The buds have what Shokz is calling a dolphin arc ear hook design. This means there’s the main bulk of the bud that hangs next to your ear canal, which is held in place by a hook that slides behind your ear.

When using during outdoor activity, please ensure earbuds are being properly worn and control the volume to ensure that you can hear your surroundings, including traffic signals, passersby, etc. Using OpenFit while riding or driving may distract your attention and have higher risk of sports injury and traffic accident; Using OpenFit while riding or driving may violate local laws or community regulations, use of this product should comply with local laws and community regulations. The result is that you are able to hear sound clearly. This, combined with the 18 X 11mm dynamic drivers means these earbuds deliver quality, crisp sound, even when they’re near your ear and not inside it. The battery life appears to be pretty good so far. I’ve been quite impressed with this and the fact that the case can add further charge is good for long days out. The OpenFit’s other strengths relate to their open-ear design, one which successfully achieves the goal of increasing awareness of your surroundings while the headphones are in use. This is invaluable if you’re running or cycling and can be useful when crossing the road or listening out for deliveries at home, too.In combination with the already mentioned pressure-free wearing comfort, this results in a total work of art that solves not all, but many essential problems of headphones. With the Shokz OpenFit, you always stay a bit connected to your environment and enjoy a sound that is remotely reminiscent of speakers in a room. Thus, the Bluetooth open-ear makes head-fi culture quite a bit more attractive for anyone with chronic headphone phobia. However, throughout our testing, they remained in place. The position of the speaker takes some getting used to and will require a bit of trial and error to figure out your preferred fit. Once configured, though, we had no complaints with the fit or audio consistency during workouts.

Without the wall reflections we know from concerts or loudspeakers and slightly angling the head with respect to the sound direction, the brain can hardly distinguish between 0 and 180 degrees. It follows that even the smart Shokz can’t avoid listening to an inner voice, so to speak, while listening to music. But what they succeed in doing excellently is to create on both sides the feeling of a wide, believably comprehensible space in front of the mind’s eye. Chapeau, that is a remarkable performance in the range at the price with the small dimensions. Total work of art for the earsShokz is one of the most reliably interesting companies I cover, which is saying a lot. In its first iteration, it made bone conduction headphones, which conducted soundwaves through your skull, that were so profoundly uncomfortable, we said we’d rather not wear headphones at all. Then 2022’s OpenRun Pro ( 8/10, WIRED Recommends) somehow became one of my favorite pairs of workout headphones. They were light, secure, and surprisingly great-sounding, and allowed me to keep an ear out for traffic or children while still listening to podcasts while biking or working in the garden. The introduction of an app and an equaliser is a great addition. I made my own profile immediately, which suited my taste and music preferences. I found it very easy to navigate and use.

Audio is naturally the main talking point of any headphones, but with the OpenFit the conversation is a little different. The main selling point is that they are essentially anti- noise-cancelling. Odd, right? They’re intentionally designed to not impede your ear canal and therefore allow you to hear everything that’s going on around you. In a market where noise-cancelling technology is all the rage, this is an interesting move. But depending on how you look at it, it’s either the OpenFit's selling point or their biggest flaw. Handling calls is pretty solid on the whole, but much like bone conduction headphones, the quieter the environment the better the performance. The AI smarts Shokz includes will benefit those on the other end of the call, but if you’re using them in louder environments they’re still going to suffer for volume. Sound Quality Much better sound quality than previous models, but please refer to no 2 of the negatives. I have since tweaked the EQ more and it’s made it better, but at the expense of the range of bass. The sound quality is quite impressive, with solid bass that does not drown out the higher-end frequencies.Unfortunately, the earphones don’t support Bluetooth Multipoint, which is a strange decision since Shokz’s other headphones support it. This will make it more challenging to switch between devices. Now I’d say Shokz delivers on that promise of bigger sound, though I do think 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 headphones, you often need to get them up loud to get the best out of them. It’s still about finding a balance between your sound and noise around you, and it depends on how much sound you’re competing with. If you’re out on a quiet walk it works pretty well. Head out for a run in a busy part of town, and it’s more challenging to deliver good results.