Bose has introduced unique ultra-open headphones that keep the ear canal open (photo)
While the headphone industry is trying to isolate the user and his music from the world around him in every possible way, inventing various pads, earbuds, and noise-canceling technology, Bose has gone in a different direction. The company has introduced ultra-open headphones – they do not block the ear canal from ambient sounds in any way.
The ultra-open headphones are designed to be hung from the ears. They have a U-shaped design with a part that is inside the outer ear and a bow that hangs outward, and they are connected by a soft rubber material. There is also a button on the case to access various functions and playback parameters.
The Ultra Open Earbuds feature Bose’s proprietary OpenAudio technology, which projects audio directly into the ear canal using a powerful transducer and a precisely controlled acoustic structure with minimal leakage so that only the person wearing them can hear the sound.
The headphones also feature Bose Immersive Audio, which uses the company’s proprietary digital signal processing and a built-in inertial measurement unit to create a spatial audio effect. It makes the sound look like it’s coming from around the user. This function has two modes: stationary when you are sitting still and motion when you are outside.
The Ultra Open Earbuds feature Snapdragon Sound, including Qualcomm’s latest adaptive aptX codec, which supports lossless and low-latency audio. They also support Bluetooth 5.3, but there is no multi-device pairing, although you can switch between the current and last paired device with the touch of a button.
Other features include Auto Volume, which automatically adjusts the volume level based on ambient noise, support for Google Fast Pair, and an IPX4 water and sweat resistance rating.
The declared battery life of Ultra Open Earbuds is 7.5 hours of continuous playback, which is reduced to 4.5 hours when using Immersive Audio. The charging case provides an additional 19.5 hours of battery life. A 10-minute charge provides 2 hours of playback.
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds cost $299.
