How does bone conduction sound compare with normal earbuds?

Vocals and mids come through clearly, but bass is thinner and there is no sealed-in feel. That is the trade-off for hearing your surroundings.

Does active noise cancelling work on an open-ear headphone?

It reduces some steady background rumble, but with nothing sealing the ear canal it cannot block noise the way sealed headphones do.

Yes. It has a built-in microphone and pairs over Bluetooth, so it works for calls and voice assistants from a phone.

At moderate volume, little escapes. At high volume, open-ear designs leak sound, so keep levels down in quiet rooms.

Yes. The open-ear fit keeps traffic, bells and voices audible, which is the main reason to choose this style.

It connects over standard Bluetooth, so it pairs with iOS and Android phones as well as laptops and tablets.

At Best Buy, for $29.99, as of our latest check.

$29.99at Best BuyChecked Nov 13

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