Excellent Sound Quality for Active Lifestyles

Whereas bone-conduction headphones typically aren’t identified for his or her audio high quality, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones handle to impress. With customizable EQ, first rate audio high quality, and a cushty design, anybody with an lively way of life could profit from including these to their tech arsenal.

Shokz OpenRun Professional 2

The Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 headphones supply premium sound for lively life utilizing bone conduction that delivers crystal-clear audio and a light-weight, snug nickel-titanium coated in clean silicone you’ll be able to put on for hours. 

Professionals

• IP55 water and sweat reistant
• Nice audio high quality
• Customized EQ settings within the app
• Snug silicone and construct

Cons

• Match wasn’t fairly proper for me
• In noisy environment, sound will get muddled
• Preset EQ settings are hit and miss

Worth and Availability

The Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 headphones can be found to order now on Shokz’s web site, Amazon, and Greatest Purchase. The headphones retail for $179.95 in every shade.

A Bone-Conduction Design Geared Towards Lively Existence

The Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 headphones function a traditional bone-conduction design that loops round your head. My OpenRun Professional 2 headphones got here in brilliant orange, which had some fairly metallic detailing that made them look a bit extra premium. The band match comfortably behind my neck (and caught out barely, which was a slight match challenge that solely bugged me with explicit clothes). The delicate ear loops cradled the tops of my ears, and the housing rested simply exterior my ears on the edges of my head. As a result of they’d an open-ear design, I used to be at all times conscious of my environment irrespective of the place I used to be—in my workplace, on the health club, exterior—and even listening at excessive volumes, I may nonetheless hear what was happening round me.

Regardless of my points with the headphones feeling slightly free, I wore these to the health club and for outside runs, they usually stayed put all through my exercises. I found that I might’ve benefited from a special dimension altogether. Per Shokz’s recommendation on the OpenRun Pro 2 page, I checked the sizing information video and decided that my match would’ve been higher if I had the “Mini” dimension, because the measurement of the again of my neck from behind one ear to the opposite was lower than the really useful 9.25 inches or bigger for the “Commonplace” dimension. (As a word to anybody ordering, measure your self first to make sure you get the very best match).

Although my match wasn’t best, the Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 headphones have been so snug that I virtually forgot I used to be sporting them. I frequently wore them throughout work hours and after-work exercises but by no means felt the band to be constrictive or annoying.

The OpenRun Professional 2 headphones have a USB-C port (coated by a silicone cap) that rests on the correct aspect when worn. Additionally, on the correct aspect is the ability button and quantity buttons.

Nonetheless, the place of the controls felt awkward whereas sporting the headphones, and the buttons weren’t tremendous pronounced. I struggled to make use of the onboard controls whereas sporting the headphones and as a substitute relied on my telephone’s controls for quantity and playback. I additionally needed to take the headphones off my head to energy them off. There was, nevertheless, a handy multi-function button on the left headphone housing, which was giant for pausing music, answering calls, and skipping songs.

Nice Sound High quality, With a Caveat

Many individuals have a sure perspective towards bone-conduction headphones—particularly, they aren’t known for great sound quality. To not point out the evident undeniable fact that with bone conduction, there is not any noise-canceling to dam out noisy environment. And since bone conduction works by sending vibrations to your interior ear through your skull (and principally skipping your eardrums completely), some individuals expertise sensory overload from too-strong vibrations.

The Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 headphones, nevertheless, use one thing the model calls “DualPitch Know-how,” which minimizes uncomfortable vibrations and improves sound high quality by assigning low frequencies to a separate air conduction driver. It is a dual-driver design—highs and mids are delivered via bone conduction, whereas bass frequencies journey via the air, simply as they might with a standard set of audio system.

I used to be skeptical myself, beforehand having a poor expertise with bone conduction headphones, however Shokz managed to create an honest sound with the OpenRun Professional 2 headphones. Twin drivers, customizable EQ, DRC technology to stop distortion at excessive volumes, and an algorithm that determines the place to distribute sound components for a 3D audio expertise are all elements that play into this nice audio expertise.

However earlier than I proceed to sing the praises right here, let me make clear—these headphones nonetheless do not sound the identical as in-ear audio. They will not substitute your noise-canceling earbuds or on-ear headphones, as a result of bone conduction has limitations. I nonetheless needed to crank the quantity up larger on the health club to drown out noises round me, and I missed that quintessential crispness from having sound pumping instantly into my ears. They did not sound as nice as in-ear choices, however the OpenRun Professional 2 headphones received nearer to bridging the hole than I’ve seen earlier than.

For probably the most half, I listened to music, YouTube movies, and audiobooks utilizing the headphones’ “Commonplace” mode. I additionally loved making my very own customized EQs. Commonplace mode mixed the twin drivers for a wonderful listening expertise that virtually made me overlook that these headphones used bone conduction. I loved every thing from arduous rock to classical, and though I’ve heard higher, these surpassed my expectations for his or her function. The bass was sufficient to please me for bone-conduction, however audiophiles will nonetheless discover the bass sorely missing. Nonetheless, they supplied me with immersive sufficient audio to actually get pleasure from listening, besides, maybe, throughout these situations the place the health club was so loud that the music was a bit drowned out.

Customization With the Shokz App

Though not everyone seems to be in search of customized EQ (I at all times am), the Shokz app (obtainable for iPhone and Android) provides it and does it nicely. I custom-made an EQ for music, boosting every thing a few notches to get pleasure from a fuller, louder sound that labored nicely for me. This took listening to the subsequent degree, and it is a function I feel most individuals may benefit from, since everybody experiences sound slightly in another way (we do not all have the identical listening to, in any case).

The preset EQ modes, nevertheless, have been a hit and miss. There are 5 preset EQ modes within the app—”Commonplace,” “Vocal,” “Bass Increase,” “Treble Increase,” and “Basic.” Commonplace was the perfect mode by far, and what I might advocate listening to most tracks with because it gives a balanced sound.

After I did attempt Bass Increase and Treble Increase, I used to be sad with them. Bass Increase considerably boosted bass however squelched quite a lot of the mids and trebles—the identical grievance I had with the Shokz OpenFit Air earbuds. It subtly boosts the bass by perhaps 10% or so and was nothing I discovered mind-blowing sufficient to make use of, particularly because it was often on the expense of the remainder of the combo (e.g., vocals getting misplaced within the observe, well-mixed instrumentals sounding muddy and underwater, and so on.). As an example, boosting the bass sounded good on songs like Quaker Metropolis Night time Hawks’ Uninterested in You Leaving, however nonetheless left one thing to be desired within the mids and took away from the general impact of the music.

Treble Increase, for my part, was a waste of time. The app suggests utilizing it for “gentle classical music.” However in the end, something I listened to with Treble Increase (classical included), was a giant sibilant mess (if there have been vocals) or method too harsh or muddy if it was simply instrumental. For those who suppose jazz trumpet sounds harsh in an everyday combine, whew boy, you realize nothing (and I am keen on jazz trumpet). One instance—Seether’s Nice Once more was principally all sibilant guitars and drum cymbals, and dreadful on this mode.

Vocal Mode was truly fairly helpful for podcasts, audiobooks, and the like, and satisfying because it put vocals on the forefront with out sounding overkill.

However Basic mode was probably the most painful of all, and I do not advocate it. Turning on Basic mode kills the air conduction drivers, leaving solely a traditional bone-conduction expertise. What did it equal? Nicely, tremendous robust vibrations and the muddiest sound conceivable. Shokz made bone conduction sound unimaginable (contemplating its fame) by incorporating air conduction drivers. Killing them took all of it away, leaving me with crappy, hard-to-hear sound and uncomfortable vibrations.

Name High quality and Microphones

I skilled first rate name high quality with the Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 headphones. Nobody I spoke to had a tough time listening to me (I requested every of them, they usually stated I sounded clear). I additionally used them for some Zoom calls, and in each recording I sounded clear (although, at occasions, not crystal-clear).

The headphones have an AI noise discount algorithm that (supposedly) filters out about 96% of background noise. Though I by no means skilled any points, I seen background noise crept via in microphone exams. Whereas nonetheless audible, my voice sounded a bit drowned out after I examined the microphones with various background noise ranges.

Nonetheless, since I do not suppose most individuals would depend on these headphones for hour-long telephone calls (besides, maybe, on a stroll or hike), I do not think about that the dip in high quality in noisy eventualities is one thing that may be a deterrent from investing in these. I might, personally, purchase these for my lively routine, and the decision high quality was sufficient to get by for a tool supposed primarily for listening whereas exercising.

Lengthy-Lasting Battery Life

Whereas utilizing the Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 headphones, I eked out about 10 to 12 hours of battery life on a single cost. This blessedly aligned with Shokz’s benchmark of 12-hour audio, which makes these headphones unimaginable for anybody who cycles or runs lengthy distances a number of occasions per week. I used them sufficient to want to cost up after per week of use (although critical marathoners would wish to cost up extra typically).

Charging is equally painless, because of a cool top-up function that got here in useful for me. When their battery was low, I plugged them in for about 5 minutes and noticed the battery life leap from nearly-dead to 40%. That is because of a fast-charge function that provides the headphones a lift of as much as 2.5 hours of listening with a 5-minute cost. A full cost took about an hour (which was according to the model’s claims).

Ought to You Purchase the Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 Headphones?

For those who’re out there for headphones that shall be your go-to companion for lengthy runs, health club journeys, biking, mountain climbing, or lengthy walks, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones are in all probability the perfect bone conduction headphones in the marketplace for his or her price-point. Their audio high quality is sort of good for this know-how, which is often identified for poor audio, they usually keep put via nearly any exercise whereas being snug sufficient for hours of damage.

Some much less strong factors, like their microphones (which nonetheless let background noise via and sound barely muffled), and the truth that they do not sound nearly as good as in-ear choices, could deter some individuals from investing in a pair of those. If bone conduction is not for you, however you continue to wish to remember whereas listening on runs, the Shokz OpenFit Air earbuds could also be a superb various.

Shokz OpenRun Professional 2

The Shokz OpenRun Professional 2 headphones supply premium sound for lively life utilizing bone conduction that delivers crystal-clear audio and a light-weight, snug nickel-titanium coated in clean silicone you’ll be able to put on for hours.