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- OF HUNGER
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- OF HUNGER, Signals
Yes, open-ear earbuds can leak sound. Electronic Gems and NEBULA leave the ear canal open, and some audio can be audible to people nearby, especially at higher volume or in a quiet room. We would not describe either collection as soundproof or promise that nobody else can hear what you are playing.
For a shared office, the useful question is whether the product suits the room and the kind of audio you need to hear.
A quiet room changes the context
A song that seems discreet in a room with conversation may be more noticeable when everyone falls silent. The distance between desks matters too. Someone sitting close to you has a different listening position from a colleague across the room.
Volume is part of this, but there is no verified percentage we can give you that guarantees privacy. A phone's volume slider is not a measurement of what another person will hear. The recording, your placement and the environment all affect the result.
Lowering the volume can be considerate. It does not turn an open-ear design into a sealed one.
Spoken audio deserves a separate decision
Think about what is playing, not just how loud it seems to you. A public podcast and a confidential voice message carry different consequences if a few words become audible. Do not use the appearance of an earphone, or the fact that it connects privately to your phone, as proof that the sound itself stays private.
For sensitive content, choose a setting and listening method appropriate to that privacy requirement. You can also pause the audio and return to it later. There is no need to force every task into the same pair of earphones.
Make a shared-space routine
If you already own the earphones, a simple courtesy is to ask someone nearby whether they can hear your audio at the level you intend to use. Treat that as feedback about that moment, not as a permanent test result. A different recording or a quieter room can change the situation.
When a colleague approaches, pause playback if it makes the conversation easier. Leaving the ear canal open does not mean you will reliably catch every word while music is playing.
Before buying Electronic Gems for work, consider whether you mainly listen in a quiet private room or in a close, shared seating arrangement. They can be a visible accessory for everyday audio, but an office purchase should account for the people sitting around you as well as your own preferences. Review the listening details with that room in mind.
