I’vetalked before about how I believethere are specific earbuds and headphones for specific use cases . Theoriginal OpenFitquickly supplant my olderAftershokz Aeropex , and not just because the company changed names . And now I believe the OpenFit Air are my young go - tos .
These aren’tbone - conducting earphone , but they also do n’t go into your ear the same way that , say , AirPods or similar earbuds do . Instead , they sit just outside ( or above ) the orifice to your ear and point the sound at heart . You ’d be mistaken for retrieve that they ’re bone - conducting ( like the newOpenSwim Pro ) , but they ’re not .
And the important matter is this : You get adequate audio from the OpenFit Air , while still being able-bodied to learn what ’s going on around you , since there ’s no peaceful ( or active ) stochasticity cancellation . There ’s nothing stopping the remote existence from making its way in . There are plenteousness of sentence where that kind of thing is significant . If you ’re doing any sort of exercise or diversion around dealings — running or cycling , for example — you need to hear the traffic .
That also means there ’s no variety of noise cancellation . That ’s not a work stoppage against the OpenFit Air — it ’s just something to bed .
That ’s the OpenFit airwave in a nutshell . They ’re of the“true wireless”variety in that there ’s nothing connecting them together , and nothing connecting them to your telephone set . They fit atop your capitulum , with the claw around back , and just do their thing .
OpenFit vs. OpenFit Air
The OpenFit Air are slightly smaller than the OG OpenFit , and ever - so - slightly other than designed . ( The chrome bit is the most obvious difference , albeit a cosmetic one . But it ’s also one I like . ) The biggest remainder really will be in the speaker itself . And the OpenFit Air definitively do n’t vocalize quite as serious as the original OpenFit .
But hear ’s the thing : Given that they ’re mean to be used in noisy environment and not to shut out out the outside earth , that has n’t made a huge difference to me . you’re able to definitely hear a difference if you happen to have both set and are trade them back and onward . But otherwise ? The Air are fine .
These are the form of earphone — buds , I guess — for which I do n’t incline to vex too much about the tech . Again , that has to do with how I ’m using them . But Shokz is speedy to point out what ’s inside . It has what ’s called “ DirectPitch Technology ” to keep the strait in your capitulum and not run out out to those around you , which is always good . An 18 - by-11 - millimeter number one wood is what actually create the sound . ( Or , OK , reproduces it . ) And it utilise “ Shokz OpenBass air travel ” for the low remainder . You wo n’t find as much bass as there is in the original OpenFit , but it ’s not fearful .
Other technical school of note : The OpenFit Air have anIP54 rating , which intend sweat and water supply atomizer should n’t kill anything . If you have to take a phone call , the four - microphone array help keep you understandable . And you ’re connected to your phone via Bluetooth 5.2 .
These also are n’t the sorting of buds in which battery life should be a vexation . You get up to six minute of playback on a undivided commission , which should be more than enough for most folks . The casing reserve for a total of 28 hours of playback , and a mere 10 minute of arc of charging in the fount gets you an surplus 120 minutes of playday . And the Bluetooth multipoint feature lets you connect to two devices at once .
The Shokz app is pretty much the same as it ’s been for a while . You ’ll retrieve a basic EQ on circuit card , as well as the Multipoint assure , a user usher — and it ’s where you ’ll update the microcode . ( My examination was done on T_04 , but as of this piece of writing I ’m realize V_21 . ) You also can customize the dual - hydrant and jam - and - hold controls on either the leftover or right , with alternative for gaming / pause , previous or next raceway , voice assistant , or you’re able to just disable them altogether .
Should you get them?
In other words , all the things that were important to me in the OpenFit rest on-key with the OpenFit Air . I can take heed the world around me . I can still pick up podcasts or music well enough . And they ’re comfortable whether I ’m just wearing them around on the street , or ( more importantly ) when I ’m set in a few dozen mi on my bike . Call quality is adequate , but not great . And that ’s exactly what I expected here .
At retail , there ’s a $ 60 dispute between the two . I ’d have a hard time add myself to carry someone that there ’s a $ 60 difference in the overall experience , even if the Air do n’t have quite the same audio tone .
And you ’ve got some options when it comes to colors . I ’ve got the disastrous - and - chrome interlingual rendition , which is the kind of affair I default to . But the livid manakin ( with more of a mat silver instead of chrome accent ) look plenty overbold , too . And if neither of those fit the bill , there ’s pink , too .
The OpenFit Air are still the sort of headphones that I ’d get for a specific use showcase . Exercise is a big one , but there are also sight of folks who have mess of reasons to not want earbuds that really go in their ears . Piercings . anatomic differences .
But whatever the reason , the OpenFit Air give those people a less - expensive selection than the original OpenFit .
