If you’ve been looking for a pair of headphones that are not as big as regular headphones or do not block external sounds entirely like wireless earbuds, then this product is definitely for you.
Today we are taking a look at these open-ear air-conduction headphones by OneOdio called the OpenRock S. If you’ve been following our blog we’ve done a decent number of audio product reviews throughout the years and we are always on the search for the perfect audio gear. It looks like we’ve found something that fits the bill very well.
Open-ear headphones? What are those?
If you’re new to the open-ear headphones concept, they basically push the sound into your ears from outside. Unlike regular earbuds that go in your ears and blast music directly into your ear canals, open-ear headphones either use the ear’s outside bone or surrounding air to deliver sounds to your ear canals without any discomfort. You can learn more about how they work here.
Whenever we think of headphones, we always think of a big chunky pair of headphones that goes around the head and are a nightmare to wear during summer.
Well, not anymore, these open-ear air-conduction headphones are different. In fact, they’re an improvement over bone conduction headphones which have been around for a decade.
As the name suggests, these headphones use surrounding air to deliver sound to your ears without causing any discomfort to the ear canal. Plus, they’re open-ear so there’s no blocking the environmental sounds.
Let’s have a quick rundown of the specs:
- Open ear design with adjustable ear hook
- 60 hours of battery life
- Four mics with AI-powered electronic noise cancellation
- Two EQ modes
- Bluetooth 5.3 support
- IPX5 Waterproof
- TubeBass technology that delivers excellent bass for open-ear headphones
- 16.2mm dynamic drivers
- Comes in two colors: black and cream color
Enough about the specs, let’s jump into the review of OpenRock S and find out whether they’re the most value-for-money open-ear headphones money can buy.
What’s in the box?
In an age of smaller product boxes, OneOdio did not hold back in the box size. We get a hefty box with a bunch of features mentioned on the back of the box. Here’s a look at what comes inside:
- Instruction manual and how to wear guide,
- Charging case with a pair of air-conduction headphones
- A USB-A to USB-C charging cable
Design
The Case
The most notable thing while testing the OpenRock S air conduction headphones was the charging case’s size and design. If you’re used to the smaller cases of AirPods Pro or Samsung Galaxy Buds then the OpenRock S’s charging case will be a surprise for you. It’s sleeker and taller in design. It’s eerily similar to a sunglasses case but flatter. No doubt, they will easily slide into your pockets or even a MacBook sleeve.
The Buds
The overall design and feel of the case are premium ensuring it looks like an expensive pair of earbuds. It comes in two colors black and cream and I personally love the cream color’s aesthetics. The case has a USB-C port on the rear and a battery indicator LED strip along the front of the lip.
After opening up the case, we’re greeted by the OpenRock S open-ear headphones. They’ve got plastic all over them with a matt finish. This gives it a sleek and minimalistic look.
It’s got two microphones on each of the earphones with the OpenRock logo. Then you’ve got the ear hooks which lets you adjust the fit of the OpenRock S. I have slightly larger ears and I found the OpenRock S to be very easy to adjust to my comfort. This is something I’ve particularly struggled with, even with some flagship headphones and earbuds.
User Experience & Comfort
Ease of use and setup
Moving on to the most intriguing part of my review of the OpenRock S. Setting up the headphones is super easy and since there’s no app (more on this later) it takes less than two minutes to get it rocking. The ear hooks offer plenty of scope for adjustment for all kinds of head and ear sizes.
In terms of user interaction, there are no physical buttons that you can press. It uses touch capacitive buttons. Here’s how it works:
- Double tap to pause or play / answer or decline a call,
- Hold the left and right buttons to cycle tracks forward and backward respectively,
- Triple tap to enable voice assistant, and
- Hold both buttons for two seconds to swap between EQ modes.
The touch capacitive buttons might be a deal breaker for some but I personally prefer touch buttons over physical buttons. Pressing physical buttons affects the fit of the headphones. Sadly, you cannot adjust the volume using the buttons on the headphones.
The OpenRock S open-ear headphones are super useful for activities where you need environmental sounds like whenever you’re riding a bike or running outside. Since it’s IPX5 Water-Resistant, you don’t need to worry about sweating.
Some other use cases include walking around the office so you’re never missing out on those awkward workplace conversations as well as your podcasts.
Did I mention that it’s got Bluetooth 5.3? It allows the OpenRock S to be a more power-efficient Bluetooth headphone with a longer range.
App support
There’s no app that allows you to make EQ adjustments or change features. Some users like to tinker with their devices but I personally prefer staying away from the apps for devices that I want to use across multiple operating systems. If you plan to use it with different devices like a
Windows laptop or Mac, Android device, iPhone, or even a smartwatch. The lack of app support makes it super simple. To be honest, factoring in the price tag of the headphones, the lack of app support is not a dealbreaker.
Battery
The battery life of the OpenRock S is the brightest star of the show. A single charge promises a 19-hour run along with 41 hours of battery support from the charging case. We took that for a ride and it delivered over 18 hours of juice on a single charge. Similarly, the case did not disappoint either, we had to extend our review period because the case fully charged the headphones twice. That’s almost 60 hours of playback!
In terms of charging, a 5-minute QuickCharge would get you over an hour of playback. Furthermore, it takes less than two hours to fully charge the headphones as well as the case from 0 to 100%.
Performance
Music, Videos & Podcasts
OneOdio has been known for delivering value-for-money audio products at an unbeatable price and the OpenRock S is no different. Thanks to the BassTube technology and OneOdio’s dynamic algorithm, the OpenRock S hits all the right notes.
Putting it through the different music genre tests we learned that OneOdio’s OpenRock S offers a wider soundstage with more clarity for open-ear headphones. Thanks to the long-lasting battery, we easily went through two weeks without getting the low battery notification.
We further pushed our tests with podcasts in different formats on YouTube & Spotify.
Our findings conclude that the OpenRock S is suitable for most media forms that focus on vocals and deliver warmer tones. Talking about the bass, we initially noticed that the bass felt a bit held back. We later changed the EQ mode from Relaxed to default (Rock) mode and we noticed a significant bass boost with more punchy mids. The Relaxed mode is suitable for wearing for long hours whenever you’re walking around the house running errands or even at the office. It’s not heavy on the ears and lets in plenty of environmental sounds. So, you won’t miss out on any package deliveries or office calls.
The Rock mode is suitable for your gym workouts, runs, etc. It delivers vivid sound quality in most genres.
Call Quality
The OpenRock S is hands down one of the best-sounding open-ear headphones when it comes to call quality. I tested it in a bunch of different environments from a busy front desk office to a bustling mall and I could clearly hear the caller’s voice and vice versa.
Do note, that it’s no AirPods Pro, so there’s no Active Noise Cancellation but for the price tag, it’s a total bang for your buck. It uses AI with the built-in four mics to deliver best-in-class Electronic Noise Cancellation. We even tried to push our luck by testing it in the bustling streets of one of the most jam-packed cities in the world and it did a respectable job of blocking out the noise.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for an open-ear air-conduction headphone that delivers the most value-for-money performance, the OpenOdio OpenRock S is the perfect choice. It’s got all the basics right without any compromise on the looks and build quality. All thanks to the large 16.2mm dynamic driver and tube-based technology which delivers a vivid and clear auditory experience across the board. Plus, the call quality is so good that I’d recommend you get this based on call quality performance alone.
So, should you buy the OpenRock S? If you’re new to the open-ear headphones world and don’t want to break the bank, these are absolute bangers. For less than $100, we get premium-looking air-conduction headphones that offer a 60-hour battery life, IPX5 water resistance, and a best-in-class call quality experience with a solid auditory performance. OneOdio has outdone itself at this one.
Check Price on Amazon(Special Cyber Monday Discount!)
Update: OpenRock by OneOdio is currently running a Black Friday Cyber Monday sale. You can learn more about it here.
