Promise of Shokz’s bone conduction headphones (formerly AfterShokz) have always been a hot commodity: you can listen to music without your ears plugged in, so you can still hear the sounds around you. In fact, we don’t like them very much. Until now, that is. The OpenRun Pro are Shokz’s first headphones that we really like enough to keep using them regularly.
The trouble with previous versions of Shokz headphones – and indeed most bone conduction headphones – also has their benefits. Since they don’t put the speakers directly in your ears, they have to transmit the vibrations through the bones in your head. That can feel really weird if it’s not done well! Senior editorial contributor Adrienne So can’t stand the faint hum in her skull she’s experienced on previous versions of AfterShokz headphones, and other members of our team say they don’t. I want to wear headphones.
That makes OpenRun Pro (the latest version in the line formerly known as Aeropex) much more impressive. In my own testing I never noticed any of the problems my colleagues described from previous versions. Furthermore, So, who has also used OpenRun Pro, told me she first wore them “for fun.”
This is the first pair of bone conduction headphones that I have reviewed. And until my colleagues told me they had problems with previous versions of the headset, I would never have suspected there were any problems with the concept. That fact might be the best compliment I can give OpenRun Pro over its predecessors.
Ear opening sound
When I first tried OpenRun Pro, it took me a while to mentally adjust to what I was hearing. The sound quality from the headphones is deep and rich, and I feel comfortable wearing the headphones on my head. However, the sound feels a bit muffled. Makes sense: Sound travels through a lot of my cartilage and bone on its way to my inner ear, so it will sound a little different.
Once I got used to it, the difference was subtle enough that I never really noticed. In fact, at one point I was using one of my old pairs of headphones, and only then did I remember that OpenRun Pro had muffled audio.
Even if it’s often more annoying, the difference in sound quality between these headphones and more traditional earbuds can be worth it. Being able to hear the sounds of passing cars or other people near me makes me feel more certain of my surroundings when running out or wandering around a neighborhood. It just got easier to exchange a quick word with the cashier. At least once, I forgot I was wearing it while chatting with a friend.
The only major downside to the sound on OpenRun Pro is it incredible make it easy for others to hear them. I asked a friend to put them on for a bit, and when sitting next to her on the couch, with the headphones on at medium volume, I could hear the song she was listening to. It’s not loud enough for individual words, but if they were turned louder, I might have. It’s not a deal-breaker, but if you really value your privacy or plan to leave them in quiet places, you might want to turn the volume down.
Semi-circular facilities
At first, I was skeptical about OpenRun Pro’s one-piece design. The two bone conduction modules are connected by a flexible semicircle that can be bent outward to fit your head, but other than that there aren’t any adjustable parts in the design. I was worried this would feel awkward, but it was surprisingly comfortable. The back of the earphones may stick out a little above the back of your head, but I rarely even noticed them there. Adrienne also found that they fit comfortably under a helmet while cycling.
The right earphone has two buttons to adjust the volume. The volume up button also doubles as the power button. Press and hold it to turn the device on and off — something you want to remember because the headset doesn’t turn off automatically.
On the left earpiece, there is a single button that is used to control playback. One click will play or pause the music, two clicks will play the next song, and three clicks will go back to one track. You can also answer or end the call with one click. The multifunction button – annoyingly – on the front part of the headset, the vibrator rests against the side of your head, while the volume buttons are on the rear module behind your ears. It’s not a big deal, but the part of my brain that is so particularly fond of symmetry would love it if the buttons were in the same place on each side of my head.
Fast charging required
OpenRun Pro uses a proprietary charging cable that attaches to the back of the right ear module. It magnetically snaps into place and can quickly charge the earbuds, enough to get at least a full workout in about five minutes. That feature is handy because as mentioned before, the headphones don’t automatically turn off when they’re not playing music. In a few cases, I found them dead the next time I needed them.
As long as I remember to turn off the headphones when I’m done, I really only need to charge the OpenRun Pro a few times a week, when using them for one to two hours a day. The battery is rated to last around 10 hours, and my experience is pretty close to this. It can also get you through a continuous work day, which is handy if you have an outdoor job that keeps you active.
The only downside to the charger is that if you damage or lose it, you can’t charge the headphones using a generic USB cable. Fortunately, the replacement cable relatively cheap.
I’m probably more picky than most when it comes to workout headphones, and the OpenRun Pro still impresses me. They offer great sound and much better situational awareness, and they’re ready for the heavy lifting. If headphones had delivered this good sound before, I would have picked them up a lot earlier.
