Bose Sport Open Earbuds 評測

Bose

8.0

Pros & Cons

• Comfortable, secure fit
• IP54 splashproof and dust-resistant
• Strong sound quality for open earbuds
• Improved voice-calling performance
• Well-designed charging case supports wireless charging
• Easy-access physical button to control playback

• Voice-calling performance could be slightly better
• Not as good battery life or sound as the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen)
• Fairly pricey

Since Bose unveiled its original $299 Ultra Open Earbuds more than two years ago, clip-on earbuds, a style of open buds that resemble clip-on earrings, are one of the fastest-growing segments of the earbuds market in the US. To that end, Bose has expanded its options this year, adding the new $199 Sport Open Earbuds alongside the upgraded flagship $299 Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen).

While they don’t sound as good as the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) or have the same battery life (up to 7 hours instead of the Ultra’s 9 hours), they arguably fit a little more securely and are slightly more comfortable. A direct competitor to the similarly designed and priced Shokz OpenDots 2 ($200), they’re not as feature-rich as that model, but they do sound a bit better.

Read more: Best Clip-On Earbuds of 2026

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Less unique design but comfortable fit

Both the original Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and their successor have a unique design for clip-on earbuds. Meanwhile, the Sport Open Earbuds look more like a lot of clip-on buds that have arrived in the last couple of years, including the Shokz OpenDots 2, Sony’s LinkBuds Clip ($160), Anker’s Aero Clip 2 buds ($170) and Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds On ($229). (Note: These buds have the same name as Bose’s original Sport Open Earbuds that came out in 2021, but those buds had a less comfortable ear-hook style design and a kludgy charging dock.)

The Sport Open Earbuds’ secure cuff-style fit features a soft but sturdy silicone band that links a ball-shaped bud to a barrel that houses the battery and electronics and clamps onto the back of your ear. When clipped on, the driver sits just outside your ear canal, letting sound into your ears so you can hear the outside world for safety reasons. The buds are IP54 sweat-, splash- and dust-resistant, and they have a physical universal control button on top of the barrel that makes it easy to pause your audio, skip tracks forward and answer and end calls — even while you’re running or biking with the buds.

As I said, the step-up Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) deliver superior sound (see below), but I slightly preferred the fit of the Sport Open Buds. Both are suitable for active use, but I felt that the Sport Open Buds fit my ears slightly more securely. Since everyone’s ears are different, though, some people will prefer the fit of the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen).

Sound quality

Bose’s flagship Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) currently feature the best sound for clip-on open earbuds, which is why I awarded them a CNET Editors’ Choice Award, despite their high price. The Sport Open Earbuds also sound good for clip-on earbuds, delivering ample bass and decent clarity, with the ability to tweak the sound profile a bit with the basic three-band equalizer in the Bose companion app for iOS and Android. However, the Ultra Open Earbuds serve up cleaner, richer sound with superior bass and treble performance. (The Sport Open Buds have a touch of sibilance in the treble at the default sound setting.)

I should also note that the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) support spatial audio with head-tracking along with Bose’s new Cinema Mode, while the Sport buds don’t. Bose’s spatial audio (called Immersive Audio) consumes more energy than standard stereo mode, and with these open buds, it doesn’t alter the soundstage that much, so it’s not a big feature omission.

Like a lot of clip-on open earbuds, the Sport Open Buds are a bit more prone to distortion at higher volumes, especially with more complicated music tracks that have a lot of instruments playing at the same time. However, I did feel the buds played loud enough. (They do leak some sound if you play your music at high volumes.) Some people complained that the original Ultra Open Earbuds were a bit volume-challenged. I suspect that Bose capped the volume on that earlier model so as not to push the drivers too hard and head into distortion territory.

As far as the competition goes, the Sport Open Buds’ sound quality is slightly ahead of the Shokz OpenDots 2’s sound, with superior bass performance and a tad warmer, more pleasant sound. Both earbuds are good for casual listening, but if you’re looking for better sound from open-style buds, the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) or Apple’s AirPods 5 are better options. The AirPods 5 are clearly the better value, but unless you happen to have ears that are a perfect match for the AirPods 5, clip-on earbuds offer a far more secure fit.

For those who don’t want to spend that much on clip-on buds, Baseus’ Inspire XC1 ($110) buds, which feature Sound by Bose, are a better value. Meanwhile, the Baseus MC2s only cost $60 (and are regularly discounted) and deliver good performance for their modest price.

Voice-calling performance

Like the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen), the Sport Open Earbuds use Bluetooth 5.4, and each earbud has a standard microphone linked to a voice pickup unit sensor that detects the physical vibrations of your voice, according to Bose. The buds also use Bose’s SpeechClarity Technology, its AI voice-isolation engine “that enhances human dialogue and separates it from background noise.”

Bose earbuds have always tended to offer decent voice-calling performance, though they’ve never excelled in this area. While these buds once again don’t quite deliver top-tier voice calling performance, they have improved in this area.

I tested the buds in noisy conditions on the streets of New York at the same time I was testing the Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen). Callers couldn’t really hear a significant difference between the two models.

While callers occasionally heard some background noise, the buds were mostly able to handle their noise-reduction duties during calls. My voice also sounded clear, though a tad recessed and muffled at times. A couple of callers said my voice sounded a touch softer with the Sport Open Earbuds, but the performance was ultimately similar.

I’d rate the Sport Open Earbuds a B-plus to A-minus for voice calling. (The Shokz Open Dots 2 are in the same range.) If you’re looking for top-notch voice-calling performance from a set of clip-on earbuds, the Anker Aero Clip 2 earbuds, which are equipped with Anker’s new Thus chip, are the ones to get. However, the Open Sport Earbuds have better bass performance and overall sound quality than the Aero Clip 2.

Bose Sport Open Earbuds final thoughts

Aside from their $200 price, there’s a lot to like about the Bose Sport Open Earbuds. They’re well-designed, comfortable to wear and deliver strong sound quality and good voice-calling performance for clip-on earbuds. The Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) are more special because of their class-leading sound quality, but the Sport Open Earbuds have the advantage of costing $100 less.

It’s hard to put a firm rating on these buds. Like the step-up Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen), their list price seems a bit too steep. I feel the same way about the Shokz Open Dots 2. They don’t sound quite as good as these buds. However, they do have spatial audio with head-tracking, Bluetooth 6.1 and are rated for up to 10 hours of battery life. It’s a toss-up between the two models, but I personally prioritize sound quality, so I’d probably give the Bose the slight nod.

Those Shokz buds have dipped to as low as $160 in flash sales, and I suspect you’ll see similar discounts on the Bose Sport Open Earbuds during holiday sales. That’s still not cheap, but it does feel closer to what they’re worth.

David Carnoy

Executive Editor / Reviews

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Kobo e-books and audiobooks. See full bio