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Like all open earbuds, the OpenFit Pro has a ventilated, open soundstage that provides a more natural listening experience than regular earbuds – closer to the experience of listening to speakers. You can make it feel even more immersive by activating the confusingly named Enhanced mode for Dolby Atmos mode. I say confusing because this mode is neither a replacement for Dolby Atmos nor intended for use with existing Dolby Atmos content. It’s basically Dolby’s best-in-class earphone-based audio software, which combines spatial audio processing (for a wider, deeper soundstage) with optional head tracking. These two features will work with any content; However, Dolby claims that it works best when listening to Dolby Atmos content.
It’s the first time Dolby has been used in a set of open-ear headphones, and it’s a great match. It enhances the perceived width and height of the space, and does so without negatively impacting dynamic range or loudness, which often afflicts similar systems. And yes, the effect is more noticeable when listening in Atmos than when playing stereo content. I’ve used Dolby Spatial in several products, including the LG Tone Free T90Q, Jabra Elite 10, and Technics EAH-Z100, and this is the first time I’ve enjoyed it enough to leave it enabled to listen to music.
However, they’re not as effective as Bose’s immersive sound on the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. The Bose’s head tracking is smoother — especially noticeable when watching movies — and its spatial processing is more convincing and immersive for both music and movies.
Where the Shokz has a big lead over the Bose is the OpenFit Pro’s connection quality. The OpenFit Pro microphones do a great job of eliminating noise at the end of the call. You may be walking down a busy street, hanging out at a packed café, or even passing an active construction site, and your callers likely have no idea that you’re not sitting on a quiet park bench. As with all open earbuds, being able to hear your voice naturally (without using Transparency mode) eliminates the fatigue typically associated with long calls on regular earbuds.
Ergonomic design
Photography: Simon Cohen
Comfort is one of the key benefits of Shokz’s OpenFit series, and the OpenFit Pro, with its soft silicone-coated ear hooks, is no exception. Unlike previous OpenFit models, which place the speakers directly outside the conch of your ear, the Pro’s speaker capsules go directly into your ears, and in my case, they contact the inside of that cavity. This greatly increases stability, but over time, you become familiar with this connection point.
They never became Uncomfortable, but not a totally forget-you-are-wearing experience on the OpenFit/OpenFit 2/+ models. As someone who wears glasses, I tend to prefer clip-on earbuds like the Shokz OpenDots One, however the shape of the OpenFit Pro’s earhook was never an issue. Shokz includes a set of optional silicone support loops, for people with smaller ears or who need a firmer fit. They didn’t improve my fitness, but then again, I have very large ears.
As with all hook-style earbuds, the OpenFit Pro charging case is on the large side. They have great build quality thanks to the use of an aluminum frame, and you get wireless charging (which isn’t a given on many open-ear models), but they’re still less pocket-friendly than the AirPods Pro range.
Easy to use
Photography: Simon Cohen
For the OpenFit Pro, Shokz has finally ditched the hybrid touch/button controls in favor of just physical buttons, and I think that’s the right choice. You can now decide exactly which button to press to control combinations of actions like play/pause, track skipping, volume, and voice assistant access, a level of freedom not available in previous versions.