Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) Review: The King of Clip-Ons Is Re-Crowned

When I first tried the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds in 2024, it was a minor revelation. Clip-style open earbuds were just coming onto the scene in the U.S., and this was the first pair I had ever wrapped around my ears. They were a strange form factor but comfortable, surprisingly nice to listen to, and, thanks to the ability to hear my surroundings, I didn’t feel like I was totally rolling the dice wearing them on bike rides.

Bose didn’t invent clip-style wireless earbuds (that distinction goes to Huawei ), but it was the first to set the standard for how they should feel and sound for me, personally.

That was two years ago, though, and things change quickly in consumer tech. Since the Ultra Open Earbuds arrived, there have been tons of new clip-style earbuds from the likes of Shokz , Sony , CMF , and even Samsung . With those entrants, there’s been some strong competition—strong enough to knock Bose’s clip-ons off the top of my open-earbud pedestal.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) sound better than the original and have higher volume. The refined fit also feels more stable.

What I like most about the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) is that Bose seems to have identified what people really wanted in a second generation, and then it just gave them that. The first thing that struck me was the sound.

While the first generation of Ultra Open Earbuds sounded pretty good, the second generation sounds legitimately great. Even without spatial audio, I get a lot more nuance across the frequency range, including bass, a frequency that can be hard for open wireless earbuds to muster. Listening to my typical test tracks like “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” by Steely Dan, I got a good spread across the frequency range. Vocals were present and bright; keys were right in the middle of the mix; rhythm guitars were audible and not overpowered. Bass, as I mentioned, was good. It wasn’t anywhere near what you’d get on a pair of in-ear wireless earbuds or over-the-ear headphones, but for a pair of clip-on wireless earbuds, I can’t complain.

Overall, there’s just more richness to the second generation of the Ultra Open Earbuds, and that extends to my other test songs like “Da Funk” from Daft Punk. Where the first generation might have struggled to translate the driving bass, the second generation did a decent job of making sure it was in the mix and not overpowered by the gritty lead synths and sampled midrange pops that punctuate the song.

Arguably just as important as the sound, though, is the fact that the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) get a great deal louder than their predecessor. Volume might not matter much for wireless earbuds with tips and wireless headphones, both of which usually have more than enough output for most people’s ears, but open wireless earbuds are different. Clip-ons are inherently competing with the sound around you, so it’s critical that they can get loud enough for situations where you need to overpower ambient noise.

Though I really liked Bose’s first-gen Ultra Open Earbuds, loudness wasn’t their strong suit.