The Shokz OpenFit Air would’ve been excellent if not for my glasses

Two years in the past, I believed my quest for the perfect working earbuds was over. The Beats Match Professional have been merely excellent in each means. Then I moved to the suburbs. The Beats’ ambient mode was no match for North Jersey drivers’ blatant disregard for pace limits. Open-ear headphones appeared like the plain reply. However which of them? For a couple of weeks, I dabbled with some bone conduction headphones, however I missed my bass drops an excessive amount of. That, in flip, led me to strive the $119.95 Shokz OpenFit Air.

Whereas Shokz is greatest identified for its bone conduction tech, the OpenFit Air makes use of conventional air conduction like another wi-fi buds. The speaker sits above your ear canal, whereas ear hooks maintain them securely in place. I usually don’t favor ear hooks — consolation tends to be hit and miss. However I’ll give something a go if it means I get to have situational consciousness with out giving up my bass.

The excellent news: the bass is higher. The unhealthy information is, it’s not by a lot. In truth, no open-ear headphones are nice at bass, however these are at the very least much less muddy than bone conduction. If I’m working subsequent to a busy road, I really can hear the rumbly “five-star Michelin” verse in “God’s Menu” by Stray Children. It’s not crystal clear — however I can hear it as a substitute of sighing and wishing I had my Beats Match Professional. (All bets are off for those who’re close to a freeway, although.)

Except for bass, the speaker place means you possibly can hear your content material fairly properly, however open-ear buds at all times have limitations. I wore these on a number of commutes to the workplace. A quiet NJ Transit bus or prepare? No drawback. A loud New York Metropolis subway drowned out my audiobooks to the purpose the place I gave up listening to something in any respect. I by no means received any complaints about sound leakage, however I think about that’s as a result of the NYC subway is just too loud for anybody to listen to something.

As train buds, these are a fantastic choice. They’ve about six hours on a single cost, and a 10-minute cost will get you two hours of use, which isn’t too shabby except you’re an ultramarathoner. With IP55, you possibly can work up a pleasant sweat or deal with a little bit of rain, although I’d be cautious of a full-on downpour. They’re cozy and fairly safe — that’s, till you set some glasses on.

Whereas the hooks are pliable and comparatively skinny, they took up a whole lot of area behind my ears. On days after I didn’t put on contacts, the highest of my ears felt crowded and weighed down. That heavy sensation made me paranoid that the Air would fall off, and I’d go to readjust them. Typically, that ended up with me unintentionally triggering the contact controls. Even after I didn’t put on glasses, I unintentionally dislodged the Air each time I brushed my bangs behind my ears. I don’t love that, as somebody who’s been traumatized one too many occasions by chasing after a bud that fell out of my ear mid-run. To be truthful, you might not have these points. A few of that is doubtless all the way down to the form of my ears and the very fact my glasses have chunkier arms. However for those who actually desire a safe match, a wraparound design is a more sensible choice.

To my shock, I ended up preferring the Air for on a regular basis put on. Perhaps it’s simply me, however bone conduction headphones scream health in a means that feels a little bit bizarre after I’m working errands. These remind me extra of the sleeker, extra discreet Bose Extremely Open Earbuds. My favourite technique to put on these was after I was cooking or cleansing. I might simply hearken to my audiobooks or podcasts, maintain an ear out for beeping home equipment, and maintain the naughty cat from attempting to eat my dinner straight from the pan.

If I had higher imaginative and prescient, these may’ve ended my quest for a Beats Match Professional various. They’re fairly reasonably priced at $120, bass is respectable for a pair of open-ear buds, they usually’re cozy. I need one thing only a smidge safer for days after I don’t really feel like popping lenses in. Alas, the hunt continues.