Test Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 – The ultimate sports headset
In this article, I present the OpenRun Pro 2 bone conduction headphones from Shokz. Sound quality, comfort, suitability for sports... I give you my opinion after a full test lasting several weeks (and several years with Shokz headphones, which have been with me for a long time).
Test video summary
Opinion summary
I liked
- Overall helmet comfort
- Sound quality
- Listen to what I want while continuing to hear the outside environment
- Long autonomy
- Fast charging via USB-C
- Making calls with the headset
I liked it less
- Not ideal for windy or noisy conditions
- Slightly bulky case
- It’s still a budget
How do I use the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 helmet?
Bone conduction headphones are particularly well-suited to sporting activities. Firstly, because of their overall comfort, but also because they enable you to continue to hear outside sounds. As they are not placed in the ears, you can listen to your music or podcasts while remaining connected to the outside environment, which is both more pleasant and safer! You can hear both birdsong and… the sound of a car horn warning you of danger!
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How does bone conduction work?
The principle is surprising: no need for earphones in or over the ears! Here, the headphones sit right in front of the ears, transmitting sound by vibrating the jawbones and temples. These vibrations go straight to the inner ear, bypassing the eardrums. The result is amazing!
The helmet is therefore ideal for running, trail riding, hiking and cycling (note that all helmets, including bone conduction helmets, are forbidden for cycling, but I confess to using it on segregated bike paths, not on the road). Not for swimming, however (you’ll have to opt for one of the brand’s other models, the Open Swim or, even better, the Open Swim Pro).
As the helmet is equipped with wind- and noise-reducing microphones, it’s also possible to make calls with it, even during sport.
Features
- Material: nickel-titanium alloy
- Standard: IP55
- Autonomy: 12h
- Connectivity: bluetooth
- Wireless range: 10m
- Charging port: USB-C
- Fast charging? Yes
- Color: black, orange or Kipchoge edition (white with yellow/orange)
- Mini option? Yes
- Weight: 30g
- Price: €199
The Shokz brand
Shokz, an American brand, is the world leader in bone conduction and the official supplier of the French Athletics Federation (FFA). I’ve been using their headphones for years now and am really satisfied! I’ve even made a comparison of the different Shokz headsets on my other site.
Our full review of the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2
Housing
The headset comes in a hard case containing the headset and a USB-C cable. Solid and of good quality, it is perfect for protecting the headphones, but is a little bulky. You can’t hope to slip it into a pocket like Airpods, for example – you just have to have it in your head!
Comfort
The headphones, which sit on the ears, are very comfortable to wear. For one thing, the fact that there’s nothing in my ears makes it more comfortable, because in-ear headphones always hurt after a while. What’s more, its really light weight (30g) means I can totally forget about it. I can easily spend a whole day with them on without any discomfort, as they create absolutely no pressure points. And I don’t have to worry about wearing it with glasses and/or a bike helmet.
It doesn ‘t move at all, even when running. The rear hoop is not in the way, and is available in two sizes (“standard” and “mini”) to suit different body shapes.
Buttons
On the right-hand side, there are two buttons for switching on and pairing, and for raising and lowering the volume. On the left side, a multi-function button allows you to pause, skip to the next track, pick up and hang up. Simple and practical!
Sound quality
This is THE big difference with the OpenRun Pro (its predecessor), and not the least: the OpenRun Pro 2 is equipped with DualPitch technology, which in practice means that there are two speakers in one, with a bone conduction speaker and an air conduction speaker. Rest assured, this doesn’t mean that outsiders can hear what you’re listening to – they still can’t, and it’s still amazing!
The difference in sound quality is truly impressive. With the OpenRun Pro, I already felt we’d achieved a truly satisfactory quality for sports use, but this is really the next level: the sound is excellent.
As a bonus, this technology reduces vibrations. While vibrations were not annoying on the previous model with a medium volume level, they did become annoying when the volume was turned up too high: this is no longer the case here, as the unpleasant vibrations have simply disappeared .
The only limitation remains, as always with bone conduction headphones, very noisy or windy environments, in which it will be difficult to hear. Even if these headphones fare much better than their predecessors, they are not suitable for such use, since the idea is still to be able to hear outside noise. No problem for use in a gym, for example, but it won’t be so easy in a station with omnipresent announcements.
For making calls on the move, the headset does the job, provided you have a reasonable speed. The brand claims that the sound quality of the microphone will be good up to around 25km/h: I confess I haven’t tested going that far, but from what I’ve read in reviews, it would indeed be fine.
Waterproofing
The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 helmet is IP55-rated, making it resistant to sweat, dust and light showers.
On the other hand, if true rain resistance is crucial to you, you’re better off opting for OpenRun headphones, which are IP67-rated, offering protection against wetter conditions. It’s up to you to choose according to your priorities: enhanced rain resistance or improved audio quality!
Finally, if you’re looking for a totally waterproof model for swimming, the OpenSwim or OpenSwim Pro helmet is for you. Read my OpenSwim Pro review here.
Bluetooth pairing
Rare enough to be worth mentioning, I had absolutely no trouble pairing this headset. It connects in a matter of seconds, and off you go.
Autonomy
The autonomy announced by Shokz is 12h, i.e. 2h more than version 1 of the OpenRun Pro. According to my tests, this is quite realistic, so there’s plenty to do, even on a long sports outing.
Refill
Recharging is also one of the headset’s strong points. First of all, I find it practical that it’s now done via a USB-C port, which means you don’t have to carry a specific cable for the headset. Then there’s the fact that recharging takes just 1 hour, but more importantly… 2.5 hours of autonomy in 5 minutes! This quick charge is really handy, because even if you’ve forgotten to recharge your headset and it’s out of battery, you can do it quickly before you take it out. Or quickly recharge it at a base station on an ultra trail, for example.
Application
There’s a “Shokz” application which I must confess I never use. Its main advantage is that it allows you to set the equalization in “vocal” mode rather than “standard”, in order to optimize frequencies for spoken voices (ideal for calls, audio books and podcasts a priopri).
It also enables multipoint pairing, i.e. simultaneous connection of the headset to several devices, making it easy to switch from one to the other.
Conclusion
As you can see, I’m really excited about the Shokz OpenRun pro 2 bone conduction headphones! I was already an aficionado of the brand, whose headphones have been a fixture in my sporting life for years, but this one takes sound quality and comfort to the next level. It’s still a budget, of course, but if you can afford it and use it a lot, go for it!
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