Bose’s latest sports headphones won’t block the outside world

Bose’s latest true wireless headphones, Sport Open Earbuds, are designed to keep you aware of what’s around you while listening. While most other headphones are inside the ear canal, blocking at least some ambient noise, Sport Open Earbuds are outside it. Bose officially announced the headphones just over a month after its existence leaked through a Federal Communications Commission lawsuit.

A design that allows ambient noise to enter may seem unintuitive, considering how headphone manufacturers (including Bose) spend so much money trying to do the exact opposite with noise cancellation technology. But there are many cases where being aware of what is around you is a very good thing, such as when you are cycling in traffic or going out for a run at night.

Image: Bose

Different manufacturers of headsets have used a variety of approaches to achieve a similar effect. For example, bone-conducting headphones, such as those produced by Aftershokz, vibrate against the sides of the user’s head, allowing him to listen to music without having headphones in his ears. It is also becoming common for headphones like the AirPods Pro to include some kind of “ambient” or “transparency” mode, where they use their microphones to hear ambient noise and mix it with music.

Bose’s approach is a little different. Instead of being inside the ear like most headphones, Sport Open Earbuds “gently hold the outside of the ear” and stay above the ear canal. Bose says that this allows them to work “without the tip of the ear, virtually without contact with the skin and without the tightness and vibrations of bone conduction”. He adds that only the user should hear what the headphones are playing, even at high volume.

In terms of specifications, Bose is promising that the headphones will provide eight hours of battery life on a charge, have an IPX4 dust and water resistance rating and support Bluetooth 5.1. They can be controlled with a button on each headset (one to activate the voice assistant for a paired phone and the other to control playback) and have built-in microphones for making calls. They come with a carrying case and charging base and can be controlled with the Bose Music app.

Bose is launching only Sport Open headphones in the US for now, where they are available in black and retail for $ 199.95. Pre-orders start today and the headphones will be available from mid-January.