The Best Open Earbuds You Can Buy Aren't Actually Earbuds at All

Gizmodo

8 hours ago

Back in my day, the name of the game when it came to wireless audio was noise cancellation. That's to say, how much noise can your wireless earbuds possibly block? And sure, active noise-cancellation (ANC) wireless earbuds are probably never going to fall out of vogue entirely, but in recent years, audio companies have recognized that it is, in fact, nice to sometimes be aware of your surroundings. Thus, a market for open earbuds was created.
If you're not familiar with 'open earbuds,' as they've been marketed, they're a category of wireless earbuds that—instead of focusing on noise cancellation—actually allow ambient audio to bleed into your Bluetooth audio by design. Why in God's name would you ever want that, you ask? For lots of reasons, actually. Say you're biking, for example. On one hand, biking and listening to music is great, but on the other, so is hearing a runaway 18-wheeler barreling in your direction. The same can be said for exercising on foot—being able to hear traffic and pedestrians isn't just a perk; it could be potentially life-saving, and ANC earbuds don't exactly allow you to do that. And then there are less morbid perks like comfort.
As great as being able to cancel out the screaming baby on an airplane is, sometimes shoving earbuds in your earholes isn't the most comfortable arrangement for extended use. Open earbuds don't have that problem. Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds, for example, are more like a piece of jewelry, with a clip-like design that tucks a speaker behind your ear so that your ear passage remains unblocked. If you're like me, you're probably skeptical that they could sound even remotely good, but I've tried them, and I'm here to tell you that not only are they comfy, but they also sound kind of ridiculously good.
But what if I told you that—as useful and surprisingly functional as open earbuds are—there's actually a third category of open audio device that I think is even better, and they do a lot more than just play audio? This device is actually the best pair of open earbuds you can buy, and they're not even earbuds at all.
Yes, I'm talking (once again) about smart glasses.
I've extolled smart glasses a million times over at this point, but maybe one of the most underrated reasons why I actually like them in their current form is that they function incredibly well as an audio product. I personally use a pair of Meta Ray-Bans almost every day, and while they're not a solution I opt for 100% of the time, they're the first ones I grab when I need to actually hear my surroundings. Anyone that I ever convince to listen to Meta's Ray-Bans is immediately surprised by the quality of audio that they put out. Sure, you're not going to want to wear them when you're listening to a podcast on a crowded subway, but if you're in a non-Armageddon-like noise situation, they work a lot better than you'd think. And with Spotify integration, when Meta's onboard audio assistant actually hears my commands and understands them, they're fairly functional, too.
And it's not just music; there's arguably a better use for smart glasses as an open-ear audio product, and it's voice calls. I use my Meta Ray-Bans so much for calls that going back to talking into wireless earbuds (even open-ear ones) feels like a major downgrade. Meta's Ray-Bans, in my experience, beat out most of the open-ear competition when it comes to calling, not just because the audio you're receiving sounds good, but because the microphones kind of kick the shit out of earbuds I've used.
As much as I love Bose's Ultra Open Earbuds for their sound quality, the microphone on those things is weak at best. Nothing's Ear Open, which I've also used extensively, is a little better, but not exactly great. Meta's Ray-Bans, however, combine the best of both worlds. People who I've called often report that I sound better than usual when I'm taking calls, and the same goes for their voice on my end. Also, being able to walk around and feel completely unencumbered when I'm taking calls is a perk that I didn't know I needed.
But that's just the audio side of things. Smart glasses, as you may already know, are capable of a lot more than just playing music or taking calls. If you pivot away from open earbuds, you could wind up with a gadget that takes pictures and records video as well. Yes, Meta's Ray-Bans have AI built in, but having used (or tried to use) Meta AI often, I can't, with a clean conscience, recommend anyone buy these glasses for AI capabilities. In short, Meta AI is shaky at best when it's not just downright insubordinate or wrong about stuff. With that caveat out of the way, though, you are getting more than just an audio product in smart glasses, and I've got the pics to prove it.
Obviously smart glasses aren't great in every situation. Right now, my biggest complaint about the Meta Ray-Bans that I own is that they're tinted, which makes using them indoors (especially in my dark-ass New York apartment) less than ideal. Earbuds obviously don't have that problem, so point for earbuds here. That could change in the future, though, since an increasing number of smart glasses are incorporating electrochromic lenses that allow you to adjust the tint of your glasses just by pressing a button.
But mostly, I just see smart glasses as a better value, especially if you're considering high-end open earbuds like the aforementioned offering from Bose. Those usually retail for $299, which is the same price as a pair of Ray-Bans from Meta. And yes, the audio quality on Bose's earbuds is better than Meta's Ray-Bans, but you're still getting so much more for the money: a camera, audio, and a pair of sunglasses all in one.
I know smart glasses aren't exactly the groundbreaking future product we all want them to be right now, but they are—if you can get past the fact they still have a lot of room to grow—solid for some things that we do in the here and now. And one of those things is listening to stuff. So, if you're in the market for a pair of earbuds that you can wear while you're exercising or on a bike, or ones that simply don't plug your ears up, you may want to buy the best open-ear earbuds of all: smart glasses.