It’s a Wednesday morning and I’m wafting my hand at my partner in a “come hither” motion. I’m reviewing the Shokz openrun pro 2 open-ear headphones in a slick London Marathon-inspired colourway, and I’m so impressed I’ve called in the cavalry for a second opinion.
She slips them on and begins to run aggressively on the spot before indulging in a bit of headbanging to check their fit, but they stay put. Then I open Spotify and hit play.
“Oh,” she says, looking at me in surprise. “Oh they sound really good.”
For context: I tested an older pair of the brand’s openrun headphones about four years ago, just after it updated the old AfterShokz moniker. And while I was a fan of the open-ear concept, the sound quality let them down. Post-rebrand, this significant upgrade suggests Shokz has been busy refining its product.
Instead of sitting in your ear canal or totally enclosing your ears like classic buds and cans, these headphones sit just in front of your ears and transmit sound to your ear drums via bone conduction technology – vibrations through bones in your upper cheeks and jaw.
This is ideal for runners wanting to stay more aware of their surroundings, or those not wanting to miss out on the sights and sounds of race day. They’ve also earned the product our best running headphones gong, and a spot as the official headphone partner of this year’s London Marathon.
The only downside is the price, at £179. In testing them I set out to answer the prevalent question: are they worth it?
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Shokz openrun pro 2
Type: Bone conduction
Battery life: 12 hours
Water resistance: IP55
Weight: 31g
Why we love it
- Open-ear design leaves ears clear for safety
- Good sound quality
- Lightweight, comfortable design with secure fit
Take note
- Expensive
- Lack of versatility beyond running
A good set of running headphones needs to meet certain criteria; comfortable, secure and sweatproof, while also boasting powerful sound capable of making long runs feel that little bit easier.
The Shokz openrun pro 2 headphones knock it out the park on the comfort front. The malleable band sits snugly around the ears then extends around the back of the head, while the buds nestle just in front of the ears without applying undue pressure to the side of your head.
This is preferable to other running earbuds I’ve tested, which sit inside the ear canal and feature silicone wings that can press uncomfortably against the outer ear during longer wears.
The openrun pro 2 headphones are also incredibly lightweight (31g, by my scales) so it was easy to forget I was wearing them while out running.
Next, to test if they are secure and sweatproof, it was time to wear them for exercise.
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For running, they are superb. I was initially sceptical of the band’s relaxed fit around the back of the head, but my concerns proved unfounded.
I was able to enjoy an audiobook during my long run without blocking out the external world, which was helpful for staying safe while running around a city. Even with the heightened landing forces of a set of sprints, I never had to worry about the headphones flying loose. They stayed put throughout.
In the gym, I quite liked them for strength training as they allowed me to enjoy music while chatting to fellow exercisers when the opportunity arose.
For CrossFit or HIIT style workouts, I wasn’t so sure. When performing burpees and other dynamic, multiplanar movements, my changing head angle saw the band nudge against my neck and the buds move slightly. However, the headphones are designed for running – suitability for other workouts would have just been a welcome bonus.
Finally, we come to the sound quality. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t overly impressed by the more affordable set of openrun headphones I tested five years ago. The current openrun pro 2 headphones are different gravy.
Read more: The surprising items that helped me finish my first ultramarathon in comfort
The sound is excellent – better than I ever thought bone conduction headphones could be – offering crisp, clear audio which rose to meet rousing moments in my motivational running playlist.
Audiobooks, podcasts, electronic music and even a few folk albums (my unorthodox go-to running tipple) all sounded excellent.
The cherries on top of this particular cake are the intuitive controls (three buttons, one for power and volume up, one for volume down, one multifunction button for playing, pausing and toggling through songs) and the new London Marathon design.
The headphones come in a regal purple with a gold trim, and have a swish case complete with a line drawing of the course inked on the front.
Buy now £169, Shokz.com
Are the Shokz openrun pro 2 worth it?
These Shokz openrun pro 2 headphones are great; the best running headphones I’ve tested, in fact.
The bone conduction technology leaves your ears free to experience all the joys of race day – crowd noise, stewards, directions – while still delivering your music of choice to your ears. The band is lightweight, sweatproof (IP55), comfortable, and it fits securely at any pace.
The London Marathon design is beautiful, but you will likely have to pay the full £179 for this swish set. If that’s not important to you, you can also save a few bob by grabbing a standard pair, which are often on sale for £135 (Amazon.co.uk).
As someone who tries to help others access exercise as affordably as possible, this is still a hefty investment. That’s why, while I’m a massive fan, I wouldn’t recommend these headphones across the board.
If you just want to enjoy a bit of music while out on an occasional run, there are much cheaper ways to do this. However, if you love your running, you know you’ll get plenty of use out of this product over the next few years, and you’ll benefit from the open-ear design during fairly regular races, this is the best set of headphones you can buy.
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How I tested the Shokz openrun pro 2 headphones
These are running headphones, so I made sure they were fully charged then whacked them on for a few runs: one long, one interval, one hill sprint. I also wore them to the gym to see how they fared during exercises like squats, press-ups and burpees. My review was based on pre-set criteria:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Harry Bullmore is The Independent’s senior fitness writer and IndyBest’s resident gym bunny. Fresh from running a mountainous ultramarathon in New Zealand, most of his time is split between his laptop, running shoes, barbell and bed. This, and a history of reviewing some of the most exciting sports products, such as gym trainers, uniquely qualifies him as our health and fitness reviewer.
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