- Shokz just launched the new OpenFit Pro open-back headphones at CES, Las Vegas
- Spatial audio with head tracking and Dolby Atmos-ready ‘noise reduction’
- Initially, I like the sound, even at a pricey £219 (approx. $295, AU$440)
Fans of sports-specific bone conduction and open-back headphones will likely be well-versed in Shokz products. But the newly introduced OpenFit Pro are the first Shokz headphones to feature a “synchronized dual-diaphragm driver and noise reduction.” And when you talk about “noise reduction,” you should absolutely think “active noise cancellation, but for an open-ear design.”
Shokz is quick to point out its unique SuperBoost algorithm for “dynamic, 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 ‘bump’ on the earpiece is a good thing from a design perspective, as well as sonically, as it happily slides under my cimba concha (one of the inner folds of my outer ear, on top of the concha proper) to help with security.
Shokz OpenFit Pro is also ready for its Dolby Atmos content with head tracking technology in the menu, and during my initial testing, I found it responsive and snappy when moving my head around the source device.
Do you want to customize the levels of the actual frequencies you hear in the mix? OpenFit Pro has five equalizer presets plus two customizable equalizer 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.” OpenFit Pro are Shokz’s first earbuds to feature open-ear noise reduction (it’s very rare even in the best open-ear headphones; the Honor Earbuds Open are the first model I’ve heard that includes it, and they do it very well) using a triple-microphone system with Shokz’s ear-fitting algorithm.
Through the Shokz app, users will be able to manually adjust noise reduction levels to suit their environment, whether they need deeper concentration or prefer to be aware of what’s going on around them. I didn’t get early access to the iOS app before it launched (today, January 6), but I’ve been listening to them for four days now and I have to say I can’t wait to adjust the noise reduction levels further to see what they can really do.
From my initial listen, the sound was punchier than expected and full of dynamic nuances, with excellent levels of detail and bass that often made me forget they were open headphones, and that’s not something I say lightly.
And here’s something else I’ve never seen before: supporting accessories in the box. Slide these little O-rings over the hook and you’ll get an extra level of security, especially for sports use or 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. But don’t get too excited. With noise reduction activated, the claim is a more standard 6 hours on a single charge and a total of 24 hours with the charging case. Oh, and you’ll get up to 4 hours with just 10 minutes of fast charging. I can attest to this last part of the claim: it’s a good one.
Elsewhere, you get multipoint pairing, IP55 for water and dust resistance, plus Bluetooth 6.1. And although their 12.3 grams per earbud sound relatively heavy, after wearing them for four days, I found them extremely comfortable.
This time around, I also have a glamorous assistant (read: fiancé) who tested the Shokz OpenFit Pro on me while I was playing tennis and cycling at night, since I hurt my shoulder while dancing. He doesn’t like the headphone designs, but he wanted to try listening to music while training, so he was happy to help me. An added advantage of these types of designs is that you can happily share them without having to constantly clean and change the eartips, as no part of them enters the ear canal.
‘Your ears are your mirrors when you ride a bike’
Your initial 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 was loud and clear, which was a welcome change from the dark monotony of Tuesday nights on the way to tennis.
“While at the tennis center, they were great for dynamic and static stretching, as well as running back and forth. I also wore my baseball cap and a helmet while riding my bike, and they never got in the way. I’ve played tennis competitively for 30 years, but this is the first time I’ve hit a ball with any auditory distraction, and Queens of the Stone Age definitely helped me warm up on the court.
“The fact that I could still hear the sound of the ball coming from the other end of the court while warming up (what type of shot it was, how hard it was hit, how much spin was put on the shot) was also imperative. Without the small stabilizers, the right-hander occasionally felt unsure on more difficult rallies, but the stabilizer went a long way to solving this problem.”
I’ll continue testing them over the next few weeks and finalize a full review (it’s not going to get my job done), but initially we both thought there was a lot to like, although at £219 (or around $295 or AU$440) they’re not cheap considering the current top spot in our buying guide is occupied by another Shokz product, the Shokz OpenFit 2+ with an MSRP of $179.95 / £169 / 350 to the dollar.
That current class leader was $100/£100 cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at launch and is just $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 with head tracking; an extra microphone per earbud; a lot of work on the design department), it will be interesting to see where the sound value per pound lies. Watch this space…
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