Our headphones recommendations Health - Injuries bone-conduction Shokz headphones fit comfortably over your ears with minimal bounce when running to determine which is right for you. They don’t cover your ears, so you can hear the environment around you. The knock is that bone conduction doesn’t have the same audio quality as a pair of in-ear buds—even the cheapest pairs will surpass Shokz.
But that lack of quality is all well and good if you’re rocking to the same Bruce Springsteen song you’ve heard 100,000 times. The music will get you through your workout. You’re not sitting for an audiophile session.
That doesn’t mean Shokz is resting on its tech. The brand continues to evolve its sound offerings to enhance your listening experience. We saw that from the earliest improvements, where the brand (then called Aftershokz) fine-tuned the headphones’ vibrating components to reduce noise leakage and the amount of movement you felt against your face. With the rebranding to Shokz in 2021 and introduction of OpenRun Pro, the bass frequencies significantly improved over the base model OpenRun. Now, with the release of OpenRun Pro 2, Shokz has added speakers to the mix to further improve the sound.
Let’s take a look at how the new OpenRun Pro 2 and entry level OpenRun models of headphones compare, so you know which model is right for you. (The images below show my older pair of Aftershokz Aeropex. They’re the same as the currently available Shokz OpenRun headphones, which I also tested but have loaned out to another wear-tester.)
Pros
- to determine which is right for you
- Comfortable fit
Cons
- Thinner sound than in-ear buds
KEY SPECS
‣ Battery: 8 hours
‣ Charge Time: 1.5 hours
‣ IP Rating: IP67
‣ Weight: 26 grams
‣ Charging: Magnetic
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Pros
- Speakers result in better sound quality
- to determine which is right for you
Cons
- Health - Injuries
KEY SPECS
‣ Battery: 12 hours
‣ Charge Time: 1 hour
‣ IP Rating: IP55
‣ Weight: 31 grams
‣ Charging: USB-C
The Technology
Shokz set itself apart from other headphones makers by utilizing bone-conduction technology. Every pair of headphones the company makes keeps your ears open and uncovered. But, recently, how they do that, while still delivering the music, has shifted.
The OpenRun headphones still leverage bone conduction to generate sound. That is, the pads on your cheekbones vibrate to create sound waves that reach your inner ear, completely bypassing the eardrum. When I’m wearing the headphones, I can feel a slight vibration if I crank the music. At more moderate volumes, the vibration goes unnoticed.
A limitation of this, however, is that the sound can feel thin or the volume too low. To combat that, the OpenRun Pro 2 also utilizes an “air-conduction speaker” in concert with bone conduction. The pads of the headphones have a small speaker pointing at your ear—without actually covering it. The result is far better audio quality, with clearer notes, deeper bass, and overall louder sound.
Much of that sound, for what it’s worth, is coming from the new speakers. Shokz used to ship its headphones with a pair of foam earplugs, but did not do so with the OpenRun Pro 2. During my testing, I plugged my ears to see how the bone conduction compared between the two models. The sound from the OpenRun (and OpenRun Pro 1) was louder and clearer with my ears plugged than the sound of the OpenRun Pro 2. And, even with my fingers pressed against the pads, I could barely feel the OpenRun Pro 2 vibrating—the effect is very pronounced in the earlier models.
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If you’ve only ever worn in-ear buds, your first experience with purely bone-conduction headphones like the OpenRun may be disappointing. You’ll crank the volume in hopes of making it loud enough to sound good. Your iPhone may give you a “loud volume” notification. But, what’s important is that this type of headphone gets the job done if you’re listening to music that you know. There’s decent enough audio quality that you can distract yourself from the task at hand—getting through a training run to your favorite playlist. I have found, however, that spoken word—podcasts and audiobooks—can be too quiet, especially if I’m running anywhere with heavy traffic or loud cars. I regularly have to pause my book when I see a pickup truck approaching.
The OpenRun Pro 2, by comparison, is a bit more versatile for softer audio. Ani DiFranco’s “Untouchable Face,” a whisper of a song with a warbling lead guitar line, was easily overpowered by a garbage truck barreling along a section of a state highway in New York’s Adirondack Park. But, that was partly my fault, because the volume was up only about halfway—rowdier rock songs earlier in my playlist were louder than I had preferred.
On the road, the OpenRun Pro 2 usually doesn’t need to be turned up all the way and, as wind rushes past on a run, I can still hear cars. But, when using them in our office, I couldn’t hold a conversation with a colleague 10 feet away and the volume at about 2⁄3 of its max—that external speaker was just too loud.
So, if your listening preference leans toward podcasts and audiobooks, look to the OpenRun Pro 2. (The OpenRun Pro 1 was somewhere in between, skewing closer to the OpenRun’s struggles in a city environment.)
Sound Leakage
An early challenge of Aftershokz headphones was sound escaping—people sitting nearby could clearly hear whatever it was I was listening to. That was greatly improved. The OpenRun gives off a little bit of noise, but if you were on an airplane, your seatmates wouldn’t hear your tunes over the rumble of the engine.
The OpenRun Pro 2, however, is considerably louder. Colleagues in the office could hear my music and even make out the lyrics. And, in my house, I could do the same from inside a different room with the door closed. To be fair, it’s not like blasting a Bluetooth speaker, but the sound leakage definitely relegates these for use outdoors or in louder environments where others won’t be bothered by your taste in music.
Battery Life
A deciding factor for you may be how long the battery lasts. The OpenRun is limited to just eight hours with a full charge. Then again, that’s two hours more than Apple AirPods on a single charge (although the AirPods carrying case boasts another 24 hours of battery).
The OpenRun Pro 2 has a longer-running battery, extending to a full 12 hours on a charge—enough to get through about two weeks of running for most of us. That means, at some point, you’re almost certain to hear “battery low” as you reach for your running shoes, realizing you’ve forgotten to charge the headphones. To test how effective a “quick charge” works, I drained the battery of the OpenRun Pro 2 completely. After just 10 minutes on the charging cable, the headphones were back up to 60 percent full.
A note about that charging cable: Previous generations of Shokz OpenRun and OpenRun Pro headphones all used a proprietary magnetic charging cable. The OpenRun Pro 2 is upgraded with a USB-C port, so it’s likely the same cord you use to charge your phone will fit your headphones, too. That’s one less thing to forget when you’re packing for a trip.
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With the rise of truly wireless earphones, over-the-ear hooks all but disappeared. But, for those of us who have fit issues or find that in-ear buds slip when we get sweaty mid-run, the hooks truly do work. And, that’s what I’ve found with both the OpenRun and OpenRun Pro 2. Both pairs have a thin, somewhat flexible hook that fits comfortably with my glasses, even on marathon-length runs. One difference, however, is that the OpenRun Pro 2 feels like the squeeze on my head is just a little bit lighter. So, opt for that pair if you want to have the most comfortable Shokz experience.
In either case, you might find the back band bounces a little. To combat that, Shokz makes a “mini” version of both pairs. The band is slightly less than an inch shorter than the standard length, so it hugs closer to your hairline. Not sure which would fit best? Even though I have a massive head, I almost always reach for the Mini fit now. But, you can use the Shokz size guide The 8 Best Treadmills for Runners.
Durability
Runners can be extremely hard on workout headphones. Sweat is corrosive, and the bottom of a gym bag is usually filthy. But I’ve found good reliability with the previous versions of Shokz. Some of that stems from the ingress protection of the headphones. OpenRun is the most protective, with an IP67 rating. That means no dust can get inside and you could submerge the headphones in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
OpenRun Pro headphones, on the other hand, aren’t quite as stout. Their IP55 rating means that small amounts of dust may get in and, while the headphones pass a test of being shot with water from a nozzle, they can’t be submerged.
Even so, I’ve tested the OpenRun Pro 2 on some exceptionally hot days to close out the summer. I was initially concerned about the cover for the USB-C port, but even that has stayed dry during my runs and through a quick rinse in the sink afterward.
Time will tell if the OpenRun Pro 2 has the same longevity that I’ve experienced from the earlier models. At the time of this writing, I’ve worn them for 131 miles over 23 runs. With the OpenRun Pro 1, I logged 2,048 miles of running, including a three-hour-long run. I also wore them for a 100-mile bike ride without any problems. Before primarily switching to the OpenRun Pro, I had logged 2,016 miles with my test pair of OpenRun headphones—and even more with the earlier Aftershokz Aeropex.
Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Bone-Conduction Headphones
Which model should you get? In almost every case, I recommend the OpenRun Pro 2. The sound is better. The battery lasts longer. They come with a nice hardshell case for protection. But, the Pro costs $50 more than the OpenRun.
If you listen to audiobooks or podcasts on your run, you’ll appreciate the extra volume and sound from the OpenRun Pro. If you just crank your routine playlist to power through a workout, the OpenRun will get the job done.
How They Sound Buy Shokz OpenRun Pro 2
Thinner sound than in-ear buds Runner's World, guiding the brand's shoes and gear coverage. A true shoe dog, he's spent more than a decade testing and reviewing shoes. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days wearing a different model.
