Are open-ear headphones viable in 2025? Listen for the first time, this pair gave a bold statement

NWM One Open-Ear Headphones

ZDNET Highlights

• The NWM One open-ear headphones cost $300 and offer immersive and conscious listening.
• The headphones are lightweight and comfortable to wear, making them ideal for both exercise and office use.
• There is some reduction in battery life.

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I go through several phases with earbuds and headphones. For a minute, I’m longing for mesmerizing sound and absolutely zero distractions pulling me away from my music. After this, I become overstimulated and require either silence or the quietest environment possible, provided at an arm’s length from my precious ears.

Because of this, I have started opening the earbuds properly. Pairs like the Nothing Ear Open or the Bose Ultra Open deliver rich sound with a healthy distance. When I tested these earbuds, I had no problem wearing them on long walks as I remained in my environment while listening to my music.

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I wore them to the grocery store, something I’d never do with a pair of noise-canceling earbuds, given how busy my Brooklyn Trader Joe’s is and how oblivious I become to my surroundings with the earbuds in my ears.

So when I found out that Nwm was selling open headphones, NWM forest is calledI jumped at the chance to try them out. How will this work, I thought to myself. A few weeks of working and exercising with headphones gave me the answer to that same question. Are they the next big thing in audio, and should you buy yourself a pair of open headphones? I explain all that below.

NVM open-ear headphones look like normal headphones, except that their centers have been cut out. In these, the ear pads of standard headphones are replaced with luminous cone speakers.

Because these headphones don’t cover my ears and instead stay a few inches away from them, the pressure buildup or sweaty ear syndrome associated with bulky noise-canceling over-ear headphones is not present in this pair. This makes them optimally comfortable and effortlessly lightweight to wear on walks, to the gym and to work.

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When it comes to work, if you spend your day in the office and find yourself constantly taking off headphones to answer coworkers’ questions, consider this your perfect pair. The awareness associated with the NWM’s form factor ensures that I can have a full conversation with coworkers while playing my music at a moderate volume.

The audio on the NWM One is rich and crisp. The headphones produce loud, clear and balanced sound. However, that being said, I should note that there is more audio leakage from these open-ear headphones than other products I’ve tested, but that’s on par for such a unique and unsecured form factor.

If you’re looking for headphones that make everything quiet I wouldn’t buy these. Quite the contrary: I would buy these if you want to hear loud, clear music with your surroundings. I tested these in the weight room of my busy gym.

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I heard the sound of my podcast host’s voice as well as the hum and bangs of loud equipment in my ears. At times, it was difficult to fully hear what my host was saying without turning up the volume.

When I moved to a less noisy part of the gym, my music was clear, and when another gym member came up to me to ask a question, I didn’t have to stop my music, take off my headphones, and say “Excuse me, can you repeat that?” to a stranger. That’s because the audio allowed his words to break through my music, dissolving the usual barrier between fellow gym exercisers and me that noise-canceling earbuds often create.

When I’m walking down the street, I don’t need to take off my headphones to hear cars beeping or passing cyclists. These are actually use cases that shed light on when and where one should wear NWM One Headphones,

ZDNET’s shopping advice

If you’re looking for a unique form factor, sound that will keep you immersed in your music while still being conscious of your surroundings, and are looking for headphones that you can use for exercise, work, and throughout the day, then I recommend these. NWM OneIf noise cancellation is at the top of your priority list, I would consider other options on the market – there are several that get the job done.