All items tagged with air conduction (9)

Open Ears and the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds in Review

March 21, 2024 by Joao Martins

Open Ears and the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds in Review

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.

Bose Redefines Air Conduction with Ultra Open Earbuds

February 16, 2024 by Joao Martins

Bose Redefines Air Conduction with Ultra Open Earbuds

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.

Oladance Introduces OWS Sports Open Earphones Optimized for Movement

February 14, 2024 by Joao Martins

Oladance Introduces OWS Sports Open Earphones Optimized for Movement

Oladance, the brand that surprised us in 2023 with its Oladance Wearable Stereo (OWS) technology in a true wireless format (Oladance OWS Pro) is back with a new announcement that now looks more like a familiar bone conduction headband, but its actually not bone conduction. Leveraging the same air conduction OWS technology, this new model from the company is an open ear alternative to bone conduction for sports, providing a natural and safe awareness of the environment with even more comfort.

Harman Embraces Air Conduction with New JBL Soundgear Sense

September 5, 2023 by Joao Martins

Harman Embraces Air Conduction with New JBL Soundgear Sense

The trend was already visible with Shokz, Oladance, and a bunch of other brands promoting the virtues of open ear designs using air conduction as the new panacea for personal audio. And at IFA 2023 we saw a deluge of "air conduction" product launches from every Chinese bulk exhibitor and even a few new brands. Although Harman was not at the show to be seen, it promoted an external event to showcase new affordable products and inevitably also its first-ever true wireless open-ear earbuds, the JBL Soundgear Sense.

NTT sonority Launches Next Generation of Open-Ear Wireless Earphones Prioritizing Privacy

July 31, 2023 by Joao Martins

NTT sonority Launches Next Generation of Open-Ear Wireless Earphones Prioritizing Privacy

NTT sonority, a subsidiary of NTT Corporation, Japan's leading telecommunications company, announced the commercial launch of its new nwm MBE001 true wireless open-ear earphones, featuring the company's proprietary Personalized Sound Zone (PSZ) technology. Originally promoted through a crowdfunding campaign, the nwm MBE001 earphones are the latest open-ear design to enter the market and the first to focus on privacy by eliminating sound leakage while letting ambient sounds in for utmost situational awareness.

Oladance Introduces OWS Pro Open-Ear Earphones with Noise Cancellation

July 28, 2023 by Joao Martins

Oladance Introduces OWS Pro Open-Ear Earphones with Noise Cancellation

OWS stands for Oladance Wearable Stereo and describes the brand's approach to true wireless air conduction earphones, now expanded with the new Oladance OWS Pro open-ear earphones. This third model from the company introduces a larger, wrap-around-the-ear design, combined in a new sophisticated Bluetooth 5.3 platform supporting sophisticated processing algorithms including ambient noise reduction - a first in open-ears. Exquisite two-face materials, including a stunning ceramic color surface, make the OWS Pro a really cutting-edge proposition.

Rolling Square Pitches Hyphen Aria Air Conduction Earbuds on Kickstarter

July 13, 2023 by Joao Martins

Rolling Square Pitches Hyphen Aria Air Conduction Earbuds on Kickstarter

Hyphen, an audio brand created by Rolling Square is pitching the Hyphen Aria true wireless earbuds, a new design intended to provide a more natural sound experience, avoiding the occlusion effect and leveraging air conduction to expand on the open-ear form-factor. While the Hyphen Aria earbuds resemble some of Bose's earlier TWS designs, the new product now being promoted on Kickstarter targets an audience that is more familiarized with the problems of current earbuds and is looking for more "healthier" alternatives.

Shokz Introduces OpenFit Open-Ear True Wireless Earphones with new Air Conduction Technology

June 28, 2023 by Joao Martins

Shokz Introduces OpenFit Open-Ear True Wireless Earphones with new Air Conduction Technology

Shokz, known for its patented open-ear bone conduction technology and headsets, announced OpenFit, the brand's first open-ear true wireless stereo earphones, made with its patented air conduction technology. Soon to launch globally, the new Shokz OpenFit TWS around the ear design leaves the inner ear open and features a new ultra-lightweight on-ear hybrid dynamic driver unit and DirectPitch technology to produce a full audio experience. Not a bone conduction product.

FDA Authorizes Bose Hearing Aid Device to Enter the Market as First Self-Fitting Hearing Aid Controlled by the User

October 8, 2018 by Joao Martins

FDA Authorizes Bose Hearing Aid Device to Enter the Market as First Self-Fitting Hearing Aid Controlled by the User

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed marketing of a new device, the Bose Hearing Aid, intended to amplify sounds for individuals 18 years or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment (hearing loss). This is the first hearing aid authorized for marketing by the FDA that enables users to fit, program and control the hearing aid on their own, without assistance from a health care provider.