have zero issues with comfort, but if you do you might just need to readjust to keep from having them press into your ear. ***** Sound, my favorite part of these earbuds. Before I begin on this, I feel that calling them earbuds is a little confusing. They do not go into your ear the way that other earbuds do. These rest on the top outer part of your ear. Your ears are still unobstructed so that you can hear what’s going on around you. I honestly thought this would mean that the sound quality would suffer. Boy was I wrong. These are the best sounding earbuds I have ever used. I am guessing this is because of a new way of directing sound that Bose calls OpenAudio technology. The soundstage seems so much wider than other earbud/headphones I have used. I listen to all different kinds of genres, from country to hip-hop, jazz to alt and every genre sounded amazing. Instrument separation and vocals come out super clear. The only part that some might find lacking is bass. The bass is there, but not as heavy or deep as you can usually get from other in ear buds. For my taste, I would happily sacrifice some bass for the huge improvement in every other part of the sound. It’s a joy to listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts with these. Plus, let’s not forget that all the while these allow you to hear what’s going around you, so if you want to listen to an audiobook during your jog, you will hear it clearly, but also be able to make out sounds around you to keep you aware of your surroundings during your run. ***** The box comes with a wireless charger that the earbuds snap into place with magnets. You also get a carrying case. One thing to note is that the carrying case does not recharge your earbuds, it’s just a case to store and protect them. It’s a very sturdy case and I would not hesitate to toss them into a gym bag or backpack, they stay closed with a pretty strong magnet. Since the case does not charge the earbuds you will only be getting about 8 hours of use, unlike some other earbuds on the market that give you around that plus a bit more since you can recharge them in the case. Honestly, not that big of a deal since most of my workouts are 30 minutes to an hour so these will last me comfortably for about a week if I just use them for workouts. It’s just something to consider if you have grown accustomed to using other earbuds that can charge on the go. ***** A few other observations here on how the earbuds behave. Controls are handled by 2 little buttons on the bottom side of each earbud. Simple and effective to use. You can answer calls, skip tracks, and even call up your virtual assistant. One thing I noticed that can’t be done is volume change, again not that big of a deal most of the other earbuds I own don’t have volume controls either. Next, taking off the earbuds does not pause what you are listening to, they keep playing until you pause the music yourself or power them off. Also, worth noting, when you place the earbuds in the carrying case this does not power them off, you need to hold down the button on the right earbud to power them off, and a quick press to power them on. As far as I can tell once you power them on, both earbuds are on at the same time. If you like to just use one earbud at a time to keep the other charging or saving the battery, I don’t think that can be done here. Both will discharge even if you leave the other in the carrying case. ***** After that all is said, even with those minor issues with the case and the hooks pressing on my ears when wearing glasses, I still love these earbuds. I can’t adequately describe how great the sound is on these, again, if you are willing to sacrifice some of your bass. If someone were looking for a great pair of earbuds for working out these would make the top of my list of recommendations. Sound quality is superb, battery life is good, they do not move or need to be readjusted, and they are IPX4 sweat and water resistant. That added to the fact that because of their design, and OpenAudio tech you can hear your surroundings without sacrificing your sound, and the Bluetooth connection is solid no skipping or random disconnects, these are an extremely easy recommendation.

Summary: This has been a hard review. I started off optimistic but quickly disliked the product. After a few days of use my opinion has grown a little but it overall feels like a first-generation product designed for a specific audience. They are not bad headphones by any means, but they are Spartan, missing a few features that have become standard and somewhat uncomfortable. Sound quality is overall good and battery life is outstanding. Here is my detailed review. Pros: - Long battery life - Good sound quality - Case is flattish and pocketable - Attention getter Cons: - Somewhat ugly - Uncomfortable - Case does not charge - Can only use with both headphone (unable to use just one) - Charging dog is proprietary and large Unboxing: The unit comes in a small box which houses what seems like a silicon case, the proprietary charge (via USB A), the headphones and a documentation. Setup: Setup is done via the Bose Music app. It is painless requiring you to press a button on both units then pairing them to the phone. An initial firmware update happens in the background but takes an extremely long time. I suggest letting it download in the background while on a long walk or run as you can still listen to audio while it transfers from the phone to the headphones. The setup will provide a tutorial with proper wear and use. First use / audio quality: When I first donned these headphones, the easiest way to say it is that it all just felt wrong. I do not mean this in a bad way but being used to over the ear headphones or earbuds, this is something new with the headphones resting on the top part of your ear (pictured) and the large loops on the backside of the ear. It feels loose but is actually quite secure and just feels like it is in the wrong place. In short, it takes some getting used to as for the first two days I did not like it. By day three I did not care so much. Initial sound quality was overall good but is lacking in bass. Mids and highs are clear and punchy with that signature Bose sound. Being open ear headphones, others can hear what you are listening to, but they are highly directional and most of the audio goes to the wearer. If you end up wearing these in a group setting, I highly suggest you do not listen to anything that might offend others. There is no EQ feature in the app if the audio is not to your liking. Working out / everyday use: I first wore them to do some calisthenics and a three-mile walk / jog. As previously mentioned, they did not feel comfortable at first. Aside from the odd placement, it appears as if the batteries are held inside the loops as they are quite large. The loops are the most uncomfortable part of the headphones. They are hard plastic and bulky which presses on the back of your ears. It did not go on securely while wearing a cloth face mask so that can be an issue for some. I found if I put on the face mask after putting on the headphones, I could keep it all secure. Keep in mind you might have different results as all ears are differently shaped. When going for a run, the headphones stayed on securely and this is where they started to shine. You can hear the traffic and other people around you just fine without having to stop the music (unless it is at max volume). After a while one can forget they are on your ears and the open sound is welcoming. I had a conversation with a few people on walks and runs, and they thought I was wearing it wrong due to the nature of the headphones. Their appearance will start a conversation, but you might look a little odd to others if they do not know how they work. Biking was outstanding with these headphones as they fit well with my helmet and I could easily hear traffic. This is likely to be the best use case for most. I did not get to test them in the gym as most are closed in my area but I can see the use so you can hear those around you. HIIT sessions went without an issue and the headphones never fell off no matter how much I jumped or whichever angle my head was at. If you do any at home workouts, these headphones are nice as you can hear the kids if they need anything while you are working out. Battery life: Battery life is around eight hours which is outstanding. The case does not charge the headphones so eight hours should last through any workout and multi workout sessions, but you will need to return to the docking station each day to top them off. The docking station is huge and will become a fixture on your desk if you use these headphones. Do not lose it as it will render the headphones useless without them. The charger is not very portable if you travel and I would like to have seen it in a more travel friendly form. Connectivity: I used these with an iPhone 12 Pro and a Samsung Tab S7 to test iOS and Android. It seamlessly connected on both and I noticed it usually connected via AAC on both devices. It should support SBC codec, but I never saw it in that mode when I checked. While downloading the firmware update, I noticed a lot of audio stutters during my workout which became annoying as the update took more than 30 minutes. A large annoyance I had with these headphones is they are pretty much required to be used in pairs as far as I can tell. If you intend to use a single headphone on one ear, that is not an option as both will connect. As far as I can tell, there is no proximity sensor to tell the headphones when you take it off your ear to pause the music or shut off any individual headphone. The only ways to shut them off are to press the power button which turns them both off or place it on the charging dock. The case does not provide any signal to shut off a unit as it is simple a case with not charging or connectivity. End results: These headphones seem to be designed for a very specific use case, outdoor workouts. For any other use I just could not recommend them and would suggest you have another set of headphones for any other situations. They are not bad overall but feel somewhat half baked, I enjoy the audio quality and the open-air design, but I did not enjoy the comfort, lack of what should be essential features and the charging options available. I would only recommend this product to runners and bikers. I would imagine a second-generation version of this product might fix many of these issues.