Shockz OpenRun Review
What are Shockz?
Shockz is a company that makes bone conduction headphones. Shockz rebranded from the name AfterShockz in 2021, but they have been selling bone conduction headphones for quite a while.
The technology used in bone conduction headphones isn’t exactly new. The gist of it is that these headphones vibrate your cheekbones, which allows sound to bypass your ear drums. Bone conduction has been used in hearing aids for quite a while. It can be great for those with certain types of hearing loss due to it bypassing your eardrum all together. The newer aspect of this technology is that companies are now using it to focus on making headphones rather than hearing aids.
Bypassing your eardrums also means that your eardrums are still available for use. This means that while using bone conduction headphones, you can still hear everything around you, as if you weren’t using headphones at all. We’ll touch more on what this means later.
We actually tried Shockz way back in 2016, but determined they weren’t quite at the point where we wanted them as a daily driver quite yet. Now, in 2022, the technology has improved and we wanted to give them a second chance.
Shockz currently sells six different models. We want to keep things simple, so we’ll sum each pair up in just a few words below. If you’re just looking for our review, skip past this quick summary.
OpenRun: The main model and top-selling option. Uses 8th generation bone conduction technology (each generation improves sound quality), is IP67 waterproof, and features an 8-hour battery life.
OpenRun Pro: Similar to the OpenRun, but with a few key differences. These have 9th generation bone conduction technology, 10 hours of battery life, but are only IP55 waterproof. Better for you audiophiles, worse for you that are a bit rough on your headphones. P.S. The OpenRun Pro comes in wayyyyy cuter colors than the OpenRun
OpenMove: The most budget and lightweight option. The cost for the lower price and weight is going to be a shorter 6-hour battery life and lower audio quality.
OpenSwim: These last two models are a bit unique, and clearly have speciality purposes. The OpenSwim does NOT have Bluetooth, and instead allows you to store your music directly on the headphones. They are specifically meant to fit under a swim cap and are IP68 waterproof.
OpenComm UC: These ones are meant for working professionals who are going to be on and off calls all day. They can connect to multiple devices, feature a noise canceling microphone, 16 hours of battery life, and so much more.
We decided to review the Shockz OpenRun, as they are the top-selling option and probably most applicable to the average-consumer (like us).
Shockz OpenRun Review
We want to acknowledge first that these are specialty headphones, they use a different technology than most headphones, and are designed specifically for an active lifestyle. They aren’t going to be competing in the same category as high-end headphones, and we are going to judge them on their own merits. We’ll still compare them to AirPods so you have some frame of reference about how they compare to standard headphones, but we do want to acknowledge that the Shockz OpenRun are in a lane of their own.
That said, we love our Shockz OpenRun. We still have some complaints that we will go through, but the technology has clearly improved in the last 6 years, and we think that they serve a real purpose now. If you are looking for athletic headphones that still allow you to hear the world around you, we think that you will enjoy the Shockz OpenRun.
How are Shockz OpenRun for Fitness?
These headphones are meant for fitness gurus, so we’ll evaluate that first. The Shockz OpenRun are IP67 waterproof, meaning that you are totally safe from dust and sand, and no sweat, rain, or splashes should stop you. It’s not recommended you take them swimming, or underwater for long periods of time, but they should be safe from even the sweatiest of athletes.
The headphones loop over your ears and the “speakers” (the part that vibrates to produce sound in your ears) sit directly in front of your ears. We attached a picture from Shockz below so that you can see what we mean.
As we mentioned earlier, this means that your ears are completely open to all outside sounds. We absolutely love this for outdoor fitness such as hiking or biking. You can hear all of the cars coming behind you, and you can respond to your environment. This is especially important from a safety perspective. You can hear when strangers are coming behind you while walking around the neighborhood and feel much safer as opposed to being aloof to your surroundings.
Hearing your environment also has some downsides… Our gym has one specific treadmill that is known to be loud. We don’t know why, but whenever anyone is using it you can hear it throughout the entire place. Usually, we would turn our headphones up and ignore it. These headphones don’t block noise like traditional headphones, so you will hear the loud noises in your gym. If you are the type of person that needs to blast your headphones and fade away into a different world, the Shockz will not be for you.
Do Shockz OpenRun have good sound quality?
All of the audio we listened to sounded great - definitely comparable to AirPods. For most of the audio we listened to, the Shockz did an excellent job at fading us into our own world. With the hard rock music, and the volume cranked up, you actually could hear the music even if you were not wearing the headphones. It was a totally appropriate level of sound for the gym or similar, but we would be wary of blasting them in a quiet environment such as class or a library. Shockz claims they have LeakSlayer technology meant to stop sound leakage as much as possible, but it isn’t entirely gone with certain types of audio or very high volumes.
Shockz claims that they use a proprietary sound solution, PremiumPutch 2.0+. PremiumPitch 2.0+ is meant to provide crisp and clear midrange to high frequency sounds, as well as two units of CoreCushion (bass enhancers) located inside the transducers. We enjoyed the bass and didn’t think it was bad, but it is just an inherently different experience. We wouldn’t compare these to a premium Sony headset, where you can actually feel the bass.
Other Shockz OpenRun pros
The battery and charging experience is fantastic. The advertisited 8-hour battery life seems legitimate, and if that isn’t enough for you, you will love the Quick Charge feature. A 5-minute quick charge gives you 1.5 hours of listening time at 75% volume. The magnetic charger is also strong and snaps right in. While we would love to see USB-C on all of our products, we’re not really complaining.
We also truly just believe the Shockz OpenRun are comfortable. You don’t have to worry about your ears getting sore, your headphones getting yanked out of your ears, or an earbud falling out and onto the ground. The OpenRun Pro is apparently 20% smaller than previous models, and we could see this adding another level of comfort.
Other Shockz OpenRun cons
The microphone is good, but not great. You will be just fine to take calls with the Shockz OpenRun, but we wouldn’t expect that you’ll be recording audio or similar. The mic picks up nearly all background noise, and can make it a little not fun for the person you are talking to if you are in a noisy environment. Truth be told, this isn’t much different than most headphones that do not have an exceptional microphone. If you are happy with the microphone on the AirPods, you should be happy with the microphone on the Shockz OpenRun. Shockz does also sell the OpenComm UC, which is specifically designed for taking calls on your Shockz headphones.
Our biggest con is the lack of any real storage solution with the Shockz OpenRun. The headphones are connected by a semi-rigid silicone headband, and it can be annoying to have that behind you at all times. In the middle of a hard workout and just want to throw your head back into the sky? You’ll have a bit of discomfort with the headband. This same headband also means the headphones don’t really fold and are always fairly large. This isn’t a problem when you want to be wearing the headphones, as you don’t even have to take them off to have a conversation. This headband is a large problem when you want to store your headphones. You won’t be throwing them in your pocket like you can with other wireless earbuds. Shockz’ solution is a carrying bag, but we have been much more of a fan of this case from Amazon. It is protective, carries the charger, and has a wrist strap which can make it easier to transport your headphones. That said, it still isn’t as convenient as if you could just throw them in your pocket such as with AirPods.
Should you try Shockz OpenRun?
There is a variety of people that Shockz are absolutely game changing for. We cannot recommend them enough if you are into outdoor fitness or if you like to go outside or to the gym alone. Being aware of your surroundings is amazing, and we really can’t overstate how nice it is to not have your ears sore at the end of a long hike. If you are looking to replace your AirPods and are commonly using earbuds in class, a library, or other quiet setting we may not recommend the Shockz as much.
For us? We loved them, but we are happy to acknowledge that the Shockz OpenRun headphones are a unique experience and may not work perfectly for every person. It seems like Shockz may be aware of this too, as when you purchase through their website they promise free returns for 45 days. If you are on the fence, we would say to try them out. You will know pretty quickly if they elevate your workouts or just let so much outside sound in that you can’t focus.
If you liked reading about elevating your workout with better headphones, you may also enjoy elevating your workout with a better anti-chafe stick. Checkout our The Anti-Chafe Stick That Actually Works review.