On your ears, get set, go! Putting the Shokz running headphones to the test

Music and movement really do go hand in hand. Nothing is as motivating as running, biking or lifting weights to a motivating beat. In fact, music is a kind of mental doping; it can improve athletic performance. It’s my own fault that I’ve often gone without.

My excuses reasons include that in-ear headphones often feel uncomfortable after a while. And I somehow always have the feeling they’re on the brink of falling out. But my strongest argument against in-ear headphones by far is that they don’t allow me to hear my surroundings well. Not so with headphones by Shokz (formerly AfterShokz), which use bone conduction technology.

Headphones

146.– CHF

Shokz OpenRun Pro

10 h, Wireless

494

Headphones

146.– CHF

Shokz OpenRun Pro

10 h, Wireless

494

How does bone conduction technology work?

Typically, sound waves reach the eardrum via the auditory canal, where they trigger vibrations that the brain then processes into sounds. These Shokz headphones use the principle of bone conduction instead, meaning sound waves are transmitted directly to the inner ear via the cheekbone. From there, they continue into the brain via the auditory nerves. In other words, with bone conduction headphones, you don’t have anything blocking your ear and can still hear your surroundings.

First impressions

At 29 grammes, the Shokz OpenRun Pro are very light and feel high-quality. I like the fact that the earpieces are connected with a headband that wraps around the back of your head. I can rest easy I won’t lose them on my runs. The OpenRun Pro are also easy to use. The volume up button doubles as the on/off switch. It is, however, quite small. It took me a while to get used to it, but now it works flawlessly.

When you switch the headphones on, a pleasant voice greets you: «Welcome to Shokz. Battery high. Connected.» Everything I want to know! Pairing the Shokz with my iPhone via Bluetooth was the easiest I’ve experienced with any device. It happened automatically: turn on, and you’re good to go. How cool! Once the headphones and iPhone are connected, they stay that way. When I turn the headphones off, the voice announces, «Power off». This is useful, as I’ve made the mistake of leaving headphones on after a run more than once – only to be annoyed when the battery was empty during my next training session.

Speaking of the battery, the OpenRun Pro shine with a battery life of 10 hours. The fact that they also offer quick charging makes them great for spontaneous runners like me. I can plug in my headphones while getting changed and lacing up my running shoes. Five minutes of charging give you 90 minutes of listening time. That’s usually enough juice for spontaneous runs.

The headphones charge via the magnetic cable supplied. On the one hand, this is practical because you can easily snap them on. On the other hand, it’s a disadvantage because you have to take an extra cable with you when you’re out and about. You can’t just use a USB-C cable you’d probably have with you anyway. And let’s face it, if you forget the proprietary cable, it doesn’t matter how amazing the quick-charging feature is.

In addition to the on/off and volume buttons, there’s also a multifunctional button on the outside of the left earpiece. You can use it to answer calls as well as to skip back and forth between songs.

The headphones are IP55 water-repellent – a green light to use them when sweaty or in the rain. You should not immerse them in water. For swimming, Shokz has developed the OpenSwim headphones, which I’ll be reviewing in the future.

Headphones

164.– CHF

Shokz OpenSwim

8 h, Docking

158

Headphones

164.– CHF

Shokz OpenSwim

8 h, Docking

158

Feel good when running

I’ve tested the headphones running in the snow, in the rain and in dry weather, with a cap, a headband and without any headgear. I wore them for long, slow endurance runs, for tempo runs and for sprint intervals. And I didn’t feel them at all. Once I’ve put on the OpenRun Pro, I forget all about them. They stay put and don’t press down uncomfortably.

With their low weight, I forgot I was wearing headphones at all after just a few strides. They also stay put during sprints – a huge advantage compared to my in-ear headphones. The OpenRun Pro are available in two, fixed sizes: standard and mini. I tried the standard version and it fits perfectly. I suppose I either have a very average head or the design really is on point.

The limitations

You might be wondering why I care to hear the ambient noise during my runs. Well, I don’t want to be cut off from my environment when doing sports outdoors. I want to hear the rhythm of my steps and the sound of the stream. And when jogging in the dark, as I often do in fall and winter, I want to hear what’s going on around and especially behind me. And when running on the road, it’s safer to hear the traffic around you. Unfortunately, this is also where the OpenRun Pro reach their limits. When I was running along a street in the rain, I could barely hear the music at medium volume. But perhaps that’s for the best. After all, being aware of approaching vehicles is more important to me than enjoying my music.

The sound

If I’m going to listen to music while running, I want to listen to music that’ll help me improve my performance. For some time now, I’ve been working on increasing my cadence, i.e. my step frequency per minute. This is supposed to make for more economic running and a lower oxygen and energy consumption at the same speed. So I downloaded a guided workout with music at 160 to 170 beats per minute onto my iPhone. I was really surprised by how good the sound was. The bass is clearly audible and the mids are also clean. With the previous – and, in my opinion, outdated – MP3 bone-conduction headphones from Finis that I used for swimming, the bass was almost completely absent and the overall sound was flat. Shokz cites its Shokz Turbo Pitch technology as the reason for the good sound on the OpenRun Pro. Whatever that means. The most important thing is it works. And I moved my feet to the beat on my runs.

For a long run, I put on an audio book instead. The narrator sounded natural and not at all tinny. Again, I was impressed by the quality. If you want, you can also adjust the sound quality via the app, which offers two equaliser settings. But my ears aren’t sensitive enough for this to make any difference to me. Besides, these are sports headphones meant to let in ambient noise in addition to music. Anyone expecting high-fidelity sound from them is looking in the wrong category. For listening to music while exercising, motivating yourself and improving your cadence, the Open RunPro are a good choice.

The lowdown: I’ll be running with music from now on

The OpenRun Pro are great for running on field and forest paths. I feel less isolated from my surroundings than with in-ear headphones and can hear dogs, cyclists and the occasional car approaching from behind. At the same time, the bone conduction ensures that the sound, which is of really good quality for sports headphones, pleasantly fills my brain. I was definitely impressed by the headphones – and I’m already looking forward to testing other models from the Shokz Open series, such as the OpenFit and the OpenSwim.