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Bought a pair of SHOKZ OpenRun so that I could hear things creeping up behind me but the sound is so low and lacking any base that they're pretty useless.
Or is it because my head is hollow?
I tried a set years ago and had a similar experience. If you stick your fingers in your ears the bass comes back.
I've got a pair of the originals (when they were called Aftershokz). They are about as good as you can expect from a set of phones that have a speaker 2cm from your ear. No bass and a bit of a buzz. I wouldn't listen to music on them but they work for podcasts - just. Windnoise also means you can barely hear anything anyway.
yes useless for riding. better for running. i use them most for paddleboarding as they are waterproof.
Had a set of Open Run. I found they didn't sit that tight to my head and as such the volume was lower.
They ended up breaking on me (they don't pair well with ear defenders in a workshop) and I've replaced them with the OpenFit individual ones. I can wear ear defenders over them and can get my full face on with them in.
Bass is better than the OpenRun version.
I got some openrun pro earlier this year so I can listen to music while running on country lanes. It’s not high fidelity but that’s not really the point of them. For environmental awareness AND a bit of music to plod along to, I think they’re great.
Mine are fine for podcasts or listening to music when exercising, on a bike or in the gym. Wind noise has been an issue with any earphones I've used on a bike much over 15mph.
I'm not a music/tech snob, they do what I need. My son is a music graduate and now doing theatre sound. He reckons my Openruns were were way better than he expected when he tried them, I don't know enough to contradict him
I like mine. Great for running, gym, work. No they aren’t super hi fidelity sound but I don’t expect them to be
I liked mine until I got some decent (for me) cans which rendered the Aftershokz next to useless for everything except running.
A bit tinny for me , I like my bass.
I have some Suunto Wings. Not bad at all while out walking, riding or running.
The key is, like many things, accept them for what they are. Sports headphones that are not over or in your ears.
I more aware, more visible and enjoy exercise more with them. So they are worth it for me.
Also .... Download the app.
There you can adjust the bass, treble and all that and make them a fair bit louder.
I've an extra setting I called "BikeMode" and they're a lot louder with much more bass.
ok for running but I found they didn't last long for various reasons (probably water ingress around buttons and charging port, at least 3 sets died). I've got shokz openfit air now which I really like.
I’ve been impressed with the Open Run Pro 2 that I’ve tried on in a shop, sound quality seemed to be fairly good.
It would be interesting to see what they’re like on the bike but I’m not sure I fancy spending £160 to possibly find that they’re crap!
I've a few pairs of the Aftershokz ones, use when out mountain biking solo to make the road and fireroad climbs less tedious, music is not a patch on in ear buds but I want it just as a background distraction. Used to use them when I commuted on the bike but music gets drowned out by wind noise at not too high a speed. Also use them when supermarket shopping as that's pretty tedious too but I do want to be aware of my surroundings. I think they're great for their intended purpose.
I rarely go a day without wearing them - running, riding, as a headset in the office, on the train, when i'm working in the garden. Over 40km/h the wind is a bit much, or I guess if there was heavy traffic, but i'm not overly concerned by the sound quality.
The big thing for me is that they don't channel sweat into my ears - I get ear infections/pain with ear buds.
Got pro 2s and love them. Wish they went a bit louder but that's my only complaint
A cycling buddy wears these for long solo road rides as he says that bone conducting ones give him headaches, on last Sunday's ride I had a listen and was as impressed with the sound quality as I was with price.
I wanted them for my solo running and mine arrived Tuesday. So far I've only had one short run wearing them but they seem absolutely ideal and at that price you really can't go wrong.
Edit : Sorry don't understand why the link doesn't work. They are :
ANCwear Running Headphones Wireless, Upgraded Open Ear Bluetooth Sports Headphones with Mic, 27g Lightweight & 8H Playtime & IP67 Sports Earphones for Running, Workout, Cycling, Hiking (Black)
£21.99
After lots of different kinds I have found them the best compromise for me but I mainly listen to podcasts, occasionally music. I find I can get them to play nicely enough with my helmet band and strap. And I accept that I might have to turn it off briefly if I am on a fast section if the wind noise gets too much.
The only thing I don't like them for is laying on my side in bed in the campervan when I'm trying not to wake the wife up in a morning.
Does anyone find that a podcast played really quietly can sen them back to sleep?
Having tried a few of them over the years, i'd rather just listen to the background noise!
Also use them when supermarket shopping as that's pretty tedious too but I do want to be aware of my surroundings.
That's the perfect time for active noise cancelling to go up to 11... or 12.
I use Anker V20i. They are clip over the ear rather than round the neck. They are excellent, I can wear them all day on the hills without the irritation of earbuds and they sound great. I mostly use them for podcasts but with music the base is good. One of the best things I've bought for £30.
Did you buy the Pros? They're much better than the standard Openruns. I've had a pair for just over a year and love them but with a couple of caveats.
I find them great for running but can't get them to fit comfortably with any of my bike helmets and the neckband means they can't be worn under hoods or some hats during winter.
A few weeks ago I bought a pair of the OpenFit 2s and they're great. Not bone conductive but still leave your ear canal open and because left and right are independent they can be worn with anything. Sound quality is really good too, especially using the app to set it up.
i've had the top aftershockz model for a few years
more than great enough for solo rides for me, and keeping my awareness, even on an MTB in the woods i want to hear the world around me, plus in the event of an accident i'm not having a hard piece of plastic potentially driven into my ear canal
IDK, either listen to the world around you or listen to what you want. I don’t get the blending of the two with open ear pods or bone conduction.
i favor isolation from the world around and am waiting for some new CIEMs from Cosmic Ears
My experience is the same as most here. I like to listen to a lot of techno and house music and when I bought the first standard pair of Shokz I used them once and put them straight them on ebay- I thought they were total garbage even accounting for the obvious compromise of them being open-ear.
I tried again with the Pro version though and they are a lot better- but I only really use them for running, not cycling. Sound quality is nowhere near as good as some proper earbuds but for some motivation on long runs they work good enough.
They're not really waterproof though and I have a feeling that button on the side that skips tracks etc is going to die a death soon as it feels poor quality.
I'm happy to take the risk of running with proper earbuds in tbh but in any event I found that none of them, even the "sport" versions, lasted very long and they just get killed off pretty quick with all the moisture and sweat.
I like mine. Great for running, gym, work. No they aren’t super hi fidelity sound but I don’t expect them to be
This. They can't be as good as in-ear buds, because physics, but they are fine for listening to music while you do something else, and much safer for cycling than earbuds.
They're not really waterproof though and I have a feeling that button on the side that skips tracks etc is going to die a death soon as it feels poor quality.
Despite commuting with mine over now several years from the very first version to the very latest, water has never bothered them, not have the buttons or charger. What kills them is if you accidentally drop them and they debond from the inside of the housing. You lose 80% of the volume and they rattle. The housing is sealed so there’s no way to really fix them. I’ve tried the Sugru trick and it’s maybe 50% better but still 40% broken.
I’ve got the first generation Openrun pros and they are ok for a bit of background music while riding - but use bone conduction as the main sound source and have some limited bass. Have just tried the V2 version at the airport and there much more bass with those, but it’s done via a speaker (if you move the headphone away from your head you can still hear a lot of the sound) - so they’ve overcome most of the bone conduction issue. Once mine die I’ll definitely the V2s