Standard earbuds are great, but they often block out most of the surrounding noise and get uncomfortable inside your ear after a while. The OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds are designed to ensure that you hear music and calls but remain aware of what’s around you, too. Plus, they fit around your ear versus inside it. I had the pleasure of testing these earbuds to see how well they perform.
This is a sponsored article and was made possible by OpenRock. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.
Overview of Features
The OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds are designed with active lifestyles in mind, though they’re perfect for relaxing after a great workout too. The most noticeable feature is the open-ear design. This also makes them a safer option while exercising.
The adjustable ear hook lets you create a custom fit for a more ergonomic and comfortable experience. Thanks to this design, the earbuds fit against the ear versus inside it, so no more sweaty ear canal.
Another bonus is that you get to hear what’s going on around you. Stay aware of traffic and other people while running. Hear if someone’s trying to get your attention. But, since the earbuds aren’t in your ears, you don’t get the annoying loudness from chewing and your own footsteps.
Comfort is a priority, but sound quality is just as important. The new generation TubeBass technology along with the 16.2 mm dynamic driver give you impressive bass. Sound is concentrated and directed into the ear canal. While you get amazing sound, people around you aren’t able to hear what’s going on, giving you more privacy, especially on calls.
Depending on your surroundings and what you’re listening to, you mY need some adjustments to the bass and treble. Luckily, OpenRock created a dynamic audio algorithm. This auto adjusts the bass and treble to provide optimal sound quality at all times.
The OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds come with two listening modes. Both are designed for sports and the movement of the human body when active. The first, and default, mode is Rock. Enjoy deeper bass and rhythmic motion audio effects. Essentially, it helps you get and stay pumped for your workout, especially high intensity workouts.
With Relax mode, wind down and enjoy three-frequency natural audio effects. This mode is best for cooldown, yoga, meditation, or a slow walk. It’s perfect for ambient, natural sounds and classical music.
Some of the other notable features include:
- Up to 60 hours of battery life with the included charging case
- Up to 19 hours of battery life before using the charging case
- 5 minutes of charging gives you one hour of use
- Bluetooth 5.3 technology
- Four AI noise cancelling mics for clearer calls
- IPX5 waterproof and sweat resistant
- Intelligent touch controls
In the Box
The OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds are packaged incredibly well. The compact box contains:
- Charging case
- Earbuds in the charging case
- Charging cable
- Instruction books
The earbuds were fully charged when they arrived, which is truly impressive. All I had to do was open the case for a few seconds and close it again to activate the earbuds the first time. Throughout my review, I never had to charge the case. So, they really do last well.
The charging case itself is nice. It’s about the size of an eyeglass case. The magnetic closure holds tight and the earbuds stay in place well. Plus, the light on the front shows how much charge is remaining.
Getting Started
This was my first time wearing open-ear air conduction earbuds. After pairing them with my phone, which only took about 30 seconds, I followed the How To Wear guide included in the box. I didn’t try to adjust the size to start with.
They felt rather loose and slid off my ears easily. So, I gently squeezed the hook as instructed in the manual to adjust the size.
While they’re more difficult to put on now, they do fit much better. But, they sit comfortably against the ear. I have a slightly thicker flap at the top of one of my ears, which causes the earbuds to pinch a little when putting them on, but that’s no fault of the earbuds. Honestly, it’s just a matter of adjusting for your own comfort level.
Listening to Music and Moving Around
The OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds have surprisingly good sound for the price point. I could hear deep, rich bass while listening to energetic rock music. I kept the mode on Rock mode at first to test the sound quality.
Unless I turned my volume almost to the max, all anyone around me could hear was a very low hum. At a normal volume, I could hear my music clearly without bothering anyone around me. Plus, I could still hear conversations, traffic, and other ambient noise around me.
I love to listen to nature sounds while doing yoga and meditating. So, I used the touch controls to switch to Relax mode. Please note, you do have to stop the current audio while you switch modes.
There’s a noticeable difference in the type of audio. It all seems softer with more even tones that help you focus and relax. This mode is absolutely perfect when you want to wind down and don’t need thumping bass to keep you moving.
While the earbuds stayed on while walking around, I had them slip off several times while running. They also fell off a few times when doing forward bends. I made sure I had them on correctly and adjusted them to fit as securely as possible.
The touch controls all worked great. My only complaint is that they don’t have a volume control option. I’d love to see this feature added so that I don’t have to take my phone out to change the volume.
Making Calls
For most earbuds I’ve used, when you receive a call, all you hear is a beep sound. With the OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds, you hear whatever ring tone you have set, which I love. The touch controls work perfectly for answering and hanging up.
The call quality was crystal clear, and the other person couldn’t hear anything else around me. The only issue I had was, if you walk about 10 feet from your phone, you start getting a lot of interference in the call. So, stay closer to your phone.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the OpenRock S Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds offer great sound, while ensuring that you stay aware of your environment. They’re perfect for exercising and fit more comfortably than in-ear earbuds. While I had some minor quibbles with the fit and the lack of volume controls, they’re still impressive.
Pick up your own pair from OneOdio in black or khaki for just $89.99. Or, if you prefer Amazon, grab a pair with the code TMX32YVZ to get 30% off, making the earbuds just $69.99 through October 22, 2023.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
