I swapped my Bose Ultra Open for these $80 open earbuds — here's what happened
Open headphones have become my go-to option for runs and other workouts, offering a good balance between the sound quality you get from in-ear buds and the awareness you get from the best bone conduction headphones.
My favorite running headphones are the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which offer the best sound quality I've come across from open buds, and a comfortable, secure clip-on fit.
No-one would say the Bose buds are cheap, however, so I was keen to see how the Nank Ultra open headphones compared, given they cost less than half the price.
I tried the Nank Ultra clip-on headphones for a few weeks of workouts and general use and found they have a great fit and good sound quality for the price. They're a solid, affordable option for those who want open workout headphones in particular.
Although the Nank Ultra open headphones have an MSRP of $129.99 / £97.31 they seem to always be reduced on the Nank website to $79.99 / £59.88, which puts them amongst the cheapest open headphones I've tested.
The Nank Ultra buds are lightweight buds you clip on the middle of your ear so that a speaker rests near the ear canal without blocking it.
There is only one color available — shiny grey. The buds don't look bad, but a strength of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds in particular is the range of 10 colors to pick from. Given that clip-on buds resemble jewelry, a wider range of styles is always going to be better.
A flexible band between the two pods on the headphones allows them to stretch and accommodate most ear types, and the fit was secure for me for a variety of workouts, including runs, bike rides and strength sessions.
The buds also didn't place too much pressure on my ear, so they were comfortable to wear for several hours at a time.
With an IPX5 rating the Nank Ultra buds are not fully waterproof, but will withstand sweat and rain during workouts, and I did several runs in wet conditions while wearing them.
There are touch panel controls on each bud on the section that sits behind your ear. You can't customize these and I found that the controls were hard to use during workouts in particular, as some functions require you to hit the panel several times in a row. A button would be a lot simpler to use.
For the most part I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality of the Nank Ultra headphones. The sound is not only clear and crisp in the upper ranges, but there's a good level of bass too, especially for open headphones.
On busier tracks I noticed that the lower end did sound a little compressed at higher volumes, and I lost a lot of the drums when listening to Hole's "Celebrity Skin", for example, but for the price I don't have substantial complaints about sound quality.
You don't get the noise cancellation of in-ear buds of course, and I found that the Nank buds can be drowned out when using them on trains or running by busy roads, but the volume is loud enough for most scenarios including when using the buds in a half marathon race with loud crowds on the sidelines.
I also confirmed with those around me that they don't leak much sound even when playing music at high volumes.
The call quality isn't great, however. Even in quiet environments I found that other people's voices sounded tinny and a little crackly, and they reported the same for my voice.
Given the relatively small case and buds, the listed battery life of the Nank Ultra headphones is impressive at eight hours on the buds and 40 in total with the case. The case is charged via a USB-C cable.
The buds lived up to their claimed battery life during my testing, and they outlast the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which offer 27 hours of battery in total.
The Nank Ultra offer better sound quality than you'd expect for their price, and a comfortable and reliable fit for workouts.
They aren't as good as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, but cost far less, and are also cheaper than most earhook open buds I've tested like the Shokz OpenFit 2.
I could see them being a good purchase for people who want open buds to use on occasion, such as when running outside or in an office where they want to hear others, but mainly use more expensive in-ear buds when travelling or when they want superior sound quality.
In this situation spending hundreds of dollars on the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds doesn't make a whole load of sense, and the Nank Ultra are much more affordable.
If you're going to use open headphones are your main buds all the time, however, spending the extra on more impressive-sounding buds might be worth it.
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That newfound focus let soundstage and spatial imaging slip to the wayside, making them feel slightly more restricted as a result. They also retain Sony's rather bassy low-end, which many really enjoy. Alas, it also has a habit of overpowering the mids and the highs. The XM6 sound good, don't get me wrong, but they're just not quite as impressive when you put them up against the AirPods Max. The AirPods Max have much better sound than the Sony WH-1000XM6. The soundstage is much wider, for one, which makes your music sound more open and airy. The bass is less overpowering, with great control and restraint on display than the Sony headphones. The overall soundscape is far more neutral and pleasant to listen to: All genres sound really good, and you're not going to miss any of the extra bass of the WH-1000XM6 when you hear just how good your music can sound out of the AirPods. They're also better at spatial audio. Sony's are good, but Apple's head tracking is more accurate and natural. I much prefer listening to spatial audio with the AirPods Max, although my final preference is still to leave it turned off. There are better out there for sound than both – the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3, for example — but the AirPods take the sound cake. Sony is always good at filling its headphones with loads of features, and the XM6 are no different. First of all, there's the Sony Music app, which is a very useful way of accessing the headphones' features. There are some settings and sliders hidden away in submenus, which is annoying, but you'll soon get a handle on where everything is. Inside the app is where you'll find the features. The noise-canceling modes dominate the first page of the app. There are levels you can set the ANC, beyond simply 'on' and 'off'. I don't really get it — I like my ANC all the way up whenever I want the outside blocked out. You can also select transparency mode here. Then there's the EQ, which is very robust. There are 10 bands you can adjust you can really dial in the sound of your headphones. There's a form of spatial audio on board as well, although it only works with Amazon Music Unlimited. I also don't like it, so I leave it turned off. The AirPods Max aren't quite so fully featured. They do have several noise-canceling modes to choose from, although again, I leave them on max. There's also Apple's Spatial Audio on board, which is much better than Sony's thanks to accurate head tracking. There's little in the way of sound customization, however, which is a shame. Thankfully, they sound fine without it. Things look up again for Apple with its ecosystem integration. Using any pair of AirPods if you have a selection of Apple devices is magical, and the AirPods Max continue that legacy. They connect incredibly easily, and can then switch between your iPhone, MacBook and iPad whenever needed. But that's only for Apple users. For everyone else, the Sony headphones have the superior feature set. The ANC of the Sony headphones is better than the AirPods Max in the long run, although their focuses are different from one another. Sony wants to make your commute more tolerable, blocking out the sounds of bus and train engines. Offices and libraries are silenced — but jet engines remain a small issue. That's what the AirPods are for — your business class seat on a cross-continent flight where the engine is just outside your window. They might not be quite as good in normal day-to-day use like the Sony WH-1000XM6, but they're perfect for the frequent flier or long-distance train traveler. Transparency modes in both are very good, and sound natural when you're ordering your McDonald's breakfast. Like me. The Sony XM6 are going to last you longer than the AirPods Max, without a shadow of a doubt. There are 30 hours of battery on tap here when you've got the ANC turned on, which rises to 40 hours when you turn it off. That's perfectly fine for battery life, although there are some that are better. The AirPods Max, on the other hand, do not have good battery life. They only last for 20 hours on a single charge. You'll be searching for a charger after a couple of days' use with the AirPods I found, which is less than ideal. After my period of comparative testing, I can say that the Sony WH-1000XM6 are the better pair of headphones. They last for much longer when it comes to battery life, and they've got more useful ANC along the way. They're not quite enough to take the top spot on our list of the best headphones anymore, but they're still an excellent set of cans. The AirPods Max have their charm, however. They sound much better, and they feel far more premium than the plastic Sony headphones. If you're an Apple user, they'll mesh with the rest of your devices super well too. I like the AirPods Max more — they've got more personality — but the WH-1000XM6 are the better pair of headphones. Yet still, there are alternatives I'd buy instead of either. Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3 sound better and are more comfortable than both, while boasting a build that's similar to the AirPods Max. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Sony WH-1000XM6 AirPods Max Price and value (5) 3 2 Design (15) 13 13 Controls (10) 7 7 Sound quality (25) 22 24 Active noise cancelation (20) 15 15 Call quality (10) 9 9 Connectivity (5) 5 5 Battery life (10) 8 3 Total Score (100) 82 78
