Shokz’s new bone conduction headphones have a clever solution for bass

I’ve been hunting for a pair of open-ear headphones. I’ve tried two bone-conduction headphones from Suunto. They were lovely, but the bass left me wanting. I tried the Shokz OpenFit Air. The bass was better, but the fit wasn’t great when I wore my glasses. I’d resigned myself to forever using my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses for runs — great sound but a little heavy and gross when sweaty — and then Shokz said it had a brand-spanking-new pair of bone conduction headphones for me to try. The $179.95 OpenRun Pro 2.

And after about two weeks of wearing these for every run, walk, and gym session, I think I may be a full-on convert — at least, for my workouts.

The thing that ultimately sold me was the bass. Unlike the original OpenRun Pro (which are now discounted to $159.95), these don’t rely on bone conduction alone. Bone conduction drivers usually sit by your temples and rely on vibration to transmit sound into your skull. Traditionally, they’re decent for high and mid tones, but bass often sounds muddy. With the OpenRun Pro 2, there’s now a dedicated, 18mm by 11mm air conduction speaker specifically for bass. The previous OpenRun Pro had bass enhancers, but this update is meant to pack more of a punch. Another plus: fewer vibrations. One issue I’ve had with bone conduction is when you crank up the volume to catch any bass, it often means the bone conduction drivers will buzz like furious bees.

I was skeptical going into testing. I’ve heard many promises of great bass from open-ear buds only to be sorely disappointed. But to my surprise, it was pretty good! I still have to crank up the volume a bit, it’s no match for a loud highway, and it’s still not as good as in-ear buds. But to be fair, no open-ear bud will ever be free of those compromises. I was still able to groove to the thumpy intro to “Start a Riot” by Duckwrth and Shaboozey without missing too much. I listen to audiobooks on my daily walks, and those also sounded clearer than I expected — provided the construction crew down the block wasn’t making a racket.

But an even bigger surprise was fit. It’s great. When I first tried Shokz headphones, back when the company was still AfterShokz, I hated the wraparound neckband. It felt too big and too tight around the temples, and the ear hooks were uncomfortable if I wore glasses. But in this case, the combination of ultrathin and bendy ear hooks attached to the neckband made these headphones feel secure. Shokz also says it’s tweaked the design so there’s 16 percent less clamping force on the temples — and truly, that wasn’t an issue for me this time around. I still don’t love the neckband. It’s a bit annoying when I have to tie up my hair and can get in the way if I’m doing floor exercises like a dead bug or chest presses, but these are quibbles.

Claimed battery life has also improved to 12 hours on the Pro 2. That aligned with my testing. These days, I work out about 9–10 hours per week and go on several walks. So far, I’ve had to charge about once per week. The nice thing here is the Pro 2 now use USB-C instead of a proprietary charger. Huzzah! As a wearables reviewer, I have too many proprietary chargers, so it’s always a huge plus to see companies opt for a universal charging standard.

The only thing I wasn’t sold on was the mic quality. Shokz claims there’s a new AI noise reduction algorithm and better, wind-resistant microphones. However, whenever I called up friends while on walks, they said I sounded like crap and begged me to switch to AirPods. Granted, I rarely call people on walks, and I definitely don’t want to talk to anyone while exercising, but it’s something to consider if you do like chatting while on the go.

For me, using the OpenRun Pro 2 was like the stars finally aligning. I’m not making a huge compromise on bass, the fit is secure and comfortable, and I can stay aware of my surroundings. I’ll probably switch back to the Beats Fit Pro for gym sessions, but until I find better bass on an open-ear headphone? These are the ones I’ll be reaching for.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge