The best open wireless earbuds that aren’t AirPods – CNET [CNET]

So-called “open” earbuds like the standard Apple Airpods have their pluses and minuses. On the plus side, they tend to slip easily into your ear — you don’t have to worry about getting a tight seal from a silicon tip — and their design offers a comfortable fit. On the downside, they may not fit some ears securely, they let sound in and they tend to have weaker bass due to their non-noise-isolating design.

But if you’re a runner or biker who wants to hear the outside world or just someone who doesn’t like having an ear tip jammed into your ear canal, sealing it off, an open-style bud is an ideal choice. Apple’s AirPods a certainly an option — they cost around $130 with the standard charging case — but they don’t fit everybody’s ears securely and there are plenty of good alternatives, some of them cheaper. Here’s a look at the top open-style buds. I’ll update this list as I test more worthy candidates. 

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