Roseselsa Open Free

Walk, Listen, Repeat – Open-Ear Everyday Earbud

The Roseselsa Open Free represents an interesting entry from an audiophile company in the growing market of open-design earbuds. Clip-on ear designs prioritize comfort and awareness of your environment over providing reference sound quality, but they are typically great for outdoor activities like walking or running, where you don’t want to be accidentally knocked down.

Perfect audio device for a walking holiday

So every summer for the past few years, I have gone on some walking trips around Europe (specifically the ‘Camino’ in Spain). Last year I bought some TWS with me, and while they were mostly great, I was a little too anti-social, so this year I have decided to bring a few different open earbuds and my Apple Airpods with ANC (though I am not sure they count as open earbuds, but they don’t block the ear canal). The idea is I can listen while walking yet continue to chat to those walking with me and with people we bump into along the way. The walking routes also sometimes take us near and across busy roads, so having that awareness of cars is also important.

So, I currently have 3 open ear products I am trying, the Earfun OpenJump, the Moondrop Pills, and the Roseselsa Open Free. Each of these has their strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully I can give you an idea of Open Free in this review.

So I guess read on to see what I think, but before I get into that let’s have a look at the unboxing:

Unboxing and Build Quality

The Roseselsa Open Free comes in a clean, straightforward package:

The back of the box:

Opening the box reveals the earbuds nestled in their charging case:

Inside the box, you’ll find:

• Roseselsa Open Free earbuds
• Charging case
• USB-C charging cable
• User manual

The build quality of the Open Free is solid for its price point. The clip-on design is made of lightweight but durable materials that should withstand daily use and there are touch controls on each bud that can be controlled within the companion App:

The charging case is very nicely compact and portable, making it easy to carry in a pocket or bag:

Fit and Comfort

The clip-on design of the Open Free are the key aspect of its comfort, it never pinches your ears yet stays firmly in place even when you “shake your head” (unlike, for example, the Airpods with ANC which you can shake loose).

Of course, unlike traditional in-ear monitors or TWS earbuds that create a seal in your ear canal, these clip onto the outer ear, allowing you to remain aware of your surroundings while listening to audio content, but as I will get too in the sound section later, this open design also means the sub-bass is effectively non-existent.

Features and App

The Roseselsa Open Free comes with a companion app that offers several customization options:

This is the same RoseLink App that I am very familar with from other Roseselsa / Rose Technics products like the Cermanics X and the Earfree-i5.

While its is great to have a mobile app ( for example Hifiman does not for their TWS) the Roselin app is a little bare bones compared to both the Earfun and Moondrop apps but still has some useful features.

But sadly, from an EQ perspective, you only get EQ 2 profile presets:

This is a pity as I found that having more EQ profiles was a great option in other Roseselsa products, but I guess this is a limitation of the hardware. Both the Earfun and the Moondrop App have extensive EQ, with the new Moondrop App update providing a 5 band PEQ which is a nice option for those who like to really experiment with sound.

But at least the Bass boost profile with the Open Free does helps compensate a little for the naturally limited bass response of an open design. But it doesn’t transform the Open Free into bass powerhouses, but it does make a noticeable improvement to the mid-bass presence.

You can also customize the Touch button controls:

I actually found the touch controls where better / more responsive on the Open Free than the Moondrop Pill.

Another important feature of the Open Free is the codec support, as it supports some loseless codecs, this is an advanced over both the Open Jump and the Moondrop Pill ( and of course the Airpods only support SBC and AAC):

Note: There is supposed to be a Spatial feature, but I could not see where this feature could be enabled within the App, so I guess it is something that will be enabled soon via an update.

Battery Life

Battery performance is a definite highlight of the Open Free. The earbuds provide extended listening time on a single charge, making them reliable companions for long workdays or travel. The charging case adds several additional charges, further extending their usability between full charges.

This excellent battery life is particularly valuable for the intended use case of these earbuds—listening to long-form content like audiobooks and podcasts throughout the day.

Sound Quality

The sound quality of the Roseselsa Open Free needs to be evaluated in the context of its open design, which naturally imposes certain limitations, but I do feel the lack of more EQ options within the App (other than the bass boost) ultimately limits the sound quality of the Open Free.

Bass

As expected with an open design that doesn’t create a seal in the ear canal, bass response is limited. There’s minimal sub-bass presence even with the bass-boost, but even the mid-bass lacks some of the impact and fullness you’d find both the Earfun open jump (after using their EQ) and the Moondrop Pill ( the stock tuning does provide some mid-bass on the Pill).

Midrange

The midrange performance is good for certain more vocal-focused genres of music, and I do feel that Open Free is tuned best for audiobooks and podcast listening than accurate music presentation as to me, the midrange lacks the detail you’d find in higher-end audio products, with some thinness to the overall presentation.

Treble

The treble response is perhaps the most inconsistent aspect of the Open Free. The treble is highly sensitive to the exact positioning of the earbuds on your ears. Small adjustments in how and where they clip on can significantly change the high-frequency response.

This inconsistency makes it difficult to achieve a reliable, balanced sound signature, as the treble can vary from too bright to too dull depending on placement. This variability affects the overall tonality and can be frustrating when trying to optimize the listening experience but this is very subjective, your preferred place to clip these on your ears may be great and if you find the treble sounds wrong, adjusting location of the Open Free can help significantly.

Soundstage and Imaging

One benefit of the open design is it can have a more natural spacious soundstage, compared to sealed in-ear options. The Open Free creates a reasonably open sound presentation, though imaging precision is average at best due to the inconsistency of treble.

Comparisons

Here are the other ‘open’ earbuds I have mentioned throughout the review you can see the Airpods and the Earfun OpenJump have a different ‘style’ but the Open Free and the Pill are similar but the angle of the driver in your ear I think can make a big difference in the sound quality:

One interesting comparison and one that I didn’t mention earlier is the size of the case can be a significant part of the experience, especially if you plan to bring them with you and leave the case in your pocket:

The Airpods case is the smallest, but the Open Free case is a much more normal size than the other 2 cases.

vs. Apple AirPods with ANC

The Apple AirPods with ANC offer a more refined sound signature with better bass response and more consistent treble performance. While also featuring an ‘open’ design (though not as open as the open free), the AirPods provide superior audio quality for music listening and as the name suggests, includes some active noise cancellation.

The AirPods command a significantly higher price, however, making the Open Free a more budget-friendly alternative for those primarily interested in spoken word content.

vs. Earfun Openjump

The Earfun Openjump represents a more direct competitor in terms of price and design philosophy. The Openjump offers slightly sound quality with more consistent treble response and slightly improved bass presence. The Earfun app provides better customisations including a personalized EQ which I found to be pretty great.

vs. Moondrop Pill

The Moondrop Pill, another open-design option, delivers superior sound tuning with better technical performance across the frequency spectrum. Its more refined sound signature makes it more suitable for music listening while still maintaining the benefits of an open design.

The Pill represents a step up in audio quality from both the Open Free and the Open Jump.

Specifications and Measurements

Measurements

Here is the Open Free on my KB501X Pinna, you can hopefully get the idea of the typical angle:

I actually rotated the angle slightly for different measurements and found this can dramatically affect the measurements, as you can see below:

Frequency Response

So this might be more representative, by careful positioning on the ear, I was able to get the yellow measurement below, but more often it was more like the other 2, so your specific ear shape and how you wear the open free will affect the sound quality.

Comparing the FR with those other ‘open’ earbuds shows some significant differences:

With the Airpods 4 with ANC the best, but the Moondrop Pill gets some decent bass ( but as you will see in my Moondrop Pill review, the sound is also very positionally depedent) and the Earfun is ok (but with a peak at 3K) and the open free (in most measurements) has an even larger peak in the upper midrange / lower treble regions.

Distortion

Bass distortion is not great but I was measuring this playing fairly loud:

And as a percentage, it shows significant sub-bass distortion:

Rating

The Roseselsa Open Free earns a 3-star pragmatic rating based on its performance and value proposition:

1. Sound Quality: Very limited bass response and inconsistent treble, but good for spoken word content
2. Comfort: Excellent for extended listening with no ear fatigue
3. Battery Life: Very good battery life
4. Features: Mobile app support is ok with useful customization options but lack of more EQ options is a shame
5. Value: Reasonable for its specific use case

The Open Free is best suited for:

• Vocal content, for example, Podcasts and audiobooks
• Office workers who need to hear colleagues while listening
• Those who find traditional in-ear designs uncomfortable

Conclusion

The Roseselsa Open Free occupies a specific niche in the audio market. For listeners primarily focused on podcasts and audiobooks who want to stay awareness of what is around them, these earbuds offer a comfortable, long-lasting solution.

However, their limitations in music reproduction—particularly the lack of bass and inconsistent treble—make them difficult to recommend as all-purpose listening devices. When compared to other open-design options like the AirPods with ANC, Earfun Openjump, and Moondrop Pill, the Open Free falls short in overall sound quality.

For those specifically seeking clip-on earbuds for spoken word content in environments where situational awareness matters, the Open Free represents a solid 3-star option. But for listeners who want a more versatile audio experience that handles music well, better alternatives exist at similar price points.

While the Open Free excels in certain areas like comfort and battery life, its sound quality limitations—particularly in bass reproduction and inconsistent treble response—make it a more specialized option rather than an all-purpose listening device. For those seeking an open-design earbud specifically for spoken word content, the Open Free offers good value, but music enthusiasts may want to look elsewhere.