Tough Competition! Bose Ultra Open Earbuds 2nd Gen & Sport Open

THE SCORECARD

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen)

• Comfort

  9.5/10

  The looser clamp feels lighter on my ears than the first generation.

• Security of the fit

  9/10

  They stay secure during exercise, although the matte plastic back slides around more easily than the first generation’s silicone.

• IP rating

  The IPX4 rating offers water resistance but no dust-resistance rating.

• Case and battery life

  8.75/10

  I get 9 hours from the earbuds and 28 and a half hours total, with wireless case charging.

• Controls

  9.25/10

  The button controls cover playback and volume, but there is no wearing detection.

• Connectivity

  9.5/10

  They support aptX Adaptive and lossless alongside Google Fast Pair.

• Call quality

  7.5/10

  Calls have improved over the first generation, especially in my simulated windy-city test.

• App, customization and extra features

  8/10

  The app offers a three-band EQ and Bose immersive audio, though the EQ limits how precisely I can adjust the bass.

• How these buds sound below 60% volume

  9.5/10

  The bass and vocals sound rich, although the mid-bass can be boomy and the treble harsh.

• Sound quality above 60% volume

  9.5/10

  They retain a good amount of bass, and the first generation’s high-volume fluctuation is gone.

THE SCORECARD

Bose Sport Open Earbuds

• Comfort

  9/10

  The classic clip-on design has a balanced clamp and feels fairly light.

• Security of the fit

  9/10

  They remain secure during exercise, with grippy silicone on the back of each earbud.

• IP rating

  The IP54 rating adds dust resistance as well as water resistance.

• Case and battery life

  7.75/10

  I get 7 hours from the earbuds and 29 hours total, but no wireless case charging.

• Controls

  9.25/10

  They have the same useful button-control setup as the Ultra Open 2, without wearing detection.

• Connectivity

  8.5/10

  They support SBC and AAC rather than the Ultra Open 2’s aptX options.

• Call quality

  8/10

  To my ears, they sounded a bit better than the Ultra Open 2 in the call tests.

• App, customization and extra features

  8/10

  The app includes a three-band EQ, but these earbuds do not get Bose immersive audio.

• How these buds sound below 60% volume

  9.25/10

  The bass is slightly punchier than the Ultra Open 2’s, but less full overall.

• Sound quality above 60% volume

  8.75/10

  Clarity holds up, but a decent amount of bass disappears as the volume rises.

Are the Bose Ultra Open 2 and Sport Open comfortable and secure?

Both feel light, and I scored both a 9 for security. The Ultra Open 2’s looser clamp makes it more comfortable than the first generation for me, but Bose replaced the silicone on the back with matte plastic. It slides around more easily. The Sport Open keeps that grippy silicone, although its clamp is also quite light. I’d trust either pair to stay on during exercise, even when sweaty.

I rated both good for briefly lying on my side. The Ultra Open 2 does not stick too far out; the Sport Open’s bridge does, but it can still be comfortable in the right position. I cannot sleep a full night with either pair, so this is not an overnight sleep recommendation.

What does the Sport Open actually add for exercise?

Its clearest sport-specific advantage is the IP54 dust and water resistance. The Ultra Open 2 is rated IPX4, with no dust-resistance rating. At these prices, I would have liked at least IP57. Beyond that rating, I do not think the Sport Open brings enough sport-specific features.

How do battery life, controls and connectivity compare?

The Ultra Open 2 lasts 9 hours in the earbuds and 28 and a half hours with the case; the Sport Open lasts 7 hours and 29 hours total. Both offer 2 hours of playback from a 10-minute charge, but only the Ultra Open 2 case charges wirelessly. Both cases are still quite pocketable.

I like the button controls on both. They handle single, double and triple presses, a long hold, and a double press and hold for volume. I would like audible feedback while changing volume, and wearing detection should really be on the Ultra Open 2 at this price.

The Ultra Open 2 supports aptX Adaptive and lossless; the Sport Open uses SBC and AAC. Both have Google Fast Pair, Google Find My Hub and multipoint, although switching playback between connected devices requires pausing one before playing the other.

Which Bose open earbuds sound better?

The Ultra Open 2 wins for me, especially with instrumentation and vocals. It has more bass than the first generation and a particularly rich presentation. The trade-off is slightly bloated mid-bass and treble that can sound harsh. On some bass-heavy tracks I heard very slight distortion; dialing down bass and treble in the three-band EQ cleared up the distortion and improved the balance, though I could not completely remove the boom.

The Sport Open has slightly punchier bass and more direct treble, but the Ultra Open 2 has fuller bass and richer, clearer vocals. Above 60% volume, the gap grows: the Ultra Open 2 holds on to much of its bass, while the Sport Open loses a decent amount, particularly from 80% upward. I measured both at 113 decibels maximum. Like other clip-on earbuds I have volume-matched, they also leak some sound; someone nearby in a quiet room may hear it from around 60% volume.

Neither beats the Shokz OpenDots 2 in my overall ranking. Its bass sounds punchier and more refined, particularly for electronic music, while the Ultra Open 2 has a slight edge for instrumentation and vocals.

Which pair is better for calls and app features?

Both improved on the original Ultra Open in my call tests, most noticeably in the simulated windy-city conditions. The Sport Open sounded a bit better to me overall, earning an 8 against the Ultra Open 2’s 7.5.

Bose’s app is fairly basic on both. You get a three-band EQ and connected-device controls. The Ultra Open 2 alone gets Bose immersive audio with head tracking, which gives me a decent sense of sound coming from in front without too much strange reverb. Its effect sounds very similar to the first generation’s.