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You’ll forget you even have headphones on.

James is a New Jersey native, Syracuse alum and Art Director in Manhattan.

At times, wearing headphones feels like a trade-off. Either you enjoy your music, or you stay aware of what’s happening around you. I wanted to find a solution that allowed me to do both.

Traditional earbuds like Apple AirPods Pro, Beats Fit Pro, or even Sony WF‑1000XM5’s model seal off your ears. The sound quality is great, but they also block out things you actually need to hear: traffic, cyclists, dogs, and the occasional runner shouting “on your left!”

That’s why I was curious about Bose Ultra open earbuds, the viral headphones designed to sit outside your ear rather than inside it. Using them daily for over six months, there’s more times than not where I’ve actually forgotten that they’re hooked on my ears. After testing them on runs, walks, and daily errands, I realized they solve a problem most earbuds create.

Instead of sealing into your ear like most earbuds, Bose’s open-ear design clips gently onto the outside of your ear. The speakers aim sound toward your ear without blocking outside noise. That means you can hear music while still picking up real-world sounds, like a car approaching, someone calling your name, or the rhythm of your own footsteps.

For outdoor workouts, that awareness is a huge advantage. Running with noise-isolating earbuds always felt slightly risky. Especially while running on trails through the woods. With these, it feels more like listening to music through a small personal speaker that only you can hear.

Anyone who’s worn earbuds for long stretches knows the feeling: eventually your ears start to ache.

Typical models push silicone tips into the ear canal, which can cause pressure over time, especially during longer runs or workouts.

Because the Bose headphones don’t go inside your ear, they avoid that pressure entirely. I wore them for hours without the typical ear fatigue. They also stay surprisingly secure. Even during faster runs, they didn’t slip or bounce.

In my experience, other open-ear headphones often sacrifice sound quality because they’re competing with ambient noise, but Bose does a surprisingly good job directing the audio. The sound isn’t quite as immersive as noise-isolating earbuds, but it’s far better than other alternatives I’ve tested in the past.

Podcasts and calls sound crisp, and music still has enough depth to feel engaging during workouts. While they may sound softer in loud situations, they still deliver quality audio.

If you’re on a plane, commuting on a loud train, or trying to block out background noise, noise-canceling earbuds like AirPods Pro will always provide a more immersive listening experience because it zones you out from your surroundings. In those louder places like on the subway, putting your music at full volume might not be as loud as you’re used to, which honestly hasn’t been a problem for me.

Since using them, I haven’t switched back to in-ear headphones — not because they replace them, but because they solve a problem most headphones create in the first place.

“As a previous AirPods user, I will say this is different but I love it. I am a mom and need to be able to hear my surroundings and children while also being able to listen to voice notes, audiobooks, videos during nap time etc. These are light weight on my ears and sometimes I forget I am waring them. I haven’t had any battery issues wearing them most of the day. The sound quality is so impressive especially since they hover outside of your ears. I am so glad I purchased these. They easily connect to my iPhone and I love that they charge on all my existing USB C chargers.” —Nicole Corcoran

“I suffered from an ear infection for most of last year due to overusing my noise cancellation earbuds so I was interested in trying these.I suffered from an ear infection for most of last year due to overusing my noise cancellation earbuds so I was interested in trying these. I love the how the chrome part almost makes the earbuds look like jewelry! Got them on sale and am so happy with my purchase! I use almost every day and they come in handy at work. Battery life is good, fit is good. Have dropped a handful of times and no issues with durability. Noise clarity is great of course gotta be mindful of outside noise due to these not being sound cancelling.” —Kayla

“I have severe ear eczema which makes it extremely uncomfortable to wear anything that sits in my ear canal like traditional earbuds or AirPods. These are literally a life changing solution! They’re also very lightweight and pretty much feel like wearing earrings. I could absolutely wear them for 12+ hr with no issues. I can’t recommend them enough, and I talk about them every time I get the chance. I also really love that they’re not fully noise cancelling because I can still be aware of my surroundings. I use them mostly in the office, but they’re also great for walks because they provide peace of mind as a woman. I would purchase them again and again!” —Abby Gast

“If you wear hearing aids as I do, these are the earbuds for you. Since they don’t enter the ear canal, you can use them while wearing your hearing aids. The sound quality is MUCH better than the sound I get using the Bluetooth feature of my hearing aids and yet, I can hear everything around me perfectly because I can wear these and my hearing aids at the same time. Highly recommended, especially if you wear hearing aids.” —George Bausewein