(NEW) SHOKZ OpenRun Pro 2 Bone Conduction Open-Ear Sport Headphones

As soon as I started encountering multiple problems from my AirPods Pro 2 after 2 years of abusive use, I was in the market for some alternatives. Some of the features I prioritize in wireless earbuds are long battery life, good sound quality, simple and consistent Bluetooth connectivity, and ease of use. After some research, I came across the OpenRun Pro 2 with many reviews stating its improved sound quality compared to its predecessor. I was initially hesitant given by its high price tag and my unfamiliarity with the SHOKZ brand, but I decided to give their flagship product a shot. Here are some of my thoughts after 4 months of use. I went to the SHOKZ website to print out their measuring guide to decide between their standard and mini variants. I was a good half-inch over the cutoff limit for the mini. I still decided to buy the mini after reading some reviews expressing some discomfort with the standard size. The mini fits snugly on the back of my head, leaving room for two fingers to fit in-between. Sure, the headband doesn't droop down to the nape as intended by the cover pictures. Needless to say, I think I made the right decision with the size. The packaging is excellent with the OpenRun Pro 2 arriving fully charged in a moderately sized silicone case. I have never once used the case in my 4 months of use, optioning to throw the headband naked into my cramped backpack while commuting. The headphone still holds up fine after daily torture. The controls are arguably intuitive with the volume rocker on the right side and the function control button on the left. You use your right thumb to control the volume and the labels protrude slightly so you know which button to press by feel. The function control button is on the left side next to the driver near the temple with 1 press for play/pause, 2 presses for next track, and 3 presses for previous track. Long press will activate the virtual assistant. I am very impressed with the battery life of this product. With moderate use at half volume, I can easily exceed 12 hours without needing to charge compared to 2-3 hours from my AirPods Pro 2. I have absolutely no complaints with battery management here. Bluetooth connectivity is also impressive, allowing me to walk around the house and my backyard with minimal dropouts. Multipoint pairing on this device is the best I have seen so far. I can seamlessly switch between my phone and my computer with the controls responding to the connected host currently playing any media. Latency is also not an issue at all. I am very particular with sound quality, and the OpenRun Pro 2 meets my expectation. The treble is crystal clear. The bass is quite lean and well-controlled, but the sub-bass doesn't extend far enough to be audible without EQ. Timbre sounds natural, but it can sound a bit "glassy" at times. While their mobile app is easy to navigate with product guides and online firmware updates, nearly all of their EQ presets are terrible. Bass boost is very muddy and bloated. Vocal is inferior to the classic preset. Treble boost straight up hurts my ears. My custom 5-band EQ is +3 and +2 on their 1st and 2nd band respectively and I tone down the 3kHz band by -1. Stick with either the standard or classic presets if needed. I often use my AirPods Pro 2 to listen to podcasts and audiobooks on the bed before going to sleep. As a side-sleeper, the OpenRun Pro 2 has been nothing short of amazing! With the excellent sound quality and battery life, I can watch YouTube videos or listen to audiobooks with my ear pressed against the pillow with little to no discomfort. The headband will still be on my head by the time I wake up. I can set an alarm without disturbing family members with the drivers next to my ears. This is a terrific sleeping aid for side-sleepers. My biggest complaint by far with the OpenRun Pro 2 has to be the volume control. I wish there is more variability of sound intensity with the discrete volume control, especially between 30-40% volume. I will often walk around my neighborhood late at night, jamming through my music playlist with little ambient noise. At 30%, the volume intensity is too quiet to enjoy the music, but stepping up one unit results in the device suddenly being too loud. It's as if they opted to switch the gain at those levels and it disappoints me to hear this issue persist despite multiple firmware updates. There is never a sweet spot of volume intensity between 30-40%. Overall, it has been a pleasure to use the OpenRun Pro 2. The headband fits nicely around my head. The sound quality is impressive. Battery life is spectacular! And it is forever anointed on my head as I sleep. There are some features I have yet to test such as microphone quality, sweat resistance, and bone conductivity. Yes, classic mode uses bone conductivity, but I have not used that preset enough to fully develop solid opinions. I guess if you want a more mid-forward tonality, then go with classic, however, my custom preset has been sufficient enough for daily use. If they could somehow fix the volume issue, I would absolutely recommend this product to anyone looking for a substitute wireless earbud/headphone if their budget supports it.