The best open headphones you can buy are not at all headphones

At the time, the name of the game with regard to wireless audio was the cancellation of noise. That is to say how much noise can your wireless headphones possibly block? And of course, the wireless headphones of the active noise (ANC) will probably never fall entirely from the vogue, but in recent years, the audio companies have recognized that it is, in fact, pleasant to be sometimes aware of your environment. Thus, a market for open headphones has been created.

If you are not familiar with the “open headphones”, as they were marketed, they are a category of wireless eg that – instead of focusing on the cancellation of noise – in fact allow the ambient audio to bleed in your Bluetooth audio By design. Why in the name of God would you ever want this, you ask? For many reasons, in fact. Say you cycle, for example. On the one hand, cycling and listening to music is great, but on the other hand, he therefore hears an 18 -wheeled funchette in your direction. The same can be said to exercise on foot – being able to hear traffic and pedestrians is not only an advantage; This could potentially be vital, and the ANC headphones do not allow you exactly to do so. And then there are less morbid advantages such as comfort.

As brilliant as being able to cancel the baby screaming on a plane, it is sometimes possible to push headphones into your ear holes is not the most comfortable device for prolonged use. Open headphones do not have this problem. Ultra open headphones from Bose, for example, are more like a jewel, with a clip type design that draws a speaker behind Your ear so that your ear passage remains unlocked. If you are like me, you are probably skeptical about what they may seem at a distance, but I have tried them, and I am here to tell you that not only are they comfortable, but they also seem a little ridiculously good.

But what happens if I told you – as useful and surprisingly functional as are the open headphones – there is actually a third category of open audio device which, I think, is even better, and they do much more than playing audio? This device is actually the best pair of open headphones that you can buy, and they are not even headphones at all.

Yes, I speak (again) of smart glasses.

I praised smart glasses a million times at this stage, but perhaps one of the most underestimated reasons for which I really like them in their current form is that they work incredibly well as audio product. I personally use a pair of meta-rayons almost every day, and although they are not a solution, I opt for 100% of the time, these are the first I know when I need to hear my environment. Anyone who I convince to listen to Ray-Bans de Meta is immediately surprised by the quality of the audio which he died out. Of course, you will not want to wear them when you listen to a podcast in a crowded metro, but if you are in an unarmed noise situation, they work much better than you think. And with the integration of Spotify, when the audio assistant on Meta really hears my orders and understands them, they are also quite functional.

And it’s not just music; There is undoubtedly better use for smart glasses as an open audio product, and its vocal calls. I use my meta-rays so much for calls that speaking in wireless headphones (even open ears) looks like a major degradation. Meta’s Ray-Bans, according to my experience, beat most of the open competitions when it comes to calling, not only because the audio you receive sounds good, but because the microphones somehow gives the shit of the headphones I used.

As much as I like the ultra open headphones of Bose for their sound quality, the microphone on these things is at best. Nothing open, which I also used widely, is a little better, but not exactly great. The Rays de Meta rays, however, combine the best of both worlds. The people I have called often point out that I seem better than usual when I take calls, and the same goes for their voice on my side. In addition, being able to walk and feel completely without incident when I take calls is an advantage that I did not know I needed.

But it’s just the audio side of things. Intelligent glasses, as you may already know, are capable of more than playing music or taking calls. If you get away from the open headphones, you could end up with a gadget that also takes photos and saves the video. Yes, Meta’s rays have integrated AI, but having used (or tried to use) Meta I often, I cannot, with a clean consciousness, recommend anyone to buy these glasses for AI capabilities. In short, Meta Ai is at best trembling when it is not only insubordinate or bad on things. With this warning, however, you are Get more than just audio product in smart glasses, and I have the photos to prove it.

Obviously, smart glasses are not excellent in all situations. At the moment, my biggest complaint regarding the meta-bands I have is that they are tinted, which makes them use inside (especially in my dark New York apartment) less than ideal. The headphones obviously do not have this problem, so points for the headphones here. That could Change in the future, however, because an increasing number of smart glasses incorporate electrchromic lenses that allow you to adjust the shade of your glasses simply by pressing a button.

But above all, I just see intelligent glasses as a better value, especially if you are considering high -end open headphones such as the aforementioned offer of bose. These generally sell $ 299, which is the same price as a pair of Meta’s Ray-Ban rays. And yes, the audio quality on bose headphones is better than meta rays, but you always get much more for money: a camera, an audio and a pair of sunglasses in one.

I know that the smart glasses are not exactly the future revolutionary product that we all want to be right now, but they are – if you can exceed the fact that they still have a lot of room to grow – solid for certain things that we do here and now. And one of these things is to listen to things. So, if you are on the market for a pair of headphones that you can wear while you are exercising or on a bicycle, or those that simply do not connect your ears, you may want to buy the best open headphones for all: smart glasses.