Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Review: New bone conduction headphones with improvements

Around two years ago, Shokz revolutionized bone-sound headphones with the OpenRun Pro, which transmit music via the cheekbones and opened up a huge niche for open-ear headphones. In our test, the first edition was convincing almost across the board. Now the successor, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, is on its way. Our test reveals what’s new.

Technical data

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Test: Detailed improvements

• Almost unchanged, high-quality design
• Excellent workmanship
• new USB-C port; second driver on the inside.

In terms of appearance, not much has changed in the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 compared to the first model. The new model also comes with a rubberized neckband, which ensures a secure fit during sporting activities.

At 31 grams, the weight of the headphones has increased slightly compared to its predecessor (29g). The first noticeable innovation can be seen on the right-hand side of the headband, as version 2 is now charged via USB-C instead of a proprietary connection. Great, as this was one of the biggest criticisms of the first edition. This is located under a sealed cap, which gives the headphones IP55 certification – okay, the first edition had this too.

Otherwise, the design hardly differs from that of the first edition. With one decisive exception, as there are additional drivers on the inside, including the DualPitch imprint – the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 now rely on an additional air conduction driver, which is responsible for the bass response. We explain the effects of this in the section on audio quality.

Shokz was able to further improve the successful wearing comfort of its predecessor. On the one hand, the vibrations caused by bass have been further reduced, and on the other hand, the pressure of the headband and the bone conduction headphones on the ears and cheekbones has been reduced by 16 percent in direct comparison.

The result is really impressive wearing comfort, even over several hours. The headphones can even withstand fast movements without slipping. Outstanding.

Features, operation and battery life

• Bluetooth 5.3 including Multipoint
• DirectPitch prevents sound leaks
• 12 hours of battery life; precise operation

Of course, the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 has also changed a lot in terms of features. We have already mentioned the additional driver. In addition, the headphones now use the Bluetooth 5.3 standard, which not only improves efficiency, but also the range and connection quality.

The headphones also feature Bluetooth Multipoint and can therefore be paired with two audio sources simultaneously. A special algorithm also works inside the housing to assign each sound element to the appropriate driver and thus improve the sound. Unfortunately, there is still no wear detection.

The DirectPitch technology is also included, thanks to which audio content should not leak out. In practice, this works quite well even at maximum volume. In quiet environments, only nuances of the music being played can be heard.

The OpenRun Pro 2’s battery life has also improved accordingly. Up to 12 hours of use are now possible, two hours more than its predecessor. An excellent value, thanks to which the headphones are also suitable for longer activities. Quick Charge also charges the headphones for 2.5 hours of music playback in 5 minutes.

The operating concept is similar to that of the first model. On the left-hand side, you will find an easily accessible button that you can use to control music playback or skip to the next or previous song, among other things.

The buttons can also be used for call control and the respective voice assistant can be called up by holding them down. The volume control, on the other hand, is located on the right earpiece and also works perfectly.

Unfortunately, we can’t say anything about the app connection via the Shokz app. During our pre-release test, the new Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 could not yet be recognized. According to the manufacturer, however, in addition to multipoint control, it should be possible to influence the sound with the help of four equalizer presets. There should also be two user-defined modes to choose from.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 test: audio quality and microphone

• Good, detailed sound… but hardly any bass
• Rather low volume
• (good) open-ear headphones sound fuller and better

The combination of a new metal bone-sound driver and an additional 18 mm x 11 mm low-frequency air conduction driver really takes the audio quality of the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 to a whole new level.

In the promo materials, the manufacturer speaks of a “concert-like sound”. I wouldn’t go that far by any means, but the Pro 2s sound significantly better than their direct predecessor and score particularly well in the mids and highs with lots of accurate details.

The bass response is naturally rather weak due to the design, but is also noticeably improved compared to its predecessor. In my opinion, however, the headphones have two major problems.

Firstly, the maximum volume. I realize that bone-sound headphones are supposed to keep the ears clear and thus provide additional safety when jogging or doing other sports activities. And you quickly notice that there is actually a lot of power when you hold the drivers directly in front of your ear – but not much of it reaches your ears due to the transmission via the cheekbones. Even with moderately loud ambient noise, the full sound stage no longer arrives, especially with quieter songs, or is drowned out by the noise.

The second problem is the more powerful open-ear headphones, which sometimes (can) produce a noticeably better and, above all, louder sound. When the OpenFit Pro (1) was released, this segment was nowhere near as strong as it is today. However, models such as the beyerdynamic Verio 200 (our test) or the Shokz OpenFit Air (our test) from our own company deliver a noticeably livelier and richer (and louder) sound.

Microphone quality

The microphone quality of the OpenRun Pro 2 has also been improved. The manufacturer has installed a total of two microphones, which also feature AI-supported ambient noise suppression. This is said to be able to filter out 96.5 percent of unwanted noises from the surroundings, which I can confirm in my microphone test on a busy street.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 microphone test recording:

Shokz OpenRun Pro microphone test recording:

Shokz OpenFit Air microphone test recording:

beyerdynamic Verio 200 microphone test recording:

The microphones should also be able to achieve clear speech intelligibility at speeds of 25 km/h. Here, too, the performance has been slightly improved compared to the first model, especially in terms of noise suppression.

The microphone quality is good and absolutely sufficient for phone calls. But here too, some competitors offer more.

Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 test: Conclusion

The new Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 represent a noticeable upgrade in almost all areas compared to its now two-year-old predecessor. The headphones are even more comfortable to wear, even though the weight has increased slightly.

The new USB-C port, which allows charging with all suitable cables, is very practical. The battery life has also been increased once again. 12 hours is a really impressive value, which is sufficient even for marathon sessions and more.

However, the OpenRun 2 Pro’s sound quality has improved noticeably, which is mainly due to the second driver, which transmits the low frequencies directly in front of the ear, while the highs and mids are transmitted via bone sound through the cheekbones.

But the headphones have a big problem, because modern open-ear headphones – which were virtually irrelevant two years ago – deliver a much louder and more coherent sound.

This doesn’t necessarily make the purchase decision any easier. Do you want your ears to remain completely free? Then the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are the best choice. But is it also okay if the headphones sit in front of your ears? And you get much better sound quality in return? Then it should be open-ear headphones like the OpenFit (Air). This makes it difficult to give the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 a clear recommendation to buy.