Is 'bone-bone hybrid' the endgame for bone conduction headphones?

When it comes to sports headphones, Shaoyin is a brand that cannot be avoided.

Since launching the first-generation bone conduction Bluetooth headset Bluez in 2013, Shaoyin has kicked off the development of consumer bone conduction headsets in China. Titanium, launched in 2015, and Aeropex, launched in 2019 (subsequently upgraded to OpenRun), have repeatedly made their mark on the market due to their product strength, making consumers realize that bone conduction headphones are no longer just for "listening" or just for use during exercise. "Specialized headphones", but a piece of digital equipment that can be worn comfortably throughout the day.

On August 20, 2024, Shaoyin officially announced its latest flagship sports headphones OpenRun Pro 2. You must know that the OpenRun Pro released two years ago has taken the high-end bone conduction sports earphones to a whole new level. This new flagship sports earphones can compete in open true wireless just like the OpenRun Pro did back then. Will headphones prove themselves in this era of turmoil? Now I would like to share the experience sharing of OpenRun Pro 2 from Lei Technology.

Before sharing, let us first take a look at some of the conditions of previous bone conduction headphones.

What are the pain points of bone conduction headphones?

Two years ago, the OpenRun Pro released by Shaoyin was ahead of competitors’ products in terms of listening and wearing comfort, but compared with other open-back headphones, bone conduction The "close-fitting" nature of headphones still brings some challenges to the product experience.

First of all, in order to ensure effective bone conduction fit, OpenRun Pro always exerts a compressive force on the user's ears, which is especially useful for users with a head circumference of 62cm or more. It's more obvious.

Secondly, although Shaoyin has made special adjustments to the OpenRun Pro unit, the sound of bone conduction headphones still sounds somewhat different from traditional air conduction headphones.

Shaoyin was also aware of these two problems, so it later launched the highly acclaimed open-back in-ear headphones OpenFit and OpenFit Air. But is it possible to combine the strengths of OpenRun Pro and OpenFit to create a product that has both ear-friendly sound quality and the advantages of bone conduction?

Image source: Lei Technology

This is what OpenRun Pro 2 is Nativity background.

Has the "backbone" to refuse mediocrity in sound quality

Xiao Lei has a habit when trying headphones, listen first Look at the sound parameters again, this can avoid "brain amplification" enhancement. The first time I heard the sound of OpenRun Pro 2, I gave this headset a very high evaluation - the sound of OpenRun Pro 2 does not sound like the sound of bone conduction headphones:

No matter in terms of frequency response range, sound distortion or detail retention, the performance of OpenRun Pro 2 far surpasses OpenRun Pro or any bone conduction headphones. It is completely normal. The sound of earphones cannot be transmitted into the ears; but in the mid-to-high frequency part, OpenRun Pro 2 retains the feeling of bone conduction headphones. Even in noisy environments, the sound of OpenRun Pro 2 will not be masked.

With a doubtful attitude, I found the information about OpenRun Pro 2. Sure enough, OpenRun Pro 2 is a dual-unit "hybrid" headset - Shaoyin Call it DualPitch.

Image source: Shokz 韶音

To put it simply, OpenRun Like the multi-unit headphones commonly used by Hi-Fi players, the Pro 2 uses a multi-unit digital crossover solution. However, OpenRun Pro 2 does not use "ring iron", but a combination of elliptical air conduction unit and bone conduction unit. Interestingly, Xiaolei’s “bold guess” when he bought Aeropex in 2019 did not come true—the bone conduction unit of OpenRun Pro 2 is responsible for the mid-to-high frequency area, while the air conduction unit is responsible for the low-frequency area.

But soon, OpenRun Pro 2 dispelled my concerns with its actual performance.

In the bass test track "BOOM", OpenRun Pro 2 well explains what "just right" bass performance is. Different from the rigid low frequency that simply uses bone conduction units to achieve "bone impact" and "quantity first, quality later", the bass quality of air conduction is obviously more natural and excellent, without overpowering the head.

Image source: Ray Technology

Mid-frequency and high-frequency parts , the sound of OpenRun Pro 2 is slightly loose and not as concentrated as Beats Fit Pro, but it is still tighter than most bone conduction headphones, and there is almost no distortion caused by unit vibration.

In response to the situation where the bone conduction unit and the air conduction unit are offset and out of sync at different volumes, Shaoyin has also developed the Shokz OpenBass 2.0 algorithm, which can adjust the sound according to the full-frequency volume in real time. The sound of the bone conduction and air conduction units is compensated to reduce the sound changes of the headphones at different volume levels and improve the overall listening experience.

Speaking of volume, you may be worried about the sound leakage of OpenRun Pro 2. After all, in the past, bone conduction headphones and non-in-ear headphones have faced sound leakage problems. If the "bone dual unit" OpenRun Pro 2 is directional If the sound field is not done well, it is no different than hanging two speakers around your neck.

Image source: Lei Technology

Fortunately, Shaoyin It has always had a good performance in sound leakage control: OpenRun Pro 2 will have distinguishable sound leakage at 100% volume, but at normal 75% volume, only when the other party comes close to the front and enters the The sound of the headphones can only be detected after a "rude" distance.

Xiao Lei also tried using OpenRun Pro 2 in the car, and its sound leakage control performance was even better than that of a high-end new energy headrest speaker.

There is another small detail worth mentioning on OpenRun Pro 2: Shaoyin finally gave up the "ancestral" magnetic charging interface and switched to USB-C and waterproof Regarding the plug-in charging method, I don’t know if other product lines of headphones will follow suit.

Image source: Lei Technology

In addition to sound, wearing experience It can be called excellent

Although the sound scheme of OpenRun Pro 2 has changed significantly compared with the previous generation, in other aspects, OpenRun Pro 2 still retains Shaoyin’s High quality level:

The soft silicone-wrapped body is soft and non-slip, making it stable to wear even if you sweat during exercise; the 4-degree tilt design not only optimizes the directional sound field The performance of the headphones also improves the fit of the headphones; the slim and curved ear hooks not only do not block the ears, but also leave space for the glasses legs; the iconic titanium alloy-coated silicone ear hooks + rear hooks make OpenRun Pro 2 unique The same excellent and comfortable wearing experience as other Shaoyin products.

However, Xiaolei still found a "regret" about OpenRun Pro 2: Like the previous generation of OpenRun Pro, Shaoyin also prepared standard and mini versions for OpenRun Pro 2 There are two sizes, among which the mini version has a 21mm shorter back hook, so users with small head sizes will not feel loose when wearing it.

Image source: Lei Technology

But for Xiao Lei For users with large head circumference (63cm), the standard version is indeed not enough. Take Xiaolei, who wants to buy a BELL XXL model of helmet, as an example. When wearing it normally and raising his head, the earphones will be pulled behind his neck because they are "not long enough". Although there are not many users who need the XL size, it would be better if OpenRun Pro 2 had an XL size option.

In addition, since the earphones always have a bone conduction part, the two sides still have to be close to the skin. After wearing them for a long time, there will still be "pressure" on both sides. Feel. This situation can be felt by both Xiaolei with a large head circumference and colleagues who need to use mini models. It can only be said that under the limitations of current bone conduction technology, it is amazing that Shaoyin OpenRun Pro 2 can achieve this level.

Is “bone fusion” the endgame for bone conduction headphones?

From a product perspective, OpenRun Pro 2 is obviously an excellent product with no flaws. From an industry perspective, the emergence of OpenRun Pro 2 does illustrate the current problems encountered by bone conduction headphones.

The popularity of the concept of bone conduction headphones is inseparable from sports elements, but too much focus on the sports market also makes it difficult for bone conduction headphones to break out of the industry. Shaoyin has also been trying to apply bone conduction earphone technology to categories other than sports earphones in the past few years, but with little success. After all, bone conduction earphones have natural disadvantages in sound performance. If you don’t have strong sports needs, Users generally don’t make trade-offs on sound quality.

But non-in-ear headphones do not have this problem. Take Shaoyin’s own OpenAir as an example. This non-in-ear headphones with excellent sound and comfortable wearing have swept the market since its release. Establishing the category of in-ear headphones has not only gained its own loyal users, but has even threatened the status of bone conduction headphones in the field of sports headphones.

Image source: Lei Technology

As for OpenRun Pro 2 as a bone The new benchmark for conductive headphones, its "bone conduction + air conduction" design, in my opinion, is a preview of the future development direction of bone conduction headphones - using "hybrid" to "self-rescue".

The "bone hybrid" solution not only makes up for the disadvantages of traditional bone conduction headphones in sound performance, but also maintains the uniqueness of bone conduction headphones in sports and outdoor scenes. Advantages. It is undeniable that this kind of "hybrid" is indeed somewhat complicated, which will not only increase the overall cost, but also place higher demands on the brand's technical reserves.

But from the perspective of user experience, in the face of better and more versatile in-ear headphones, if bone conduction headphones want to hold on to their own market, they must take the initiative to seek change and find ways to improve those "industries that have existed since ancient times" Common problem". Fortunately, the emergence of OpenRun Pro 2 has set an excellent example for the bone conduction headphone industry. As for whether the bone conduction headphone market can seize the opportunity of "hybrid", I believe we will see the answer soon.

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