Gear review: Headphones - OpenRun Pro by Shokz

[David Tallan]

This is the first time I've worn these headphones, or even this kind of headphone, on Camino, and I thought I would share the experience, the pros and cons for anyone considering them or something similar.

OpenRun Pro by Shokz are bone conduction, "off ear" headphones. The set goes around, behind the head and loops over and around each ear, placing each speaker just in front of the ear but not covering the ear canal at all. They thus do not block any of the ambient sounds. They are wireless, and use bluetooth to connect to whatever device (in my case my phone) they are acting as the speaker for.

Pros: You can still ear everything around you: birds singing, cars coming from behind you, people talking to you. Battery life is extremely long. I could listen to them 6-8 hours and not fun out of battery. And they charge really quickly. It seemed to take 30 minutes or less and they were back to full. They don't seem to use much, if any, power when they are on and not actively playing sounds. So, if I was walking for 6 hours with them on and just sending me alerts from Wikiloc when I went off trail or was coming up to a milestone, they would still be at high charge at the end of the day. They are small, light and unobtrusive and can be worn all day easily, and won't interfere at all with your interactions with others (especially if you pause what you are listening to!).

Cons: You can still hear everything around you. They are not noise cancelling at all. So if you are looking for something in your ears to block the sound of snorers at night, these are not for you. If you are walking beside a busy road, the sound of traffic can easily drown out whatever you are listening to. And they aren't terribly loud, which can make it easier for that to happen. The sound was fine for me, but I am not an aficionado. I suspect for someone really into sound quality, they are not up to what other headphones or earbuds can provide. Others who have used them or something similar can probably speak to this better. The con about not blocking other sounds could probably be offset by wearing them with earplugs.

Overall: for me the pros (easier hear ambient noise making it safer to walk on roads, long battery life) outweighed the cons (ambient noise can drown out what you are listening to, sound quality?) for Camino use. Make your own call based on what is important to you.

 

[trecile]

I absolutely love mine!

They are small, light and unobtrusive and can be worn all day easily, and won't interfere at all with your interactions with others (especially if you pause what you are listening to!).

This is what I really love about them. They are very comfortable for me, even when wearing reading glasses or sunglasses. I forget that I have them on! I can pause them and stop to chat with someone without taking them off since there is nothing blocking my ears.

The sound quality is good for making phone calls, and those on the other end of my calls don't have any problem hearing me.

They come in two sizes - I have the mini because my head/neck is not that big.

They are not noise cancelling at all. So if you are looking for something in your ears to block the sound of snorers at night, these are not for you.

I think that you could wear earplugs with these to block outside sounds and still hear via bone conduction, BUT they are not comfortable to lay down with them on because of the part that goes behind your neck.

If you are walking beside a busy road, the sound of traffic can easily drown out whatever you are listening to.

This is true, but I pause what I'm listening to when I'm near a busy road so that I don't get distracted.

 

[David Tallan]

I absolutely love mine!


This is what I really love about them. They are very comfortable for me, even when wearing reading glasses or sunglasses. I forget that I have them on! I can pause them and stop to chat with someone without taking them off since there is nothing blocking my ears.

They come in two sizes - I have the mini because my head/neck is not that big.


I think that you could wear earplugs with these to block outside sounds and still hear via bone conduction, BUT they are not comfortable to lay down with them on because of the part that goes behind your neck.

This is true, but I pause what I'm listening to when I'm near a busy road so that I don't get distracted.

Yes, you can wear earplugs with them. When I was wearing them before my Camino, I would wear them on the subway with Loop earplugs in my ears at the same time to provide some noise cancelling. Obviously, not something I would want to do while walking on a road on the Camino.

On my most recent Camino, by the busiest roads I would often be on a sidewalk, so I am not as worried about distraction. But I would often pause what I was listening to in any case, if the road was busy, because there was no point in keeping it going when I couldn't hear it.

 

[Xali1970]

This type of headphones is the best to have for outdoor activities from a safety and security point of view: you're fully aware of your environment.

 

[msconduct10]

Yeah, highly recommend these. Both me and my husband put ours on in the morning and wear them until we go to bed. They’re so much safer when you’re out walking, very comfortable and unobtrusive, and you can pause just by tapping the button on the side vs digging your phone out. I have some ear plugs to use on the plane, otherwise the engine roar is a bit much. I sleep wearing a headphone headband (Amazon), which covers my ears and my eyes and should be good for the albergues. I don’t travel anywhere without both of these things!

 

[Varekai]

I bought these earlier this year and wore them on my Camino as well. They are ideal for this kind of situation as you can listen to your music/podcasts while still being fully aware of everything around you. This is important for the Camino, where many sections are by the road and also so you aren't completely blocking out the whole world (i.e. other pilgrims saying hello).

 

[dkiser]

We love our Shokz headphones, but unfortunately, while walking the Frances, I laid mine down while taking off a layer of clothing and left them behind. Hopefully someone is getting good use out of them

 

[longlost18]

Yes, I agree with the pros and cons listed above. I've used Shokz for years while running, for long slow distance runs listening to a podcast, or to music for cadence. They came in handy on the Frances, particularly on the long Meseta stretches, where I'd listen to classical music, - Dvorak's Symphony for the New World, Tchaikovsky's *any and all*. I could hear bikes or other pilgrims approaching without being startled out of my reverie.

 

[C clearly]

I love mine, too. They have changed my life in a minor but significant good way!

I use them daily for podcasts and audio books while walking, gardening, or doing housework. I haven't taken them on the Camino - partly because they are not cheap and could easily be left behind, and partly because I don't mind walking in Spain without them. But I would consider taking them.

 

[arfajajc]

This is the first time I've worn these headphones, or even this kind of headphone, on Camino, and I thought I would share the experience, the pros and cons for anyone considering them or something similar.

OpenRun Pro by Shokz are bone conduction, "off ear" headphones. The set goes around, behind the head and loops over and around each ear, placing each speaker just in front of the ear but not covering the ear canal at all. They thus do not block any of the ambient sounds. They are wireless, and use bluetooth to connect to whatever device (in my case my phone) they are acting as the speaker for.

Pros: You can still ear everything around you: birds singing, cars coming from behind you, people talking to you. Battery life is extremely long. I could listen to them 6-8 hours and not fun out of battery. And they charge really quickly. It seemed to take 30 minutes or less and they were back to full. They don't seem to use much, if any, power when they are on and not actively playing sounds. So, if I was walking for 6 hours with them on and just sending me alerts from Wikiloc when I went off trail or was coming up to a milestone, they would still be at high charge at the end of the day. They are small, light and unobtrusive and can be worn all day easily, and won't interfere at all with your interactions with others (especially if you pause what you are listening to!).

Cons: You can still hear everything around you. They are not noise cancelling at all. So if you are looking for something in your ears to block the sound of snorers at night, these are not for you. If you are walking beside a busy road, the sound of traffic can easily drown out whatever you are listening to. And they aren't terribly loud, which can make it easier for that to happen. The sound was fine for me, but I am not an aficionado. I suspect for someone really into sound quality, they are not up to what other headphones or earbuds can provide. Others who have used them or something similar can probably speak to this better. The con about not blocking other sounds could probably be offset by wearing them with earplugs.

Overall: for me the pros (easier hear ambient noise making it safer to walk on roads, long battery life) outweighed the cons (ambient noise can drown out what you are listening to, sound quality?) for Camino use. Make your own call based on what is important to you.

Because they're not actually in your ears, unlike ear buds, can others hear what you're listening to when you're using them?

 

[Varekai]

Because they're not actually in your ears, unlike ear buds, can others hear what you're listening to when you're using them?

No, unless it's at max volume where they might hear some muffled sound. There is very little sound leakage due to its design.

 

[trecile]

Because they're not actually in your ears, unlike ear buds, can others hear what you're listening to when you're using them?

Maybe if the volume was all the way up and someone was very close they could hear some sounds, but in general, no.

 

[msconduct10]

Because they're not actually in your ears, unlike ear buds, can others hear what you're listening to when you're using them?

Yeah it’s not like speakers next to your ears. It conducts the sound waves through your jawbone. I never hear my husband’s unless we’re in a very quiet place, we’re next to each other, and he’s listening to something pretty loud. Even in bunk beds you wouldn’t hear it.

 

[msconduct10]

I will say they aren’t the most durable thing ever. Ours tend to last maybe a year and a half or two with very heavy (and often sweaty/damp) use, but the warranty support is excellent. They’ve replaced ours at least twice, maybe 3 times, with nothing more than an explanation of the problem. I think one was even out of warranty. Just great support.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

This is the first time I've worn these headphones, or even this kind of headphone, on Camino, and I thought I would share the experience, the pros and cons for anyone considering them or something similar.

OpenRun Pro by Shokz are bone conduction, "off ear" headphones. The set goes around, behind the head and loops over and around each ear, placing each speaker just in front of the ear but not covering the ear canal at all. They thus do not block any of the ambient sounds. They are wireless, and use bluetooth to connect to whatever device (in my case my phone) they are acting as the speaker for.

Pros: You can still ear everything around you: birds singing, cars coming from behind you, people talking to you. Battery life is extremely long. I could listen to them 6-8 hours and not fun out of battery. And they charge really quickly. It seemed to take 30 minutes or less and they were back to full. They don't seem to use much, if any, power when they are on and not actively playing sounds. So, if I was walking for 6 hours with them on and just sending me alerts from Wikiloc when I went off trail or was coming up to a milestone, they would still be at high charge at the end of the day. They are small, light and unobtrusive and can be worn all day easily, and won't interfere at all with your interactions with others (especially if you pause what you are listening to!).

Cons: You can still hear everything around you. They are not noise cancelling at all. So if you are looking for something in your ears to block the sound of snorers at night, these are not for you. If you are walking beside a busy road, the sound of traffic can easily drown out whatever you are listening to. And they aren't terribly loud, which can make it easier for that to happen. The sound was fine for me, but I am not an aficionado. I suspect for someone really into sound quality, they are not up to what other headphones or earbuds can provide. Others who have used them or something similar can probably speak to this better. The con about not blocking other sounds could probably be offset by wearing them with earplugs.

Overall: for me the pros (easier hear ambient noise making it safer to walk on roads, long battery life) outweighed the cons (ambient noise can drown out what you are listening to, sound quality?) for Camino use. Make your own call based on what is important to you.

Thank you for this David, because I now have to wear hearing aids earphones are a problem. I'm due to get Bluetooth hearing aids in February but these might be a better option.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Yes, you can wear earplugs with them. When I was wearing them before my Camino, I would wear them on the subway with Loop earplugs in my ears at the same time to provide some noise cancelling. Obviously, not something I would want to do while walking on a road on the Camino.

Coincidentally, I saw these online this morning:

Earplug/earring combination​

https://www.reddit.com/r/ATBGE/comments/yivyx5/never_forget_your_earplugs

 

[Sirage]

Just in case

I now have to wear hearing aids earphones are a problem. I'm due to get Bluetooth hearing aids in February but these might be a better option.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 look interesting

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Just in case

Apple AirPods Pro 2 look interesting

So I've heard (no pun intended) but I use Android phones!

BC!

 

[gsilver]

Love mine. If you get a black or grey color, wrap some hi viz tape around a bit of it. I have had three, lost two

 

[trecile]

Love mine. If you get a black or grey color, wrap some hi viz tape around a bit of it. I have had three, lost two

Excellent suggestion. I bought mine in black because that was the only color that was on sale at the time, and it is easy to misplace them!

 

[Jeff Crawley]

For anybody in the UK interested in these Currys have them in PINK for just £109 and Decathlon in Black for £119 quite a snip considering the recommended price is £150. I'll wander over tomorrow and have a look.