Bose - Sport Open Earbuds True Wireless Open-Ear Headphones - Triple Black

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.

## Design When I'm running outside, it's very important to me to be able to hear the traffic around me. Therefore, I don't use any earbud that needs to be jammed into my ear and passively blocks noise. The Apple AirPods have been my savior, as they're lightweight and have an open design that doesn't "seal" into my ear canal. However, the AirPods are not specifically sweat-proof like the newer AirPod Pros, so I worry if my sweat will ruin my AirPods over time. I was happy to learn that Bose has come out with sport earbuds that don't go in front of your ear canal at all! The bulk of Bose Sport Open Earbuds sits behind your ear with the speaker portion resting on the top of your ear. It then seems to "shoot" the sound down at your ear canal, allowing you to both enjoy your music and still hear what is going on around you. The earbuds have a smooth black exterior with a small button located near the speaker. The earbuds are rigid and really don't flex to accommodate your ear. While they feel fine for a 30-minute run, I've noticed my ears feeling a little sore after wearing them for a couple hours. ## Performance I'm actually really surprised by the sound quality of these earbuds. I've tried using some bone-conduction earbuds before and while they worked, the bass was really lacking and the music sounded "tinny" at time. These earbuds from Bose do not use bone-conduction, but instead pipe the sound down to your ear canal. The sound comes through loud and clear, and the bass is decent! The bass is not as strong as what you might get from over-the-ear headphones, but it's definitely a lot more than I was expecting for "open air" earbuds. The earbuds work well for runs and even stayed in place when I did some indoor workouts like jumping jacks and burpees. However, there is some weight to these earbuds so prolonged workouts might put some strain on your ears. ## Features - Physical buttons: I am happy that there are physical buttons as opposed to touch controls on these earbuds, however the button is in an awkward location that requires me to partly pull the earbud away from my ear in order to access it. Pressing the button on the right earbud will play/pause your music, while a double-pressing skips forward and triple-pressing the button rewinds. Unfortunately, the volume can't be controlled from the earbuds and must be done on your phone. - Microphone: There are two microphones for phone calls, but both microphones are located on the right earbud. One microphone picks up your voice while the other microphone measures ambient sounds to help with noise reduction for your caller. The microphone is OK for phone calls, but I've noted that my voice can sound a little distant when using these earbuds. - IPX4 water-resistant: These earbuds should stand up to normal sweat and light rain, but the IPX4 rating means that they are only "splash-proof" and therefore cannot be submerged in water. Therefore, make sure not to accidentally put them through the wash. The manual for the earbuds notes that the IPX4 rating is not a permanent condition and may degrade over time (newer iPhones have the same type of disclaimer). ## Battery Life and Charging The earbuds can last up to 8 hours on a single charge. Surprisingly, the carrying case that comes with the Bose Sport Open Earbuds does not charge the earbuds. Charging the earbuds requires a proprietary USB charging cradle, which makes traveling with the earbuds a little more of a hassle as it's bulky and does not fit in the included case. Recharging the earbuds takes 2 hours, with Bose stating that a 30 minutes charge can get you up to 3 hours of playback if you're in a hurry. ## Some things to know when buying - Carrying case doesn't charge: The carrying case does not have a built-in battery. You need the USB charging cradle to recharge the earbuds. It does not appear that the charging cradle can be purchased separately at this time. - No auto pause: If you remove one earbud, your music does not automatically pause. - Manual power on/off: Unlike many other earbuds today, the Bose Sport Open Earbuds do not automatically power on when you pull them out of the case, nor do they automatically power off when they are placed back in the case. You can hold down the button on the right earbud until you hear the power-off sound, or the earbuds will automatically power down after 10 minutes of no playback. - Charging contacts should be cleaned: The manual recommends that to prevent rusting, wipe the charging contacts with a dry, soft cotton swab. ## Summary Overall, the sound quality on the Bose Sport Open Earbuds is amazing and the open-air technology is definitely cool. Just be aware that these are missing some of the convenience features we've come to expect, such as auto on/off and a charging case.

These Bose Sport Open earbuds are the best, and it truly is open because it allows the user to aware of their surrounding. Situational sound doesn’t get blocked from reaching the ear because the buds sit just above the ear canal. Traditional earbuds, conversely, block or reduce sound when they are over, in, or on the ear canal, which can be a safety issue if one needs to know what is going in the environment. The main concern about doing outdoor exercise is getting hurt by a car or others. Compared to traditional earbuds that block situational sound, these are safe for outdoor use. It keeps the user tuned in for the unexpected. Since they are over and not in the ear, people standing near may listen to a phone conversation or whatever the user is listening to, especially at high volume. So, if you want a private phone conversation, don’t use these in public. The design contour hooks securely to my ear and fits comfortably. I twist the hook into the upper outer ridge of my ear. After getting this product, I have used them extensively for outdoor and indoor training, and they haven’t fallen off. I even used them for rough yard work, shoveling dirt and mulch, and they stay secure in my ear. I sweat a lot when I run and what I like about these buds is that they can withstand getting wet. To clean them, I gently use alcohol wipes after a couple of uses and make sure alcohol doesn’t enter the speaker/acoustic outlet. These buds are lightweight, well-made, and have a good Bluetooth signal and great battery life in addition to their excellent sound quality. These buds have high-quality sound with accurate and enjoyable sound. The high volume is very high! When I first turned them on, it sounded like I was hearing a home theater speaker at full blast - I even got scared and jolted because of the loud sound. The bass is heavy, and the low range produces a deep bass sound. These earbuds let you stay focused on your game/exercise without worrying about wires or unexpected situations because these leave the ear open. They are excellent outdoor earbuds!

There was a point in my life where I was a martial arts enthusiast. I worked out all day - every day. If I wasn’t practicing, I was conditioning. During those days, had I had music blasting from a boombox in my backyard, garage or wherever I was working out. These days, I still work out regularly, but it’s directed more towards a general health regimen instead of sports conditioning and instead of a boombox, I default to headphones as my main method of carrying music with me while I workout. The more functional headphones for workouts are of course earbuds, but my ears are shaped in such a way that earbuds either hurt or they fall out. Fortunately, Bose has created a set of earbuds that are not only designed specifically for the physically active user, but they also don’t have an in-ear speaker. The Open Sport Earbuds by Bose feature the OpenAudio design that rests comfortably on your ears without covering them. This allows users to be able to hear what’s going on around them while still enjoying music as they workout. The earbuds are unlike anything I’ve ever used before. When I first saw the design, I thought that maybe they were a bone conducting earphone, but the information on the earbuds specifically say that they are ‘more comfortable than bone conduction’ so even though the speaker of the headphones rests on concha, the earbuds are just regular headphones with exceptional technology built into them. I want to point out here that I struggled a bit with dividing my opinion between the specific use these earbuds are meant for and my opinion as an earbud consumer in general. I have used many different styles of earbuds and have a strong view of their uses and feature sets. That said, I think these earbuds should be looked at for what they provide for the user they are intended for: the physically active/workout enthusiast. Packaging: The Sport Open Earbuds come in a simple, clean retail package. The main box is black cardboard and there is a wrap around it that shows an image of the product and some basic details on the back. When you open the box, you will find a starting guide that directs you to fit the earbuds, wake them up, and then connect them to your phone through an app. The earbuds come with a storage case and a charging base. This is different from a lot of earbuds I’ve seen in recent days, which mainly charge within their storage case. The earbuds are shipped inside their storage case. When you open it, you will find the pair resting inside. Battery/Charging: The earbuds are supposed to provide up to 8 hours of battery life and that’s just about what I got out of them. Out of the box, they had to be charged. The earbuds come with a charging dock that connects to power via USB-A. They charged for approximately an hour before they were ready to be used. Even though the earbuds come with a case, it’s not a charging case, which means that you only have 8 hours of battery life when you are away from the charging dock. Since they are designed for workouts, one could argue that you could plan using the battery life according to your workout timing but I would rather see a charging case included since nearly all other modern earbuds have one. Comfort: Because these earbuds don’t have an in-ear speaker, they are secured with a hard plastic earloop wrapping around the outer ear. Since the outer piece is rigid, Bose took a calculated risk in that not all ears are created equal. For example, I wore the earbuds for a solid hour and didn’t have much of a problem with them. My fiancé wore them for 30 minutes and had some horrible pain because of the pinch point on the ear loop. For me, this design is a big plus because in-ear speakers tend to slip right out of my ear, but this design remained sturdy and secure no matter what activity I was enjoying. I never had any issues with the earbuds slipping or falling off my ears. I can see how some people would find these uncomfortable. To me, they are a little like wearing a new set of eyeglasses with a stem that wraps around your ears. That area is sensitive and for most people, it’s an area that isn’t used to having something on it. So, it might take some time to get used to. I used this while walking, running, kicking and pushing a bag and a handful of other exercises without the earbuds falling off. App: The app is a fairly basic app. It shows information like battery level and what source the headphones are connected to, but there are no advanced settings like an equalizer or other sound effects. I believe this is because out of the box, Bose provided highly tuned earbuds to the consumer and they do not need to be adjusted. That said, I know that everyone’s hearing is different and that moving from location to location might require some simple adjustments for environmental noise. The app does direct you to give the headphones a name, which is very creative. The app gives you a list of names (I chose Onyx) to choose from, but can also create your own name for the earbuds. The main controls for the headphones are on the earpieces themselves. There is a small tactile button on each ear that controls playback, call answering/rejecting, and virtual assistant activation. The left and right earbuds control different functions, but I was very happy to see an actual tactile button included instead of touch-based controls, which have always been problematic to me. Sound Quality: The sound quality that is produced by the earbuds is incredibly good. Even though you do get some ambient noise while you are listening, you can still hear the music (or other audio track) clear as a bell. Another big plus is that there is a great deal of strong bass coming from these headphones. That is something you usually lose when you have open headphones. These headphones, however, are strong and have a strong bass sound. I listened to many different styles of music and was amazed at how intense the sound quality was no matter what I was listening to. They actually remind me of how good a set of on-ear headphones sound. These earbuds are without a doubt designed for activity-driven individuals and not the average consumer. Can you use them for other activities other than workouts and sports? Yes - but because these are specifically designed for physical activities, you won’t get the most out of them like you would if they were your workout buddy.

The Bose Sport offer a different option for those looking for earbuds to listen to music while working out or doing your daily activities. The design of a open earbud may be great to some and cumbersome to others. I'll try to break this set up down and hopefully it'll help with your buying decisions. First off lets talk about what you can expect to receive out of the box. Your going to get the earbuds, case, charging dock, usb charging cable and some real basic instructions on how to link it with the free Bose music app. Out of the gate the first thing that stood out to me was the case. It feels kind of cheap and flimsy but more importantly it does not serve as a charging station for the earbuds. Every single earbud that i have tested rather it be in the ear or open ear design the case would always serve as a charging station. Not with Bose though. They provide you with a separate dock which requires you to separately charge your earbuds. A little weird considering Bose is held pretty highly in the audio community. Basically the case is just that, a case and nothing else. Very basic and behind the times in my opinion. The next thing i noticed was the way you wrap the ear buds around your ears. You do just exactly that. The hooks are stationary and do not bend or move for fitment and yes i understand it is a open ear design so there is no tip replacement however it would of been nice to have other options for the hooks seeing as how everyone's ears are different. However that is not the case here, this is a one size fits all so hopefully you don't have above average ears. Syncing the earbuds to the free Bose app was a pain as it struggled to link together. After linking the buds to the app i realized the app is really useless at this point as it is very limited to what you can even do through the app. At the time of writing this review the only thing you can do is see battery level and link the left earbud button as a shortcut button however there are no options for shortcuts right now. No built in equalizer even through app which is a very big let down coming from Bose. Ok all this may be trivial to some people so lets get in to sound quality and just how well they hold up during a workout or light jog. First off the Bose name really shined through with how well the sound quality really was. I have to be really honest here for a minute, i have tested several open ear designs and they flat out suck. Main reason being is that they do not go in the ear canal so you get a lot of audio bleeding out which makes the audio quality completely garbage. That is not the issue here at all. The audio quality stayed true to the Bose name and was very rich, crisp and clean. It sounded just as good if not better then some of my in the ear designs that i have. Vocals were very clean and not distorted and my mids did not try to over power my highs. One thing i will say is that bass does lack however that is expected from a open ear design. The audio was very rich and volume was ample enough to please just about anybody. Does it hold up during a workout or light jog? Surprisingly yes it does. Although at times placement feels weak and not secure the earbuds never once fell off during a run or weight training. Now with that being said i don't think they would be my go to design for the gym. The main reason being is that since they don't fit in the ear canal and this is a open design you get a lot of background noise bleeding through. You can hear the weights bang as someone throws another plate on the bar and you can also hear what the person next to you did during their weekend. For me when i go to the gym i don't like distractions and this set up will allow outside noises to bleed through, so keep that in mind. A full charge yielded me roughly about 5 hours of run time, which is about average given their size. No these are not noise canceling just in case some of you are wondering. As far as functionality, yes you have the same functions as every other earbud out there. You can answer and take calls through the earbuds, talk to your personal assistant (Siri or Google), skip tracks by double tapping the right button, check battery level by tapping the left button and so on. Call quality is actually done pretty well through this open ear set up. I was able to hear the other person clearly and they were able to hear me flawlessly with zero dropouts or distortion. Here's my take away from this. The audio quality is good for sure which i would not expect anything less from Bose. The main reason i gave it three stars is for a couple reasons. Fitment is a one size fits all, which is gonna suck for some of you bigger or smaller folks. Not exactly ideal for a gym type environment seeing as how lots of noise pollution does get in which becomes distracting at times, and the fact that the case serves only as a case and does not charge the earbuds!!! I feel like that is a basic necessity that just about every earbud design has, except this one. At the end of the day sound quality is great however you better hope your in a quite room in order to truly benefit from it. I definitely like this design and do wear them while im driving to work so i can listen to music, answer calls, and still be able to hear what's going on around me however they would be my very last pick for a gym workout earbud.

The main issue that I’ve had in the past when trying to find earbuds for working out is being able to stay aware of my surrounding. This is especially true for when I’m out running but also holds true in the gym. With that said I’ve only found three earbuds that have fit that mold. The first from Apple, but those are hit and miss whether they fit in your ear or not. They also don’t work well for Android. The second is from Bose but is wired and don’t have the best sound quality. The third are these guys. And these guys are the best by far. First, they are truly wireless with 8 hours battery life. Second, they are comfortable for any workout. Third, they have leaps and bounds better sound quality. Fourth, they have a nice, thin profile case (especially for this style). Fifth, they are low profile and look good when wearing them. Sixth, allow you to have full awareness of your surroundings without having to take an earbud out. Seventh, have all the onboard controls you would want on a device. Eighth, they stay in your ears without the need for adjustment whether you are running, doing HIIT training, lifting weights, working around the house, doing yoga etc. So, breaking down that paragraph a bit further for each section. 1. Truly wireless with 8 hours of battery life. It takes about two hours to fully charge and it support 3 hours of playback after a 30-minute charge. Compared to others on the market this is a bit on the slow end. But I’ve found the battery in general is excellent. When you first turn them on, there is a significant pause before anything happens (to the point you wonder if they are doing anything). Then they will audibly report the current battery percentage and which device it connects to. The exact wordings are “Battery 80 percent, connecting to iPhone, connected to iPhone.” In a robotic female voice, which is meh in quality. When you are running low on battery it will report that as well. The reminders have long amounts of time between them. Which is nice. The alerts whether that be low battery or from your phone aren’t very loud which I prefer as others tend to deafen me. It comes with a magnetic charging dock that looks pretty cool and works well. 2. Comfort So, at first, I was hesitant about this design because it goes on the top of your ears with a full plastic (no rubber) design and I thought that A. that would be uncomfortable and B. that the sound quality would be terrible. Thankfully, I was wrong about both. But they take some getting used to. When I first tried them, I cranked them on my ears (like I do with earbuds) ensuring they were on and would not be falling out. This caused some pain when first applying that would disappear quickly. But anytime I touched my ear it would hurt, and that pain would worsen the longer I wore them. Which for my original testing was about 5 hours while I was tearing apart a room and putting it back together. During this time (outside of me touching my ears) I had no pain, would forget they were there due to the lightweight ergonomic design, and excellent sound quality. They also never moved from their original position during this time. It felt like I was listening to speakers or sound was just in my ears which was neat. Now, that I’ve used them more I’ve found that I was doing it incorrectly before. These are supposed to “rest” on your ears. Kind of like putting on glasses but with just a smidge more pressure. That way no more ear pain and even better comfort. With that said, these don’t work well with glasses at all. So, if you wear glasses best look elsewhere. 3. Sound Quality The sound quality of these actually blows my mind. All sounds are accurate with a fun tuning. They have wonderful bass response. The highs are crisp without being harsh. The mids are smooth. They have wonderful balance where I can hear all the nuances of the music with great separation. Imaging isn’t the best. Soundstage is interesting. As they sound more like speakers in the sense of intensity and airiness but feel like they are coming directly from your head like a thought. Which sounds super weird. It’s a novel thing that I haven’t experienced before and is hard to explain. But I quite like it. 4 - 5. Thin Profile Case and fit. It’s hard case which provides excellent protection with a rubber coating for grip with a magnetic closing latch. It looks and feels premium. Inside you have molded cutouts for the earbuds themselves with a soft material. This is NOT a charging case. This also does NOT magnetically hold the earbuds so they will fall out if you open the case wrong. I think they did this to help promote portability. As these types of earbuds are hard to make low-profile. Usually, the cases are massive. This can easily fit in a bag, but also fit semi-comfortably in your pocket and is lightweight so you won’t feel it much. 6. Awareness of surroundings. With nothing going into your ear cannel you can easily hear everything going on around you. The music and outside world blend well together. I was able to have full conversations with other people without any issue hearing them. I can also hear cars, animals, wind, weather, etc. without any issues even when listening to music. 7. Onboard controls The onboard controls are super basic and simple. There are two bottons, one on each earbud on the very bottom. They are very small, require light amount of actuation force, with long travel, and end with a crisp click. I’m not the biggest fan as they are bit awkward to press. But they do their job well. The left earbud controls tells you battery level, and activates the voice assistant, and the right earbud pauses, play, forward, backward, answer/end call, decline call. There is no active noise cancelling or any noise cancelling for that fact as that’s the point. To turn them on you press the left earbud then the right. To turn them off you hold the right button. As far as I’m aware you cannot use them independently of each other. 8. Staying in your ears. So, I tried HIIT training, yoga, body weights, running, destroying a room and putting it back together, and others and these earbuds never moved. I never had to adjust them. 9. The App. Bose music control is a simple app. Pretty barebones. It shows you the headset, the battery percentage, volume, source, what the shortcuts are, tips, and what is playing. There is NO equalizer. This is also how you apply software updates.

They are bigger then they look in the picture, but fit great and for me they are very comfortable to wear. Bose doesn't give you a lot of information on them and to connect they recommend downloading the Bose music app, but still not a lot of information on them. Sound is great and I saw review that stated others could hear if they are around you, but so far for me everyone I have asked says no they cannot hear anything. I really like them. Do wish you could connect more than one device though. With these you have to switch back and forth. So overall I love them.