Shokz OpenFit Air and OpenSwim Professional: “Wow!” moments within the water

Open-ear or bone-conduction audio tech is area of interest, however there are professional explanation why folks want uncovered ears when working or working outside. If that applies to you, Shokz has been on the forefront of these applied sciences and continues to show themselves with their newest merchandise.

“Area of interest” stands out as the first phrase that involves thoughts with Shokz’s OpenSwim Professional bone conduction headphones. However after I swam my first lap and took my first sustained underwater plunge sporting the OpenSwim Professional, the following phrase that got here to thoughts was “spectacular.”

By comparability, the inexpensive OpenFit Air aren’t fairly as distinct. However that is okay: they’re extra more likely to attraction to non-swimmers or anybody on a funds. 

Shokz OpenSwim Professional, OpenFit Air: Value and availability

Shokz OpenFit Air is offered right this moment, June fifth, in black, white, and pink. You’ll be able to choose them up for $119.95. OpenSwim Professional is offered right this moment in two colours, gray or purple, for $179.95. 

With the OpenFit Air, it is onerous to inform how usually you can choose them up for lower than MSRP, although they’ve seen value drops on Amazon virtually month-to-month since December 2023. OpenSwim was on sale bi-monthly, however that will have been an early incentive to buy as a consequence of it having fewer options than the brand new OpenSwim Professional.

You should buy each gadgets instantly from Shokz.com or Amazon.com proper now. If a visit to the brick-and-mortar is extra your pace, they’re obtainable at Greatest Purchase. 

OpenFit Air: What I like

Let’s start with the OpenFit Air. There are just a few causes somebody might want an open-ear product like this. They may have just a few piercings in a single or each ears. Perhaps they do not like the sensation of in-ear gadgets. Then there are the same old use instances you examine: outside train or a worksite that requires unobstructed listening to. 

Both method, it is necessary to notice first that the trade-off with having your ear canals unobstructed is the depth of bass you’ll get. It is easy physics, and there is actually no method but to beat that. Some, like Bose, have come fairly shut, however you may pay virtually 3 times extra for these than for the OpenFit Air.

Talking of paying extra, what differentiates the OpenFit Air from the Shokz OpenFit moreover value? Because the title suggests, though their weight distinction is negligible, the brand new Air unit feels lighter than the OpenFit. Shokz took person suggestions and moved the battery from the stem portion behind your ear on the OpenFit mannequin to the module over your ear within the OpenFit Air.

Then, they added extra curves to the whole earbud and the module that homes the 18 x 11mm customized composite dynamic driver unit. The earbud now sits at a 25.5-degree angle whereas the beveled driver housing sits at 18 levels, so it suits higher in your ear than the OpenFit. 

In my testing and evaluating the 2 models, I believe this new match will profit some and be a negligible distinction for others. I just like the heavier really feel of the OpenFit, and I’ve terribly small ear canals, so the smaller driver module of the OpenFit works wonderful for me. That mentioned, the OpenFit Air does really feel lighter and simply as snug to put on for prolonged durations with out feeling prefer it’s flailing across the exterior of your ear as some open earbuds do.

Sound out of the OpenFit Air has stable readability within the mids and highs, with good separation within the stereo picture. OpenFit Air sounds fairly good as open-ear merchandise go, because of the OpenBass Air low-frequency algorithm and Shokz DirectPitch expertise, which pushes sound instantly into the ear whereas minimizing leakage. 

The genres that shine brightest with the OpenFit Air are usually pop, rock, folks, and classical. Hip-hop is ok. You will be gentle on the “Increase” however nonetheless get respectable “bap.” Switching from music to motion pictures, I did not expertise any latency in dialog, and the bass replica was satisfying sufficient to present motion sequences in motion pictures or anime the gratifying thump they need to have. And with motion pictures that function 5.1 audio, the stereo picture these produce is stable.

Shokz OpenSwim Professional: What wowed me

The earlier OpenSwim product escaped my discover. Probably as a result of it was only a standalone MP3 participant within the physique of a pair of bone-conduction headphones. I don’t swim usually, so that they weren’t my jam. Shokz might have felt that sentiment from extra customers than me, so the OpenSwim Professional is not a one-trick seahorse. 

You continue to get the MP3 participant with an elevated 32GB of storage for MP3, WMA, FLAC, WAV, AAC, M4A, and APE recordsdata. That is extra storage than any competing product. Relying on which file sorts you utilize, you may cram round 8,000 songs into them — loads for an Ironman or two. Now, although, you get extra utility out of them with the included Bluetooth 5.4 radio in order that if you aren’t within the pool, you may stream music, motion pictures, podcasts, or no matter you fancy, proper out of your telephone.

What’s most fascinating about these headphones is their underwater sound high quality. It’s critically spectacular. I would virtually say that they sound higher underwater! Think about that. This underwater superior is achieved by OpenSwim Professional having triple-sealed elements rated for IP68 mud and water ingress which implies you are good as much as (two meters) six toes deep for as much as two hours. That is the primary half. 

When you’re within the pool, you may swap the headphones to MP3 mode and select the Swimming EQ preset (you even have a Customary EQ preset). The Swimming preset flattens the sound profile, sounding tinny out of the water and killing bass response however supplying you with an underwater listening expertise that’s extremely spectacular. The bass magically reappears, supplying you with a delightfully strong sound as you hit these freestyle strokes or do some underwater laps.

Simply do not move six toes of depth, because it may injury the OpenSwim Professional. 

The most effective a part of this swimming tech is that you do not want the app to entry it. You’ll be able to concurrently press the quantity down and quantity up/energy buttons to change the OpenSwim Professional from Bluetooth to MP3 mode. The controls — the big multifunction button on the entrance and people quantity buttons beneath the best arm of the scarf — are simply as responsive moist as they’re dry. 

Beneath these quantity buttons is the proprietary four-pin magnetic charging port. To maintain every little thing sealed and guarded in opposition to water ingress, you may use pogo pins as an alternative of USB-C.

The wonderful of us at Shokz additionally thought-about the case with regards to getting moist. It is wedge-shaped so it might arise and has drainage holes on the again to accommodate airflow for damp headphones drying. Being upright ensures these drainage holes do not get blocked.

General, on land, the audio high quality from the OpenSwim Professional is absolutely good, with a caveat I am going to get to in a second. They’ve glorious sound separation in MP3 mode and Bluetooth mode. It’s a must to keep in mind that you are utilizing open-ear audio gadgets, so there is a stage of heat from the mids and lows that you simply aren’t going to get like in-ears, however regardless of that, the audio output is enjoyable. 

Shokz OpenSwim Professional, OpenFit Air: What may use enchancment

There is not a lot I take concern with relating to each of those gadgets, however for the OpenSwim Professional, the bass handed via the bone conduction pads might get annoying for some folks and an excessive amount of for many who are ticklish. It vibrates rather a lot! Like “PS5 gaming distant haptic suggestions” rather a lot. I believe this can be a function that some folks will settle for however others will hate.

Sorry to be a moist blanket, triathletes, however I’ve to say the shortcoming to make use of these earbuds in salt water. So, no ocean use for you. When you do occur to buy the OpenSwim Professionals and take a look at them in that deep blue sea, Shokz recommends that you simply wash them off with contemporary water and dry them instantly.

One different factor I would prefer to see on future OpenSwim Professional models is the flexibility to regulate the neck, or is it a head-band? For me it sits on the base of my cranium, so technically, I suppose that makes it a headscarf.

Regardless of the brand new angled design, the OpenFit Air feels “free,” hovering over my ear. For my ear geometry, the OpenFit feels prefer it sits nearer to my ear, however ears are like fingerprints; no two are the identical, so your mileage will fluctuate in how they really feel on you. 

The very last thing you’ll have a problem with is the case dimension. It is a hair bigger than the beforehand launched OpenFit, so it’s “purse-able,” however pocketable? Probably not. It should go away fairly the imprint sitting in your pockets.

Competitors

If swimming wear is what you are in search of, there are literally just a few different choices available on the market, and we’ve got a whole roundup of open-ear earbuds to contemplate if it is the OpenFit Air you have been inquisitive about. First, let’s speak OpenSwim Professional opponents. The H20 Audio Tri Multi-Sport has a pleasant, heat bass-heavy sound however, in contrast to the OpenSwim, solely has 8GB of storage for music. They’re $20 much less however are solely rated for water ingress, not mud, and their controls will be finicky. 

The Zygo Solo takes a novel method to preserving you within the water and entertained by utilizing an FM radio transmitter, which does rather a lot higher than Bluetooth underwater. The draw back is that in comparison with the OpenSwim Professional’s 9 hours of battery life, you may get simply three hours. Oh, they usually’re rather a lot greater than the OpenSwim Professional. 

There are a few others, however they lack both the battery life, the storage capability, or the sound high quality of the OpenSwim Professional.

For OpenFit Air competitors, the premium improve that offers you upgraded sound, a jaw-dropping “Immersive Sound” mode, and higher battery life in case you do not use that immersive mode is the Bose Extremely Open earbuds. These are virtually 3 times the price, although. You will pay $299 ordering them from Amazon. 

1MORE Match Open Earbuds S50 have an extended title and a fair longer battery life: 11 hours. They’re IPX7, so no mud ingress score, they usually’ll value you $10 extra. Folks with smaller ears might expertise match points with these. 

Anker additionally provides some competitors of their Soundcore AeroFit Professional, which supplies you a powerful 14 hours of playback time and helps LDAC playback. They arrive with a removable neckband to shore up the match for these high-intensity exercises they usually sound nice at decrease volumes.

Shokz OpenSwim Professional, OpenFit Air: Do you have to purchase them?

You should purchase OpenFit Air if…

• You need comparatively cheap open-ear earbuds
• You will have concha piercings and in-ears do not match
• You need open-air earbuds that sound good

You should not purchase OpenFit Air if…

• You’re a bass lover
• You want greater than 6 hours of battery life

You should purchase OpenSwim Professional if…

• You spend numerous time within the water
• You need one thing with nice sound submerged
• You need one thing for surf and turf

You should not purchase OpenSwim Professional if…

• You are very ticklish. Severely.
• You do not like neckband configurations
• You want earbuds that may stand up to salt water

If you would like a product that may “Wow!” you underwater, the OpenSwim Professional is that product. It has 9 hours of battery life (six hours in MP3 mode), is IP68 rated for 2 hours within the pool at as much as six toes deep, and has an MP3 mode with 32GB of storage, making it a tough product to beat on this class. Better of all, Bluetooth 5.4 makes it… not so area of interest. Regardless of the possibly ear-tickling bone conduction modules, the OpenSwim Professional is definitely really useful for the mermaids and mermen amongst us (Mer-persons?).

OpenFit Air has stiff competitors within the open-ear market. Nonetheless, its gentle weight, stable sound, IP54 score, wallet-friendly value level, and good name high quality make it a great all-around open-ear earbud for many who want or favor this design.