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If You Hate How Earbuds Feel, Try Open-Ear Headphones - The New York Times

要約

重要ポイント

流れのまとめ

ニューヨーク・タイムズの記事では、従来のワイヤレスイヤホンの耳孔内挿入に不満を持つユーザー向けに、オープンイヤー型や骨伝導型ヘッドホンの選択肢を紹介している。骨伝導モデルでは音波が頭蓋骨を介して内耳に届くが、低音域の再現に課題がある。しかし、Shokz OpenRun Pro 2はハイブリッド設計で低音を補強し、水泳用モデルH2O Audio Tri 2はIPX8の防水性と内部メモリ機能を備えている。装着スタイルも「耳にクリップ」「耳を括る」「頭を囲む」など多様で、用途に応じた選択が可能。ただし、すべてのモデルで従来のイヤホンほどの低音域の再現は難しいとされている。

この人物を追う上での意味

ワイヤレスイヤホンの使用に不快感を持つユーザーにとって、オープンイヤー型や骨伝導型ヘッドホンは新しい選択肢として注目される。特に、運動や水泳などのアクティブなシーンで使用する際には、防水性や装着の安定性が重要となる。ただし、低音域の制限や操作性の課題があるため、ユーザーのニーズに応じた製品の選定が求められる。記事では、性能と用途に応じた具体的なモデルの比較が行われており、今後の市場動向や技術革新に注目が集まる。

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Best open-ear headphones that clip on the ear Best open-ear headphones that hook over the ear Other open-ear headphones worth considering “I just … don’t like things in my ear holes,” a friend recently confessed to me. We’d been talking through their headphone search and the frustrations they had with standard earbud designs, which rest inside the ear canal. It appears that my friend isn’t alone, given the huge increase in the number of bone-conduction and other open-ear headphones that have become available. These designs offer the lightweight freedom of earbuds without producing that full, clogged-up feeling in your ears. We tested dozens of these headphones to find recommendations in a variety of wearing styles and suitable for a variety of tasks. Who this is for If you dislike the feeling of earbuds that sit inside the ear canal, bone-conduction and other open-ear headphones may be an alternative. If you dislike the feeling of earbuds that sit inside the ear canal, bone-conduction and other open-ear headphones may be an alternative. Multiple styles offered Some of these designs wrap around your head. Some hook over your ear. Some clip on your ear. We have recommendations in multiple styles. Some of these designs wrap around your head. Some hook over your ear. Some clip on your ear. We have recommendations in multiple styles. Not for bass lovers Traditional earbuds seal the ear canal to produce more bass. All open-ear designs struggle in this respect, but we looked for pairs that have some oomph. Traditional earbuds seal the ear canal to produce more bass. All open-ear designs struggle in this respect, but we looked for pairs that have some oomph. Water resistance For workouts, choose a set with an IPX4 (or higher) water-resistance rating. For swimming, opt for IPX7 or higher. For workouts, choose a set with an IPX4 (or higher) water-resistance rating. For swimming, opt for IPX7 or higher. Bone-conduction headphones send sound waves through your skull directly to your inner ear, skipping the eardrum entirely . The “speakers” sit on your cheekbones, in front of your ears, and the vibrations travel through skin and bone like they would the string of a tin-can telephone. This comfortable set leaves your ears uncovered and produces more bass and less vibration than other bone-conduction pairs. The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones combine the open-ear benefits of bone-conduction technology with standard speaker drivers, which allow it to produce more bass than other bone-conduction models I’ve tested. The OpenRun Pro 2’s flexible headband wraps around your head and hooks over your ears, positioning the speaker units just in front of your ears, so no part of the ear is covered. Shokz’s hybrid design provides the low notes that bone conduction on its own cannot. Because bone conduction is vibration-based, the technology has difficulty producing bass notes without also creating a buzzing sensation against your face. In this pair, bone conduction handles the higher frequencies, while traditional mini drivers direct bass notes toward your ears. This design reduces the cheek-tickling vibrations and improves bass performance in comparison with other bone-conduction headphones. The lightweight design is available in two sizes. Because this pair relies on contact with your skull to transmit sound waves to your inner ear, it’s important that that headband fits securely. People with small to medium hat sizes (7½ or smaller) may prefer the Mini size , while those with sizes 7¾ and up may prefer the Standard size . Both pairs are flexible enough to accommodate a range of head sizes and shapes without pain or pinching, even for people who wear glasses. The physical buttons are easy to find by feel, and they provide controls for volume, track forward and reverse, call answering, and voice-assistant activation. In our tests phone calls sounded clear, even in breezy conditions. The IP55 water- and dust-resistance rating means you can use these headphones outdoors or for workouts. Just be sure to allow the pair to dry thoroughly before plugging it in to charge via the USB-C cable, as well as to wipe off any debris with a damp towel before storing the set. The quick-charge function provides approximately 2.5 hours of playback after the set spends five minutes plugged in. When fully charged, the battery should last around 12 hours, depending on the volume at which you listen and the number of calls you take. Shokz’s two-year warranty will have your back should anything go awry. Though the bass is better than that of other, similar designs, this set can’t break the laws of physics. The OpenRun Pro 2 pair produces more bass than other bone-conduction headphones, but the experience is like drinking lemon LaCroix versus drinking water with a squeeze of lemon juice: One gives you the sense that something should be there but really isn’t, while the other at least provides a little more flavor but not the intensity of lemonade. In other words, none of the unsealed designs in this guide can compete with sealed earbuds in bass performance. Additionally, because this pair uses physical drivers for the bass, if you turn the volume up to the absolute max, you may hear some distortion on bass-forward songs. We didn’t feel the need to go up that loud (plus, it’s not great for your hearing), so we don’t think it’s likely to be an issue for most people. This set is water-resistant but not waterproof. Other pairs of Shokz headphones have higher IP ratings. If you want a fully waterproof pair, we like the original OpenRun and OpenRun Mini , but those sets have less bass response and use a proprietary charging cable, which can be inconvenient if your set is low on power and you don’t have your charger handy. Also, because Bluetooth doesn’t work underwater, you should choose our swim pick below if you want to listen to tunes while swimming laps. This set has decent sound quality and thoughtful features for swimmers, including built-in memory to store MP3s. But bass is lacking in comparison with our other bone-conduction pick. Swimmers’ needs are different from those of people in other sports, and the H2O Audio Tri 2 was clearly made by people who understand the unique challenges of aquatics. This bone-conduction set solves problems ignored by other swimming-focused headphones I’ve tested, and it has built-in memory to store MP3 files. Since Bluetooth doesn’t work underwater, you can’t stream audio from your phone while you swim, but you can resume Bluetooth streaming once you’re back on land. This set stays in place even if you wear goggles and a swim cap. Like the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, the H2O Audio Tri 2 has a flexible headband that wraps around your head and positions the speakers in front of your ears. The headband gently hooks over your ears and squeezes in place, providing minimal drag and allowing for flip turns when you’re swimming laps. If you prefer a little extra security, you can connect the headphones to your goggles with the included tether. The control buttons are large, raised, and easy to use by feel, even with water-pruned fingertips. Many of the other swim-friendly sets I’ve tested have buttons that are too small to feel once you’ve been in the water a long time. With this set, I found it easy to make volume adjustments, skip tracks, and even switch playlists between laps. The Tri 2’s sound quality and battery life are solid. This bone-conduction set sends sound waves directly to your inner ear via vibration. However, the sound of water swooshing by and in your ears as you swim can make it more difficult to hear music at a reasonable volume. That’s why H2O Audio recommends that you use earplugs in addition to the Tri 2, and a set is included in the package. The overall sonic balance isn’t as good as that of the OpenRun Pro 2. This is a traditional bone-conduction pair, one that does not add mini drivers to improve the bass response, so we felt more tickling bass vibrations when listening at higher volumes. But the experience is fine for underwater use; we heard a decent amount of low-frequency sound and reasonable vocal clarity. When we played MP3s directly through the headphones’ internal memory, the battery life was around 6 hours. When streaming audio via Bluetooth, we got around 9 hours. The design feels robust, with fewer points that seem vulnerable to breakage. Chlorine and salt water can gradually wear down materials. Other bone-conduction designs we tested had thinner connection points where the headband met the earpieces, which can be weakened through exposure and repeated use; we’ve gotten reader feedback that these spots can wear down and snap. The Tri 2’s seams are placed at thicker points in the build, so the connection points flex less and are less susceptible to breaking. The included, hard-sided travel case can help prevent damage if you stow the headphones in your swim bag or backpack. The Tri 2 has an IPX8 rating, which indicates that it is waterproof in up to 12 feet of water for an unlimited time, and H2O Audio covers it with a one-year warranty. You can’t save songs from a streaming service (like Spotify or Apple Music) to the Tri 2’s internal storage. The need to load MP3 files onto the headphones is arguably one of the biggest downsides. These days, fewer people buy digital music files or have physical CDs and disc drives to rip their own. If this is a dealbreaker for you, we recommend a waterproof music player and headphone system that lets you save Amazon Music and Spotify tunes in our guide to workout headphones ; however, that set uses traditional in-ear headphones. The pricier Tri 2 Pro model has a feature called Playlist +, which works similarly to making mixtapes off the radio in the ’80s and ’90s: While you play music on your phone, the headphones record it and store a copy for playback later. The process is time-consuming and clunky, and if you’re using a streaming provider, it may run afoul of the terms of service. Spotify, for example, confirmed with us that using Playlist + would be a breach of the company’s conditions of use . The clip-on or “ear cuff” design is the smallest of the open-ear headphones we feature in this guide, providing a minimalist look that stays out of the way of glasses arms and tragus piercings while keeping your ear canal open. Each earbud clips onto your outer ear and directs sound toward your ear canal. This affordable pair gently clips to your outer ears and directs sound toward your ear canals. The form is small and light, but it’s not quite as secure as a hook-over-the-ear design. Use promo code ECLIPON1 (deal on silver gray) The EarFun Clip is the best pair of clip-on earbuds we’ve tested, with solid bass response, a complete array of touch controls, and the smallest charging case of any of the headphones in this guide. (EarFun recently released the Clip 2 , which offers small performance improvements and some new features, but we don’t think spending the extra $20 to $30 is worth it for most people. You can read more in the competition section .) The design hugs the outer ear without pinching or slipping. The EarFun Clip earbuds stay in place through a combination of friction and clever weight distribution, rather than just squeezing your outer ears tightly. This means they may need to sit a little higher or lower, depending on your ear shape. The best way to find the correct fit is to slip the earbuds onto your outer ears and experiment with placement until they feel stable. Then, play music and adjust the angle and placement of the earbuds until you get the best sound quality. When positioned correctly, the Clip pair is capable of producing excellent sound, especially if you take a moment to adjust it to your preferences using the EarFun app’s EQ settings. In our tests, although the Clip pair was capable of playing decently low notes with clarity, the bass wasn’t quite as robust as what we got from the larger, hook-over-the-ear designs we recommend below . An average of 10 hours of battery life per charge means you may not need to take the charging case with you. But if you do, the dental-floss-sized case is pocketable and provides an additional 30 hours of juice. This set’s IP55 dust- and water-resistance rating indicates that the earbuds are safe to use during outdoor activities and workouts. The Clip provides a full set of touch controls that you can customize in the app. You can access all of the controls — for volume, music playback, call answering, and digital-assistant activation — directly on the earbuds via single, double, and triple taps. As with all touch-control earbuds, getting used to launching specific commands may take some practice, and the controls can be fussy, especially if you try to tap them while in motion. The microphones do a good job of reducing background noise, but they can sound somewhat distant. You don’t need to yell to be heard, but compared with the crisp, voice-amplified sound of the Cleer Arc 3 earbuds , the volume here is lower, especially if you’re soft-spoken, and your caller may be able to tell that you’re talking through earbuds. The touch controls don’t provide feedback. We wish this set beeped or provided some haptic feedback to signal when your tap has registered, as that would make it easier to execute the correct number of taps for any given command. That said, the touch surface is larger than those of other ear-cuff sets we tested. And once you get accustomed to the cadence of taps, your misfire rate will decline. This design essentially places a small speaker in front of your ear canal, holding it in place with a flexible hook that rests over your ear. The design is bigger than that of clip-on earbuds, but the larger form allows more space for bigger batteries (longer battery life) and larger drivers (more bass). This waterproof set sounds great and stays securely in place. However, the case is large, and the touch controls can be finicky. The EarFun OpenJump earbuds provide a secure, comfortable fit and offer good performance, with better bass than smaller clip-on headphones can produce. But you may have to experiment with the earbuds’ positioning to get the best sound. The bass response is better than that of similarly priced competitors . As with clip-on headphones, with this pair the position of each earbud’s speaker can impact the sound quality. So if you don’t immediately like the sound, try sliding each earbud slightly closer or farther away from the ear canal and then playing with the EQ settings in EarFun’s app. In our tests, this pair was capable of reproducing low notes down to 50 Hz without requiring us to crank up the volume or causing distortion or vibration in the earbuds. Each earbud’s thin, lightweight hook holds it in place no matter what you’re doing. The hook is also flexible enough that you might forget you’re wearing the OpenJump pair, and you can wear this set with glasses and most ear piercings without a problem. Each earbud has a large, dime-sized touch control that’s easy to find by feel, even while you’re in motion. These touch panels give you access to the full suite of controls — including volume, music playback, and digital-assistant activation — through single, double, and triple taps. The microphone excels at reducing background and wind noise. Although taking calls in those conditions will make you sound compressed to callers, at least they won’t have to hear the sink running or get blasted with wind overloading the microphone. These earbuds have a long battery life and a waterproof design. The OpenJump set offers an average of 11 hours of battery life per charge, plus an additional 31 hours in the charging case, which features both wireless charging and quick-charge capabilities. The earbuds’ larger, hook-over-the-ear design requires that the case be larger too, but their battery life is long enough that you may not need to take the case with you every time you go out. The IPX7 waterproof rating indicates that you can go running in the rain or sweat a lot at the gym while wearing this pair, without negative consequences. Just be sure to wipe the earbuds dry before placing them back into the case. The touch controls don’t provide feedback. Like the EarFun Clip, this set doesn’t offer sonic or haptic feedback to indicate when a tap has registered on the touch controls. So getting the cadence of single, double, and triple taps to fire appropriately can take some practice, and you may experience misfires if you just happen to touch your ears. This pricey open-ear pair provides a comfortable fit, clear calls, and built-in hands-free control. But the smart charging case is quite large. If you want an open-ear design with many of the advanced features you get with traditional earbuds, the Cleer Arc 3 is your best bet. This feature-rich but pricey set boasts built-in voice control, noise-reducing microphones, and a smart charging case that lets you make adjustments to the headphones without your phone. The waterproof, hook-over-the-ear design is adjustable, lightweight, and comfortable enough to wear for work, workouts, or whatever else your day brings. Music sounds great, though with less bass than sealed earbuds produce. Of all the open-ear designs we tested, this set had the most balanced sound. Bass notes, while not as deep and full as you’d get from a good sealed design, sounded clear and audible, and they didn’t cause the earbuds to vibrate and tickle my face. If you don’t like the initial sound, you can use the Cleer app’s EQ presets and customization options to fine-tune it, or you can access those same settings directly on the smart case. The Arc 3 has an IPX7 waterproof rating, which means you can submerge these earbuds briefly in (fresh) water, and they’ll be fine. Just be sure to dry them off before placing them back in the case. Cleer also makes a more sport-oriented version of the Arc 3, the Cleer Arc 3 Sport Pro , which includes blood-oxygen and heart-rate monitoring, but we don’t think it’s worth the higher cost for most people, especially if you already use a smartwatch. The company has also released the Arc 5 , which we like — but we’re sticking with the Arc 3 as our pick for now. You can read more in the competition section . This pair has built-in voice control that works separately from your phone’s digital assistant. You can control music with voice commands or make calls with a simple nod or head shake. If your hands are occupied, it’s nice to have the option to use your voice or movement to activate basic controls such as play/pause, track skip/reverse, volume, and answer/end calls. Unlike your phone’s assistant, the Arc 3 doesn’t need to be connected to a network for those functions to work. You also don’t need to yell; in a reasonably quiet environment, you can speak in a low voice and still have your command register. The only bummer is that, unlike some earbuds with similar features , this set doesn’t allow you to activate your phone’s digital assistant hands-free. The microphones reduce background noise very well. Callers said that my voice sounded crisp and natural in a quiet room, and this pair also handled wind and traffic noise without sounding overly compressed or clipped. Touch controls are available, but unfortunately they lack volume adjustment. We wish this set had the full suite of controls available via its touch controls, but the option to use your voice to control volume makes that omission less of a dealbreaker. The case is smart but huge. The Arc 3’s case is about the size of a deck of cards, in part because of the earbuds’ large form but also because it boasts a touchscreen with various options for controlling music and sound. It’s nifty, but frankly I had an easier time adjusting such things in the Cleer app. I also found it vaguely annoying that the housing for the right earbud is on the left and vice versa. If you want an open-ear set that lets you tether the earbuds to reduce the chance of loss: The Baseus Eli Sport 1 pair has a secure, hook-over-the-ear style, and we like that it has the full complement of touch controls and an 18-month warranty. It also lights up for better visibility at night, and it includes a neckband that lets you hang your earbuds around your neck when you aren’t using them. However, due to this set’s larger design, the charging case is big — roughly the size of a bar of soap — and it lacks a way to hold the neckband. Plus, the IPX4 water resistance isn’t as robust as that of our picks in this guide. I hold a bachelor’s degree in both music performance and audio production from Ithaca College, and I’ve reviewed over 2,000 pairs of headphones for Wirecutter alone. I also spent several years in terrestrial radio before becoming a professional voice actor in Los Angeles, so I’ve been in and out of recording studios for a few decades. I’ve tested more than 450 pairs of true wireless earbuds to date. I engaged a listening panel of audio reviewers and bone-conduction headphone fans with a variety of head and ear shapes. Per Wirecutter’s standards, I don’t own stock or have any other financial interest in a company or industry that I cover or am likely to cover. Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards . As we chose which headphones to test for this guide, the key criterion was obvious: The design must keep a person’s ear canals open. We called in a variety of new bone-conduction, clip-on, and hook-over-the-ear designs and considered them against previous open-ear headphones we tested for our guide to the best wireless earbuds and our guide to the best running headphones . We put all of the headphones through the same gauntlet of fit, sound, water-resistance, Bluetooth-connectivity, and ease-of-use tests that we perform for all of our headphone reviews. No matter how much testing we do, we can’t possibly account for every ear shape and size (though we definitely try our best). Your anatomy and your level of tactile sensitivity may lend themselves to one design more than another. As a result, you may have to try a few pairs before you commit to one. Look for retailers that allow you to return or exchange, and save the packaging until you’ve had a chance to test out your new earbuds. If you don’t like the sound at first, check the fit. Because these designs often consist of little speakers aimed at your ear, the audio quality of open-ear headphones is more dependent on proper placement. Slide the cuff up and down a little, tilt the earbud forward and back, or angle the headband lower and higher until you find the sweet spot. After you’ve done that, look for EQ functionality in the companion app for fine-tuning the sound to your preferences; most of our picks offer such controls. We’ve tested more than 450 pairs of wireless earbuds over the years. Below are some popular open-ear designs we’ve tested that did not earn a spot on our list. If you don’t see a certain model you’re interested in, check out our guides to Bluetooth earbuds and running headphones . 1More Fit SE Open S20 : This clip-on set felt comfortable, lightweight, and secure in our tests, and it comes with a small, easily pocketable case. The touch controls are customizable, but you need to omit either track skip/reverse or volume. We found that the highs sounded harsh, and the low notes were notably quiet, even with the bass-booster function turned on. Unfortunately, there’s no custom EQ available to fine-tune the sound. That’s a pity, because the fit is fantastic. 1More S70 : Out of the box, this hook-over-the-ear pair had an off-putting, burnt-plastic smell that fortunately dissipated over time. This pair delivered only a small amount of bass and made male vocals sound unnatural. The fit was comfortable, but the performance wasn’t good enough to warrant the higher price. Beyerdynamic Verio 200 : Though this hook-over-the-ear pair produced decent sound after we did some EQ adjustment in the app, the highs were still a touch tinny. The microphone has a distant quality, and your caller will hear background and wind noise. Additionally, the earbud design is prone to jostling when you tap it to access the controls. Overall, these are small flaws, but the price of this pair makes them more meaningful. Bose Ultra Open Earbuds : The ear-cuff design of this unsealed pair was surprisingly comfortable, and the earbuds had more low-bass representation than many other unsealed earbuds, though they didn’t sound as good as our less-expensive picks. The microphone quality was especially disappointing: Even in a quiet room, voices sounded reedy and hissy on phone calls. Add any background noise, and the roaring, static-like cacophony that greets your caller is distracting — in the case of one tester, the effect was bad enough for their conversation partner to request a call back with a different device. If Bose could improve the microphones, we might consider recommending this pricey pair, but for $300 we expect a more well-rounded set of earbuds. Cleer Arc 4 and Arc 4 Plus : When a model number goes up, one generally expects to get a more advanced device. That’s not the case with the Arc 4 and 4 Plus, compared with our pick, the Arc 3 . These sets lack the hands-free voice and head-shake controls that set the Arc 3 apart, and they don’t come with the smart case. Both sets sound fine, but the Arc 4 has more pronounced highs that can be fatiguing to listen for prolonged periods of time. Cleer Arc 5 : This set sounds excellent, has two more hours of battery life than the Arc 3 , adds physical buttons, and comes with a notably smaller charging case. The Arc 5 also adds a few niceties like step counting, head-shake for track control, and the ability to use the case as a camera-shutter trigger and to EQ the sound. However, in this pair Cleer removed the little extension arm that allows the speaker to sit lower on larger ears, and the company removed wireless charging from the case. Overall, we like the Arc 5, but unless you really need the extra battery life, we don’t think the upgrades are worth paying $200 while the Arc 3 is still available. EarFun Clip 2 : The successor to our favorite pair of clip-on earbuds , the Clip 2 sounds great and fits as well as the original. The new version includes modest improvements, like a larger driver for slightly better bass response, more microphones for clearer calls, an extra hour of battery life per charge, and app-based AI translation capabilities. If the original Clip is discontinued, we’ll consider the Clip 2 as a replacement, but for now we don’t think the modest improvements and AI services are worth the extra $20 to $30. Edifier LolliClip : This clip-on pair is comfortable and has active noise cancellation that offers a little reduction in low-frequency noise but does not fully rid you of it. If you’re prone to eardrum suck, note that this pair makes you feel as if your ears need to pop. The LolliClip set also boasts heart-rate and blood-oxygen-level detection, but the heart-rate measurement is only a snapshot in time and requires you to stay still, which seems odd for what presumably is a workout feature. The blood-oxygen detection was inconsistent, reporting my levels at 97% and 93% in immediate succession, with no movement or earbud readjustment on my part. The tap controls are limited, the bass-boost preset distorted the sound, and vocals sounded harsh regardless of which EQ preset we used. iLive Clear : The best part of this earcuff-style pair is the case, which has a digital indicator showing the amount of charge left in the dock and in each earbud individually. Unfortunately the sound quality is awful. I tried adjusting the earbuds to see if maybe a change in the fit would help, but no. In our tests, music with any kind of bassline sounded distorted: Low notes either cracked or were reduced to a “thup” sound. JLab Epic Open Sport : The fit on this hook-over-the-ear set was comfortable and stable, even when we squeezed the physical controls or tapped the touch controls. However, JLab’s signature sound preset is missing some low bass, and its highs are a little sibilant; the other two EQ presets are lopsided. We tried to improve the sound using manual EQ, but we found that any major shifts could cause distortion. The microphone quality sounded somewhat muddy and didn’t handle wind well. JLab Flex : The fit of this clip-on set is tighter than that of other pairs we’ve tested, so if you find our ear-cuff pick to be too large, this model may be a better design for you. This set is capable of producing audible bass notes, but the result isn’t as intense as what our picks deliver. Higher-pitched sounds, such as from cymbals, sounded a bit sizzly and coarse in our tests. We appreciate the full suite of tap controls, but we wish they had a beep to acknowledge that your touch registered. The microphone quality is middling: In a quiet room, your voice may sound compressed, and in windy conditions your voice may be affected by digital distortion. OpenRock Link 20 : If you need a headset for work and you prefer to stay aware of your surroundings, this pair might be tempting. It comes with a removable boom mic that connects to either earbud with a magnet and does a good job of reducing background noise — including voices, which many noise-reducing microphones struggle with. However, the Link 20 lacks the easy desktop compatibility you’ll get with a purpose-designed office headset, and this set is not very good for playing music. There is not much bass response, and the app is a mess. It took me seven attempts to get a firmware update to install properly. Philips Go TAA7607 : If you like bone-conduction headphones and want a little extra visibility when training at dusk, this pair is pricey but good for what it is. Its performance is similar to that of the less-expensive Shokz OpenRun set, but it has a red LED strip across the cable in the back that can glow solid or flash to make you easier to spot. QCY Crossky C30 : The touch controls for this clip-on set reside behind the ear, so a person’s hair or glasses will frequently interfere with the sensors’ ability to detect taps. This set also lacks a sound indicator, such as a beep, to tell you when your tap has registered, so misfires can happen a lot. In our experience, the sound lacked bass out of the box, but increasing the bass using the app’s EQ caused distortion. Shokz OpenDots One : This clip-on pair was comfortable and sounded quite good, producing a solid amount of bass and only a slight coarseness in the higher frequencies. However, the controls are limited, and this pair lacks bonus features. Shokz OpenFit 2 : This hook-over-ear pair is very good, with minimal flaws. The fit is comfortable, with a nice texture on the earbud coating and thin, flexible hooks that rest easily against glasses. The OpenFit 2 has physical control buttons, but they’re notably small and could be a challenge for people with larger hands or dexterity issues. Used in combination with the touch-panel control, these buttons make it possible to have the full suite of controls at the ready, and we appreciate that the touch panel makes a little “pip” sound when activated so that you know your touch has registered. The microphone effectively reduced background noise with minimal buffeting and compression in wind. Our main concern here is the price, which is significantly higher than that of the similarly performing EarFun OpenJump . Shokz OpenRun and OpenRun Mini : We like these bone-conduction sets, but the newer Pro 2 version has more bass, a better battery life, clearer phone-call performance, and USB-C charging. Fans of traditional bone conduction may prefer the original OpenRun pair’s fully waterproof IP67 design , as the Pro 2’s dynamic drivers (which handle the bass) can temporarily lose their ability to transmit sound if you get water on them; though you can remedy that problem with a quick shake to remove the offending droplets, if you like to run in a downpour, you might want to stick to the original design. Shokz OpenSwim Pro : We appreciate the included “swim EQ” mode, which compensates for the way sound works underwater. This mode achieves a better balance between high and low frequencies when you’re swimming, and as a result this pair offers better clarity than the H2O Audio Tri 2 . However, the controls are tiny, so they’re difficult to feel with waterlogged or larger hands, and the bump of a swim cap can trigger them accidentally. There is no ability to switch playlists from the headset, and playback isn’t gapless — every song is followed by a pause and a “boop” sound. Sony LinkBuds Clip : Sony’s LinkBuds Fit is one of our favorite pairs of wireless earbuds , so we had high hopes for this cuff-style set from the same line. Unfortunately, it didn’t impress us. The Clip has limited tap controls and lacks the Fit’s OS-agnostic “Hey Sony” voice control. In my tests, the design didn’t feel secure in my ears when worn without the included silicone cushion. But with the cushion, the speaker pulled away from the ear canal, which adversely affected the bass response and made it harder to hear my conversation partner during phone calls, especially in busy areas. When it fits in your ear properly, this pair’s sound is on par with that of our picks, but it costs a lot more. For that amount of extra cash, we expected more. Soundcore AeroClip : This set is one of the most comfortable ear-cuff designs we’ve tried. The optional silicone gloves add stability, and this pair feels like it won’t come loose during high-impact activities. However, the controls are limited, and we often heard a faint, whiny phantom tone in quieter music passages; the fewer instruments playing, the more it stood out. Soundcore AeroFit 2 : You can angle this hook-over-the-ear pair up or down in four different positions to adjust it to the size of your ears. Although the earbuds initially felt loose, they stayed secure when we were in motion. The touch controls are customizable, and a tone sounds to indicate when your tap has been received. Unfortunately, loud volume levels and bass-heavy songs caused the earbuds to vibrate, which tickled like crazy. We tried every EQ setting in the app, and none of them alleviated this issue. If you have sensitive ears, this pair isn’t a good match. Soundcore C40i : This ear-cuff set is chunkier than other pairs we tested, which can cause these earbuds to slip down your ears. Soundcore includes small plastic pieces that snap on the back to tighten the fit, but we found that this addition created a pinching quality. The default sound had a peak in the lower midrange, which we adjusted through the app’s EQ settings, but once that peak was reduced, it became apparent how quiet the low notes were. We found that wearing each earbud lower on the ear improved the bass sound but made higher notes sound harsh. Soundpeats Pop Clip : This affordable clip-on pair doesn’t come with any stability adapters but nonetheless feels secure in the ears. The physical buttons provide a full suite of controls that you can customize in the app. If you primarily listen to podcasts or audiobooks, this set is fine, as these earbuds sound best when reproducing spoken words. However, the low bass notes were barely perceptible, and even the bass-boost preset didn’t help. The highs were shushing and painfully sibilant; the overamplification of small details such as acoustic guitar fret noises was tolerable, but strings, cymbals, and high-pitched piccolo notes became harsh and fatiguing. Over calls, the microphones were muffled; that helps reduce background noise but makes you difficult to hear when you’re speaking at a normal volume. Suunto Aqua Light : This bone-conduction set shares the unintuitive, difficult-to-feel control issues of the Shokz OpenSwim Pro, but at least it provides gapless music playback. What baffled us was the 10 random music tracks included in the MP3 playlist that we couldn’t delete; they seemed inexplicably built into the firmware. We also didn’t like that the app requires you to sign in to your Google or Apple account and provide health read/write data with no easy way to revoke those permissions. And the app itself seems to have been designed for Suunto’s watch, with the headphones tacked on as an afterthought. Suunto Spark : Serious runners or those training with a coach might appreciate this set's ability to perform running gait analysis, which provides data on vertical oscillation, ground contact, and cadence. It also features head-shake gestures to control tracks and calls. However, the Spark is primarily designed to work with a Suunto smartwatch; when paired, the earbuds can provide real-time audio updates on heart rate, pace, distance, and laps. Beyond that, the Spark is disappointing. The app is difficult to navigate and feels like an afterthought that was designed for the watch rather than earbuds. The sound quality was thin on bass unless I forced the speakers into my ear canals, the microphone produced muffled audio, and the touch controls were very fussy. Suunto Wing : We appreciate that this bone-conduction set comes with a snap-in-place dock that charges the Wing on the go, much like the cases that accompany true wireless earbuds. It’s bulky but useful if you run out of battery life away from a power outlet. However, the bone conduction is less successful here than on the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 . Despite the Suunto app’s indoor/outdoor EQ settings, at volume levels sufficient to use outside, the Wing buzzes and vibrates, tickling your face annoyingly. And in quiet settings, people nearby can easily hear what you’re listening to, as well as your phone calls. Ugee FreSound Inspiration : This pair is comfortable and provides nearly the full suite of tap controls. However, despite searching through manuals in the box and online, I couldn’t find a way to call up a phone’s digital assistant. When playing music, I heard a notable bass rolloff. During calls, the microphones didn’t pick up a ton of background noise, but no matter the setting, I sounded distant and somewhat muffled to my caller. In essence, these do the bare minimum, but we want better. This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser. 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