Maybe ATL?
I bit the bullet last night on the Openrun Pro 2, but I was only inspired to get these because of my mate currently owning a pair of these bad boys.
Bone conduction, so not so great for your average audiophile, but great if you want to listen to music while on a run, riding, or anywhere you need to keep your ears open!
Enjoy!
yeah same, I got an aftershokz (before they were shokz) aeropex and it has been going strong for the last 4 years.
Been eyeing these deals but at the end of the day, my one still works for it's intended purpose.
I had a Pro and when it broke down they sent me Pro 2 as a replacement…
Didn't even abuse the Pro so wouldn't say they're very durable
But with their 2 year warranty and at this price it's a good bargain
How would you compare the sound quality? I'm considering upgrading from the 1 to the 2.
No idea. Sold the replacement :)
I've tested the pro 2's and non-pro's in store while I've had my pro 1's with me and I think the step change in sound quality is pretty obvious in both price directions but I'd say the step up to pro1's is bigger than the step from pro1's to pro2's. The quality largely comes from shifting more and more sound away from bone conduction onto larger and louder speakers which isn't all positive, with that shift comes lower ruggedness / waterproofing rating and it becomes increasingly easy for others to hear what you've got playing if that matters to you (a good example would be if I'm using them late at night in bed while my partner is next to me trying to get to sleep).
I also have the 2 as a warranty replacement for the 1. I have used both as my daily headphones for work and leisure for years. The 2 has much better sound quality, but is slightly heavier and more noticeable around the ears (battery is slightly larger). That's fine because it's still comfortable, but where I would forget I was wearing the 1, I know the 2 is on me. But the sound from the 2 is miraculously good if you've lived with the 1. The 2 does have a tendency to leak sound to those next to you however (you can switch off part of it in the app, to make it perform like the 1 if you really want to stop the leakage).
I have the pro and pro 2 both still going strong. Pro been used heavily for years.
How would you compare the sound quality? I'm considering upgrading from the 1 to the 2.
Personally the biggest difference is USB type C and it doesn't have uncomfortable vibration at the louder volumes.
I have the pro 2 running from my iPhone 16 pro max. I find the volume doesn’t quite go loud enough. Once there is a bit of background noise, I seem to struggle hearing the podcast or music. It might be my old age too.
Shokz sent me a pair of 2 Pros after my 1's broke. The sound difference is instantly noticeable, but so is the size difference.
I've got some photos of the difference over here
I had the Aeropex previously and it stopped working after the warranty had expired by about a year. I contacted Shokz and they sent me this model for free as a goodwill replacement.
I use them for running as I want to be aware of my surroundings and have different headphones for when I actually want to listen to music.
No complaints with the headphones and a thumbs up for their customer service.
Nice. How did you tell them about the issue?
The driver inside the headphones came loose and was rattling around which was annoying and made them quieter. This seemed to be a documented issue with the older models. I reached out to customer service and they requested a video of the issue and then sent me out a replacement. The design of the unit makes them pretty impossible to repair unfortunately.
I had the opposite experience with my rattle issue and was offered 20%off my next pair. I bought the ali express conduction headphones for $20 and they've been fine. Not as good quality but for a $200 difference I'm not too fussed.
@star-ggg: They're just not as good but they still work. I wore the cheap pair out on public transport the other day and I could listen to my music and the train announcements.
@timtam-slam: Ah that's rough. Maybe I lucked out with the customer service rep. Did you try mentioning the ACCC in the end?
I should caveat this by saying that I did mention that I believed the headphones had not lasted a reasonable amount of time for the price as required by the ACCC.
Bluetooth + MP3 Dual Modes
So they now have Bluetooth option? I remember Open swim had only MP3 no Bluetooth. This is the better choice then as some people just want to run or exercise without lugging a phone around. And I've had OpenRun 1 sweat and heat got under the rubber coating breaking the seal, it stopped working after 2 years even OpenRun 2 says do not shower or swim with it. So the better the water proof the longer they'll last I reckon. But what I love about Shokz is you can sleep with it on, I fall asleep to podcasts or audiobooks then just take them off when I'm half asleep later.
Worth getting the extra warranty IMO
Why are these so popular all of a sudden?
Everyone is now into running.
The ability to hear your environment while also listening to a podcast etc. is good for a number of situations. The sound quality is not good; I never listen to music on my Shokz because it has no depth/bass. But I listen to countless hours of podcasts while around the house and I can still hear my kids, people at the front door and so on.
I just paid $10 on a Xiaomi X7 and $6.60 on a Xiaomi 5.3 at AliEx yesterday; I'll see how they are, but I seriously doubt they're 13-20x worse.
Do they really use bone conduction?
We'll see.
I bought cheapo 'bone conduction' Soundpeats off Amazon. They're glorified speakers on a frame - no bone conduction happening.
The moment sweat clogs up the speakers, the sound will muffle.
I've used cheapo "bone conduction" earphones for a couple years, and have been pretty happy with them. This is the 1st time I bought ones with any brand on them, just to see if they're any better. Would certainly not spend $100+ on earphones. I've got kids to feed.
Do not buy items with 3.8 star rating on Aliexpress……
Where do you see 3.8?? The X7 is rated 4.7 (and the other one has no reviews — more of a gamble, admittedly; a $6.60 gamble!).
Will this good for zoom call in the office?
Not this model (no microphone). They have one (deal yesterday?) that has a boom mic.
Yeah they do have a microphone, just not on a boom.
I use mine on phone calls all the time, just for the sake of convenience They are adequate unless there is background noise like wind or traffic. Adequate, but I wouldn't actively recommend them
Paid $134 delivered in Nov 2023. Official website, Strava discount code. Work really well, still going strong.
I found Tozo earring ones a good alternative (using on runs and anywhere you want to hear your surroundings) for half the price and don't look as goofy and easier to pocket. Have the option of only wear one also.
How is Shokz goofy looking?
It's subjective I guess, but the big hoop sticking out around the back of your head is pretty damn goofy looking in my opinion…the mini is better.
If only my 4 year old Trekz aren't still as good as new……