SHOKZ New OpenRun Pro 2 - Open-Ear, Bone Conduction Sport Headphones - with Reflective Strip - Sweat Resistant, Workout Headphones - Secure, Wireless, Comfortable Fit-Deep Bass and Smart Mic App

Like many of you, I have went through many & I mean Many, pairs of Bluetooth earbuds. All of them have fallen short of expectations. They didn’t fit well, sound good, or picked up too much background noise. That is until I got my Shokz.I heard about them from a coworker who operates a Road Grader. He claimed that they work great, sound quality is good, calls are clear etc. (we have heard this all before) So, I researched them a bit. The reviews seemed solid,( taken with a grain of salt)I received them in an off hitch. They arrived charged and ready to pair. Pairing was simple, the buttons are simple as well. No double triple clicking etc. the app for setting up is straightforward and easy to follow.Now, for performance:First wear was on a commercial flight. With earplugs in, these performed excellent. Beyond expectation. After I landed I continued to stream my podcast without the earplugs. Nice and clear, while still being aware of my surroundings.At work: I drive off-road trucks. These things are old and loud. Once again, extremely impressed with performance. On calls, there is some background noise but it is manageable. I can “hear” the conversation well. The standby battery life lasts longer than my 12 hour shifts. No discomfort from wearing them at all. Glasses frames fit nicely with them as well.Safety department does not seem to have any issues with them. They are not “earbuds” and do not block out radio traffic or other communication.I am very pleased with this purchase. I’ve had them for two weeks, so have nothing to report on how long they will last in a work environment, but it looks promising. Hopefully this review will help someone make their decision on work Bluetooth devices. Be safe, and take care.

As soon as I started encountering multiple problems from my AirPods Pro 2 after 2 years of abusive use, I was in the market for some alternatives. Some of the features I prioritize in wireless earbuds are long battery life, good sound quality, simple and consistent Bluetooth connectivity, and ease of use. After some research, I came across the OpenRun Pro 2 with many reviews stating its improved sound quality compared to its predecessor. I was initially hesitant given by its high price tag and my unfamiliarity with the SHOKZ brand, but I decided to give their flagship product a shot. Here are some of my thoughts after 4 months of use.I went to the SHOKZ website to print out their measuring guide to decide between their standard and mini variants. I was a good half-inch over the cutoff limit for the mini. I still decided to buy the mini after reading some reviews expressing some discomfort with the standard size. The mini fits snugly on the back of my head, leaving room for two fingers to fit in-between. Sure, the headband doesn't droop down to the nape as intended by the cover pictures. Needless to say, I think I made the right decision with the size.The packaging is excellent with the OpenRun Pro 2 arriving fully charged in a moderately sized silicone case. I have never once used the case in my 4 months of use, optioning to throw the headband naked into my cramped backpack while commuting. The headphone still holds up fine after daily torture.The controls are arguably intuitive with the volume rocker on the right side and the function control button on the left. You use your right thumb to control the volume and the labels protrude slightly so you know which button to press by feel. The function control button is on the left side next to the driver near the temple with 1 press for play/pause, 2 presses for next track, and 3 presses for previous track. Long press will activate the virtual assistant.I am very impressed with the battery life of this product. With moderate use at half volume, I can easily exceed 12 hours without needing to charge compared to 2-3 hours from my AirPods Pro 2. I have absolutely no complaints with battery management here.Bluetooth connectivity is also impressive, allowing me to walk around the house and my backyard with minimal dropouts. Multipoint pairing on this device is the best I have seen so far. I can seamlessly switch between my phone and my computer with the controls responding to the connected host currently playing any media. Latency is also not an issue at all.I am very particular with sound quality, and the OpenRun Pro 2 meets my expectation. The treble is crystal clear. The bass is quite lean and well-controlled, but the sub-bass doesn't extend far enough to be audible without EQ. Timbre sounds natural, but it can sound a bit "glassy" at times. While their mobile app is easy to navigate with product guides and online firmware updates, nearly all of their EQ presets are terrible. Bass boost is very muddy and bloated. Vocal is inferior to the classic preset. Treble boost straight up hurts my ears. My custom 5-band EQ is +3 and +2 on their 1st and 2nd band respectively and I tone down the 3kHz band by -1. Stick with either the standard or classic presets if needed.I often use my AirPods Pro 2 to listen to podcasts and audiobooks on the bed before going to sleep. As a side-sleeper, the OpenRun Pro 2 has been nothing short of amazing! With the excellent sound quality and battery life, I can watch YouTube videos or listen to audiobooks with my ear pressed against the pillow with little to no discomfort. The headband will still be on my head by the time I wake up. I can set an alarm without disturbing family members with the drivers next to my ears. This is a terrific sleeping aid for side-sleepers.My biggest complaint by far with the OpenRun Pro 2 has to be the volume control. I wish there is more variability of sound intensity with the discrete volume control, especially between 30-40% volume. I will often walk around my neighborhood late at night, jamming through my music playlist with little ambient noise. At 30%, the volume intensity is too quiet to enjoy the music, but stepping up one unit results in the device suddenly being too loud. It's as if they opted to switch the gain at those levels and it disappoints me to hear this issue persist despite multiple firmware updates. There is never a sweet spot of volume intensity between 30-40%.Overall, it has been a pleasure to use the OpenRun Pro 2. The headband fits nicely around my head. The sound quality is impressive. Battery life is spectacular! And it is forever anointed on my head as I sleep. There are some features I have yet to test such as microphone quality, sweat resistance, and bone conductivity. Yes, classic mode uses bone conductivity, but I have not used that preset enough to fully develop solid opinions. I guess if you want a more mid-forward tonality, then go with classic, however, my custom preset has been sufficient enough for daily use. If they could somehow fix the volume issue, I would absolutely recommend this product to anyone looking for a substitute wireless earbud/headphone if their budget supports it.

Shokz Open Run Pro2. 179.00 USDArrived 3pm100% charge out the boxWent to charge and thought it’d be a special magnet charger. Not looking forward to having to buy specific replacements and the charger is type C!Easy connection with a simple connection sound. Not the “pairing” and “connected” ai voice. Open the setting app to Bluetooth , select device, start listening.Good volume and bass for the tech availableHowever the microphone is horrible as far as discord calls and phone calls have gone. These, I have been told, have NO NOISE SUPPRESSION. (You can hear all background sound, wind, airplanes, cars, buses, tires on the road, etc. Very sensitive audio)Audio input sounds like a 2G Motorola phone from 1992. Take that as you will.Easy volume and media 1-2-3 click controls. Left earpiece has a button. One click: play/pause two click: next song three click: previous song long hold: virtual assistant via phone Ex: SiriComfortable but bulky with glasses. Quick to ear fatigue. I frequently forget I’m wearing them if they aren’t in useGreat battery life. I got them at 3. Checked battery at 11 and I was on 70%Open ear safe for factory security( my employer is extremely hard on safety. These unobstructed ears are safe at work!)On safety, they came with reflective tape!Quick charge. Full charge in approximately 30 minutes. Easy to charge on the commute to work.They came with a neck strap. They feel secure enough I don’t feel the need to wear it. I am impartial to it. I’d feel confident wearing these under extreme conditions and they would not budge. Sky diving, bungee jumping, white water rafting(check the swim pros for 32gb of mp3 storage for underwater listening and a WATERPROOF design)One size fits most. There is a size chart on Shokz website and it is true to size. I feel I may have benefited from the minis however I feel it is a minor design flaw not having these be adjustable. I can fit a full hand between my head and the headband. I feel the earpiece itself could afford to be slightly more flexible. It is very stiff contributing to that ear fatigue.Private listening. My partner had to get within 3 inches of my ear to hear anything at 100%So private you can share a pillow. Late night listening at 30% volume on my iPhone 14, was perfect volume to share a pillow with my partner and he couldn’t hear anything. After 50% it was loud enough he could faintly hear it in a quiet room. On separate pillows, 100% volume is detectable in a quiet room by my partner. We turned on a fan and it made it undetectable. However, turning on the fan, did make my listening experience less pleasant due to the open ear. Counter to that however, laying down on my ear did double the volume without decreasing any of the comfort!Not great for back sleepers. The back strap protrudes about half an inch from my head. Laying on my back forces the earpieces to shift from where they need to sit. Side sleeping is 10/10. I can sleep uninterrupted 6 hours. No issues.Makes my alarm private! I sleep in these with them on and idle through the night. Allowing my alarm to only wake me. Not disturbing my partner in the slightest.I have a hypersensitivity to Nickel and other metals in headphones plus a hypersensitivity to latex in rubbers. These have caused NO ADVERSE ALLERGIC REACTIONS.Discreet for most. I keep my head shaved and beard short so they are easy to see on me. My partner has shoulder length hair and an inch long full beard. You can’t see them unless you are hunting for them. Under a toboggan? No way. Hair frames your face? Easy.Unfortunately limited in color selection.This product is a great value for the quality. For a fair review across the board I’m giving this 9.2/10.