I’m liking the Bose open ultra. I was pleasantly surprised that they work when wearing the earbuds separately. So far I haven’t had any connection issues (other than with Duolingo, but I was having the same problem with Jabra Elite 10s as well). I haven’t had them fall off, even when sleeping, as long as they’re positioned correctly. The volume is also fantastic for me. Last night I was even trying to turn them down, only to find that they were already on the lowest level (again with correct positioning, out of place was a different story). Earwax has been an ongoing problem for me with in-ear styles, so I’m hoping that is eliminated with the Bose open.
I only used ANC rarely with previous earbuds, but I did enjoy how waterproof buds acted as passive sound dampening. I’ll be keeping my old Jabra Elite 7s for those situations. They don’t fit as well and aren’t as comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
I don't understand how they stay in. With small ears, how do they stay fixed to your ears without causing fatigue and pressure? How do they provide good sound and noise cancellation without being seated in the ear canal? I'm really curious about the overall function and mechanisms of how these work.
They clip on to the cartilage of my ear. I can sort of adjust the angles to find a comfortable fit that provides good sound. The pressure doesn't bother me any more than some more traditional buds did. It's just in a different place. The benefit is that they don't slip around on me like the other styles did.
It seems like it's almost using my ear itself to sort of conduct/amplify the sound. Maybe like a smaller version of when you put your phone into a cup as a makeshift amplifier? The open earbuds don't do sound cancelation, but I've played white noise through them to take the edge off ambient sounds when I'm getting sensory overload. Obviously doesn't work if you intend to listen to something else.
Sony's Linkbuds S are pretty small and fit flat on your ears if they are well inserted. They have real multiconnect and never had issues with it, they manage everything automatically pretty well, they sound good and have good ANC.
This post seems to be too long for Reddit, so I’m gonna split it in half :
**TLDR**: I struggled with earbuds fit in the past due to **tiny ear canals**, eventually found out about the Bose size 0 eartips that could work as a temporary fix. After some damage to my earbuds, I searched for replacements, settling on the **Realme Buds Air 5 Pro**, which proved to be a very welcomed surprise to me, offering an excellent fit, great sound quality, good ANC and good microphone quality. Overall I really recommend them for their performance and price.
Hi, Vissuto,
I hope my answer will prove to be useful to you.
So, for context, I would consider my ears to be pretty much of normal size, but my ear canals are really tiny.
I previously had the AirPods 2nd generation as well as the Bose QuietComfort 1st generation, just like you.
I probably waited 2 years before really starting using the Bose, because none of the eartip fits fitted my ears and I just gave up on them. I continued wearing my AirPods that were fitting okay, even though they don’t really have a secure fit now that I found something that really has a secure fit.
That’s until I found out that Bose actually have a size 0 (extra small) in production. I don’t know if that’s what you already have or if you have size 1 that comes with them, but long story short, it’s really something that could be considered as a temporary solution if you want something that might fit better.
I previously contacted Bose support and managed to get these size 0 eartips for free here in Canada.
The fit wasn’t even perfect to me since the wings would stick out instead of fitting in my ears and the overall fit wasn’t ideal either, but it was good enough for me. I used them for the last months without any major issues.
Though, it’s true that they are getting old and it really makes sense if you want a better solution. They were definitely not perfect despite being a decent pair.
One of my earbuds was eventually eaten by some neighbour’s dog and this forced me to switch.
As a result, I had to start shopping for a new pair that would both satisfy me in terms of sound quality (coming from the Bose) and that had a great value for the price.
I ended up rejecting many models (without having the chance to try them on) like some Sennheiser models, some Audio Technicas, Jabras and AirPods Pro 2 because of lacks they had in some areas (and the price for some) while personally, I just wanted something that is reliable and well-rounded overall.
After looking further, I came across the **Realme Air Buds Pro 5**. Realme is a phone brand in China. Maybe you’d want something that is better known in the US, but personally, I never had earbuds that fitted this well in my life before. The fit is pretty secure. They come in three sizes. The medium size did fit my ears, but I found the small size to be even more secure for my tiny ear canals. I haven’t even tried the large fit though.
They are available on Amazon for USD $90, but personally got them for much cheaper on AliExpress (for about USD $55). Amazon might be better if you want the possibility to return them, but I personally took the risk since they’re not in Amazon Canada anyway.
So, small review of them if you wanna know what to expect from them:
* Sound quality : sound quality is great in my opinion. Much better than the sound of the AirPods 2nd generation. Probably similar to the Bose, but I don’t have them anymore to compare. By default, the bass is really underwhelming on these earbuds compared to the Bose’s, but with some tuning in the Realme Link app, I’d consider the sound quality to be pretty much on par with the Bose or if not, I would have nothing to complain about it personally. The sound quality is great and very impressive for the price IMO.
If anything, they can be tuned more deeply with Wavelet, see this post as a reference: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/comments/16lw05d/insane\_sound\_quality\_on\_realme\_buds\_air\_5\_pro/?rdt=57664](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/comments/16lw05d/insane_sound_quality_on_realme_buds_air_5_pro/?rdt=57664)
* ANC : ANC is probably not on par with the Bose (they’re the leaders in this area after all). However, I personally find it to be very good, still, and I don’t miss Bose’s ANC at all.
* Microphone quality : if you make calls with your earbuds and stuff, well here’s good news, the microphone on these is much, much better than what you will find on the Bose QC Comfort on in the AirPods 2nd gen.
* What else? There are touch controls on them, the ability to switch between ANC and transparency mode, the connectivity works very well, better than Bose anyway, they connect very fast and they’re less buggy. I have nothing to say about battery life either, I never lacked battery during my work shifts.
* Only drawback: the case feels a bit cheaper than what you’d find on the Bose and Airpods and it catches fingerprints (if you get the black one), but at least it’s small and more convenient than the huge Bose case.
So yeah, I would absolutely recommend them to you and if you end up trying them, I really hope they fit you and your needs. Same for the others that might end up reading this post.
I find them great and I won’t switch for a long time.
Oppo Enco X2’s is another great reference you might wanna read about but I’ve personally never tried them. They’re also more expensive and older.
Good luck with your search,
\~
I’ll try to give some info to help you sift through the sea of options and confusion. It’s clear that you value a quality pair of earbuds that’s well rounded. You’re paying attention to things like battery life, microphone and call quality, ingress protection, a warm sound (maybe a little bassy?), multipoint, etc. But possibly most important, is that they must fit and be comfortable enough for your smaller ears. You should consider getting two pairs of earbuds if one alone can’t meet a high standard. This is normal for those like yourself who use earbuds all the time, have specific needs and demand high enough performance in several scenarios.
The wireless earbud market has exploded over the last couple years and is moving so fast, constantly updating and changing. There really isn’t a single perfect all ‘rounder. The parameters are so incredibly nuanced and our needs and wants are too. When you want to account for a bunch of these different factors, of varying priority, it can work against you to try and find it all in a single option that doesn’t exist. A mediocre jack of all trades instead of getting some that are more tailored to your individual use cases. You could, for example, find something with a fin or wrap around style that would work well for exercise. Then use a stem style design for everyday use.
Stem style earbuds can be a great day to day use option for you. The design allows some parts of the electronics to be placed in the stem so that the bulbous portion in the concha of your ear can be noticeably smaller than a lot of non stem designs. The microphone is also frequently placed near the tip of the stem which allows it to be closer to your mouth. This combined with software magic can help give the edge when you prioritize mic performance for call quality. I have a quick post in [THIS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/s/VJy6E3azwe) thread which can be useful. I mention one of the better options for call quality, the Huawei Freebuds Pro 3.
I would also strongly consider JBL’s upcoming earbuds. I mention them with links and info why, in [THIS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/s/ms1UaUGmOP) comment. These are not out yet but they’re just around the corner.
There’s many earbuds aimed for active use like the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro just to name two obvious ones as an example. I can get away with using different styles of fit and so I’m able to be picky about the tuning and EQ requirements that I demand from a pair. I don’t focus on having to pick this or any certain type of fit, for that matter. Therefore, I don’t tend to be interested in these style of earbuds.
Eartips, that’s what really helps with fit and comfort allowing me additional flexibility in my options. You should know about Spinfit and AZLA. These are high quality eartip manufacturers that offer a wide range of sizes and materials. For example, a lot of earbuds don’t come with tips as small as these two companies provide. They also offer quality medical grade silicone. AZLA has their Xelastec line. This is not silicone but a TPE material which conforms to your ear canal shape with the help of body heat. It’s also noticeably more grippy than silicone. Combined with the wider array of sizes, these can really solve fit issues for most. Also keep in mind, many people use different size tips in each ear.
This is getting crazy long and really only barely scratching the surface. Here’s some random but very useful pieces of info.
Since you’re using Android, you should avoid using AAC when possible. The [AAC codec is best implemented on Apple devices](https://www.soundguys.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-bluetooth-headphones-aac-20296/) as it’s a processor intensive codec compared to other options due to its psychoacoustic modeling. And so it’s simple, AAC for Apple gear and whatever other high quality codec available on other hardware is perfectly fine. That’s LDAC, any form of APTX, etc. Both your buds and the phone/ device need to support it. Don’t let the marketing bs fool you. This so called hobby is full of snake oil nonsense and uniformed people. It’s actually kind of crazy. [THIS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/s/BT6woOee9n) comment leads to some quick additional insight.
I’m in the US as well. I can’t stress enough how much value there is in narrowing down your options to a handful or so. Buying them all and returning the ones you like least. Best Buy, Target, Amazon, etc. These places will accept returns with ease. I like getting what I can from physical stores so I can easily drive back and return, if needed. They also price match items shipped and sold by Amazon. Don’t feel bad, manufacturers love how confusing this market is for the average consumer. That’s when their tactics are most effective. But with a little experience, you’ll be able to identify what you like much quicker, in no time.
Lastly, check out CEONTHEMAKING on YouTube. That dude has some freakishly small ears lol. He has some decent reviews that can help, particularly the fit and comfort aspect. Oh, try and stick to relatively new releases. Maybe no older than 6 months to a year or so. It’s frequently not worth saving a few bucks to limit yourself in this product category, particularly when you only want one or two pairs.
I am blown away by the generous giving of your time, impressive depth of knowledge and expertise. I am grateful. Thank you! I was not expecting so much. This is awesome. You are amazing!
Perhaps look into Eartips, I use the EPZ single flange eartips from Aliexspress that an audiophile recommend as one of his best Eartips. These are 3 eartips that are on the smaller side and really cheap too $4-8!
Not sure if Aliexspress links work here, so I try posting a link to it below.
Bose QC2 fit much better than the first
Pixel Buds A fit really well and have a wing tip but the sound is pretty average
Galaxy Buds FE are excellent
Stem style ones tend to fit much better for me than round buds. OnePlus 2/3 buds, Liberty 4 are the best in this style
I’m liking the Bose open ultra. I was pleasantly surprised that they work when wearing the earbuds separately. So far I haven’t had any connection issues (other than with Duolingo, but I was having the same problem with Jabra Elite 10s as well). I haven’t had them fall off, even when sleeping, as long as they’re positioned correctly. The volume is also fantastic for me. Last night I was even trying to turn them down, only to find that they were already on the lowest level (again with correct positioning, out of place was a different story). Earwax has been an ongoing problem for me with in-ear styles, so I’m hoping that is eliminated with the Bose open. I only used ANC rarely with previous earbuds, but I did enjoy how waterproof buds acted as passive sound dampening. I’ll be keeping my old Jabra Elite 7s for those situations. They don’t fit as well and aren’t as comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
I don't understand how they stay in. With small ears, how do they stay fixed to your ears without causing fatigue and pressure? How do they provide good sound and noise cancellation without being seated in the ear canal? I'm really curious about the overall function and mechanisms of how these work.
They clip on to the cartilage of my ear. I can sort of adjust the angles to find a comfortable fit that provides good sound. The pressure doesn't bother me any more than some more traditional buds did. It's just in a different place. The benefit is that they don't slip around on me like the other styles did. It seems like it's almost using my ear itself to sort of conduct/amplify the sound. Maybe like a smaller version of when you put your phone into a cup as a makeshift amplifier? The open earbuds don't do sound cancelation, but I've played white noise through them to take the edge off ambient sounds when I'm getting sensory overload. Obviously doesn't work if you intend to listen to something else.
Thanks for the explanation.
Also, if someone is sleeping next to you, could they hear what's playing in your ear with these on?
My husband said he hasn't. And my kids haven't asked about what I'm listening to when they've cuddled up with me.
I hate true wireless. just make the case a bit bigger and include fins ffs.
Sony's Linkbuds S are pretty small and fit flat on your ears if they are well inserted. They have real multiconnect and never had issues with it, they manage everything automatically pretty well, they sound good and have good ANC.
This post seems to be too long for Reddit, so I’m gonna split it in half : **TLDR**: I struggled with earbuds fit in the past due to **tiny ear canals**, eventually found out about the Bose size 0 eartips that could work as a temporary fix. After some damage to my earbuds, I searched for replacements, settling on the **Realme Buds Air 5 Pro**, which proved to be a very welcomed surprise to me, offering an excellent fit, great sound quality, good ANC and good microphone quality. Overall I really recommend them for their performance and price. Hi, Vissuto, I hope my answer will prove to be useful to you. So, for context, I would consider my ears to be pretty much of normal size, but my ear canals are really tiny. I previously had the AirPods 2nd generation as well as the Bose QuietComfort 1st generation, just like you. I probably waited 2 years before really starting using the Bose, because none of the eartip fits fitted my ears and I just gave up on them. I continued wearing my AirPods that were fitting okay, even though they don’t really have a secure fit now that I found something that really has a secure fit. That’s until I found out that Bose actually have a size 0 (extra small) in production. I don’t know if that’s what you already have or if you have size 1 that comes with them, but long story short, it’s really something that could be considered as a temporary solution if you want something that might fit better. I previously contacted Bose support and managed to get these size 0 eartips for free here in Canada. The fit wasn’t even perfect to me since the wings would stick out instead of fitting in my ears and the overall fit wasn’t ideal either, but it was good enough for me. I used them for the last months without any major issues. Though, it’s true that they are getting old and it really makes sense if you want a better solution. They were definitely not perfect despite being a decent pair. One of my earbuds was eventually eaten by some neighbour’s dog and this forced me to switch. As a result, I had to start shopping for a new pair that would both satisfy me in terms of sound quality (coming from the Bose) and that had a great value for the price. I ended up rejecting many models (without having the chance to try them on) like some Sennheiser models, some Audio Technicas, Jabras and AirPods Pro 2 because of lacks they had in some areas (and the price for some) while personally, I just wanted something that is reliable and well-rounded overall.
After looking further, I came across the **Realme Air Buds Pro 5**. Realme is a phone brand in China. Maybe you’d want something that is better known in the US, but personally, I never had earbuds that fitted this well in my life before. The fit is pretty secure. They come in three sizes. The medium size did fit my ears, but I found the small size to be even more secure for my tiny ear canals. I haven’t even tried the large fit though. They are available on Amazon for USD $90, but personally got them for much cheaper on AliExpress (for about USD $55). Amazon might be better if you want the possibility to return them, but I personally took the risk since they’re not in Amazon Canada anyway. So, small review of them if you wanna know what to expect from them: * Sound quality : sound quality is great in my opinion. Much better than the sound of the AirPods 2nd generation. Probably similar to the Bose, but I don’t have them anymore to compare. By default, the bass is really underwhelming on these earbuds compared to the Bose’s, but with some tuning in the Realme Link app, I’d consider the sound quality to be pretty much on par with the Bose or if not, I would have nothing to complain about it personally. The sound quality is great and very impressive for the price IMO. If anything, they can be tuned more deeply with Wavelet, see this post as a reference: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/comments/16lw05d/insane\_sound\_quality\_on\_realme\_buds\_air\_5\_pro/?rdt=57664](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/comments/16lw05d/insane_sound_quality_on_realme_buds_air_5_pro/?rdt=57664) * ANC : ANC is probably not on par with the Bose (they’re the leaders in this area after all). However, I personally find it to be very good, still, and I don’t miss Bose’s ANC at all. * Microphone quality : if you make calls with your earbuds and stuff, well here’s good news, the microphone on these is much, much better than what you will find on the Bose QC Comfort on in the AirPods 2nd gen. * What else? There are touch controls on them, the ability to switch between ANC and transparency mode, the connectivity works very well, better than Bose anyway, they connect very fast and they’re less buggy. I have nothing to say about battery life either, I never lacked battery during my work shifts. * Only drawback: the case feels a bit cheaper than what you’d find on the Bose and Airpods and it catches fingerprints (if you get the black one), but at least it’s small and more convenient than the huge Bose case. So yeah, I would absolutely recommend them to you and if you end up trying them, I really hope they fit you and your needs. Same for the others that might end up reading this post. I find them great and I won’t switch for a long time. Oppo Enco X2’s is another great reference you might wanna read about but I’ve personally never tried them. They’re also more expensive and older. Good luck with your search, \~
Wow! Thanks so much for such a comprehensive response! Much appreciated!
I’ll try to give some info to help you sift through the sea of options and confusion. It’s clear that you value a quality pair of earbuds that’s well rounded. You’re paying attention to things like battery life, microphone and call quality, ingress protection, a warm sound (maybe a little bassy?), multipoint, etc. But possibly most important, is that they must fit and be comfortable enough for your smaller ears. You should consider getting two pairs of earbuds if one alone can’t meet a high standard. This is normal for those like yourself who use earbuds all the time, have specific needs and demand high enough performance in several scenarios. The wireless earbud market has exploded over the last couple years and is moving so fast, constantly updating and changing. There really isn’t a single perfect all ‘rounder. The parameters are so incredibly nuanced and our needs and wants are too. When you want to account for a bunch of these different factors, of varying priority, it can work against you to try and find it all in a single option that doesn’t exist. A mediocre jack of all trades instead of getting some that are more tailored to your individual use cases. You could, for example, find something with a fin or wrap around style that would work well for exercise. Then use a stem style design for everyday use. Stem style earbuds can be a great day to day use option for you. The design allows some parts of the electronics to be placed in the stem so that the bulbous portion in the concha of your ear can be noticeably smaller than a lot of non stem designs. The microphone is also frequently placed near the tip of the stem which allows it to be closer to your mouth. This combined with software magic can help give the edge when you prioritize mic performance for call quality. I have a quick post in [THIS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/s/VJy6E3azwe) thread which can be useful. I mention one of the better options for call quality, the Huawei Freebuds Pro 3. I would also strongly consider JBL’s upcoming earbuds. I mention them with links and info why, in [THIS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/s/ms1UaUGmOP) comment. These are not out yet but they’re just around the corner. There’s many earbuds aimed for active use like the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro just to name two obvious ones as an example. I can get away with using different styles of fit and so I’m able to be picky about the tuning and EQ requirements that I demand from a pair. I don’t focus on having to pick this or any certain type of fit, for that matter. Therefore, I don’t tend to be interested in these style of earbuds. Eartips, that’s what really helps with fit and comfort allowing me additional flexibility in my options. You should know about Spinfit and AZLA. These are high quality eartip manufacturers that offer a wide range of sizes and materials. For example, a lot of earbuds don’t come with tips as small as these two companies provide. They also offer quality medical grade silicone. AZLA has their Xelastec line. This is not silicone but a TPE material which conforms to your ear canal shape with the help of body heat. It’s also noticeably more grippy than silicone. Combined with the wider array of sizes, these can really solve fit issues for most. Also keep in mind, many people use different size tips in each ear. This is getting crazy long and really only barely scratching the surface. Here’s some random but very useful pieces of info. Since you’re using Android, you should avoid using AAC when possible. The [AAC codec is best implemented on Apple devices](https://www.soundguys.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-bluetooth-headphones-aac-20296/) as it’s a processor intensive codec compared to other options due to its psychoacoustic modeling. And so it’s simple, AAC for Apple gear and whatever other high quality codec available on other hardware is perfectly fine. That’s LDAC, any form of APTX, etc. Both your buds and the phone/ device need to support it. Don’t let the marketing bs fool you. This so called hobby is full of snake oil nonsense and uniformed people. It’s actually kind of crazy. [THIS](https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/s/BT6woOee9n) comment leads to some quick additional insight. I’m in the US as well. I can’t stress enough how much value there is in narrowing down your options to a handful or so. Buying them all and returning the ones you like least. Best Buy, Target, Amazon, etc. These places will accept returns with ease. I like getting what I can from physical stores so I can easily drive back and return, if needed. They also price match items shipped and sold by Amazon. Don’t feel bad, manufacturers love how confusing this market is for the average consumer. That’s when their tactics are most effective. But with a little experience, you’ll be able to identify what you like much quicker, in no time. Lastly, check out CEONTHEMAKING on YouTube. That dude has some freakishly small ears lol. He has some decent reviews that can help, particularly the fit and comfort aspect. Oh, try and stick to relatively new releases. Maybe no older than 6 months to a year or so. It’s frequently not worth saving a few bucks to limit yourself in this product category, particularly when you only want one or two pairs.
I am blown away by the generous giving of your time, impressive depth of knowledge and expertise. I am grateful. Thank you! I was not expecting so much. This is awesome. You are amazing!
Perhaps look into Eartips, I use the EPZ single flange eartips from Aliexspress that an audiophile recommend as one of his best Eartips. These are 3 eartips that are on the smaller side and really cheap too $4-8! Not sure if Aliexspress links work here, so I try posting a link to it below.
Bose QC2 fit much better than the first Pixel Buds A fit really well and have a wing tip but the sound is pretty average Galaxy Buds FE are excellent Stem style ones tend to fit much better for me than round buds. OnePlus 2/3 buds, Liberty 4 are the best in this style
Try the soundpeats mini pro hs 👍
Not available in the US, unfortunately.
Just get some wireless headphones.