- Shokz has just released brand new OpenFit Pro open earbuds at CES, Las Vegas
- Dolby Atmos-ready main track surround sound and ‘noise reduction’
- For starters, I like the sound – even at a pricey £219 (approx $295, AU$440)
Fans of sports-specific open-ear and bone-conduction headphones will likely be well-versed in Shokz products. But the just-revealed OpenFit Pro are the first ever Shokz earphones to feature a “synchronized dual-diaphragm driver and noise cancellation.” And by ‘noise reduction’ you should definitely think ‘active noise reduction, but for an open ear design’.
Shokz is quick to point to its unique SuperBoost algorithm for “dynamic and distortion-free sound,” plus a new “aerospace-grade aluminum PMI dome cap” on the driver housing, along with the premium silicone I’ve come to expect from the brand.
And I can tell you that this ‘nub’ on the ear piece is a good thing from a design perspective, as well as sound wise, as it happily slides under my cimba concha (one of the inner folds of my outer ear, above the actual concha) to help with security.
The Shokz OpenFit Pro is also ready for your Dolby Atmos content with head tracking technology on the menu, and during my initial testing I found it responsive and agile as I move my head around the source device.
Want to adjust the levels for the actual frequencies you hear in the mix? OpenFit Pro has five EQ presets plus two customizable EQ profiles in the Shokz app.
Shokz OpenFit Pro: key features and pricing, plus my initial thoughts
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Shokz admits that achieving noise reduction in an open-ear design was “a challenge”. The OpenFit Pro are the first earphones from Shokz to have open-ear noise reduction, (very rare in even the best open-ear earphones – Honor Earbuds Open is the first model I’ve heard that has it, and they do it really well) using a triple-mic system with Shokz’s ear-adaptive algorithm.
Through the Shokz app, users will be able to manually adjust noise reduction levels to suit their surroundings, whether they need deeper focus or prefer to be aware of what’s going on around them. I didn’t get early access to the app for iOS ahead of their launch (today, January 6th), but I’ve been listening to them for four days and I have to say, I can’t wait to adjust the noise cancellation levels further to see what they can really do.
From my first listen, the sound was stronger than expected and dynamically nuanced, with great levels of detail and a low end that often made me forget they were open earphones – and that’s not something I say lightly.
And here’s another thing I’ve never seen before: support accessories in the box. Slide these little o-rings over the hook and there’s an extra level of security, especially for sports wear or for those with smaller ears (read: me).
Battery life? Of course: up to 12 hours on a single charge and up to 50 hours with the surprisingly slim and small charging case. Don’t get too excited though. With noise reduction on, the claim is more standard 6 hours on a single charge, and a total of 24 hours with the charging case. Oh, and you get up to 4 hours with just 10 minutes of quick charging. I can vouch for this last part of the claim – it is good.
Elsewhere you have multi-point pairing, IP55 for water and dust resistance plus Bluetooth 6.1. And although their 12.3 grams per earphone sounds relatively heavy, after using them for four days now, I have found them extremely comfortable.
On this occasion, I also have a glamorous assistant (read: fiancé) who tried the Shokz OpenFit Pro for me while I played tennis and cycled in the evening, due to the fact that I injured my shoulder while dancing. He doesn’t like in-ear designs, but wanted to try listening to music while working out, so he was happy to help me out. An added bonus of these types of designs is that you can happily share them without constantly cleaning and replacing earplugs, as no part of them enters your ear canal.
‘Your ears are your mirrors when you cycle’
His early assessment? “They’re great for cycling; I could still hear the traffic – because your ears are your mirrors when you’re cycling – but my music came through loud and clear, which was a welcome change from the pitch-black monotony of Tuesday night on the way to tennis.
“While at the tennis center, they were great for dynamic and static stretches plus shuttle runs. I also wore my baseball cap on them and a helmet while cycling and they never got in the way. I’ve been playing tennis competitively for 30 years, but this is the first time I’ve hit a ball with any sound distraction and the Queens of the Stone Age definitely helped warm up the court.
“The fact that I could still hear the sound of the ball coming from the other end of the court while I was warming up (what type of shot it was, how hard it was hit, how much spin was put into the shot) was also imperative. Without the little stabilizers, the righty occasionally felt shaky in tougher rallies, but the stabilizer went a long way in rectifying this.”
I’ll continue to test them over the next few weeks and complete a full review (he doesn’t have my job), but initially we both think there’s a lot to like – although at £219 (or around $295 or AU$440) they’re not cheap when you consider that the current top spot in our buying guide is occupied by another ShokzFi Open product, an MSRP Shok of 9/7+. £169 / AU$350.
The current class leader was $100 / £100 cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at launch and is only $20 / £10 more expensive than Shokz’s regular OpenFit 2, so despite knowing where the extra $120 / £50 has gone with the OpenFit Pro (noise reduction for the first time; Dolby Atmos optimization; a lot of work at the forefront in every department) it will be interesting to see where the sound-per-pound value lies. Watch this space…
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