Two years ago, I thought my quest for the best running headphones was over. The Beats Fit Pro were simply perfect in every way. Then I moved to the suburbs. The Beats’ ambient mode was no match for North Jersey drivers’ blatant disregard for speed limits. Open-back headphones seemed like the obvious answer. But which ones? For a few weeks, I tried out a few bone-conduction headphones, but I missed my bass drops too much. That, in turn, led me to try out the $119.95 Shokz OpenFit Air.
While Shokz is best known for its bone conduction technology, the OpenFit Air uses traditional air conduction like any other wireless earbuds. The speaker sits over your ear canal, while ear hooks keep them securely in place. I don’t typically prefer ear hooks; comfort tends to be hit or miss. But I’ll try anything if it means situational awareness without giving up my bass.
The good news: the bass is better. The bad news is that it's not much. There really aren't any open headphones. excellent In the bass, but at least they are less muddy than bone conduction headphones. If I run next to a busy street, I can hear the rumble.Five Michelin stars” verse from Stray Kids' “God's Menu.” It's not completely clear, but I can hear it instead of sighing and wishing I had my Beats Fit Pro. (If you're near a highway, though, that's not a chance.)
Aside from the bass, the speaker position allows you to hear content pretty well, but open-back headphones always have limitations. I used these on several commutes to the office. A quiet NJ Transit bus or train? No problem. The noise of the NYC subway drowned out my audiobooks to the point where I stopped listening to them. I never received any complaints about sound leakage, but I imagine that's because the NYC subway is too loud for me. someone to listen to something
As exercise partners, these are a great option. They last about six hours on a single charge, and a 10-minute charge gives you two hours of use, which isn't bad unless you're an ultramarathoner. With IP55, you can sweat a bit or withstand a bit of rain, though I'd be careful in a heavy downpour. They're comfortable and fairly secure—that is, until you put on some glasses.
While the hooks are flexible and relatively thin, they did take up a lot of space behind my ears. On days when I didn’t wear contacts, the tops of my ears felt tight and heavy. That heavy feeling made me paranoid that the Airs would fall out and I’d have to go readjust them. Often, that ended with me accidentally activating the touch controls. Even when I wasn’t wearing glasses, I would unintentionally dislodge the Airs whenever I brushed my bangs behind my ears. I don’t like that, as I’ve suffered the trauma of having to chase down an earbud that fell out of my ear mid-run too many times. To be fair, you might not have these issues. Part of it is likely due to the shape of my ears and the fact that my glasses have thicker temples. But if you really want a secure fit, a wraparound design is a better option.
$120
The Shokz OpenFit Air are a pair of lightweight, open-back headphones that use air conduction and feature six hours of battery life.
Much to my surprise, I ended up preferring the Airs for everyday use. Maybe it’s just me, but bone conduction headphones scream “fitness” in a way that feels a little odd when I’m running errands. These remind me more of the sleek, low-profile Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. My favorite way to use them was when I was cooking or cleaning. I could easily listen to my audiobooks or podcasts, keep an eye out for beeping appliances, and keep the naughty cat from trying to eat. my Dinner straight from the pan.
If I had better vision, these headphones might have ended my search for a Beats Fit Pro alternative. They're pretty affordable at $120, the bass is decent for a pair of open-back headphones, and they're comfortable. I want something a little more secure for the days when I don't feel like wearing glasses. Unfortunately, the search continues.
