There is a lot of debate about what makes the perfect exercise headphones. Of course, if riding a bike or running outdoors, it’s important to be able to hear the world around you, but you still want to be able to hear your music in reasonable quality. There are currently two solutions for this: bone conduction technology (which gently vibrates your skull to convey the audio while keeping your ears free), and open ear listening technology (small speakers near your ear, so your ears aren’t physically covered). Both have their positives and negatives.
The brand new Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones try to hit the best of both worlds, by having bone conduction for higher tones, and air conduction drivers for bass, on a much larger scale than the original OpenRun Pros. I’ve taken them for a few bike rides and a couple of walks, and I’m really impressed by what I hear, especially with the stronger bass response.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review
- First impressions
- Specs and price in Australia
- Audio Quality
- Comfort
- Microphone quality
- Who is it for?
First impressions
The first thing I noticed when I got the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 out of the box is that they finally, finally have USB-C charging. I’ve been using Shokz for many years now, and the proprietary charging port has always been the main thing holding me back from encouraging all my friends to jump on the bandwagon (pre-OpenFit release).
Aside from that, the ends look a bit different to the previous OpenRun Pro model, to make way for larger speakers for bass, a welcome change. They’re still just as comfortable on the ear, and the band is a welcome presence without interfering with a bike helmet. However, those with long hair will likely hate the band a lot and be better served by the true wireless OpenFit headphones.
Really, if you imagine a pair of bone conduction headphones, these look like that, but a bit nicer. Which is exactly what you want.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 specs and price in Australia
| Speaker type | Air conduction speaker Bone conduction speaker |
| Battery life | Up to 12 hours of listening time with a single charge |
| Frequency response | 20Hz-20kHz |
| Bluetooth version | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Waterproof rating | IP55 |
| Charging time | 60 minutes A 5-minute charge gives 2.5 hours of battery life |
| Wireless range | 33ft (10m) |
| Weight | 30.3 grams |
| Microphone sensitivity | -38 dB ±1dB |
| Price (RRP) | $319 |
| Warranty | Two years |
| Official website | Shokz Australia |
That 30.3g weight is great for cyclists who have put the time and money in to make sure their bikes are as light as possible. The 12-hour battery life is a nice two-hour jump on the life of the previous model, which only had 10 hours. Though I’m disappointed that they’ve kept the same waterproof rating of IP55, because it means you probably shouldn’t use them in heavy rain. For comparison, the regular OpenRun has an IP67 rating, and triathletes would be better off with the OpenSwim Pro.
The microphone sensitivity is great, too. The specs claim that the wind resistance is rated so you can still talk while going 25kmph on a bike.
Audio quality
This is really the second most important aspect of these headphones, and the audio quality is fantastic compared to other open-ear listening headphones I have tried. The bass is much fuller without giving me a concussion, and the higher frequencies sound much clearer. Having the audio split duties even between open-air listening and bone conduction even more in this generation has made a big difference.
They’re still not going to blow you away in situations where you have the option of traditional headphones, but for the use cases of open-ear listening (exercise, busy parent, listening at work while still responding to coworkers, etc.) it’s as good as it gets.
Every genre I’ve thrown at them (with the exception of delicate classical music) has been conveyed very well.
As far as podcasts go, I found that hosts with deeper voices sounded a bit better than higher-pitched voices.
There are different EQs built into the app for Bass Boost, Treble Boost, and Vocal Boost; all of which I found deeply unimpressive pre-release. The Standard EQ was the winner and, hopefully, Shokz will fine-tune these presets a bit more after release.
But overall, they sound great for what they are.
Comfort
This is the most important aspect really, and they’re super comfortable. I don’t forget that I’m wearing them as often as I did with the Shokz OpenFit style, but I do still sometimes find myself pausing the music and realising that I’m still wearing them an hour later, which is always a good sign.
My hair is just long and curly enough that the band interacts with it enough to be a little annoying. I don’t think it would be a problem for people with very straight hair, or short hair, but it is something longer-haired people (or people with complicated bike helmets) should keep in mind. They didn’t interact negatively with my glasses, earrings or bike helmet, and I could even still wear them comfortably with some N95 masks.
How much sound do they allow in?
This is kinda the most important thing about this style of headphones, and the answer is a decent amount. If I had my music on low, I could still hear people’s conversations from a couple of metres away while waiting at the lights. I could certainly hear other cars and some other bikes coming up behind me.
They didn’t leave my ears as open as a pair of pure bone conduction headphones like the H2O Audio Tri Pro Multisport, or the original Shokz OpenRun. But they do leave me able to hear more than the OpenFit headphones that I usually wear (which still don’t mask much sound themselves). I also don’t have to have these up as loud to hear the music properly as I do with pure bone conduction headphones.
Microphone quality
The microphone claims to be clear and usable at 25km/h due to the wind resistance. While I did not manage to test them at exactly 25kmph (I did 30km/h and 22km/h), I can see that holding true. The 30 was a bit much, and the 22 was clear enough to give Siri commands and take calls. The problem that I have is that these mics just aren’t as good as the ones built into the OpenFit headphones.
I frequently use the OpenFit headphones for calls, and even my very picky wife (who hates it when I take calls on headphones because of the substandard mic quality) didn’t notice that I wasn’t just talking into the phone. However, the OpenRun Pro 2 lacks the clarity of the OpenFits. There is a muddiness and a muffled quality that I don’t enjoy. It’s still good, but while I’d recommend the OpenFit for people who have to take a lot of calls, I’d say the OpenRun Pro 2 is okay for infrequent calls.
Who are the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones for?
These are great headphones for people who spend a lot of time running or on their bikes and want good sound quality while still staying safe. I’d also say that they’re good for anyone who wants to privately enjoy music or a podcast while still being able to keep an ear out for a customer, coworker or child.
As long as you’re not wanting to swim with them, or wear them in a heavy rainstorm, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 is one of the best open-ear headphones out there.
The post Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review: The best of both worlds appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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