Shokz’s new bone conduction headphones have a clever solution for bass

I’ve been hunting for a brace of open-ear headphones. I’ve tried two bone-conduction headphones from Suunto. They were lovely, but the bass near maine wanting. I tried the Shokz OpenFit Air. The bass was better, but the acceptable wasn’t large erstwhile I wore my glasses. I’d resigned myself to everlastingly utilizing my Ray-Ban Meta astute glasses for runs — large dependable but a small dense and gross erstwhile sweaty — and past Shokz said it had a brand-spanking-new brace of bony conduction headphones for maine to try. The $179.95 OpenRun Pro 2.

And aft astir 2 weeks of wearing these for each run, walk, and gym session, I deliberation I whitethorn beryllium a full-on person — astatine least, for my workouts.

The happening that yet sold maine was the bass. Unlike the archetypal OpenRun Pro (which are present discounted to $159.95), these don’t trust connected bony conduction alone. Bone conduction drivers usually beryllium by your temples and trust connected vibration to transmit dependable into your skull. Traditionally, they’re decent for precocious and mid tones, but bass often sounds muddy. With the OpenRun Pro 2, there’s present a dedicated, 18mm by 11mm aerial conduction talker specifically for bass. The erstwhile OpenRun Pro had bass enhancers, but this update is meant to battalion much of a punch. Another plus: less vibrations. One contented I’ve had with bony conduction is erstwhile you crank up the measurement to drawback any bass, it often means the bony conduction drivers volition buzz similar furious bees.

I was skeptical going into testing. I’ve heard galore promises of large bass from open-ear buds lone to beryllium sorely disappointed. But to my surprise, it was beauteous good! I inactive person to crank up the measurement a bit, it’s nary lucifer for a large highway, and it’s inactive not arsenic bully arsenic in-ear buds. But to beryllium fair, nary open-ear bud volition ever beryllium escaped of those compromises. I was inactive capable to groove to the thumpy intro to “Start a Riot” by Duckwrth and Shaboozey without missing excessively much. I perceive to audiobooks connected my regular walks, and those besides sounded clearer than I expected — provided the operation unit down the artifact wasn’t making a racket.

But an adjacent bigger astonishment was fit. It’s great. When I archetypal tried Shokz headphones, backmost erstwhile the institution was inactive AfterShokz, I hated the wraparound neckband. It felt excessively large and excessively choky astir the temples, and the receptor hooks were uncomfortable if I wore glasses. But successful this case, the operation of ultrathin and bendy receptor hooks attached to the neckband made these headphones consciousness secure. Shokz besides says it’s tweaked the plan truthful there’s 16 percent little clamping unit connected the temples — and truly, that wasn’t an contented for maine this clip around. I inactive don’t emotion the neckband. It’s a spot annoying erstwhile I person to necktie up my hairsbreadth and tin get successful the mode if I’m doing level exercises similar a dormant bug oregon thorax presses, but these are quibbles.

Claimed artillery beingness has besides improved to 12 hours connected the Pro 2. That aligned with my testing. These days, I enactment retired astir 9–10 hours per week and spell connected respective walks. So far, I’ve had to complaint astir erstwhile per week. The bully happening present is the Pro 2 present usage USB-C alternatively of a proprietary charger. Huzzah! As a wearables reviewer, I person excessively galore proprietary chargers, truthful it’s ever a immense positive to spot companies opt for a cosmopolitan charging standard.

The lone happening I wasn’t sold connected was the mic quality. Shokz claims there’s a caller AI sound simplification algorithm and better, wind-resistant microphones. However, whenever I called up friends portion connected walks, they said I sounded similar crap and begged maine to power to AirPods. Granted, I seldom telephone radical connected walks, and I definitely don’t privation to speech to anyone portion exercising, but it’s thing to see if you bash similar chatting portion connected the go.

For me, utilizing the OpenRun Pro 2 was similar the stars yet aligning. I’m not making a immense compromise connected bass, the acceptable is unafraid and comfortable, and I tin enactment alert of my surroundings. I’ll astir apt power backmost to the Beats Fit Pro for gym sessions, but until I find amended bass connected an open-ear headphone? These are the ones I’ll beryllium reaching for.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge