Low-Profile, Shockingly Good Audio: Shokz OpenRun Pro Headphones Review

It was monsoon season, and I was at 13,000 feet and climbing higher. With a bit of a late start, I was concerned about thunder and lightning, but I didn’t want to sacrifice the boost I got from jamming some Hozier and Odesza while tackling a steep climb. 

Thankfully, I had my Shokz OpenRun Pros with me, the perfect balance between listening to music and being able to hear my surroundings. Every time I heard what sounded like thunder, I would pause my music and listen. Fortunately, most of the booming sounds I heard that day ended up being airplanes, but I was grateful to have some bone conduction headphones with me so I could stay a bit safer in the alpine.

Active outdoors folks need headphones that offer some awareness of the surrounding environment, and the OpenRun Pro bone conduction headphones are the ticket. The model I tested recently is new to the Shokz line, boasting high-quality audio and an enduringly comfortable ear wrap.

I took my OpenRun Pros into mountain alpine zones above 4,000 m, dense pine forests, and the jungle of urban cityscapes alike, and there is no environment in which they don’t shine as a top-notch audio option.

In short: The Shokz OpenRun Pro Headphones ($179) are an ultralight, maximum-comfort, open-ear bone conduction headphone design that offers a long battery life and quality sound while allowing you to remain connected to the world around you. If you’re looking for the best in bone conduction headphones, these very well may be it.

The Shokz OpenRun Pros are about the best bone conduction headphones we’ve used to date, but they aren’t the only ones worth considering. Check out GearJunkie’s Best Bone Conduction Headphones Buyer’s Guide for more.

Shokz OpenRun Pro: Review

The Shokz OpenRun Pros are the premium package when it comes to bone conduction headphones. Bone conduction works via vibrations that are transmitted directly to the inner ear, largely bypassing the middle and outer ear (aka the same technique mammals use to hear underwater), allowing your ear canals to remain open and attuned to your surroundings. 

The OpenRun Pros are top-of-the-line in this arena, meaning the vibrations actually convert to high-quality audio instead of feeling like a vibration against your face, as some lower-quality models are apt to do at higher volumes. 

This style of design means increased safety and awareness, allowing for an experience where you feel more connected to your surroundings. Combined with its comfort, battery life, and quality construction, the Shokz OpenRun Pros certainly have a lot to offer.

Industry-Leading Battery Life

For such a lightweight package, the Shokz OpenRun Pros kill it in the battery department, matching the slightly heavier Suunto Wing. Ten hours of run time goes a long way when combined with a quick charge feature that provides an extra 1.5 hours of audio with a simple 5-minute charge. 

The most impressive property, which I did not expect, is its ability to conserve battery life when on standby mode. Multiple times, I accidentally left my OpenRun Pros on for 24+ hours after a big excursion in the mountains and would come back to find them at the exact same battery percentage as I had left them the day before. Talk about a lifesaver when trying to grab gear last minute on the way out the door for a run.

Comfortable Fit & Feel

Growing up, I could never find a comfortable pair of exercise-specific headphones that didn’t cause some level of discomfort after an hour. In-ear headphones felt too big for my ear canals, Apple EarPods would consistently fall out, and over-the-ear headphones would quickly cause too much sweat. 

The Shokz OpenRun Pros are a saving grace if you deal with any of the above, and they set the standard for comfort during movement. I took my OpenRun Pros out on some big 10-plus-hour days in the alpine this summer and was surprised to find myself wearing them from start to finish. 

The softer silicone construction combined with its ultralight weight of 29 g means it sits wonderfully on the skin — so much so that I would forget I had them on when not playing any tunes. The newest iteration is 20% smaller than previous models and fits my skull perfectly as a 6’0” human, ensuring there was no bounce or friction without squeezing too tight.

Audiophile-Impressing Audio

As a former audiophile, nothing is going to beat the sound quality of some open-air over-the-ear headphones with a preamp. A setup that, when combined with a lossless audio file, would make you feel like you were sitting in the studio with the musicians themselves, bringing to life the concept of a 3D “soundstage.”

But as far as sound quality goes among bone conduction headphones, look no further than the OpenRun Pros — they are top-notch. I tested numerous audio tracks with a range of frequencies and found that when it comes to the vocal and acoustic range on the mid to higher end of the spectrum, the OpenRun Pros did wonderfully and sounded clear.

Folk, rock, jazz, country, soul, metal, audiobooks, and podcasts alike were a highly enjoyable experience. The only thing lacking are the lower frequencies and tracks with frequent deep bass notes, but this isn’t a surprise.

Thankfully, the quality is still sufficient to enjoy playlists with a variety of genres, but if you find yourself only listening to deep bass-heavy music, you might want to look outside of the bone conduction market. 

Last but not least are phone calls, of which I found that both incoming and outgoing audio was superb. So much so that I found myself searching for my OpenRun Pros every single time I needed to take a call.

Shokz App

The Shokz App is simple, allowing you to switch between Standard and Vocal EQ modes, as well as the ability to turn on MultiPoint Pairing if you’re expecting an incoming phone call while your OpenRun Pros are paired to a laptop. This is also useful if you misplaced your user manual, but the app isn’t necessary for headphone operation.

Room for Improvement

The only true room for improvement with the OpenRun Pros is upgrading the dust- and water-resistance rating. At IP55, they are only sweatproof and not fully dust-tight, meaning they wouldn’t do well with extended periods of rain or any level of water immersion.

If you’re looking for something a bit more advanced from Shokz in this department, the OpenRuns (non-Pro) are IP67, and the OpenSwim Pros are IP68.

Shokz OpenRun Pro: Conclusion

While the price tag is steep, the investment in the Shokz OpenRun Pro Headphones is worth it. If they’ve never tried them, all outdoor enthusiasts will find the industry-leading bone conduction experience revolutionary. 

Hearing birds chirping while listening to folk music on a trail with wildflowers in full bloom is heavenly. The ability to pick up on potential rattlesnake and thunder sounds allows you to be a bit more relaxed.

The battery life combined with all-day comfort allows everyone to be more connected to their surroundings, whether they’re exploring the city, hitting the gym, or tooling around the house. 

Swimmers would do best to find an IPX8-rated headphone for full water immersion, and audiophiles looking to jam bass-heavy music consistently might do better with an in-ear style bud. Otherwise, the Shokz OpenRun Pros should be the headphones of choice for most of the world.