Some people don’t like things either in or on their ears. There’s a term for that: completely normal. But when it comes to headphones, particularly sports headphones, in-or-on seems to be the prevailing trend. Which is why Bose has come up with its Bose Sport Open Earbuds, which sit above the ear canal rather than on or inside it.
Which is a unique design, as headphones go. Bose knows that, with the company’s Mehul Trivedi saying “Runners and cyclists have been asking us for headphones that let them stay focused on their performance without wires, neckbands, or having to pop out a bud to hear traffic…or anything else they don’t want to miss. Our new Sport Open Earbuds solve all these problems — and they’re the only earbuds that do.”
How does one Sport Open Earbuds?
The design certainly is unusual, as headphones go. The bits that generate audio sit on the top of the ear, on that weird bit of cartilage you don’t really touch for some reason. Each bud weighs just 14 grams, but each includes “…a tiny dipole transducer placed and positioned for loud-and-clear personal audio that stays at the ear — and “cancels” out everywhere else.”
Which might seem odd but the Sport Open Earbuds likely owe at least some of their DNA to the Bose Frames — the sunnies/music player that include a set of speakers in the bows. That little gadget handles sound a similar way — piping it into your ear without broadcasting it to everyone within earshot.
The main selling point is that you’ll be able to hear incoming sounds, while nobody will hear that podcast you’re a little embarrassed about. The buds feature an IPX4 rating, an eight-hour battery (try going to the gym that long — try it), touch controls on each bud and Bluetooth 5.1. An antennae is integrated into the unit as well, for a better connection.
The Bose Sport Open Earbuds are set for a US launch early this year, where they’ll retail for $200 — or about R3,000. Availability elsewhere hasn’t been announced yet but since we got the Frames in this country, we’re certain to see these more-conventional-but-still-unconventional buds launch here. We’ll let you know when we know more.
