Open-ear (or open-air) design headphones have been gaining popularity as an alternative to bone conduction, bringing prices down while providing similar benefits. In some cases, they may even sound better than their bone-conductive counterparts. One of the latest we get to talk about is the one I have been getting used to for about a week now, which is the nwm Wireless Open-Ear Headphones.
This is a new company that has been pushing into the US market coming from Japan. It has a small handful of models already in the market and this is one we came across during CES 2024 just a few weeks ago. They had a small booth within the Eureka Park section and were excited to share their products at the show. They even had a chair with built-in “PSZ Technology” that allows the user sitting in the chair to hear music coming from the headrest that slightly wraps around, even though it was a busy/loud environment. Of course, that was just a taste of things to come and what the technology had to offer.
For now, the company seems to be hard-at-work focusing on open-air earbuds of various styles, including true wireless and headband models (including this one).
These earbuds come packed into a very simple packaging that appears to have a focus on sustainability as the box is a bit of a thin cardboard material that is likely very biodegradable. It is secured with a thinner cardboard sleeve. The packaging strongly gives off a pro-Earth kind of vibe without even having to mention it anywhere (outside of a few recycle-rated logos on the back of the sleeve).
There seems to also be a focus on neutral colors for skin-tones, as you have two color options to pick from. Including beige and dark brown. Similar to headsets you’d wear on stage while presenting (when you want the ones that blend in with the skin tone). So your color choice can either depend on this or simply on preference.
Open-air headphones are simple and require fewer accessories since there aren’t any silicone tips or anything to size to your ears. Instead, they simply hover over or above your ear slightly and aim the sound down and into your canal.
So in this case, there is just a USB cable for charging inside, some light documentation, and a magnet used to help customize the band to your neck so it doesn’t fall off. Optional to use, but useful to have.
The instructions are very simple as the white card in the previous image is really the only thing that talks about the button layout and how to obtain the app (nwm Connect, available for both iOS and Android), while the smaller foldouts keep it to precautionary disclaimers.
I am going to point out now that you will likely want to download the app to get the most out the headphones. However, it should be noted that you should pair the headphones to your device using the app and not directly from your device’s Bluetooth settings/control or the app won’t be able to find them (it has to do the pairing and won’t check for already paired devices for some reason).
This is a neckband design, so it will wrap around your head. There are two small modules on each side that balance each other out. One containing the controls and the other likely containing the internal battery.
There are two small sliding nubs (or at least, nubs sound like a good name for them). You slide these down while the earbuds are on your ears to find a nice place to attach the magnet band. These nubs attract the magnets and help secure things to your head/neck. Again, this is optional, but helpful to have if you feel they don’t remain on your neck/head well without it.
The earbuds hang over your ear canal just slightly above the canal. Keeping the the canal completely exposed so that you can hear everything else around you. Keeping you safe everything in your environment. As mentioned, there are no tips to fuss with since these do not insert directly into your ears.
The material is light and comfortable so it doesn’t really cause any noticeable discomfort when wearing them.
The right side contains the module that has your controls. This includes three multi-functioning buttons. The main one is for power/play/pause/answer/disconnect, while the two volume buttons are for volume (clearly) and track selection.
There is also a USB-C port located here for charging and a microphone for taking calls.
Performance
These headphones make use of what nwm (and its parent company NTT) calls “PSZ Technology” that is similar to other things like “beam-forming” that are used by other manufacturers. The idea is getting the audio to your ear and nowhere else. This way, no one else can listen to what you hear even though the earbuds aren’t actually shoved into your ears canals.
In this case, the function works well as you can’t hear anything coming from the headphones unless you are wearing them. Anyone standing next to you won’t hear a thing. So again, it is very similar to what bone-conduction is trying to achieve. Only this approach appears to be much more affordable.
When it comes to using them for things like music and video content, they don’t score as highly as some of the other options we have come across. These seems to solely focus on higher frequencies. Mid-highs and highs with most of the focus on just highs. Because of this music, movies, or anything else beyond voice experiences a lack of body and low-end.
In this sense, they are exactly like most bone conduction headphones out there as few of those are capable of producing noticeable bass. But since this does appear to be a limitation for these, I couldn’t say they are a good match for anyone looking to mostly use them for such.
This is where having the app installed on your device becomes helpful. The app is simple and really only offers two things. You have another source of identifying what the three buttons do in any given scenario, and it provides an adjustable EQ setting. It only gives you a few options, but it at least allows you to dial up the low end a little. Although, it really isn’t that noticeable (most muddy sounding than dialing anything in).
Instead, these are better for communication since voices in both directions sound crisp. Making for a good call experience.
They do offer a good battery life at up to 20 hours of music listening. That makes for a good spec to sport as well as Bluetooth 5.3 for crisp/clear sound with little compression. At least, for the frequencies they specialize in.
Our Conclusion
These are best used in situations where you need to hear everything around you. Like at work or as you commute somewhere in public. You can still hear any audible warnings around you or even people talking to you. Meanwhile, you can still hear everything comes from the earbuds.
It isn’t the best range for music and video, but great for communications. Leaving them closer to the performance of most bone conduction models while maintaining a better price. However, since there are open-air/ear models out there that are at this price or less that offer more range, this causes the score to suffer a little.
Their ability to keep the sound in your ears and nowhere else is spot on. No one else can hear what you are listening to making their comparison to bone conduction vs price pretty solid. However, again, since other open-ear models at the same price or less offer more range and less cumbersome design (ie, true wireless), this conflicts with the score a little. It just seems like neckhand designs are losing strength in the market.
Quality of materials is good overall, and this helps to save it in the score department a bit. It’s also nice that the company seems to be focusing on bio-degradable material for packaging as we have enough trash thrown about around the world. Every little act in that department of things helps.
| Our Rating | Average Price* $89.00 |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
Additional Images:
Co-Authors: Ryan S.
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