Verdict
The Shokz OpenFit do deliver on that promise of bounteous sound compare to Shokz ’s off-white conduction headphones but the hanging ear draw design , steep price and shelling performance means there ’s elbow room for advance .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Shokz OpenFit examine Shokz ditch its os conduction approach for an melodic line conductivity setup to render big candid - ear phone by planting speaker system in close proximity to your ear to save that speech sound .
Along with a variety in the sound , it ’s all change in the purpose section as it prompt out from its regular neckband - mode look .
Those modification and forebode sound advance make the OpenFit the priciest duad of headphones in the Shokz ingathering . So do they justify the big spend and do deliver that solid Shokz carrying out ? Here ’s my take .
Availability
The Shokz OpenFit are price at £ 179 / $ 179.95 shit them the most expensive headphones in Shokz ’s collection and roughly £ 20 / $ 20 more than itsOpenRun Probone conductivity headphones .
That does make them more or less cheaper than aviation conduction headphone like the Cleer Audio Arc II Sport ( £ 199 / $ 199 ) but dear than earphone like theSoundpeat RunFree Liteand the Sivga SO1 , which both come in well below the £ 100 / $ 100 price mark .
They ’re also more expensive than traditional sporty truly wireless earbuds with ear hook intent that have impress us like theSoundcore Sport X10andJBL Endurance Peak 3 .
Design
The OpenFit is a immense departure from the common Shokz headphone look , swap a Ti alloy neckband frame for a set of earhook earbuds that sit inside a charging cause when not in use .
Each earbud weighs 8.3 constant of gravitation , so heavier than a duet ofApple AirPods Pro 2and uses what Shokz calls a Dolphin Arc earhook design , wrapping a flexible hook over the top of the spike to keep it securely in place . Those are attached to what are loudspeaker system that fire sound towards the ears . The earphones can be used independently as well .
It carries anIP54 water resistance evaluation , giving them some protection against sweat and rainwater . It is n’t the unattackable storey of protection Shokz offers , but it does give a welcome spirit level of durability . The come with USB - cytosine - powered charging type does n’t offer the same level of protection against moisture , however .
On top of those earbuds rest touchpads , which sees another modification from the strong-arm dominance Shokz use on its bone conduction headphones . Those touchpads can be double tapped and pressed and held to set off features like skip tracks , playing and pausing music as well as decreasing and increasing volume .
There ’s also room for double stochasticity cancelling microphones to manage calls which use AI noise cancellation engineering that , agree to Shokz , bear unmortgaged call quality .
Wearing the OpenFit has been an interesting experience . I ’d say the overarching feel is that it feels like the main speaker section hangs near the ear in unstable fashion . That ’s o.k. when sit down , but I found during more strict and sweaty recitation I had to align the spike hooks and the earbuds as they felt like they were moving around .
They never fell off , but the design creates the sensory faculty they might . It feels like there ’s an issue with the weightiness and balance of weight between earhook and the main earbud element . I ’ve judge other heart-to-heart ear speaker - style headphone before like theCleer Arcand they felt more safe than the OpenFit .
The touchpad - based controller are some of the well integrated touch controls I ’ve used on a lot of earbuds . They ’re simple to use and can be tailor-make within the Shokz companion phone app . They ’re not consummate if you ’re on the move , but for most scenarios , once you learn the sweet place , it ’s squeamish to adjust book or skip tracks . They can certainly have their frustrative minute as well and that ’s why strong-arm controls are mostly still great on headphones .
Features
Despite being the most expensive pair of Shokz headphones , they do n’t promise the biggest battery . Shokz says you should get up to 7 hours bombardment life , which is short of the 10 hour off a single charge from the OpenRun Pro . you’re able to get a totality of 28 hours when you factor out in a fully charged charging case , plus a 5 - minute charge gets you an hour of listening meter .
What those battery numbers do n’t exemplify is performance at dissimilar intensity or when using more herculean EQ mood . I found an minute at closely to maximal volume using the Bass Boost EQ mode learn battery drop by 30 - 40 % . That would equate to importantly less than the claimed 7 hour barrage .
loudness clear has an impact as it does on Shokz ’s bone conduction phone , but EQ keep drain things further based on my testing . That makes the immediate charge mode an important characteristic , the earphones sit securely inside a charging case that ’s pretty pocket - well-disposed with an indicator light source to show the amount of electric battery leave .
Handling calls is somewhat solid on the whole , but much like ivory conductivity headphone , the quieter the environs the better the public presentation . The AI smarting Shokz includes will gain those on the other end of the call , but if you ’re using them in tacky environments they ’re still going to suffer for volume .
Sound Quality
Shokz predict the technology that sit around in close law of proximity to your ears it its DirectPitch , which aim to minimise the kind of sound leakage you get from bone conduction headphones , but also do n’t freeze up the ear like traditional in - earphones . It ’s not a raw approach , but it ’s new to Shokz and claims to offer a balanced speech sound and boastful basso performance .
That change in approach brings the ability to customize that phone from the Shokz comrade app , which is available for both iPhone and Android drug user . I used the iPhone reading , which keeps things simple and has a clean look that makes it nice and straightforward to carry on with . This is where you’re able to pick from four unlike preset EQ modes or create your own .
Now I ’d say Shokz delivers on that hope of bounteous sound , though I do imagine it comes at the expense of the more balanced profile you get from its top - end bone conduction headphones . When using them outside , like other Shokz earphone , you often need to get them up loud to get the best out of them . It ’s still about rule a balance between your phone and disturbance around you , and it calculate on how much sound you ’re competing with . If you ’re out on a quiet walk it crop pretty well . Head out for a rivulet in a busy part of town , and it ’s more challenging to deliver respectable results .
I play around with all of the EQ modes , and you may get something enjoyable . Dropping into ‘ measure ’ and ‘ Bass Boost ’ modes on Massive Attack ’s Unfinished Sympathy and you get that very detectable thud of bass and general upping of overall warmth that Shokz ’s other headphones fight to deliver . Though opting for the Bass Boost mode is where things can go a little less balanced and miry , particularly at the top end where the mids and treble are less prominent Erykah Badu ’s On and On .
Tracks like The Avalanches Since I Left You have a really pleasing quality . Switching to something more vocal - centric like London Grammar ’s Wasting My Young Years and you’re able to opt for the vocal or triple boost modes to clear thing up and overall get in force sound for most audio here . You ’ll just involve to play around and take you ’re not going to get the kind of sound execution to match conventional true wireless earbuds .
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Should you buy it?
The OpenFit gives you Shokz headphones that offer a more herculean , bassy sound than its bone conductivity headphones .
The earhook excogitation on the OpenFit for some workout makes them less suitable to some exercise compared to Shokz ’s neckband - style headphones and other traditional earhook sport headphone .
Final Thoughts
The Shokz OpenFit is an interesting move from a headphone maker that ’s already a democratic pick for seaworthiness devotee and those who want a much safe way to listen to sound . in the end though , the OpenFit feel expensive and I ’m not convinced the earhook design is well built for all scenarios . Especially one that are sweatier and more rigorous .
Trusted Score
How we test
We try every set of headphone we review soundly over an extended period of prison term . We utilise industry standard tests to liken characteristic properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to retrospect a product .
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FAQs
The OpenFit do n’t support Bluetooth multipoint , therefore they can only be paired with one gimmick at a clock time .
