New JLab Flex Open Clip and JBuds Open Sport Earbuds Reinforce Open-Ear Designs

Unveiled at IFA 2024 and now available, the latest JLab earbuds are affordable open-ear and air conduction designs, with extended playtime, stylish comfort and audio quality. The Flex Open Clip Wireless Earbuds feature an ear-clip cuff design, that delivers powerful sound while keeping users aware of their surroundings. The JBuds Open Sport True Wireless Earbuds take open-ear to the next level for workouts with a sport ear hook for optimal comfort and performance.

Sony announced two new wireless earbuds with innovative designs and features. The LinkBuds Fit are ANC earbuds with advanced processing, while the LinkBuds Open update the open ring driver design launched in 2022. Available with interesting new colors and with innovative lifestyle accessories, the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open earbuds combine premium features in more affordable designs. The LinkBuds range is also expanded with the new LinkBuds Speaker, an innovative concept of a Bluetooth wireless speaker to pair with earbuds.

With the launch of the latest AirPods 4 with ANC, Apple just proved that Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Adaptive Audio can be done effectively in an open design. Thanks to the H2 chip, now both the AirPods 4 ANC and the existing AirPods Pro 2 in-ears support the same level features. This is a big deal and it changes everything in this competitive product segment, about to enter the age of hearables.

The news that Apple launched an updated version of its (regular) AirPods was somewhat muffled by the announcement of the hearing aid capabilities brought to AirPods Pro 2 with a simple software update. But the new AirPods 4 with ANC are a big deal for the industry which has been struggling to combine the benefits of the loose-fit (now also called open-ear) form-factor with the convenience of active noise cancellation when required. The key, as always for Apple, is in the elegant implementation of Adaptive Audio.

I tested the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and I'm Keeping Them. They sound great and allow listening at safe levels while being aware of what other people say. These make a great case for Open Ears and that's the topic of this article where I have inserted my review of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and I provide examples of how the industry has been exploring alternative designs that avoid in-ear occlusion, from loose-fit earbud shapes to the recent air conduction craze.

The result of an intense research effort to achieve the most effective approach for an open ear design, Bose just introduced the all-new Ultra Open Earbuds, a completely new form-factor. Described as "a breakthrough audio wearable" the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are designed to let users hear the world while still enjoying music. The approach is to use air conduction to feed audio to the inside of the ear, while resting on the lower ear. OpenAudio delivers the air conduction, while signal processing adds Bose Immersive Audio to enhance the experience.

xMEMS Labs introduced Montara Pro, a MEMS microspeaker with an integrated solution that opens or closes the vent by sensor fusion input from the system DSP. This approach enables smart TWS earbuds and hearing aids that create best-of-both-worlds user experiences, combining the benefits of closed-fit (occluded) and open-fit earbuds. xMEMS is providing first demonstrations of Montara Pro this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at Venetian Suite 29-325.

Samsung is now selling its new true wireless earbuds worldwide, following a new product announcement event for smartphones and wearable products. The most interesting thing about the new Galaxy Buds Live is the product's original design. More focused on comfortable fit, Samsung combined Harman's driver expertise in a bigger, 12mm dynamic driver, which combined with a bass duct, delivers deeper and richer sounds. To support the active noise cancellation features, the Galaxy Buds Live come with three microphones and a custom Voice Pickup Unit.