Shokz announce the new OpenRun Pro 2 open ear headphones — our thoughts after using them for a week

Shokz has today announced the next generation of their bone conduction headphones, the OpenRun Pro 2 rewriting the rules of open-ear audio with the sound powered by DualPitch.  

The new DualPitch technology is a duet between their 10th generation bone conduction technology and air conduction driver.  The air speaker handles bass while the bone conduction handles the mids and highs.

We struggled to get decent sound with the Shokz OpenRun Pro when we reviewed them earlier this year but with the new OpenRun Pro 2 the sound is vastly improved.  The vocals produced by the bone conduction are much clearer with matching mids and highs.  It’s nice to have some bass this time too.

The whole idea of these and other open ear headphones is to allow you to immerse yourself in your workout while at the same time being acutely aware of your surroundings.  You can still hear your surroundings clearly – the cars, dogs, people etc – allowing you to remain safe while exercising. Probably due to there now being an air conduction component to the sound but the environment is a little more drowned out than last time but still clear enough to kleep you safe.

The OpenRun Pro 2 are designed to “intelligently optimises volume range, crafting a balanced, dynamic and immersive 3D soundscape that makes your audio clearer even if you are out and about” and while it is clearer, it can still be easily drowned out if you are in a loud environment.

Once again I would not be using these headphones while in a gym as the sound is drowned out by not just people around but also the gym music – it was nearly impossible to hear my music with the gym pumping their doof doof music. Going for a run around the block etc they are perfect though.

I found using them at home great.  Sure the quality of music is nowhere near that of my Focal Bathys but my wife didn’t have to yell her head off to get my attention so that’s a win (happy wife, happy life).  I could easily listen to music, and the quality is definitely better than last time while also hear her in the background.

The OpenRun Pro 2 are once again IP55 rated and bring multipoint connectivity to allow you to connect them to multiple devices at once.  One big change from last year though is the new USB-C charging.  The proprietary charging port is gone, replaced with something that everyone uses and has cables lying around for.

The new headphones will give you 12 hours of playback from a single charge thanks to a larger battery – in my testing I was able to come very close to that figure but then I did have the volume up loud so that drains the battery a lot more.  The OpenRun Pro 2 also support fast charging so a simple 5 minute charge can provide battery life of up to 2.5 hours.

The comfort of the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 is exceptional, as you would expect from headphones that don’t actually sit in or on your ears and weigh just 30 grams!  The neck band, which now comes in two sizes, is easily big enough for my bigger neck and I did not notice on my neck at any time.  The headphones then creep around the ear to sit the bone conduction and audio conduction driver to sit in front of the ear.  

They sit securely with a small amount of clapping force but not enough that it is uncomfortable.  I was easily able to wear them for extended periods of time and barely even noticed I had them on.

Calls were a breeze, even in decent windy conditions thanks to Shokz’s “wind-resistant microphone” which is placed in an “optimal low-wind zone.”  Handy for cyclists and runners who are out in all conditions.  

Other features include Bluletooth 5.3 support, A2DP,AVRCP,HF support, 

One improvement isn’t an improvement for some

A good friend of mine has a son who is deaf and although he has a cochlear implant, he struggles with traditional headphones but bone conduction technology headphones work amazingly for him, allowing him to hear them perfectly without his implant in. The new OpenRun Pro 2, as mentioned above, utilise not just bone conduction but also air conduction but he can only “hear” the bone conduction so he misses out on some of the audio from the OpenRun Pro 2 headphones.

This is a very small use case though, but something to be aware of if you are buying them for someone who cannot hear in the traditional sense.

Who buys these?

Just as l said last time — these are for folks who exercise outside and need to be able to hear their surroundings, whether that be traffic, other people or chasing dogs. The music and sound quality of the OpenRun Pro 2 is vastly improved from the previous generation so these are worth an upgrade — the difference is actually night and day for me.

Now don’t expect audiophile quality sound though but you will get half decent audio from the OpenRun Pro 2 headphones while also being able to hear the environment well. These headphones are for folks who ride/walk/run/exercise outside and need to be aware of their surroundings to keep themselves safe — epsecially those who exercise at night.

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, is available in Black and Orange (Standard and Mini size) and will be on pre-sale for $319 from 28 August 2024 at Shokz.com.au. They will be available for purchase at Amazon, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and 99 Bikes, from 5 September 2024.