A few months into my new role, the biggest change has nothing to do with the job itself. It’s that i can’t listen to music while working. Even though most of my team works remotely, i work a few days a week with some of my colleagues – and, most importantly, my boss – in a semi-open-plan office space. I can’t disappear into my lovely Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro without coming off as a bit antisocial.

Most people around the office use Shokz OpenRun headsets, but i’ve never liked bone-conduction headphones. It so happens that open-ear earbuds are now a thing. After trying a few models, i’ve settled on the Shokz OpenDots One, which offer the best compromise between sound quality, comfort, style, battery life, and price.

It’ll never not be weird to clip tiny speakers to my ears, but the tan version is as inconspicuous as it gets. Best of all, they’re supremely comfortable, which is something i can’t say about my AirPods Pro. The clamping force is perfect: tight enough that the earbuds don’t slide around even when i’m shaking my head, but not so tight as to pinch my ears. You need to angle the earbuds upwards, towards the ear canal, to get the best out of them.

The standard tuning is decent, with fairly defined highs and pleasantly rounded mids, but Shokz gives you three sound profiles and a five-band EQ to customize the OpenDots One to your liking. I’ve ended up boosting the bass and low-mids to compensate for their open nature. Dolby Audio support is, as always, a gimmick that does nothing but drown music in a sea of reverb and pierce your eardrums with overcooked highs.

I never felt the need to push the volume past the 50% mark. I can enjoy my music without my colleagues noticing, and i can still hear them clearly when they’re talking to me. The DSP seems to lose it at higher volume anyway — the high-mids get shouty and the bass gets distorted. I wouldn’t use them for calls either: they’re pretty much useless without environmental noise cancellation, but with it, your voice takes on a metallic quality reminiscent of late 1990s headsets.

The touch controls are reliable enough. A double pinch on the battery plays or pauses, and a long press on the left or right battery lowers or raises the volume. Speaking of the battery, i get a full day out of the OpenDots One per charge, with the case providing enough juice for a whole week. The earbuds are symmetrical, which means they go on either side of the case… and either ear. The case supports Qi charging, but doesn’t have magnets for MagSafe/Qi2 chargers.

Overall, i like the OpenDots One a lot. I’m even thinking of hiking with them, something i’ve never done with my AirPods because they always slide out of my ears. The price is right too. But as always with most wireless earbuds, it annoys me that they’ll end up as landfill because you can’t replace the battery easily. If only Fairphone made Open Fairbuds!

Music

Ascending by Delia Stevens & Will Pound. Who knew that the harmonica and melodeon went so well with the glockenspiel? And spinning bells? And another half a dozen percussion instruments? Well, Will Pound and Delia Stevens knew. Their recompositions of Gustav Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite and Planets are cheerful and effervescent. It makes their original about Holst’s missing planet, Earth, all the more haunting. Earth: The Silent Planet, with lyrics from Robert Macfarlane, is one of the most awe-inspiring things i’ve heard this decade. Absolutely brilliant.

Vol. II by Angine de poitrine. I’m always surprised that Emmet Cohen hasn’t recorded more albums, but then again, he recorded hundred of album-quality tracks… on YouTube. Angine de poitrine might the first band that only works on YouTube. Don’t get me wrong, Vol. II is a great release, at least if you like this kind of math rock. But it doesn’t click until you see them play — the papier maché costumes, the double neck guitar, the insane pedal work, that’s an expérience totale is there ever was one. Considering how much i missed my subwoofer when i listened to their album, i might have to see them live to get my share.