I noted that the Ear(Stick) Channel was a bit lacking! Thought I’d type up my thoughts and see what people think.

The design-focused ethos surrounding Ear(Stick) is evident at first glance. The sleek design stands out on a desk, the first touch of twisting the cylindrical case is a fantastically satisfying experience and a thick response from a delicate movement that pairs so well. While potentially “lacklustre” at first, Ear(Stick) prove they have a place without fighting all other TWS, instead carving a space of its own.

The bud itself fits nicely into the ear and is surprisingly secure, that said, the lack of the tip does feel strange, not bad as such, but certainly something to get used to. While secure, the wearer should not expect to wear these buds while working out or taking part in a high-impact activity, instead, these could be worn while cooking and cleaning. Along with this, the bud is prone to “rotating” within the ear, moving such that the speaker isn’t directly firing into the ear canal. This results in the earbuds sounding quiet until adjusted, which while only a temporary problem, can be frustrating.

Without the “tip” this device has almost no passive noise cancelling. Pair that with a lack of active noise cancelling and this device stands out in the lack of isolation it offers (Though future updates have added noise reduction). Subverting expectations, this significant lack of noise cancelling cements a place for this earbud, blending it into the background for use when being "open to the world” but wanting to consume audio (i.e. in an office/public space where a conversation may occur.)

The press controls and feedback show clear signs of intention and given their implementation in later released Ear(2), this feature appears to have been well received. The simple gesture of pinching with the “tick” feedback noise is well thought-out, being loud enough and responsive enough to Indicate an action has been triggered without being invasive in any way to music or content.

Over time, Ear(Stick) has continued to receive updates, with an element of noise reduction having been added, improved bass and other notable improvements. This long-term support is something that continues to impress, extending the lifespan of such a unique device.

Ear(Stick) is a compliment to any other TWS, suiting spaces in which background media consumption is not the focus of attention, such as podcast listening while on a walk, or audiobooks while cooking. Traditional TWS devices will make for a more suitable device for music consumption in a louder world, or even for more detailed consumption, but this leaves the door open for Ear(Stick) to fit a place where the outside world can bleed through.

What have been your experiences with Ear(Stick)? Do you agree with my thoughts, or do you believe there is a glaring omission?

    This is a fantastic coffee read this morning ☕thank you for the great post, its very well detailed and written.

    Unfortunately i have not had the pleasure of owning or even using Ear (stick) but based on my knowledge of the product and some of the points you have highlighted in your post, i definitley think there is a place for this product and i hope it gets more love from the team or even a sucessor with more refinement while retaining the overall appeal of what made this product stand out in the first place.

    I would also love to hear everyones thoughts and experiences.

      Really nice post here Dylan! I was lucky enough to own Ear (Stick) and used it as my daily for a very long time. Much of my enjoyment with the buds you have mentioned in your post - the comfort, secure and touch controls were really nice, as well as the form factor of the case.

      The biggest issue I had with them was the lack of ANC, which of course wasn’t possible because they aren’t in-ear buds so it’s to be expected, but I was coming from Ear (1) so was already used to this. I travel quite a lot on the tube which is quite loud and noisy. In such environments, I would find I was losing a lot of sound and hearing too much train noise. In any other environment though, these are great buds to use and the sound is very impressive, especially when compared to it’s predecessor Ear (1).

      I might go back and revisit these and use them as my office buds, I always remember the call quality was really nice on Ear (Stick) and they could be perfect for all my teams calls. I haven’t used them since they received all the new updates so I might be pleasantly surprised with how they sound now.

        Derren I’ve had my pair of Ear(Stick) for a while now, while at the CMF drop, I picked up another pair so that my partner would stop stealing mine so often! I’d love to see more products in this space, I think there is a quiet community that could use them often! (My fiancee, for example, she loves them while marking at home and hearing me for quick chats without taking them out!)

        Louis ☕️ Completely agree on the point about Ear(Sticks) and how they require a good environment for them to shine. They could be worth revisiting, especially in the new light of having other products around them (Ear(2) for example). I’ve not had much experience using them with calls, but I’m glad to hear they hold-up!

          VivaanReddy so I’ve not been able to test it in any “official” capacity. But I’ll say I did notice it’s slight change to feeling like the sound coming from the buds were more focused.

          This is a wonderful write up, Dylan, thank you!

          I have had Ear (Stick) for a while, I remember ordering them from the Online Store, with a tasty Dot discount. Since then , they have firmly lived in one of my desk drawers. Exclusively used in and around work.

          The point of them not having ANC is what appeals to me in a work setting. I can hear what is going on around me, as most of the time, I am tied to a radio to communicate with my colleagues, yet still have a form of audio to make the mundane tasks, less dull.

          When I purchased Phone (2) and Ear (Stick) was one of the free bundle goodies, I also gave my second pair to my partner. Something which was super useful on the unfortunate occasion when she lost her Ear (1)s. Plus side, is that the call quality has never sounded better, and she really enjoyed the non-ear tip design for longer listening sessions.

          I am not sure what the future for Ear (Stick) could be, I like there is a Nothing TWS product without ANC. I like the unique design and without redesigning the drivers for punchier sound, I am not sure what else there would be to change?

          So for now, they shall continue to be my work buds of choice. Leaving my Ear (2)s in the pocket for the heavy lifting of drowning out other commuters.

            Great thread! Thanks for the writeup.

            Dylan_B While secure, the wearer should not expect to wear these buds while working out or taking part in a high-impact activity, instead, these could be worn while cooking and cleaning.

            It’s funny you should mention this. There are a group of us strange humans that have smaller ears wherein ear (stick) actually stays in our ears much better than ear (1) or ear (2) do! I say “our” because I always recommend ear (stick) to those that tell me ear (1) or (2) doesn’t stay in their ears and I’ve had direct feedback from one user who told me ear (stick) fit them perfectly - so I’m not alone in this!

            Because of this, ear (stick) is my go-to day to day. I wear them in the office, doing general chores and also while working out. I previously had issues with ear (2) falling out while lying on a gym bench or bending to pick up a weight, but ear (stick) stay stuck! The only time I tend to reach for my ear (2) now is during vacuuming and if I’m going on public transport, due to their silicon tips and ANC both helping to block out background noise.

            You mention the pinch gestures too, which I absolutely love. I wasn’t a fan of the tap gestures on ear (1) as it felt too rough on my ear. Pinching requires no loud noise in my head and is much more responsive I think, along with that satisfying click noise.

              Ealesy101 It sound’s like we have similar use cases for these! I’m glad they found a special place in your audio toolbox as well!

              adbo I get exactly what you mean, both my fiancee and mother complain about in-ear canal buds being uncomfortable or ill-fitting and preferring air-pod style (or mushroom cap-less as coined by my fiancee).

              I still like the touch gestures of the Ear(1) and CMF Buds, though appreciate what you refer to about the roughness of it, especially other buds I’ve tried with actual buttons 😨. The pinch gestures are my favourite that I’ve tried so far!

              19 days later

              Hi to all Nothingers! I’ve them since yesterday and so far I’m surprised with the audio quality and with new noise reduction functionality. The thing is that the openings through where audio comes out is slightly different from the ear stick commercial photo and I just wanted to know if there are 2 versions or perhaps I received a counterfeit, that I don’t think so since I was able to pair them without problem with Nothing X and update to the new firmware that allows you to activate noise reduction, which works very fine. Do you know anything about this? Here you are a comparison with both ear stick versions (mine is the left version and right is the official photos one).

                8 days later

                After a while using Ear (2), I’ve now actually gone back to using Ear (stick) as my go to pair around the house, I forgot how comfy they are after not using them for a while - definitely feels more like there’s nothing there compared to the silicon tips of Ear (2)! I think they also work better for when I’m talking with them in as it’s easier to adjust them compared to Ear (2)s which tend to top out when I talk - the sticks also don’t stay in constantly, but they stay in better.

                I’d love to use them out and about more, but I’m still using Ear (2) for that due to the noise cancelling; as others have said, the sticks shine best in quiet environments and when I’m out and about, the Ear (2)s do actually stay in better - it’s just when I’m talking they don’t. But when I’m working from home and just want to listen to music, or I’m on a call, I am always going for the sticks now.

                CesareMete Good evening, the same question to the Developers, today I ordered these sticks for myself and my wife and two phones for them Notging Phone 2 with phones everything is fine, but with headphones the same story as with CesareMete, I have already asked the store about a return, please reply thank you

                  5 days later
                  a month later

                  I only got phone 2, 2 weeks back and have ordered the sticks. I considered the ear 2, but I had a bad experience with my galaxy buds 2 with the rubber grommet remaining in my ear canal and having to get my wife to pull it out with tweezers. Might have been my fault, might have not, but either way it put me right off. I’ll have to wait a few weeks for import here in Thailand, but that’s fine.

                  16 days later

                  Hello everyone, I had the ear sticks for a week and so far they sound very good, I will have to look at the battery life with use and their performance in calls. I just have one question, where and how do I activate the famous adaptive equalizer?

                    Manuel_lvarez Heyo there,

                    Isint it just in the “Nothing X” app? You would need the buds connected to see it though.

                    It has four presets, I understand that it must be balanced to activate the adaptive equalizer, I don’t see another function to activate 🫣

                      7 days later
                      a month later

                      Kindly how to use ear stick with phone , I can only hear music but for call answering no . For coming call it’s ringing but answering or making calls no . It keeps saying Bluetooth faild . I reset all app clear cash restart and reset .. nothing changed .

                      I need help

                      6 days later

                      I’m a long time Apple user and I love their products. I have had a first gen AirPods that were my favorite buds until their batteries died and I replaced them with AirPods Pro but after an ear infection my left ear started “clicking” and the tight vacuum-like fit of the AirPods Pro only made it worse. So, I needed loose fitting buds and purchased the Nothing Ear(Stick) out of curiosity. They are great, I love them and they kind of helped me with my ear healing. They have really great sound, considering the loose fit, and are comfortable to wear. And my colleagues tell me my voice is very loud and clear in conf calls. So, I purchased another pair for my wife who is on a lot of calls. But she’s really disappointed that she inadvertently pinches them while turning them for a better fit during calls and it hangs up the call in MS Teams or starts playing music in YouTube browser tab, etc, and that’s a deal breaker for her. And I don’t blame her because there’s no way on earth for me to put them in my ears without activating at least three pinch gestures which would start playing music, then stop it, then start it… It’s just ridiculous! I understand it can’t be changed and there’s no way for this gesture to be turned off which is such a shame. I’ve never had this problem with my AirPods Pro. Any advice? Hopefully there will be an update that can fix this and also make it possible to disable all gestures.