There were open-style earbuds before the Bose Ultra Open, but Bose's version managed to make the idea really work. Bringing the same attention to detail that you'll find in the firm's noise canceling options, the Ultra Open are a great pair of buds that leave you more aware of your surroundings when you go for a run or a walk.
Right now, you can get the Bose Ultra Open for $249 at Amazon. That's a $50 saving on full price, and pretty close to their lowest price ever — last seen over Black Friday.
The Bose Ultra Open, when you pull them from their charging case, don't initially look like traditional earbuds. That's because they're not — they fit completely differently. They're essentially two separate parts connected by a springy silicon band.
Rather than going in your ears, they wrap around the side and sit just outside your ear canal. That means that you can hear everything going on around you, which is great if you want to make sure you can detect cars before you cross a road, or if you're walking with your kids.
Despite their open nature, the Ultra Open sound much better than you might expect. Because they sit just outside your ears, they have a very wide soundstage for some great spatialized audio. Want things even wider? You can start up Bose's Immersive Audio and things get a Dolby Atmos hit of Spatial Audio.
The sound itself is impressively meaty, considering there is zero seal with your ear. It's not quite as good as you might get from the likes of the QuietComfort Ultra headphones, but it's great for some background music or podcast listening. They're some of the best wireless earbuds around, and well worth picking up at this reduced price.
