Shokz OpenFit Pro Review: ANC on Open Earbuds?

Like all open-ear earbuds, the OpenFit Pro have an airy and open soundstage that provides a more natural listening experience than regular earbuds – it’s closer to a speaker listening experience. You can make them even more impressive by activating the confusingly named Optimized for Dolby Atmos mode. I say confusing because this mode is neither a replacement for Dolby Atmos nor is it intended for use with existing Dolby Atmos content. This is essentially Dolby’s best earbud-based audio software, combining spatial audio processing (for wider and deeper soundstage) with optional head tracking. Both of these features will work with any content; However, Dolby claims that it works best when you are listening to Dolby Atmos content.

This is the first time that Dolby’s technology has been employed on a set of open-ear earbuds, and it’s a great match. This increases the perceived width and height of the space, and does so without negatively impacting dynamic range or loudness, something that often affects similar systems. And yes, the effect is more pronounced when listening to Atmos than when playing stereo content. I’ve used Dolby’s spatial technology on a number of 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 for listening to music.

Still, it’s not as effective as Bose’s immersive audio on the Bose Ultra Open earbuds. The Bose’s head tracking is smoother – especially noticeable when watching movies – and its spatial processing is more reliable and thorough for both music and movies.

The call quality of the OpenFit Pro is where Showcase is ahead of Bose. The OpenFit Pro’s mics do a great job of eliminating noise at the end of your call. You could be walking down a busy street, wandering into a stuffy coffee shop, or even passing by an active construction site, and your callers probably have no idea that you’re not sitting on a quiet park bench. Like all open-ear earbuds, being able to hear your voice naturally (without the use of transparency mode) eliminates the fatigue associated with long calls on regular earbuds.

comfortable design

Photograph: Simon Cohen

Comfort is a major benefit of Shokz’s OpenFit series, and the OpenFit Pro, with ear hooks that are wrapped in soft silicone, are no exception. Unlike previous OpenFit models, which placed the speakers just outside your earcups, the Pro’s speaker pods project directly into your ears, and in my case, they make contact with the inside of that cavity. This increases stability significantly, but over time, I became aware of that contact point.

they never became Inconvenient, but the OpenFit/OpenFit 2/+ models don’t make you forget you’re wearing them. As someone who wears glasses, I prefer clip-style earbuds like the Shox OpenDots One, and yet the size of the OpenFit Pro’s ear hooks was never an issue. Shokz includes a set of optional silicone support loops, presumably for those with smaller ears or who need a more stable fit. They didn’t improve my fit, but then again, my ears have grown quite a bit.

Like all hook-style earbuds, the OpenFit Pro charging case is massive. Its build quality is great thanks to the use of an aluminum frame, and you get wireless charging (not offered with many open-ear models), but it’s still less pocketable than a set of AirPods Pro.

easy to use

Photograph: Simon Cohen

For the OpenFit Pro, Shox has finally abandoned its hybrid touch/button controls in favor of just physical buttons, and I think that’s the right decision. You can now decide which button press combo controls actions like play/pause, track skipping, volume, and voice assistant access, a level of freedom that wasn’t available on previous versions.