I spend a lot of time wearing open-ear headphones, be it on my bike, at my desk, or going for walks. All told, I wear open-ear headphones for hours most days, so I have a lot of time to think about how I would improve them, or what I’d like to be different.
The new Shokz OpenFit 2+ open-ear headphones tick nearly every box on my wish list, and I love them.
There are still a few ways in which I would improve them if I were able to defy the laws of physics (more, clearer bass). But, my goodness, these are such a pleasure to wear while working and working out.
Table of contents
- First impressions
- Specifications and price
- Performance
- Battery
- Music and podcasts
- Awareness listening
- Comfort
- Microphone
- Who are the Shokz OpenFit 2+ for?
First impressions
The first thing I noticed about the new Shokz OpenFit 2+ is that they look almost identical to the original OpenFits, except for the addition of physical button controls. It’s no secret that I hate capacitive touch controls on true wireless headphones. That’s because I’m constantly accidentally pausing or changing songs when adjusting the buds, or not able to pause when I’m trying to do it deliberately. The physical button on each bud here is so welcome.
It’s also so easy to pair the headphones. Open the case, go to the Bluetooth settings of the device, press pair, put in the headphones and go.
Although the case looks very similar to the previous model, it now has wireless charging, which is useful.
Shokz OpenFit 2+ specifications and price
| Battery life | 11 hours of music listening in the buds, up to 48 hours with the charging case |
| Waterproof rating | IP55 |
| Weight | Earbuds: 9.4g ± 0.2g Charging case: 56g ± 2.0g Total weight: 74.8g ± 2.0g |
| Frequency band | 2402MHz-2480MHz |
| Microphone sensitivity | -38dB ±1dB |
| Warranty | One year (in addition to your Australian consumer law rights) |
| Price | $339 |
| Official website | Shokz Australia |
There’s a lot to love about these specs, particularly that sweet, sweet battery life. It’s a major improvement on the original OpenFit’s seven hours, and in my experience, I’ve actually gotten more than 11 hours out of them, so I’d call that an underestimate.
Those weights are pretty good, though each bud is 1g heavier than the previous OpenFits; it is not noticeable.
The specs make a big deal about having Dolby Audio, but I can’t really hear a meaningful difference between the two modes at normal volume levels.
Keep in mind that the IP55 rating means these headphones can get wet, but they’re not suitable for swimming. That’s what the OpenSwim Pro model is for.
Performance
Open-ear headphones are judged on a different scale from regular headphones. I’m not looking for clear bass, or the ability to emotionally convey a song in a way that will change my life.
Instead, I’m looking at the following criteria: can I hear the bass well enough that it keeps me in rhythm when I run or ride? How clearly can I still hear the traffic through the music? How good is it for calls, comfort, and battery life? Here’s how the OpenFit 2+ performed in those categories
Battery
As I mentioned in the specs, I am blown away by this battery life. I frequently put these on at the beginning of my workday at 8 AM to use for music and calls, pause the music for dinner at 5, remember I’m still wearing them at 8 and then put them in their case. I do that 4-5 times a week, and then wear them for a 2-3 hour bike ride on the weekend.
I find that I only need to charge the case about once a fortnight. That’s really impressive. I’ve never had any other headphones with this kind of battery life.
Music and podcasts
I’m not going to sugarcoat it; the listening experience is not stellar. At lower volumes, it’s like just having your phone speaker play out loud a few metres away. At higher volumes, it’s not bad. But. You can really only hear the shadow of the bass rather than the actual bass, and I’m missing a tonne of other actual frequencies. I get enough of the bass that it keeps my pedalling in rhythm, and I stay motivated. But it’s not the same as listening on a pair of real headphones.
You would not buy these headphones for dedicated music listening.
They are pretty good for podcasts. I have listened to dozens of episodes of Drama Queens (the One Tree Hill podcast) on these, and it sounds really clear. Again, it’s not conveying the full richness of the human voice. But it sounds like people are talking, I can understand what they’re saying, and I know who is speaking. It just sounds like they’re speaking from the other side of the table.
Awareness listening
When I’m walking my daughter in her pram while she naps, or riding my bike in traffic, it’s imperative that I can hear the world around me. I need to know if a car or dog is coming, or if my daughter is starting to wake up. This is what these headphones are perfect for.
If I keep the volume low or halfway, I can still hear music and podcasts well enough that I’m entertained and keeping to the beat. But I can still hear the claws of the dog on the footpath, or the motor of a car, or the little snuffly sound toddlers make when they’re starting to wake. It keeps me in the moment, but plays my chosen entertainment in a way that doesn’t bother other people.
That’s what these headphones are for, and they absolutely nail the brief.
Comfort
I love headphones. I love headphones so much. But there aren’t a lot of headphones I can comfortably wear for more than 10 hours and forget I’m even wearing them long after I’ve paused whatever I was listening to.
I can easily forget I’m wearing the Shokz OpenFit 2+ and only remember when I go to put on other headphones, or lie down to go to sleep. I had that a bit with the original OpenFits, but these take it to another level with how they conform to the shape of my ear. They’re so light, they don’t fatigue my ears at all. They just melt into the background.
What’s more impressive is that I can wear them with glasses, a helmet and a bunch of earrings with no issues whatsoever for hours on end. My head will tire of my glasses before it grows weary of the OpenFit 2+.
Microphone
This is another thing that the OpenFit 2+ excels at. There is a little bit of compression on the microphone, as is inevitable with Bluetooth headphones. But I can be riding my bike at 25kmph while on the phone with my bike, and my wife on the other end of the call won’t even realise I’m outside. They’re the best headphones I have for conference calls and phone calls. I’ve even used them to do radio while travelling with no complaints.
I wear them all day because it makes it so easy to take calls and whatnot hands-free, and the other person can hear me perfectly, while I feel more like I’m just chatting to someone who’s with me because of how natural that open-ear listening makes them sound. It feels like they’re in the room with me, rather than clearly separated and isolated like, say, the call experience is on AirPods.
Who are the Shokz OpenFit 2+ for?
These are the headphones you get when you exercise outside a lot and want to be aware of your surroundings. Or you work at home with a kid and want to listen to music while keeping an ear out if they wake up early from their nap. They’re also headphones for people who have to take a lot of calls and don’t want to block out the world while they’re on the phone.
These are the headphones for people who want to be able to listen to music, podcasts and calls, while keeping aware of their surroundings. The price, battery life and microphone quality are excellent. While it would be nice if they could also fully convey bass, there are only so many laws of physics one can break at a time.
The Shokz OpenFit 2+ are the best open-ear listening headphones available. So, if you want open-ear listening headphones and don’t need them for swimming, these headphones are for you.
The post Shokz OpenFit 2+ review: The best open-ear headphones available appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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