Shokz, known for their bone conduction technology, recently launched their OpenSwim Pro open-ear headphones, boasting a sonic experience you can take underwater with you.
When I first heard about this technology, I was intrigued, but did not expect to be blown out of the water (no pun intended). For those unfamiliar with bone conduction technology, it operates by transmitting sound vibrations through the bones directly to your inner ear. While the tech is relatively new, the technique has been known since the time of Beethoven. He would hold a metal pipe between his teeth and touch it to the piano to help him hear what he composed.
These earphones do not fit inside the ear, but rather sit against your cheekbones and transmit sound vibrations through the bones directly to your inner ear. While the technology sounded interesting, I was unsure how well they would fare underwater, which is their key selling point.
As with sneakers, smartwatches, and moisture-wicking athletic wear, products originally designed for sports can also offer numerous advantages for everyday use. I decided to switch out my regular earphones for the Shokz OpenSwim Pro for the week. I wore them while going on walks, runs, and of course, while swimming. Here’s my verdict:
I was definitely impressed when I put them on. They were easy to wear, extremely light (27.3g to be exact), and comfortable enough for all-day use. Long hours of calls? Shokz OpenSwim Pros are your friend, keeping you aware of your environment, while affording good call quality and avoiding ear pain or fatigue by the end of the day.
For music lovers and musicians who live their lives with earphones and headphones, the Shokz OpenSwim Pros offer a moderate solution to over-exposure to loud sounds, allowing users to listen to their favorite tracks at reasonable volumes without the fear of hearing loss or tinnitus.
Audio quality-wise, however, there is a clear difference in experience. With bone conduction technology, the mode of conducting sound itself is unlike standard in-ear devices. The range of frequencies is conducted and transmitted in a way that affects how you experience the sound.
The OpenSwim Pro headphones boast a 20Hz-20KHz frequency range similar to Apple’s AirPods Pro. But since you hear the OpenSwim Pro through your bones and not the ear canal, the experience of the sound is distinct. The lower frequencies literally vibrate through your bones, so heavy metal at a high volume can feel a little bothersome on your skin, since you feel vibrations more than you hear them.
If you like music playing as a background score as you go about your daily task list, this is a good option to help you stay conscious of the present while still enjoying your playlist. But because you can hear the environment, it doesn’t do very well in loud scenarios. For example, being stuck in a rickshaw or a traffic jam is definitely not a clean listening experience.
As sports headphones, however, the Shokz OpenSwim Pros are excellent, since you can pretty much run in rain or any weather condition, and still listen to music while being completely aware of your surroundings, all while not having to worry about your headphones falling off. For those who hate the hassle of cueing music on their phones in the middle of a workout, it has an MP3 mode, which comes with an internal storage capacity of 32GB, allowing you to store roughly 8,000 MP3s, or fewer FLACs.
However, the MP3 mode does bring up some concerns, since most of us listen to music through streaming platforms. There’s no way currently to transfer songs saved on your phone via your streaming service to your headphones, which brings up an ethical dilemma for the listener as to where they can get their music from. While Shokz has tried to give users some options on how they can download music, this is surely an area of improvement. Without the streaming services having some form of an understanding with Shokz, I don’t see how this would be possible.
Now, when I heard you can swim in these headphones, I knew I had to try it. Who hasn’t taken a swim and thought how great it would be to be able to listen to music underwater? First off, they have an IP68 rating, which means they can be used at up to 2 meters depth for 2 hours, so there’s no need to worry that they might go bad if you stay in the water too long. To enjoy your OpenSwim Pros underwater, you would have to put your headphones in MP3 mode, since Bluetooth doesn’t work underwater, adjust your EQ to swimming mode, and use the earplugs provided with the device.
I plugged in my earplugs, put on my headphones, and took the plunge. The sonic range it could hold underwater was surprisingly immersive, almost like listening through earbuds. It’s about 80 percent there, which is a huge plus compared to swimming in silence. That alone makes it a great option for professional and casual swimmers alike. The built-in button controls are also a handy touch, offering specific button combinations to help you easily navigate your playlist and go through different folders in your storage files.
The Shokz OpenSwim Pro Open-Ear Headphones also come with a cute travel case that makes it easy to carry them in your bag, along with a charging and data transfer cable that lets you quickly move music from your laptop to the headphones. They also work surprisingly well when lying down, even on your side, which is usually annoying with traditional earphones or earbuds.
That said, there are a few downsides. They aren’t particularly effective in very loud environments above 90dB (though to be fair, they’re not designed for such settings). It also takes a bit of getting used to; if you’re sensitive to vibrations on your face, this might not be the right fit for you, though most users adjust after a few days. Finally, transferring MP3s can be a bit of a hassle, especially since you’ll need to manually find, download, and organize your music files.
The Swim Pro Open-Ear Headphones are available at Amazon at ₹17,999/-
Prashin Jagger is a photographer/filmmaker/creative director who has been documenting the Indian music industry for over 13 years, and watching it evolve from behind his lens.
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