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Shokz OpenRun Professional 2: One minute evaluate
The Shokz OpenFit Air are most likely the best running headphones for folks within the 5k to half-marathon distance bracket who need to have the ability to hear their environment once they practice and race. Providing a really cheap 6 hours on a full cost, the battery life will get most individuals by means of a full marathon, too, though costlier Shokz choices give double the playtime.
Open-ear headphones just like the OpenFit Air sit round and over your ears reasonably than in your ear canal just like the best wireless earbuds. This pair is especially mild, at simply 8.7g per bud, and also you barely really feel them on once you’re jogging alongside a bumpy nation lane or doing burpees in a digital class. The design incorporates a versatile silicone ear hook, and this holds them securely in place with out creating any stress or discomfort throughout lengthy listening periods.
Whereas they match a variety of ears and sit alongside glasses, the open design will not be for everybody. Music is dropped at a complicated backdrop once you’re close to heavy site visitors or crowds, and a few folks will nonetheless need energetic noise cancellation. After all, {many professional} working and biking races have guidelines on the kind of headphones you should use. For security, you want to have the ability to hear different runners, marshals, and automobiles, and the OpenFit Air will let you do that.
In contrast to Shokz’s best bone-conduction headphones, open-ear choices just like the OpenFit Air use tiny audio system to transmit sound. Shokz calls it Air Conduction through DirectPitch, which is a flowery approach of claiming that sound waves transfer by means of the air to hit your ear, as is form of the case with the best earbuds anyway.
It seems like Shokz has rigorously thought of its goal market with OpenFit Air. The headphones had been launched in June 2024 as a extra inexpensive open-ear choice in comparison with the unique Shokz OpenFit and the Bose Ultra Open earbuds. With IP54 water and sweat-resistance, they are not only for runners both, however yogis, walkers, and cyclists. Different key options embrace contact controls and multipoint pairing for switching been a telephone and a desktop or smartwatch.
Provided that the costlier OpenFit 2 headphones had been launched in January with virtually double the battery life and bodily buttons, and that the Shokz OpenRun Pro supply such improbable bass for runners, are the Shokz OpenFit Air an excessive amount of of a Goldilocks choice? Over greater than three months of testing, I’ve liked carrying them and liked listening to them. They do not swimsuit all my listening wants, however they have been hooked round my ears greater than I ever imagined.
Shokz OpenFit Air: Specs
|
Drivers |
18 x 11 mm customized driver |
|
Lively noise cancellation |
No |
|
Battery life |
As much as 6 hours music playback. As much as 28 with charging case |
|
Weight |
8.7g ± 0.2g per earbud |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.2 |
|
Frequency vary |
50Hz – 16kHz |
|
Waterproofing |
IP54 |
|
Wi-fi vary |
33ft (10m) |
Shokz OpenFit Air: Value and availability
- Price $119.95 / £94 / AU$199
- Extra inexpensive than the OpenFit
- Nicely-priced for the standard and design
At $119.95 / £94 / AU$199, these headphones are cheaper than the Shokz OpenFit 2 ($179.95/£129.95) by a way. It is truthful to say that these supply higher waterproofing and greater than double the battery life on a single cost, however not everybody wants 11 hours of juice in a single go. Contrasting with different choices from the model, the OpenRun Pro2 bone-conduction headphones are available at $179.95/£169, and so they provide you with as much as 12 hours of audio.
The OpenFit Air headphones are cheaper than different manufacturers focusing on runners and health fanatics. The Beats Fit Pro at $199 / £199 / AU$299.95, give as much as 6 hours of playback. However they’re an in-ear bud, making it a more durable comparability. Then there’s the premium Bose Ultra Open earbuds at $299 / £249.95 / AU$449.95, which are not marketed for runners in fairly the identical approach however supply the same match and premium audio.
You will all the time have the ability to discover cheaper choices, in fact. The Soundcore V20i by Anker additionally hold your ear canal bud-free and value round $40 / £50 / AU$89.99, with 4 mics to cut out surrounding noise on calls. With out testing, it is exhausting to say how they examine, however they’re marketed for on a regular basis use and lightweight working.
Personally, if I will put a pair of headphones by means of a whole lot of put on, tear, and sweat, I am simply unsure I can justify a really costly choice. I believe the OpenFit Air are sensible worth once you stability the design, battery life, and performance they offer the common runner.
Shokz OpenFit Air: Design
Picture 1 of 3
- Reminiscence alloy core with a silicone outer
- Tremendous mild: solely 8.7g per earbud
- Resist filth and sweat, even in white
The way in which that Shokz approaches design and packaging for the OpenFit Air feels glossy. The buds, that are created from a combination of a versatile, matte silicone floor and a metallic ring, are available a strong snap-shut charging case with a USB-C port on the again.
Of the three colorways for the OpenFit Air—white, black, and pastel pink—I reviewed the white pair. Whereas I like white tech, I was anxious they’d get grubby with common put on in sweaty exercises. Three months in, nevertheless, and so they nonetheless look nearly as good as new. In contrast to in-ear headphones, they don’t lure sweat, so I wager they’ll last more even underneath heavy use. It is value noting that the IP54 water resistance score is okay for mild rain and sweat, however beneath the IP55 score of the Shokz Open Run Professional.
The OpenFit Air are my first pair of open-air headphones, and after I first tried them on, I used to be amazed at their lightness (simply 8.7g every). They match neatly round my small ears, whereas different headphones can dwarf them. However I used to be doubtful about them staying on throughout train. The versatile silicone ends wrapped round my ears snugly, and I felt assured about taking them for a run. To see how properly they’d match a wider vary of ears, I requested my accomplice, who has bigger lugs than I do, to attempt them too, and the adaptable ear hook gave a very good match and sound with out placing stress on the ear (beneath).
Shokz OpenFit Air: Options
- Contact controls are straightforward to press unintentionally
- Just a few equalizer choices inside the app
- 4 microphones for clear voice calls
In contrast to the Shokz OpenFit, the Air has a multi-point pairing mode function. This implies you’ll be able to join them to your telephone and say, a Bluetooth working watch, then swap between the 2 shortly. I paired them with Android, iOS, and Home windows, plus a Garmin Forerunner watch, and located a seamless transition between them. There is not any ear detection, so if you happen to take the buds out, they hold taking part in, and you will want to chop the audio off on the supply.
By design, on condition that the OpenFit Air are supposed to hold you conscious of your environment, there’s no noise cancellation function. However there are 4 microphones on the left bud, with a Qualcomm cVc 8.0 voice recognition algorithm designed to filter out background noise. I examined the mics for voice calls as a listener and a talker, and the sound was clear on each ends, aside from in very heavy wind. The mics are solely in the appropriate earbud, so clearly you may have to put on that one to be heard.
The OpenFit Air has no bodily buttons for the amount, pausing, or skipping tracks. As an alternative, there’s a touch-sensitive interface on the principle physique of every headphone, which presents a couple of issues. Though the design retains the headphone exterior easy (the place buttons would probably collect filth or sweat), it’s straightforward to the touch these controls unintentionally.
Reaching as much as regulate my ponytail or eradicating a layer would brush them sufficient to create a loud, confused beep. By default, you need to maintain down your finger on the aspect of both headphone to lift or decrease the amount. And when working at even a average velocity, this feels awkward. You possibly can change which gestures do what within the Shokz app, however the clunky management lets down an in any other case seamless function set.
In any other case, the free Shokz smartphone app is satisfyingly easy. It additionally affords primary data concerning the buds and case battery ranges, and there are 5 preset EQ settings for altering the audio stability. For essentially the most half, I stored the buds on Bass Enhance and loved the richer sound it provided.
Shokz OpenFit Air: Efficiency
- 6 hours of battery and 28 hours from the case
- A ten-minute provides 2 hours listening time
- Leaks sound at excessive volumes, as open-ears do
I wasn’t anticipating the Shokz OpenFit Air to ship the identical bass and immersive listening as my Bose QuietComfort Over-Ear headphones, however I did need to have the ability to take pleasure in my eclectic library of tunes whereas working. I began utilizing the headphones whereas coaching for a half marathon, and though it took me some time to get used to the open-ear design and the ambient noise that was deliberately let in, I learnt to like them.
Sound comes from customized 18 x 11mm dynamic drivers that Shokz has engineered for balanced bass, mid, and treble frequencies. I felt there was a good quantity of bass on pumping tracks like The Veldt by deadmau5, however I additionally loved quieter, minimalist piano from Ludovico Einaudi after I wished my runs to tackle a extra soulful vibe. Throughout podcasts, with a number of folks speaking, I typically needed to crank up the amount to listen to precisely what was being mentioned.
The headphones let in background noise to maintain you secure on runs and walks, lest you get right into a spot of hassle when crossing roads or tracks. Once I was working within the metropolis centre, the music was exhausting to listen to, reasonably than the principle occasion, however that is form of the purpose right here. It is not a flaw with the headphones, simply one thing to remember if you happen to’re unsure you all the time need to hear your environment. In a busy hipster health club, for instance, I nonetheless don my over-ear headphones to dam out distracting noises and focus by myself exercise. However for HIIT lessons at residence, the OpenFit Air are once more the best, light-weight companion.
There’s noise leakage from the headphones, however it’s not obtrusive till you get to three-quarters of the complete quantity. I would by no means put on the OpenFit Air in my open workplace, or on the bus or practice, however for walks across the countryside the place I wished to take heed to a podcast and hold my ears open to birdsong, wildlife, and farm equipment, the stability of each was excellent.
Conventional in-ear buds may give me an earache after a couple of hours, and over-ear headphones neckache. Against this, the Shokz OpenFit Air are essentially the most comfy headphones I’ve ever worn, a lot in order that I typically overlook they’re there. I can put on them with sun shades arms sitting on prime, and I’ve additionally seen a number of customers reporting consolation when carrying a helmet, though I haven’t but examined this.
I’ve worn the Shokz underneath a bandana or woolly hat throughout colder runs and located no extra discomfort from having them barely pressed to my head. Whether or not it is to be really helpful or not, when pottering on a time without work, I typically put on the Airs for so long as the battery lasts.
Talking of battery, I’ve discovered that spectacular too. Shokz says you may rise up to 6 hours of battery life from the buds and an extra 28 hours by popping them within the case to cost them up. That is near what I’ve skilled; on someday after I wore the OpenFit Air from a full cost, I timed 5 hours 45 minutes of use. Equally, the buds lasted me a full weekend of journey with top-ups from the case on the go.
Shokz OpenFit Air: Scorecard
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Score |
|
Worth |
There are cheaper variations of the OpenFit Air on-line, however none are as glossy. Nevertheless, some do supply higher waterproofing. |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
Very good consolation ranges for lengthy interval and completely different ear sizes. The contact controls may be awkward. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Options |
4 microphones give clear voice calls, however by design there is not any noise cancellation. |
4 / 5 |
|
Efficiency |
Lengthy-enough battery for many full marathons, and well-balanced audio. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
General |
A game-changer for runners who need to hear what is going on on round them. |
4.5 / 5 |
Ought to I purchase the Shokz OpenFit Air?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally think about
How I examined
- Used every day for over three months
- Listened to podcasts, music and telephone calls
- Ran two half marathon races carrying them
I’ve spent greater than three months carrying the Shokz OpenRun Professional 2, and through that point have used them for all my out of doors runs – together with two half-marathon highway races and a wet 10k on bumpy terrain.
I wore them on every day canine walks within the countryside after I nonetheless wished to listen to wildlife and farm equipment. I additionally used them for at-home HIIT exercises, to check how properly they stayed on whereas I used to be star-jumping, doing burpees, and usually transferring round erratically. I did not use these buds within the health club or the workplace as I want heavier noise cancellation there.
I linked the earphones to my iPhone 15 Professional and Garmin working watch to see how straightforward it was to attach and swap between the 2 gadgets. I listened to all kinds of audio, from traditional music on the radio, to voice calls with my household, to podcasts and audiobooks, and the indie rock from my teenage years. I additionally tried all 4 EQ settings obtainable within the Shokz app.
Lastly, to check the microphone, I took a number of calls each at residence and in a metropolis centre with background site visitors, noting each the way it carried out for me and asking the individual on the opposite finish to inform me how they discovered the sound high quality.