Open Earbuds explained: why they’re WORTH IT + my top picks from JBL, Shokz, and more

TechRadar

I love open earbuds, and I firmly believe everyone should own a pair of them: here's my reasons why, and my advice on what pair to get.

Transcript

00:00I love open earbuds and as I said recently on our podcast, I firmly believe everyone

00:08should own a pair of them. Here's my reasons why and my advice on what pair to get.

00:13Open earbuds are like a cross between in earbuds and on ear headphones. They generally take on a

00:21more compact form with a charging case that can slip even into smaller pockets, but rather than

00:26sitting inside your ear they rest over the top, blasting music into your head with typically

00:31bigger directional speakers than can fit inside of an in-earbud. For me, this is ideal. I get

00:37the benefits of a smaller system that I can easily forget I'm wearing because they're

00:41so light, but also take advantage of the larger driver which typically generates more impactful

00:47and fuller sound than small ones. The other, perhaps most important factor of open earbuds

00:52is with the earbuds sitting over your ear rather than inside it or fully covering it like

00:57a pair of over-ear noise cancelling headphones, this means you can still stay completely audibly

01:03aware of the world around you. Though I will admit there are some issues with open earbuds.

01:08For a start, the passive listening can be a tad annoying. While I don't mind using them

01:13at the gym, for example, our fitness editor Matt Evans said on the same podcast where I

01:18sung the praises of open earbuds, that the mixture of gym noise, the public music and his own

01:23playlist can all jumble together into a discordant concoction of audio that isn't conductive

01:29to a good workout for him. They can also leak audio at louder volumes, though I've found

01:33this isn't too bad with most of the latest models, especially at more moderate volume levels.

01:38So now the big question is, which ones should you get?

01:41Well, I'm going to take you through a few different design options for open earbuds,

01:49discussing their unique advantages and disadvantages so you can decide which pair will be best for

01:54your needs. The most standard model looks something like these JBL Soundgear Senses that have been

01:59my daily driver for a couple of years now, and the shape is shared with the likes of the Shox

02:04OpenFit 2 Plus and Huawei FreeArc, which sits among our picks for the best open earbuds out there.

02:10The standard over-ear hook places the directional speaker right over your ear canal, which helps

02:16to maximise audio performance while minimising audio leakage. A win-win!

02:21These open earbuds can also be a little larger than some of their differently designed rivals,

02:25which again typically means that bigger driver which leads to a fuller sound, with better control

02:31and oomph applied to bass tones, while still providing solid mid-range and higher notes.

02:36Because these buds hook over your ear, they're also very stable and comfortable too.

02:40I frequently forget I'm wearing my JBLs, especially when they're paused, and models

02:45with spongy rubber hooks are even comfier. And I've never had an issue with them falling

02:49or moving while I run or when I hit the gym. They stay by my side the whole time with the

02:54soundtrack that I need to power through my workouts. Though as a glasses wearer, these hooks can

02:59compete with the arms of my frames for my behind-ear real estate. In fairness, it's not normally

03:05a problem for me, but if you're concerned it could be an issue for you, then there's

03:08a newish kid on the block. Clip open earbuds like the Shox Open Dots 1s.

03:13I've been testing these for the past few weeks and have fallen in love with them. I'm considering

03:20even ditching my JBLs for them on a comfort level. Though, you can also find good alternatives

03:25on our buying guide in the form of the Bose Ultra Opens or the Anker Soundcore Aero Clips.

03:32These clips also sit in an ideal position when worn correctly, they sit at the base of your

03:36ear and fit surprisingly securely. Just like my hooked open earbuds, I've yet to have one

03:41of these clips fall off in close to a month of testing them. Though, the obvious advantage

03:46is that unlike the over-ear hook, this clip-on design doesn't get in the way of my glasses.

03:51However, there is a design trade-off here that's more to do with fashion. They look a lot more

03:55like jewelry than an audio accessory, and so that can look a little odd to some people.

04:00I've also found some clip-ons can struggle with audio performance because they tend to

04:05boast smaller drivers because if they were too big, they might be at risk of falling out

04:09or not sitting in your ear correctly.

04:14Now, if you're after something a bit more functional, especially if you're an athlete who loves to swim,

04:19a waterproof bone conduction design like these Open Swim Pros from Shox could be what's ideal for you.

04:25Bone conduction headphones sit in front of your ear, again freeing you up to hear the real world around

04:31you. And because your ear is completely uncovered, they're an even better pick for people who want

04:36to stay aware of their surroundings. And that's why some official marathons allow runners to wear some

04:41bone conduction designs when they would usually ban earbuds or headphones. Though the most common

04:46critique of them is the audio quality can actually take a hit unless you plug your ears.

04:51That kind of defeats the point of staying aware of what's going on around you.

04:55At the same time, this makes them ideal for swimming headphones. The bone conduction design

05:00tends to be much more enclosed than a typical pair of open earbuds, or any other pair of earbuds or

05:06headphones for that matter. And your ear is actually plugged by the water, helping to boost the

05:11audio while you swim. So for athletes, these sorts of waterproof bone conduction headphones could be

05:17exactly what you're looking for, rather than some of the other designs I've showed off so far.

05:24On that note, however, a new variation has entered the ring in the form of smart glasses.

05:29These Oakley glasses are well tuned to athletes, though the Oakley Vanguard smart glasses look set to

05:34take the cake in this emerging category, thanks to their Garmin integrations and swappable lenses.

05:39Though you can also find more fashionable designs from the likes of Ray-Ban,

05:43and Android XR should introduce a slew of new smart glasses from other fashion brands like

05:49Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, just to name a couple. You'll also get easy access to a camera

05:53for first person shots, and also an AI assistant that can aid you with a broad range of tasks,

05:59like giving you directions to where you're trying to get to, identifying landmarks and wildlife,

06:03or answering the questions that just pop into your head while you're out and about.

06:06The audio can be a lot more leaky, however, as the speakers sit near your ear rather than over

06:12the top, and the overall quality isn't always as great as dedicated headphones. Think of smart

06:16glasses as a jack of all trades, but a master of none. They are very handy, however, and throughout

06:21the summer I wore my Transition Ray-Ban so much, and did really enjoy the suite of benefits they

06:27provided, including open-air audio, even if they weren't quite perfect at any one individual task.

06:33Now you can find links to all of the products I've mentioned in the description down below,

06:37if you're interested in checking them out further, and while you're down there, be sure to share with

06:42us in the comments which open earbuds you love, or maybe tell me why you hate them if you completely

06:48disagree with everything I've said today. Otherwise, we'll see you with more tech buying advice in the next video.

07:03you

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