The promise of Shokz bone-conduction headphones is that you can listen to music without plugging your ears, so you can still hear the sounds around you. We haven't liked them very much in practice. That is until now. The first Shokz headsets we really like are the OpenRun Pro.
The problem with previous versions of Shokz headphones and most bone-conduction headphones is tied to their benefit. Since they don't put speakers in your ears, they have to send waves through your head. It can feel weird if it isn&t done well. A senior associate editor couldn't stand the faint buzzing in her skull that she experienced on previous versions of AfterShokz headsets, and other members of our team said they would rather not wear headphones at all.
That makes the OpenRun Pro even more impressive. I never noticed any of the problems my colleagues described in previous versions. She told me that she was wearing them for the first time for fun.
The first pair of bone-conduction headphones I have reviewed. I never would have suspected there were problems with the concept until my colleagues told me that they had a problem with previous versions of the headset. The OpenRun Pro might be the best compliment I can give it.
There is an open- ear sound.
It took me a while to get used to the OpenRun Pro. The sound quality from the earpieces was deep and rich, and the headset was comfortable on my head. The audio felt muffled. It makes sense that the sound is going to sound a little different because it travels through more of my bone and cartilage.
I never really noticed the difference once I got used to it. At one point, I used one of my older pairs of headphones, and only then did I remember that the OpenRun Pro sounded muffled.
The difference in sound quality between these and more traditional earbuds might be worth it even if it had been more annoying. Being able to hear the sound of passing cars or other people near me made me feel more secure when I was out for a run or wandering around a city block. It was easier to say something to the cashier. I forgot I was wearing it while talking to a friend.
The audio on the OpenRun Pro is easy to listen to, and that is the only downside. I had a friend wear them for a while, and while sitting next to her on the couch, with the headphones at medium volume, I could hear the song she was listening to. It was not loud enough to make out individual words, but if they had been turned up louder, I might have. If you really value your privacy or want to wear them in quiet places, you might want to keep the volume down.
There is semicircular comfort.
I was skeptical of the single-piece design at first. There are no changeable pieces to the design of the two bone-conduction modules, which are connected by a flexible semicircle that can bend outward to fit your head. I was worried that it would be awkward, but it was not. The back of the headphones can be seen from the back of your head, but I rarely noticed them. They fit well under a helmet.
The right earpiece has two buttons. The power button is doubled as the volume-up button. The headphones don't turn themselves off automatically, so long-pressing it will turn the device on and off.
There is a single button on the left earpiece. One click plays or pauses music, two clicks plays the next song, and three clicks back one track. You can answer or end a call with one click. The volume buttons are on the back of the ear, while the multifunction button is on the front of the earpiece. If the buttons were on the same spot on each side of my head, I would love it.
Rapid charging.
The OpenRun Pro has a charging cable that goes to the back of the right ear module. After about five minutes, it snaps into place and can quickly charge the headphones. The feature is useful because the headphones don't turn off automatically when they're not playing music. I found they were dead on a few occasions.
I only needed to charge the OpenRun Pro a couple of times a week if I remembered to turn off the headphones when I was done. My experience with the battery was close to 10 hours. If you have an outdoor job that keeps you active, it's a good idea to have a full workday of continuous use.
If you lose or break the charger, you can't just charge the headphones with a generic cable. Replacement cables are cheap.
I am probably pickier than most people when it comes to workout headphones, but the OpenRun Pro still impressed me. They were stood up to heavy workouts and provided great sound and situational awareness. If bone-conduction headphones sounded good before, I would have picked them up a lot sooner.
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