The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 sees Shokz update its most premium set of open-ear sports headphone that are firmly built for runners.
For the new OpenRun Pro, we’re getting both bone and air conduction technology that aims to deliver
the best sound available on a pair of Shokz headphones. There’s also a promised improvement in battery performance over the last Pro and a new way to charge them up when you’re running low.
Testers Mike, Tom and Nick have all been putting the OpenRun Pro 2 to the test to see if they’re a worthy upgrade on the OpenRun Pro and are another standout pair of running headphones when safety and awareness of your running surroundings are a priority.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:49 – Price and what’s different from OpenRun Pro
05:06 – Design, fit and controls
08:29 – Sound quality
13:37 – Battery life
16:38 – Verdict and comparisons
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Hey this is M the ran testers and in This video we're going to be talking About these the new shocks open run Pro Two which are of course you follow up to These the shocks open run Pro now these Are shock's premium Sports headphone That are primarily designed for runners Now myself Nick and Tom have all had a Pair of open run Pro to test out so what We're going to do in this video is tell You what is new on the open run Pro 2 Compared to the open run Pro then get Into some running thoughts about how We've got on with the open run Pro 2 and Let you know whether it's worth the Upgrade maybe it's worth buying the open Run Pro to over other shocks headphones And ultimately tell you these are a Great pair of running headphones so Let's get into It now first we'll start with pricing of The open run Pro 2 and it has become More expensive than the open run Pro It's gone up £10 in the UK so that if You look at the grand scheme of things And look at other kind of open ear Headphones it definitely sits near that Kind of top end in terms of pricing and It's obviously not as expensive as Something like the Bose Ultra open which Are kind of truly wi airbud style open a Headphones but in terms of that top end It definitely going of sits around that Now in terms of that design it's still a
Neck band star one it's very similar to The open run Pro uses the same Materials it is still available in kind Of standard and small sizes and Interesting inly shocks told us that the Smaller version is very popular with UK Runners now in terms of the controls it Is the same controls that we got on the Open run Pro they're the physical kind You've got that volume rocker on the Underside of the headphones you've got That exterior multi-function button Which been slightly redesigned But Ultimately does perform in the same way Now where there is a big difference is When you look behind that volume rocker You are now getting a change in charging Setup now the proprietary charging cable Has gone we're now getting a type USBC One so more Universal charging setup That we're now getting on the open run Pro to so it's going to make it a lot Easier to charge in terms of durability Again it stayed the same as the open run Pro it's an IP 55 on that makes it kind Of really resistant to splashes of water It's really about kind of withstanding Sweat it's really about you know if You're out running in the rain it should Handle that as well now the reason I Think that you know according to what Shock is really telling us here that the Durability on the open run pro and pro 2 Isn't as strong as something like the
Open run it's to do with the Architecture and design of the Headphones and ultimately allowing it to Deliver that improved sound over the Open run there's more vented areas in That design which ultimately means it Has to kind of downgrade that durability You'll get it so with the changes that Shocks has made on the audio front that Has seen a slight jump up in terms of The overweight compared to the open rum Pro now in terms of those audio changes That is really one of the areas where Shocks are sort to make improvements on The open run Pro the other one is Battery now we talked about the change In the kind of charging setup what That's ultimately allowed as well is to Kind of speed up the kind of fast charge Mode you're getting more play time from The similar level of charging or fast Charge so that's 5 minutes of charging On the open run Pro 2 you're also Getting a battery that's capable of Going longer so it can you know it's Going a couple more hours longer than The open run Pro as well too at least it Is on paper and then we get into those Kind of audio changes now the big thing Here is that what shocks is doing is Combining air conduction which is used On its kind of shocks open fit Headphones and the bone conduction Technology that we've seen in other kind
Of open run headphones including the Open run Pro now technically this isn't The first time that shocks has done this Now as they told us the shocks open run Pro did actually have some air Conduction technology on board it didn't Ultimately shout about it just had one Unit dedicated to delivering that now on The shocks open run Pro you're getting Two units delivering that air conduction And you're also getting the latest Generation of its bone conduction Technology so what that ultimately wants To do is give you the best of both Worlds in terms of those opener Technology so with the bone conduction You're getting that kind of old promise Of kind of that Clarity the kind of Increased awareness mode that you do get From bone conduction and what we've seen On previous open run kind of headphones But when You' got that air conduction in The mix as well too you getting that Kind of bigger boost in power base Warmth and also that customization that Is enabled in the companion shocks app Now in terms of that shocks app you're Getting kind of preset EQ modes you're Getting custom EQ modes there as well Too you are also getting a multi-point Um kind of sharing mode as well too so You want to pair the headphones to Multiple devices you are able to do that As well so those are the key things that
Have happened with the shocks open run Pro to compared to the open run Pro now We're going to get into our running Thoughts on how the headphones have Performed out on the Run it comes to the design and fit of The open run Pro 2 you've got all the Usual shocks high notes Here you've got A very secure and comfortable fit They're really lightweight headphones You put them on you kind of forget You're wearing them they're just there And they stay securely in place no Matter what kind of run you're doing With your pounding downhills or anything Like that the ear hook design with the Headband crit a very secure fit and a Comfortable one I've worn them alongside A hat and glove glasses I wear glasses Or sunglasses in all my runs and I hat On all my runs and yeah they're not a Problem to wear with these headphones They just sit on the air and they're Very comfortable controls are also very Good again you've got all the kind of Normal shock stuff here with the one Multi-function button and then the two Buttons for volume and power on and off All of them are very easy to use while On the Run yeah no complaints there at All so all around I think Design's Excellent with these headphones I had a Great fit with them they're nice Lightweight comfortable headphones to
Use for any length of run so the open Room Pro 2 headphones if you've tried Any of the open run headphones before It's much of the same there's not a Massive change to the design of these And how they fit I find them very very Comfortable I've used these for five or Six runs now uh they fit my head Perfectly they don't rub or anything Like that um I wear them with my caps uh And I sometimes wear them with Sunglasses as well and they they fit Absolutely fine I really like the design Of um Bo contion headphones like this They they just fit comfortably around my Head I like the fact that you can snap Them around your neck as well so that People don't think you're not listening To them um so design and fit of these Absolutely fine uh and very very Comfortable same as the previous Versions that I've tested oh the other Thing as well is that I really like the USBC charger on this I've recently moved House and I've cleared out loads and Loads and loads of wires I've got a lot Of wires proprietary wires for loads of Different bits of tech so whenever Something has a USBC um charger I'm Always very very pleased so quite glad That it's got this uh USBC in it now so In terms of what these shocks open run Pro 2 have been like to wear and to run With I would say very good overall I
Think very similar to my experience with The open run Pro and things like the Open run they're very comfortable to Wear they're very secure they don't jump Around and you know ultimately just been Able to throw them on and not have to Really worry about them now there is a Little bit of added weight there mainly In those kind of arms where you can Notice when you kind of pick them up Next to the open run Pro but in the Grand scheme of things when I've run With them run long with them hasn't been A massive difference to me in terms of My experience they haven't felt heavier Or notably heavier to wear for me the Physical controls are great they've Stuck to the the same ones as the op run Pro I think they are for me probably one Of the best examples of physical Controls and controls on a pair of Running headphones or Sports headphones And you know there a reason why a lot of Other brands copy what shocks do on that Front I think the big change to me in The positive one is when you look back Beyond that volume uh kind of rocket and You see the change in the charging Solution having you know or being able To use a charging cable that probably Most people already have in their homes I think just makes it a more convenient And uh and a pair of headphones that are Easy to kind of pick up and you know if
You you know previously if you had Misplaced that propriety charging cable Might be a pain to kind of you know Quickly top them up that's not going to Be the case I think now it's going to Make it more convenient and I say easier Pair of headphones to throw on so I Think yeah largely stuck to the same Formula of the previous open run Pro That one key difference for me really Being that change to a USBC charging Setup which I think is a step in the Right direction for the open run Pro too Comes to sound quality I have noticed a Bit of an upgrade here with the open run Pro 2 with this dual technology design With the air conduction in there as well Like I noticed it when I was just using Them on my runs and I've done some back And forth testing with the open run Pro And I think there is a fuller more Powerful sound here there's more depth To it and you know it makes it more Enjoyable to use these headphones when You're just you around the house or in The office and stuff like that and then You get a bit more kind of power on the Run as well like I've noticed these are Slightly harder to drown out with Traffic or wind than previous models of The open run you still have those Problems though like they haven't solved The problem of bone conduction Headphones which is that the awareness
You gain it comes at a trade-off for Sound quality you are still very much Trading off sound quality for the Awareness here but they are pretty Enjoyable to use and listen to they are A bit of an improvement on past models It's just not enough of an improvement To bridge the gap to inar headphones or Even the very best open headphone Designs like the Bose Ultra open and There is still the problem of stuff Being drowned out if you're going to go Traveling or if you're running by a busy Road or very windy conditions or a big Event like the London Marathon you're Still going to get stuff drowned out That's especially true for me when I'm Listening to podcasts with male hosts I Think those kind of low pitch voices get Drowned out a bit more but listening to Music today on other past runs I've done With the headphones like it is enjoyable To do it you can get your motivational Boost from your music and I do think the Sound quality has jumped up a little bit On past models but you are still trading Off a lot of sound quality to get the Awareness from this open bone conduction Design so in terms of Sound Performance That's really a key area that shocks Wants to improve from the open run Pro Now as mentioned this isn't actually Technically the first time it's used air Conduct and bone conduction but it's
Definitely or both Technologies are Definitely more prominent and more Balanced in terms of that experience That you're getting here on the Pro 2 Now ultimately what it wants to do is Trying to improve that experience that You get with opening headphones and Ultimately you you are going to have to Compromise in terms that sound quality To some degree just generally because of The way open a design works it's not Entirely blocking up your ears like in Ear or over ear headphones will and you Are going to make some sacrifices in Sound quality but ultimately wants you To make less sacrifices in terms of that Performance so so you've got that bone Conduction technology which will give You that Clarity which will still give You that very strong awareness mode but Still give you that good balance in Terms of that Sound Performance but then You've got that air conduction side Which ultimately is going to give you a Little bit more in terms of power a Little bit more in terms of warmth and Also give you that level of Customization that we've seen that you Can get on the open fit range now in Terms of achieving that balance and Delivering all of those things I would Say there are some good and not so good Things but I think ultimately I've Enjoyed the overall Sound Performance on
The open run Pro too compared to the Open run Pro I think the big thing for Me there is a lot more power in terms of Overall sound there's definitely a up in Terms of the overall warmth I think There's a you know a more notable feel In terms of that Bas as well too that Kind of General kind of Bas response I Think what you do lose a little bit is a Little bit of the clarity that you do Get on open run Pro and I think also the Open run as well too I don't think it's As bad as I thought it would be but it Definitely is a drop in terms of overall Clarity and that kind of is leveled that When you're making calls and you know Using them you know instead of your Phone as well too that Clarity has just Dropped a little bit the balance Generally is still pretty good in terms That sound profile and it is going to Work I think for most people you know if You are listening to kind more Tempo Music you have the EQ modes to kind of Make it a better fit you can you know if You listen to more relaxed sounds you're Using podcasts or audio books it can Work for that as well for me it's Definitely louder it's definitely warmer In terms of overall sound and it's Definitely baser and handles that base a Little bit better and cruly that that Awareness mode is still very good Overall and having the two technologies
Doesn't kind of hamper that kind of Awareness mode and making sure that you Are safely hearing the sounds around you As well too sound quality for me on These is actually Improvement on Previous versions of the open run Headphones what I've found is that it Feels a little bit louder um and I have Never been able to listen to spoken word Uh podcasts audio books on previous Versions of these I seem to be able to Listen to them um on these if as long as I'm not in loudest of areas so when I'm Running about my town that I live in I've actually been able to listen to Podcasts on these so there's definitely An increase in loudness um and uh it's a Welcome one because it means that I can Actually listen to podcast now which is Something that I tend to do most of the Time when I'm out on the run I uh listen To music today and I much prefer to Listen to a podcast normally so I'm glad That I can listen to podcasts on these What I would say is that it's a Balancing act so I think Nick talks About this as well but it's a balancing Act with these so the louder they get The less awareness you get and what I Did have noticed with these is that Because they're slightly louder I do Have a little bit less awareness so I'm Not sure what's going to happen um when With bone condtion headphones in the
Future because if they keep getting Louder you're actually going to lose Some of the awareness so you sort of Lose the benefits you're getting from it And you might not be allowed to use them In races and anything like that I think These are probably getting to the point Where they're as loud as they can go Before you start actually losing a Little bit of awareness around you the Sound for me very very good in these Definitely Improvement on the earlier Versions of them um and um if you want The best sound and you really want a Pair of open run headphones these These Are these are going to be the best ones You can get Yeah the battery life listed at 12 hours Is obviously very good for these Headphones like I find with these Headphones and indeed other shocks Products or other bone conduction Products in general if you have the Volume raised to the max all the time When outside which I tend to need on my Runs then the battery life won't quite Hit the listed numbers but these have Been tracking pretty well I think They're going to last over 10 hours for Me with pretty much all usage being at The maximum volume so they' last a week Of training quite comfortably a good Quick charge feature as well the fact That it's now you know a standard
Charging port rather than a proprietary One is also very good especially as the Fact they still have a very high Waterproof rating which is fine for Running so all around I think the Battery life is a plus point to these And it's certainly and it is a upgrade Here compared to other models in the Shocks range that they're likely to be Competing with so that is a notable Benefit to the open run Pro too when you Compare them to either something like The open swim Pro or cheaper models like The open run what I found with the open Run Pro the battery performance really Tied I think ultimately to how loud you Listen but also the EQ modes that you Use as well too if you're using a kind Of more Bas heavy EQ mode if you're Listening at kind of higher volumes I Found the open run Pro the battery life Probably dropped a couple hours below The kind of Promise in the overall Numbers that shocks kind of talks about And I think it's a similar story with The shocks open run Pro too for me when I've listened at Lou of volumes which I Generally do i' usually use the kind of Base boost mode EQ mode as well too I Found kind of an hour's worth of running So the battery drop by 10% that would Equate to 10 hours so not quite the 12 Hours that shocks kind of um promises Here I think ultimately you could get
Those 12 hours but I think you'd have to Be listening at moderate volumes I think You'd have to be be more wory about the EQ modes that using on a regular basis But ultimately I think it's probably Going to be or has based on my Experience been around 10 hours which is Still a good number and I would say it's Still better performing that the open Run Pro from that point of view love the Fact there's a quicker fast charging Mode here and ultimately as I said There's USBC charging here which is a More Universal charging standard and it UL makes it a lot easier to charge the Open run Pro to as well so well I don't Think the battery numbers are quite 12 Hours I still think it's very good and You are getting a better charging setup Which I think is the big plus here on The open run Pro too battery life for me Has been absolutely fine so uh it's nice Welcome addition that you can get more Battery life out of these than you can On the earlier versions they seem to be Pretty spot on for me so I've not Charged them yet and I think I must be Up to about 10 something hours in these Now um and yeah they're still it's They're low but um yeah they've done a Good job uh the um I'm not sure who Would use them for 12 hours I'm assuming If you're ultra running or anything like That you might want to use them so it's
A welcome addition to have 12 hours on There uh so for me it's been pretty Accurate I think the battery life is um Is pretty pretty spot on um for what What you're going to get from it and I Do have my my volume quite High um um When I'm listening to I have it the max Basically all the time when I'm Listening to the Bone connection Headphones verdict is the open run Proto Headphones are very good headphones as You expect from shocks they have all the Usual you know shocks benefits you've Got the awareness you've got a very nice Design that's comfortable and Lightweight you've got as good a sound Quality as you can kind of get from bone Conduction when combined with the air Conduction on these headphones as well I Think the headphones are going to go Back to a lot myself and use them a lot But I still do have questions about Whether they're going to be worth the Price tag when you compare them to other Models in the shocks range or indeed Other models in general so for one you Got the shocks open swim Pro which are The same price and they have MP3 Playback as well as Bluetooth playback Now sound quality on the open swim Headphones is not as good as on the open Run Pro 2 for me and the battery life is Shorter but the flexibility of That mp3 Mode means that you can use them in the
Pool if you want to do that and also for Me as a runner I could use the open swin Pro in races because I'd have the music Stored on the headphones themselves I Don't tend to carry my phone in races so The open run Pro with only having the Bluetooth playback wouldn't be as useful To me there and then there are cheaper Models in the shocks range like the Standard open run or even the open Fit Air the lightweight open headphones I Think you have got kind of the best of Shocks technology here in terms of Battery life and sound quality in a bone Conduction design but those cheaper Models still sound pretty good still Have pretty good battery life and I Always think when you're looking at bone Conduction headphones you can't really Just use these for everything in life Like they're not very useful when you're Going traveling because they don't block Out external noise like in the office I Tend to prefer in your headphones so I Would usually go for a cheaper set of Bone conduction headphones if I could And use them for my runs mainly and then Try and get a cheaper set of inair Headphones as well for those occasions When I want that passive noise Cancellation the better sound quality And you know so then splashing out 170 Quid on these when you could go for a Cheaper model that's still really good
Like the open run a very good model from Shocks or you look at some of the other Brands like Mawa and then have that Money left over to buy a cheaper set of In earbuds as well I think that's Probably the more flexible approach to Headphones cuz I don't want to use bone Conduction headphones all the time and Then if you are thinking about Committing fully to open headphones or Bone conduction headphones for for Everything in life I think there are More suitable headphones like the both Ultra open earbuds I think are excellent Open headphones they're very expensive Much more expensive these headphones but The sound quality is outstanding it's The best I've come across in open Headphones I really like them for Running as well so those are an option If you are just going to commit to an Open design I think you put the price Aside I think the open run Pro two are The best B conduction headphones four Runners they've got the best sound Quality thanks to that combination Approach to sound the best battery life And outstanding fit you know they're Really good the headphones are going to Use a lot it's just spending that much Money on bone conduction headphones I Think can be a little bit tricky to sell When you can get really good payers for Less from shocks and others so my
Verdict is yes they're the best of the Open run headphones so far I think the Sound is better the build is not Massively different for me I think it's If I was to uh pick out a load of Different open run and open run and Pro Headphones i' struggle to find out which Is which based on the design elements of Them so I think it's pretty similar to What you if you've experienced them Before they're all pretty similarly Designed really for me the only Difference is the sound and that USBC Charger I think if you want to get a Pair of open run headphones whether it's The open runs or the open run Pros uh I Think these are definitely the best now The sound is just marginally better than Those earlier versions but what I would Say is that if you're paying a lot more Money for these I don't know if the Tradeoff is worth it I think you'd be Absolutely fine with an earli version of The open runs um the sound isn't Massively different so if you can save a Load of money to get the ear versions Get the earlier versions unless you want The perfect loudest sound that you can Get which is only marginally louder it's Not going to have a massive difference To you but it is better if if you're Willing to pay that there is of course The open Fit air now which um I do Really like the open for air I think
It's a very um solid sound that you get From it I think they're very comfortable To wear I do think the awareness isn't As good on those so you do get better Awareness on these think the the other Thing as well with the open Fit air is That I'm not entirely sure if you're Allowed to use those in races so if You're buying those thinking they're Going to tick the box of the bone Conduction headphone rule when you're Going to do races in the UK I'm not sure They do I think they're probably people Will think they're just normal Headphones so um yeah you I think if you Want to get the best version of open run Headphones that are out there there Definitely that but I don't think you Need to I think you can get cheaper Versions of them and I think you'll be More than happy as long as you don't get The open move because they're just too Quiet so my verdict on the shocks open Run Pro too so I think it's a pretty Solid update to the open run Pro in a Couple of key areas and ultimately the Areas where shocks ultimately offered Promised improvements I think the first One being sound quality And I think you like the sound quality In the open run Pro but like the idea of A little bit more in terms of power and Base you're going to like the sound on The Pro 2 I think the other area is
Battery life now that's not only the Fact you're getting a little bit more in Terms of overall battery life but I Think the change in the charging Solution which is just going to make it A lot easier to use on a regular basis I Think I looked at the other shock Headphones uh kind of options I think I Probably would still there on going for The open run as opposed to the pro the Pro two I think it's value there I think It offers very balanced kind of sound Overall I think a good battery life Similar kind of design as well and I Think if you're looking for Value I Think the open run is still worth Looking at obviously the open run Pro Now which I still think offers very good Sound overall similar design to the Pro 2 but obviously lacks that kind of USBC Charging and I think obviously is going To be a little bit cheaper than the open Run Pro to now that the uh that is on The scene I think you look outside of The range I think it's still stands up As one of the best options I think you Know in terms of you know being really Solid running headphones from a design a Sound kind of battery kind of side of Things and give you that customization As well too there are stronger options I Think if you look at things like the Cinos Sonic I think JBL have got very Good strong options here I think there's
A lot of good air conduction options out There I think you know one that I think A really good value cka S1 and S2s kind Of truly white airb star ones I think The Bose's Ultra open I think you know I Think in terms of clarity I think you're Getting better performance there but You're going to obviously have to pay For that I think that's you know more of A lifestyle style airbud or open air Kind of solution compared to the open Run Pro 2 now I think ultimately yeah Which should you buy it I think if You've got the open run Pro I think if You really are not happy with that sound And the warmth and that kind of you know Boulder sound then I think that might be A reason to look at these and again I Think the battery life as well too but You know I had a very good experience With the open run Pro too I think they Are solid update on its predecessor and I think still remain one of the best Kind of running headphones you can get Is it the best option in shock's range I Think there's better value elsewhere I Think if you are looking for the best of The best in terms of Sound Performance And the kind of design qualities that You're going to get from a pair of Shocks headphones then these are Ultimately the ones that you should go For okay so there you have it that is Our multitest to take on the shocks open
Run Pro to now if you got any questions That we haven't covered in this video do Let us know if there are other Headphones you want see these compared To as well do let us know about those as Well as always like And subscribe hit That little bell to find out about our Latest videos and yeah we see next round Test's video
