I tested these $179 open-ear sports headphones by OpenRock — and they have one big problem

The OpenRock X open-ear headphones from OneOdio are designed for active people and deliver sound via bone conduction. The headphones can fit a wide range of ear sizes with a 50° pivot adjustment and comfortable silicone cuff. But are they some of our best wireless open-ear headphones?  

I tested the OpenRock X as sports open-ear headphones to see if their IPX5 durability rating could make them some of the best running headphones. With no active noise cancellation (ANC), these open-ear headphones could be great for staying aware of your surroundings while running. They have customizable EQ and a sleek, metal charging case with great aesthetics. The 12 hours of rated of battery life is anothe plus.

But for $179, these are not the cheapest open-ear bone conduction headphones. Are they worth the steep price tag? Find out what I thought in this OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review. 

OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A pair of mid-range open-ear headphones.
• Who is it for? Runners, cyclists, people who don’t like the feeling of something inside their ear.
• What does it cost? $179 from Amazon U.S. / £169 from Amazon U.K.
• What do we like? The silicone hook is very comfortable and you can hear ambient sound.
• What don’t we like? Open-ear headphones take a while to get used to if you don’t already own them.

OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review: Specs

OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review: Price & availability

The OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones are $179 from Amazon U.S. and £169 from Amazon U.K. This price places them a good deal cheaper than the Beats Powerbeats Pro ($249), and $20 less than the Beats Fit Pro ($199), which are designed for iPhones. 

But they’re still pretty expensive for open-ear headphones. Our best cheap open-ear headphones are the JLab Go Air Sport buds at only $30. But because the OpenRock X is designed specifically for athletes, it's a more premium product. 

OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review: Design & controls

The OpenRock X open-ear headphones are constructed from high-quality silicone, with a hook that can pivot 50° and a weighty metal charging case. They certainly look and feel like they’re worth $179. When you press down the top of the charging case, the lid opens to reveal a tray with the magnetic headphones slotted inside. I really like these luxury features, which justify the price tag — if you were to go off appearance alone. 

There’s a carabiner and a loop on the opposite side of the charging case for securing cycling packs or running vests while exercising, which is another nice feature, but I don’t know how effective this would be in actuality, as the case is a little too large to slip nicely into a pocket. 

In terms of wear, you can adjust the hook to 50° vertically and 45° horizontally to fit around your ears. The silicone is comfortable on the skin and feels high quality, and the hook sits right around the top of your ear. 

Unfortunately, this is quite uncomfortable for glasses wearers or those with ear piercings. If that’s you, I’d recommend looking for alternative running headphones. Bizarrely, you have to turn each headphone on individually — they don’t switch on together when you compress one side’s button. 

OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review: Features & connectivity

While the OpenRock X open-ear headphones don’t have ANC, this feature isn’t necessary for someone who wants open-ear headphones to hear ambient sounds. The headphones connect via Bluetooth 5.3, which means they have stronger connectivity than the Shokz OpenRun headphones ($129), which run on Bluetooth 5.0.

OpenRock claims that the X open-ear headphones have a proprietary ‘LISO 2.0’ algorithm that creates ‘crystal clear’ sound over the entire frequency spectrum. The headphones are capable of transmitting frequencies from 20Hz - 20kHz, which is merely the standard frequency range for most headphones, so don’t be fooled by the marketing jargon. 

On top of this, OpenRock claims the X over-ear headphones have ‘Bass Direct’, which increases bass quality. When listening to bass-heavy tracks like ‘flight fm’ by Joy Orbison, I didn’t notice an increase in bass level until I customized the EQ settings in-app. In-app, a ‘Find My Buds’ feature emits a twinkling chime-like sound until you stop it. This is a good feature for finding lost buds, but there’s no map location like with AirPods.

OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review: App

The OpenRock X open-ear headphones are controlled via the OpenRock app, which is simple enough to use and has everything you might need, including a manual and product help. You can customize EQ levels and button controls and use the ‘Find My’ feature here. It’s worth a download if you buy these headphones.  

OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review: Audio quality

The OpenRock X headphones are open-ear, so the audio quality will never rival that of an LDAC or ALAC-enabled wireless earbud like AirPods 4 ($129) or Sony WF-1000XM5 ($299).

When listening to the radio, the DJ’s voice sounded a little hissy and muffled. Tracks varying in genres from electronic to soul fail to sound punchy and vibrant through the OpenRock X. While these headphones are intended for sports use, the audio quality could have been better. 

If you simply want a premium-looking pair of open-ear headphones for running and cycling, these could be a good option, but if you care about sound quality, these aren’t worth your money. While the 14mm driver could provide an immersive audio experience, the very nature of open-ear headphones means your eardrum is too far away from the sound to be completely cinematic. The lack of LDAC (Sony’s high-resolution Bluetooth codec) support doesn’t help either. 

While running, the hook struggled to stay around my ear, and I had to readjust the fit many times. Also, during windy runs, the wind practically blew away the sound from the headphones before it could reach my eardrums. While running through busy city streets, I had to turn up the music volume to almost painful levels to hear my tunes over the busy environment. I think it would be better to use in-ear earbuds like the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 ($229) earbuds or the Beats Fit Pro ($199), which will stay in your ears. If you're worried about hearing traffic to stay safe on your runs, worry not. Both the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 earbuds and the Beats Fit Pro earbuds have strong transparency/HearThrough modes.   

For open-ear headphones, an effective wind reduction system is required to prevent extreme sound minimization. Whether this is an open-ear headphone issue or an OpenRock X issue is beside the point — I couldn't hear my music. On top of that, the mid-range and treble sections of ‘nepotism baby’ by Lime Garden sounded flat, tinny, and lackluster. 

Overall, I’m not impressed by the sound quality of these OpenRock X open-ear headphones in any environment except a silent office. 

OpenRock X sports open-ear headphones review: Verdict

If these open-ear headphones were priced more around the $70-$100 mark, I could recommend them based on their luxurious appearance and battery life. However, the very basic task of a headphone is to sound good — and the OpenRock X open-ear headphones don’t. If you're after some good quality active earbuds, check out the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 ($229) earbuds or the Beats Fit Pro ($199) earbuds instead.