Photo: Michael Thau
Shokz is pretty ambitious in promising that the sports headphones deliver clear highs, natural mids, and pure vocal sound thanks to a new dual air conduction unit design. Air conduction does indeed reproduce the bass, while bone conduction handles the rest. In the battle against traffic, wind, and gym stereos, there are winners and losers. Bass has been greatly improved, with a noticeable increase in warmth and power.
Unfortunately, while the extra power means more bass for the money, the clarity isn’t on par with the older OpenRun. Similarly, a sound comparison with the proprietary Bose Ultra Open revealed a lack of clarity. Even when I slowed down the fast-paced, drum-and-bass-heavy playlist to listen to a podcast, the regression in clarity was still noticeable. This isn’t to say that the OpenRun Pro 2 are bad headphones; they simply offer a shift in sound that many runners will enjoy greatly, a little closer to typical bass-heavy workout headphones.
Narrow victory
Photo: Michael Thau
There are always compromises to be made with open-ear headphones, but those compromises are actually relatively minor with the OpenRun Pro 2. If you’re looking for running headphones with more bass and power, but still want to pay attention to the sounds around you, this is your best bet.
Other options worth considering are the Suunto Sonic ($149), which offers a very balanced sound profile from a moderate weight and comfortable neckband design; the premium-priced Bose Ultra Open, which offers better, more detailed sound but a questionable fit if you’re running fast; and the Sivga SO2 ($70), which produces very likeable open-ear sound and a secure fit.
While it’s not the huge jump in quality we were hoping for, Shokz has given us enough to recommend the OpenRun Pro 2. That said, you shouldn’t discount the OpenRun Pro either, which has a nearly identical design and better sound quality and battery life — just remember where you left that cumbersome, antiquated proprietary charging cable.
