I tried exercising with open-ear headphones and bone conduction — for me, there was one clear winner - Canada News Beep

About a year ago, I inexplicably lost my pair of Shokz OpenRun bone conduction headphones during a group bike ride. It was great to use on the bike because I could listen to music or follow Google Maps directions while my ears were uncovered to help me stay aware of my surroundings.

I’ve been on a hunt for a replacement ever since, and while my AirPods Pro 2 are great as an all-rounder, I don’t like using them for workouts, mostly due to my worry of them falling out and the discomfort I feel if I wear them for more than a couple of hours. Its in-ear design also makes it a non-starter for cycling.

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Shokz unveiled the OpenFit Pro at CES earlier this month, with the brand keen to market open-ears as a middle ground between bone-conduction headphones and in-ears, aiming to provide improved audio while keeping the ear canals open. I initially thought that its noise-reduction feature was just snake oil and questionable marketing because I couldn’t imagine open headphones blocking out noise without covering the ear canal — but after a week of using them, I was sold!

Bose and Sony’s ANC, you’ll be sorely disappointed and no open-ear buds will provide that kind of ambient sound blockage in any case.

When I used them in the office, for example, with the noise-reduction mode on, ambient noise like distant street sounds and whirring fans basically vanished, but I could clearly hear my colleagues talking.

Outside an enclosed space, however, it was a completely different story. Even with noise reduction turned all the way up, the OpenFit Pro failed entirely — I wasn’t able to hear the music over the noise around me, even with volume turned up. It fared a bit better on public transport but, again, it becomes unusable if you’re on a particularly noisy bus.

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The Shokz OpenFit Pro docked in its charging case (Image credit: Tom’s Guide) Shokz OpenFit Pro charging case (Image credit: Tom’s Guide) The Shokz OpenFit Pro without its charging case (Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

Ultimately, though, I was looking to use these headphones for working out, and that’s where the OpenFit Pro came into its own. While my colleague who tested these buds for our Shokz OpenFit Pro review wasn’t too enthused by the noise-reduction feature, I found it to be fantastic while running, I didn’t have to turn up the volume too much to enjoy my workout music. Granted, my usual go-to running spot is the relatively quiet Sydney Olympic Park. For cycling, though, I had to crank up the volume quite a bit, but that was something I had to do with the bone-conduction Shokz OpenRun too.

As much as I appreciate this headline feature, I’m struggling to justify the OpenFit Pro’s price tag of $249 / £219 / AU$399 as that puts them up against some of the best noise-canceling earbuds. I’ll also be the first to admit that it’s early days for this tech and you’d essentially be paying an early adopter tax.

Once again, though, I’m struggling to justify the price tag — there are cheaper options that sound just as good, if not better, with the likes of EarFun Air Pro 4+ at $99 / £89 / AU$149 and JLab JBuds Mini at $39 / £39 / AU$99.

My old Shokz OpenRun had dedicated volume up and down buttons sitting directly behind the right ear, making adjusting on the fly easy. The rest of the controls were done with a single multifunction button. They weren’t perfect, but they worked seamlessly and it was all I needed.

The OpenFit Pro, on the other hand, has two multifunction buttons on each side and adjusting volume isn’t as easy as it should (or could) be — a single press of the button, followed by a long press of the same button on the right earpiece to increase volume, and the same action for the left earpiece to decrease the volume.

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

This action is similar to the next and previous track control — two presses of the button — so I’d more often than not skip to the next track unintentionally instead of increasing the volume when using the physical buttons. I found myself reaching for my phone to adjust the volume after a couple of days of using the OpenFit Pro.

Perhaps the decision to have just one multifunction button was to make the OpenFit Pro’s design cleaner and smaller, but surely Shokz could have found an easier way to adjust the volume. Maybe Shokz could either swap the volume and next/previous track controls, or adopt something similar to the button controls from the OpenRun — or at least have the option to personalise the controls.

Annoying controls aside, I was pleased with how comfortable the OpenFit Pro were. It felt like I wasn’t wearing anything despite having clips around the ears to hold them in.

During my runs, the OpenFit Pro stayed in place and remained comfortable throughout the workout, including before and after the run. I even tried them out during a game of badminton (with no music and on open mode), and it held in place. There’s even plenty of clearance between the buds and helmet strap when cycling to wear on the road, and they never once knocked against my sunglasses either.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

That said, earbud fit is subjective and the OpenFit Pro may not fit everyone. While the ear tips sat directly in front of my ear canal, that wasn’t the case for my colleague Stephen Lambrechts.

As comfy as I found the buds themselves, the earhooks make the charging case comparatively larger than what you’d find with other noise-canceling buds, which makes it harder for a cyclist like me to tote around. I had to leave my wallet at home during bike rides to stuff the case into my jersey pocket. Thankfully, the case uses USB-C instead of the proprietary magnetic charger that the Shokz OpenRun needs.

At US$249 / £219 / AU$399, the OpenFit Pro is by far Shokz’s most expensive product. It’s understandable, given that the noise-reduction tech is a new addition, and the audio quality is best in class. I’d still find it hard to recommend them at this price point — here’s why.

Firstly, you’re not going to be able to use them all day — the best use case for the OpenFit Pro is in the gym or when working out outdoors. So that’s maybe an hour or two each day, maybe a touch more if you’re on a weekend cycling trip. They’ll even be fine in the office or at home, but you’ll need a second set of buds for your daily commute at these new Shokz just don’t cut it.

Secondly, for working out, I personally think bone conduction headphones are the better choice for those wanting to be aware of their surroundings while listening to music or a podcast. Shokz’ OpenRun and OpenRun Pro 2 are cheaper at $129/£129.95/AU$219 and $179.95/£169/AU$319, respectively, and they are also frequently discounted. The audio quality may not be as good as the OpenFit Pro, but if you need to crank up the volume to drown out some of the ambient noise, surely sound quality becomes a moot point.

The only time I can truly recommend the Shokz OpenFit Pro is when you don’t like using earbuds or over-ears and if audio quality was the absolute priority. For those who feel that earbuds can be invasive when stuck deep into your ear canals — or you’re unable to use earbuds for health reasons — this just might work for you.