Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 reviewed: like magic

They won’t cancel out the noise, but they’re easily some of the better fitness focused earbuds around. What makes the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 so intriguing?

The next time you plan for a run, or even a decent stroll around the book, there’s a good chance you’re going to consider a pair of earphones to take with you.

You clearly have choices, but they’re hardly created equal. Most earphones are made to be closed, to keep the sound in your head and sealed at your ear, allowing you to seal yourself in a bubble of sound. That’s what most of us wear.

But not everyone is into that style. In fact, if you’re out for a run, you might choose to intentionally keep your ears open so you can hear the outside world, listening for cars as you run or someone calling out.

This style of sound is more open, and it tends to cut back on the sound quality depending on the pair you opt for. But not all, and the latest from Shokz is a sign of where the industry is going, delivering a pair of open earbuds that not only misses out on the whole “earbuds” concept, but does so in a way where the sound is better than expected.

Design and features

A pair of wrap-around earbuds of sorts, the OpenRun Pro 2 aren’t your ordinary earphones.

They sit around the ears and above the temple, and don’t go inside, making them very different from what’s out there, and the technology practically paints that picture, as well.

Powered by Shokz’s “Dual Pitch” technology, the OpenRun Pro 2 uses a combination of your skull and a speaker to play audio. Specifically, it uses two drivers: one that uses bone conduction to transmit sound, mostly for highs and mids, while a second air conduction driver is used for bass.

It’s a complicated setup the likes of which virtually no other headphone maker is offering, and one that Shokz says is a 10th generation technology. Two drivers working together to deliver sound without needing to touch an earbud or earphone, with algorithms doing some lifting there, as well.

This sits inside of a rubberised titanium alloy frame, handy if you already own a titanium Apple Watch and a titanium iPhone, and the whole thing is IP55 water resistant, with a USB-C port hidden behind a water-proofed flap you need to open to charge the pair.

You’ll also find a great case that’s a touch larger than you might expect. Much like other premium headphones, Shokz has included a moulded plastic case lined with fuzz to let you hold the OpenRun Pro 2, complete with a small USB-C charge cable inside. It’s not compact like a pair of earbuds, but it’s easy enough to attach to a carabiner or throw into luggage, so you may not care.

In-use

Slip the OpenRun Pro 2 over your ears and you can more or less get stuck into using them, with no earphone tips or buds required.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you should use earbuds or earphones, you may find the OpenRun Pro 2 a breath of fresh air: there are no tip and no buds. Instead, these use what Shokz has been known for, and previously in its “AfterShokz” name before it was shortened.

Back then, the company was made famous for producing bone conduction earphones, a technology that uses your skull to transmit sound waves to your ears.

It’s a curious experience, but one that definitely works, and makes it particularly handy for listening to the outside world while tuning into music, something physical fitness lends itself well to.

In the OpenRun Pro 2, it’s the same concept, but with limited controls and better battery life, and a focus on audio quality.

For the former, you’ll find an app that doesn’t offer much more than equaliser settings, while the controls are limited. There’s a power button with volume controls under the earpiece on the right side, while the left side of the earpiece sports a multifunction button that is basically just pause and play, or the typical Bluetooth mappings of two clicks for skip forward and triple click for go back.

You can’t customise that one button — it’s locked the way it is, and the app doesn’t offer any assistance there — but given the focus of the OpenRun Pro 2 is listening to music while being absorbed by fitness, you also may not care.

Performance

Tested with the Pickr Sound Test, which you can hear for yourself, we jump into electronic and hear surprisingly solid highs and mids, complete with some excellent separation. The bass is a little soft, but you can definitely hear it, even if the feeling isn’t there.

Take the vibe in Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk”, where nothing is lost, and the highs and mids ring out. The bass is there, each smash and punch of the drums and bass line, but you can’t feel it making a dent, even if you can hear it.

That’s like the mood for FKA Twigs, with the guttural sound lost, even if the bass is clearly there.

It’s an interesting interpretation: there’s not enough air being moved to help you feel the lows, but you can still hear them all the same, and it’s particularly pointed in tracks that don’t overemphasise the bass artificially.

In rock and jazz, the bass is more comfortable, but again, you hear it more than feel it, which for many will be fine. Rather than needing the bass drivers to vibrate uncomfortably against your skull, the sound you’re getting is measured by comparison.

Shokz has struck a point between balanced enough and open, and it kind of works. At times, you may find you need to turn the volume up to deal with the world, but it’s almost as if the music is coming from inside your head. It is surreal, to say the least.

Battery

Battery life is also quite solid, delivering a surprising 12 hours, with Shokz quoting the latter.

We found 10 was easily possible, making the OpenRun Pro 2 great for a run, or even just walking around knowing full well you can listen to the outside world and music.

Value

Found in Australia for $319, the OpenRun Pro 2 is not prohibitively expensive, either.

Sure, the over-$300 mark gets into wireless noise cancelling territory quickly, but the premise being offered by Shokz is a little different.

Rather than cancelling out the world, you’re inviting it in, and doing so in a way that keeps you entirely aware while delivering solid sound.

That’s an idea that is worth the cost of admission, and $319 hardly seems like an ask for what is being provided.

What needs work?

But the bass could be a little better, as could the fit, and the two go surprisingly hand-in-hand.

For instance, when you push the earpieces closer to your ears, you’ll hear the air driver handling bass that little bit more. It’s a sign the driver really is working to deliver solid lows. That’s good.

But much like the cursed frogurt guy says, there’s also something that’s bad: the fit of the OpenRun Pro 2 is very much a “one size fits all” variety, and it doesn’t really fit every head all that well.

Officially, Shokz makes two sizes of the OpenRun Pro 2, but you can’t downsize or change the cord to match your head. You’ll either buy the normal sized pair from the beginning or the smaller sized pair, and whichever you choose, you are stuck with it.

Heaven forbid you need a slightly smaller size in between; you’ll buy the normal sized pair and wear it, only to find the speaker unit isn’t quite matching where it should be on your head.

We’re not sure what the solution is: a more flexible cable that can be extended or maybe just going true wireless. It’s something, but Shokz hasn’t really found it.

What we do know is you’ll get better bass if the OpenRun Pro 2 fits perfectly, but good luck with that. We settled with acceptable bass that floats in and out. Maybe we just need a smaller head.

What we love

Regardless of our head size, bass is never going to be amazing on an open style of earphones, so we’re not shocked that it’s the least impressive part of the package. Maybe we’re just listening to the outside world too often.

But the sound quality of the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 is surprising enough that it kicks goals hard.

The OpenRun Pro 2 should not sound as good as they do, and yet they totally do. The soundstage is solid, the separation is great, and in many ways, you get the feeling that you’re listening to audio that no one else can hear… because you are.

These sound like magic. It’s clever and cool in all the right ways.

Final thoughts (TLDR)

It’s nice to be surprised, and in technology, often it’s the little things that do it.

With the OpenRun Pro 2, the surprise is a pair of earbuds that doesn’t hurt, that feels good to wear, and delivers surprisingly solid sound in a way we didn’t expect would work.

These days, you can choose pretty much any pair of earbuds to go running with. Almost everything we check out is water resistant to a point, and is at the very least carrying sweat resistance. But to be open and sound good — to let you hear the outside as clearly as you can hear your music — that’s a surprise. That’s a great surprise.

It’s also a surprise that won’t suit everyone. We all know plenty of people that will prefer working out inside of a noise cancelling bubble, and there are plenty of options to suit.

But if you love walking, running, working out, and also being able to hear the outside world as you do it, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are a delightful surprise. They’re easily the next pair we’ll turn to when we can muster up the courage to start working out. Recommended.