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Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Based on 152 comments across 3 communities
TL;DR
Owners are nearly unanimous that these are among the most comfortable earbuds they've worn, with the clip-on design disappearing on the ear and letting you stay aware of your surroundings, plus better sound than most expect from an open-ear style. The recurring gripes are call and mic quality, with people on the other end saying you sound distant or like you're on speakerphone, and the weak bass that comes from having no seal. Many also flag the high price, and a handful ran into connectivity drops or other reliability hiccups.

61% of 152 verified owners recommend the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.

What 152 owners say
807 comments reviewed · scored on the 152 clearest verdicts
61%
Recommend
93 owners
17%
Neutral
25 owners
22%
Don't recommend
34 owners
Last 6 months:33% recommend(21 recent verdicts)↓ trending down 32pts vs older reviews
Source
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
61%
147
Other forums
75%
4
Independent blogsino affiliate links
0%
1
What owners like
  • Open design keeps you aware of your surroundings · 24 · 16%
  • Exceptionally comfortable, barely-there all-day wear · 23 · 15%
  • Surprisingly good sound for an open-ear bud · 20 · 13%
  • Secure clip-on fit that stays put during runs and workouts · 16 · 11%
  • Strong battery life · 8 · 5%
What owners flag
  • Weak or no bass due to the open, sealless fit · 9 · 6%
  • Poor call and mic quality · 8 · 5%
  • Expensive for what you get · 8 · 5%
  • Connectivity drops and bud reliability glitches · 6 · 4%
  • Sound leakage others can hear at higher volume · 3 · 2%

Top quotes, sourced

807 reviewed · 152 shown
Sentiment
Community
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Reddit▲ recommend

These go in the bottom cup of your ear, near the drum but not IN it, and wraps around your lobe. I can still hear and I barely feel them! Best purchase ever! Worth every penny! I even use em while talking on the phone.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Honestly the media controls aren’t very intuitive, if you don’t “double press & hold” to adjust volume. If I wasn’t reviewing them I’d never drop $300 bones on open ear buds.

Reddit— neutral

Call quality on the Bose ultra open earbuds is horrible. Every call I’ve used them for, the person I’m talking to say it sounds like I’m talking on speaker phone at a distance. But sound quality for audio is nice.

Reddit— neutral

There’s no bass, since they’re open. The EQ in the app is really nice, easy to tune it. It obviously performs its best in a close quiet room rather than out on a street. I have tried Bose Ultra Open earbuds, and these sound better!

Reddit▲ recommend

I have been wearing them all day since I got them and when you adjust the settings to be on stereo only (not immersion, no adaptive volume, etc) i get 7.5 hours and a bit more. Easy. Then the 20 mins for 2 hours is an easy and sure bet. The earbuds take 45 mins for a full charge (reading 90% at 35 mins) and the case takes a little over an hour to charge.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

Absolute trash. The were fucking amazing for running for about a month. Best headphones I ever had by far. I told so many people to buy them…. Then they stopped connecting. To anything.

Reddit— neutral

I have the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds but have been told when they’re a little louder, people around me can hear them

Reddit▲ recommend

I just bought the Bose open ultra ear buds and so far they're good for the gym. They tick off all your requirements except they cost $270. I only have one complaint and it's trivial to most. When I'm doing cardio I watch concerts on you tube and with these earbuds I lose the bass and sound you would experience if you were there or if you had NC earbuds. Othe

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I wanted to love the Bose Ultra open earbuds because the design is very creative, but ultimately I couldn't get past the "jiggling" sensation of them bobbing on my earlobe.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds SUCK. Sound is worse than my AirPod 1s & people can never hear me when we’re talking on the phone. I tried 2 sets of the same pair.

Reddit▲ recommend

These have been great for me running or biking. They are open so you can still hear around you and they don’t get in the way of helmet straps etc. Sound is awesome as well.

Reddit— neutral

I have the same issue with my Bose Ultra Open earbuds. It is just the left one and only while I am walking.

Reddit▲ recommend

I use the Bose Ultra Open earbuds and they are the best cycling headphones I have ever tried. I can easily hear my music clearly while also having a conversation with the rider next to me.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I tried the Bose Ultra open earbuds and found too much wind buffeting at speed and for me, the sound wasn't getting sent to my ear hole (heh), so I returned those

Reddit— neutral

I also have the Bose Open Earbuds Ultra for walking/running as I want to hear my surroundings.

Reddit— neutral

The Bose are great in a lot of ways (especially with young kids that I need to be able to hear while I'm listening to audiobooks and stuff), but can't help feeling they're still overpriced in terms of features offered (like, $300 buds coming with a case that doesn't do wireless charging? wat?

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I've bought Sony open link and Bose open ultra. Both are shit battery life. Right bud always dies faster. Never get close to the runtime that's listed.

Reddit▲ recommend

check out the Bose Ultra Open earbuds which clip on the side of your ear as opposed to sitting in the ear. Good sound quality and decent microphone. But they are pricey.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

I’ve got a reasonably loud noise floor on my bose ultra open earbuds, more so than the Tozo Open earbuds and the shokz openfit.

Reddit▲ recommend

in some settings I need to be able to hear what’s going on around me so I don’t lose it, but then I have the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. They’re not for everyone but help me.

Reddit— neutral

Neither are great in busy public spaces. The reason is because both are open earbuds, so the sounds from the environment overpower what you are listening to, leading you to use louder and louder volume. On my Freeclips, others can hear them at maybe 60%, whereas with the bose, it is at maybe 70%.

Reddit— neutral

the bose ultra open were cool but it lacked nc for me.

Reddit▲ recommend

They are a cuff shape design that hook/snug around the outside of your ear. My husband does intense work with them on & he LOVES them. Runners swear they stay on.

Reddit▼ don’t recommend

They changed my bose ultra open earbuds twice, but the hissing noise were all the same.

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