Shokz OpenComm2 Headset
★★★★★ - Outstanding!
Game-changing comfort and great boom mic
Pros
The most comfortable headset you’ll ever wear
Bone conduction is surprisingly natural and has good sound quality
Boom mic captures audio well and helps reduce background noise
Battery life is solid
Sharing with other people is much more hygenic
Water resistant (IP55) and thus also easy to clean
Open ear design means you can still hear what’s around you
Cons
Carry case seems bigger than it needs to be
Annoyingly uses a proprietary charger
Website in general does a poor job explaining differences in models
Sound quality is totally fine, especially for voice, but doesn’t compare to good in/on/over-ear headphones
Priced like good in/on/over-ear headphones
Open ear design means you can still hear what’s around you (but earplugs can fix this!?)
Multi-device bluetooth function is fickle
Review
I will never get tired of telling people that I use bone-conduction headphones. It just sounds so cool, and it kind of actually is too. The actual experience isn’t quite as exotic - it really just sounds like headphones. The big difference is that your ears are completely unobstructed, meaning that you can also hear everyone and everything else around you. It also means that, at least for me, it is a lot more comfortable (especially compared to ear buds, or “in-ear monitors” for the audiophiles). This is a blessing or a curse depending on your situation, though if you put earplugs (or even earbuds that are turned off) in your ears you can get a more “traditional” sound. I actually got really fancy one time and hooked up my Airpods to my computer and my Shokz to a music keyboard and was able to listen to a tutorial video while playing live on my synthesizer. So feel free to let your creativity run wild. :)
For obvious reasons these are very popular with runners who definitely want to hear things like cars while running. Some of the Shokz models are specifically for runners, but the one I’m recommending is the OpenComm2 model which has a separate boom mic. I have not tried any of the other models, but I wanted to make sure my voice was picked up clearly and I’ve been told on calls that it sounds great.
The audio quality of the device is shockzingly-good for how you would think vibrating your temples would be. It actually sounds like a standard set of headphones. Audiophiles will definitely not be impressed, but to me the comfort and convenience is well worth it. On the subject of comfort, I was surprised that they don’t need to squeeze your head hard to work, leading to a fit that I can wear for hours without worry. Plus the behind-the-head design doesn’t mess up my hair.
I’ve found connecting to multiple devices at a time to be challenging - perhaps I’m doing it wrong, but it seems to drop and reconnect often. When connected to one at a time though it’s generally great. I’ll occasionally need to turn them off and on again when starting a video call, but I don’t know if that’s the headphones or a software issue on the computer.
A few other quibbles:
There is a custom case, which I appreciate, but it’s a good bit larger than it needs to be, which is annoying when I’m trying to be portable.
It uses a proprietary charger instead of USB-C which is a big downside for me. This probably helped keep the design a little smaller, but it means you have to keep up with that one cable for the rest of its life.
Please note that their wireless earbuds use an entirely different technology that I have not tried and cannot vouch for. This review is only for the bone conduction headsets.
Conclusion
Despite what looks like a long list of cons I still give these a ★★★★★ rating. It is such a game-changer for me that some of the hiccups that come with newer technology are easily worth it. While not for everyone, if the idea of a light, comfortable headset that you can wear for hours of talk time a day sounds good to you then this will absolutely deliver.
