Shaoyin OpenMove headset experience: How does the bone conduction goalkeeper resist OWS invasion?

In 2023, open true wireless (OWS) headsets emerged rapidly and gained wide recognition in the market with their excellent directional audio technology and comfortable wearing experience. Compared with traditional true wireless (TWS) headphones and bone conduction headphones focused on specific markets, open true wireless headphones combine various advantages and pose a certain threat to TWS and bone conduction headphones.

As a competitor to open true wireless earphones, TWS earphones continue to strengthen the active noise reduction function, while introducing “transparency mode” and AI active switching technology , to enhance the experience of open true wireless headphones. Bone conduction headphones are also constantly evolving. The Shaoyin OpenRun Pro headphones recently launched by Lei Technology demonstrate the competitiveness of high-end bone conduction headphones in the open true wireless headphone market.

However, in the review of open true wireless earphones, we saw that the Baseus Eli Sport 1 took advantage of the price difference and "killed everyone" at the price of 500 yuan. ” open true wireless products. So in the bone conduction earphone camp, apart from the high-end OpenRun Pro and the low-end bone conduction earphones that can’t even solve the problem of sound leakage, are there any products at the same price that can resist the invasion of OWS earphones?

Picture source: Lei Technology

In order to clarify this problem, Xiaolei (ID: leitech) borrowed the third product from Shaoyin - Shaoyin OpenMove. On the one hand, he wanted to see the difference between OpenMove, a representative of mid-range bone conduction, and high-end headphones. On the other hand, he wanted to see this Whether this headset can stop the menacing open true wireless camp.

The core technology has declined, but the advantages of bone conduction headphones are still there

Bone conduction headphones are aimed at specific use scenarios Although the headphone product is functionally just a headphone, there are still many differences between bone conduction headphones and common air conduction headphones in terms of judging criteria.

First of all, bone conduction headphones need to place the sound unit close to the skull, which means that the pressure after wearing bone conduction headphones will be more obvious than other headphones. Moreover, in order to control the attenuation of vibration during transmission, bone conduction headphones cannot use velvet or gel earmuffs to cushion the headphones like head-mounted earmuffs. This results in bone conduction headphones never being able to catch up with general air conduction in terms of wearing comfort. earphone.

Therefore, bone conduction headphone manufacturers have been committed to improving wearing comfort. For example, Shaoyin OpenMove has not shrunk due to product positioning and low pricing, and still uses Shaoyin OpenMove. Yin's iconic titanium alloy rear suspension finds a good balance between comfort and firm wearing.

Picture source: Lei Technology

In terms of detail processing, OpenMove There are obvious differences between flagship products such as OpenRun Pro:

OpenRun Pro adopts an overall rubber-coated design, which feels better against the skin; OpenMove only uses packaging in the ear hook part. Plastic design, the headphone body still uses a hard shell. Moreover, the seams on the OpenMove shell are more obvious than those of the OpenRun Pro. Although the seam problem will not affect the wearing comfort, as a headset with sports attributes, larger seams will more or less affect the wearing comfort. It causes trouble to clean the earphones.

In addition, OpenMove is structurally different from OpenRun Pro: OpenRun Pro’s beam is under the earhook, which not only has a larger opening, but also can bypass the area behind the user’s ear . However, the OpenMove's beam extends directly back from the top of the earhook, leaving relatively little space for the auricle, which is not very friendly to "big ears". Moreover, the sound unit of OpenMove is also larger, and the feeling of oppression is relatively obvious.

After experiencing this, Xiao Lei’s thought is: It’s understandable, after all, you get what you pay for.

Picture source: Lei Technology

However, the most important thing In terms of sound performance and sound leakage control, the gap between OpenMove and OpenRun Pro is not obvious. In terms of sound, both headphones have obvious cutoff and distortion in the high-frequency area, but the overall sound deformation is at an acceptable level. Simply put, it is the level of "you can hear the sound a little strange, but it does not affect the resolution." In comparison, OpenRun Pro's distortion control is better. But if you are listening to dance music that focuses on rhythm, there is no obvious problem with either OpenRun Pro or OpenMove.

Or to use an analogy: using OpenMove is like listening to a radio with a good signal in the car - the sound is slightly distorted, but the atmosphere is in place. In terms of sound leakage control, OpenMove also maintains Shaoyin's consistently high standards. You need to put your head at an "impolite" distance to hear some airflow disturbances. At least in terms of sound leakage control, Shaoyin's bone conduction headphones are "unique" in the entire bone conduction field.

In addition, Xiao Lei feels that OpenMove’s charging interface is very worthy of praise: in order to meet the waterproof requirements, Shaoyin’s high-end products generally use magnetic contact charging cables, which means that you need to take an extra charging cable when traveling on business. OpenMove uses a simpler USB-C plus waterproof cover design, which is more convenient to use.

How to survive with bone conduction: Build a long board that can "hear clearly"

Just learn from experience On the market, OpenMove has successfully lowered the experience threshold of Shaoyin bone conduction headphones, filling the gap in excellent bone conduction headphones priced at 500 yuan. At the same time, like the Mac mini, it has attracted users who are curious about bone conduction headphones into its camp.

But as we said at the beginning, the TWS category chooses to strengthen the advantage of active noise reduction, and at the same time uses AI and other technologies to give users an experience similar to OWS headsets. . When facing the threat of open true wireless, bone conduction headphones have extremely limited chips.

##Picture source: Lei Technology

Generally speaking, in the face Compared with traditional air conduction closed or semi-closed headphones, the advantages of bone conduction headphones are roughly three points:

#1. Bone conduction headphones transmit sound through vibration, and the sound in the headphones will not Covered by the surrounding ambient noise, no matter how noisy it is, you can hear it clearly.

2. Bone conduction headphones do not block the ear canal, do not isolate external environmental sounds, and can retain the ability to perceive the auditory environment.

3. The bone conduction structure can be used underwater.

#But if we analyze it carefully, it is not difficult to find that the advantages of bone conduction headphones are actually not great.

First of all, open true wireless will not block the ear canal, nor will it cover up the surrounding ambient sound when listening to music. It can also be used with peace of mind while riding a bicycle or exercising.

Picture source: Lei Technology

Secondly, the bone conduction structure is It is true that sound can be emitted and transmitted normally underwater, but Bluetooth signals cannot stably penetrate water. This is why Shaoyin designed OpenSwim as a bone conduction headphone player rather than a Bluetooth headset.

Open true wireless earphones not only realize the characteristics of bone conduction earphones that do not block the ear canal, but also use better wearing comfort and better sound performance to Bone conduction headphones have achieved a breakthrough. In my opinion, this is actually the main reason why the influence of bone conduction headphones has been eroded by open true wireless in recent years.

High-end flagship bone conduction headphones can still "find their place" with excellent product design, but where is the living space for mid-to-low-end bone conduction headphones?

Picture source: Lei Technology

In my opinion, for In specific subdivided scenarios, giving full play to the advantages of "clear hearing" of bone conduction will be the best chance of survival for entry-level bone conduction headphones. Although open-back headphones are comfortable to wear, there is still the problem of "inaudibility" in noisy scenes. But bone conduction has no such concerns. No matter how noisy the environment is, a qualified bone conduction headset can clearly transmit sound to the user.

This kind of advantage that can only be reflected in specific scenarios is precisely the embodiment of bone conduction headphones focusing on segmented scenarios. In 2024, when open true wireless headphones are becoming more and more common, whether they can seize this last advantage will also be the final test that determines the future fate of entry-level bone conduction headphones. Lei Technology has witnessed the rise and fall of many products, and has output a series of "Epitaph" content such as "TV Box, Die". We do not want to see bone conduction headphones meet such an end, and we hope that they can maintain their stronghold and even rejuvenate. Second spring.

Finally, let’s summarize the evaluation conclusion of Shaoyin OpenMove:

Advantages:

1 . Lower price, same quality;

2. The sound is not affected by the environment;

3. Uses USB-C interface for charging.

Disadvantages:

1. The sound quality is distorted;

2. The workmanship needs to be improved.

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