- Suunto has launched a new pair of open headphones, the Suunto Spark
- They look similar to the Shokz OpenFit 2+ at first glance, weighing just 9g each.
- However, they also offer head movement controls and neck health tracking.
Have you ever wished you had more metrics to worry about during your career? Well, you’re in luck: Suunto, maker of some of the best watches and best running headphones, has launched the Suunto Spark open-back headphones.
The earbuds weigh just 9g each, 1g less than the Shokz OpenFit 2+, offer 36 hours of listening time with the case, have a titanium ear hook, and feature LHDC 5.0 high-resolution audio. They are IP55 water and sweat resistant, meaning they will withstand pouring rain and sweat, but you should not submerge them in water. They cost £129.99 / AU$309 (US price TBC, but UK price conversion puts it at around $175).
Preset or customizable audio equalizer modes are available in the app, but the advantage of open-back headphones is that you can hear the world around you while you listen, helping you stay aware of traffic, pedestrians, or office conversations. They are ideal for runners who want to stay alert on the road while listening to long melodies. Typically, open-back headphones are the only type allowed in official races like marathons.
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So far, they’re very much in line with the other entries on our list of the best open-back headphones in terms of specs and price. For reference, the Shokz OpenFit 2+ costs $199.95 / £179 (around AU$370), so it’s nice to see the Suunto is a little cheaper.
However, there are also a ton of additional features we should talk about, specifically regarding execution.
For starters, the Suunto Spark headphones offer head movement control. Shake your head from side to side while running and you’ll immediately skip the current song on your playlist. You can also use this feature to answer a call.
In a press release, Suunto said: ‘Spark goes beyond audio to become a training companion. Real-time feedback helps runners monitor cadence, stride and running mechanics, while voice guidance delivers pace, heart rate, distance and lap updates directly when connected to a Suunto watch.
While voice guidance based on watch data is nothing new, the prospect of cadence and stride data obtained solely from the headset’s gyroscope is undeniably interesting. I’ve contacted Suunto for more details on this and look forward to testing it in due course.
Finally, the Suunto Spark headphones also track “neck health,” monitoring “flexibility, daily neck activity and fatigue, sending alerts that help users maintain better posture and avoid overexertion.” This is new to me, but since many of us spend the day with our necks bent, staring at our phones, it will probably come in handy.
Budget smart tech maker Amazfit made a pair of headphones with a similar feature in 2021, but the idea obviously never caught on. It looks like Suunt is giving the concept another chance.
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