On April 11 last year, Shokz officially launched the first product of the open-earphone comfort zone series - Shokz OpenFit, whose excellent sound quality performance and wearing experience make the author remember it vividly, and will be worn and used in daily office. And after a year, on April 12, 2024, Shokin officially brought the second open product of the series - Shokin OpenFit Air.
Judging from the name, this brand-new product may be the "youth version" of the first generation of products, or it can be said to be the first product of the sub-flagship series, so what is the difference between it and the "predecessors"?
Family-style design, comfortable to wear for a long time
The first is its appearance. If OpenFit's headphone compartment is a more rounded square, then the Shokin OpenFit Air is a more rounded rectangle. And in terms of color matching, Glacier White is really white and clear, unlike OpenFit's version called Warm Sun White, the actual look and feel color is close to ivory. In addition, in addition to the classic black and white, a new cherry blossom pink color is added, such a fresh color scheme that complements the Air suffix.
After opening the earphone compartment, you will see the earphones weighing only 8.7g, and because they are ear-hung structure, the earphones are still placed in the X style in the charging compartment. Therefore, although it is 0.3g heavier than the "predecessor" OpenFit single ear, the author basically feels that there is no difference, and it is still light and insensible when worn for a long time, and it will not bring excess burden to the ears.
As the second product in the Comfort Circle series, comfort is naturally the top priority of this headset. Compared with in-ear headphones, which will put pressure on the ear canal, resulting in a falling sensation, swelling, itching, etc., if you wear Shokin OpenFit Air, which continues the comfort gene of the flagship OpenFit, then these problems will basically be solved.
First of all, the Shokin OpenFit Air open-back earphones use the first air-type earhook, which can adapt to different kinds of ear shapes, truly achieving "thousands of people and thousands of shapes", soft and elastic fit. In addition, the Shokin OpenFit Air superimposes non-slip soft silicone on the surface of the earphones, especially in the part close to the ear, which is soft and skin-friendly.
Secondly, the swelling and itching caused by wearing in-ear headphones for too long are caused by the earphones plugged into the ear canal, while the Shokin OpenFit Air adopts an open, in-ear design, so naturally this kind of problem will not occur, allowing the ears to "breathe" freely. In addition, this in-ear design can also perceive outdoor environmental sounds in real time, and in scenarios with many uncertain factors such as large traffic flow, it can ensure that users can obtain all the conditions of the surrounding environment in time to prevent accidents.
Finally, regular in-ear headphones can easily be lost and fall off during more strenuous workouts. At the same time, inside the earhook, the Shokin OpenFit Air uses a flexible titanium wire material, which can adapt to the wearing needs of different ear shapes, and the wearing is stable, and it will not loosen and slip off during strenuous activities.
High-quality sound, open and no sound leakage
For users who are accustomed to in-ear earbuds, the impression of open-back headphones may still be that the sound quality is ordinary, the sound insulation is not good, and there may be embarrassment of sound leakage in public places. The launch of our flagship product, OpenFit, last year subverted our traditional stereotypes. Shokin OpenFit Air continues the technical foundation of the flagship product and adopts the solution of directional sound field + dynamic low frequency enhancement.
The first is the directional sound field, which is a kind of sound field with specific directionality, generally using two or more sound sources, and the sound sources should be placed according to a certain topology, so as to control the amplitude difference and phase difference between different sound sources, so as to control the intensity and weakness of the sound pressure distribution in the space, and achieve a specific spatial directivity. Therefore, the Shokin OpenFit Air can accurately transmit sound without entering the ear, and ensure the privacy of the sound of the earphones.
In the actual experience, the author adjusted the volume of the headphones to 50%, which is my daily listening habit, but when I took off the headphones, at a distance of about 30 cm in front of me, I basically couldn't hear the sound in the headphones, so the sound leakage and Shokin OpenFit Air did not have any intersection.
In terms of sound quality, everyone's preferences and preferences are different, and for the author, clarity and transparency are what I value the most. Because clarity is the foundation, and transparency will make the sound have a sense of impact through the braincase, in these two aspects, the author thinks that there is nothing wrong with the performance of the Shokin OpenFit Air.
Otherwise, the earbuds can last up to 6 hours in a single use, and 28 hours with the charging case. And it also supports fast charging, which can be used for 2 hours after 10 minutes of charging, so you don't have to worry about forgetting to charge the earbuds and causing them to be unusable. At the same time, Shokin OpenFit Air also supports dual MIC call noise reduction. Therefore, OpenFit is also suitable for office scenarios such as online meetings and business calls.
Write at the end
In general, the Shokin OpenFit Air, as the second product of the comfort zone series, is also the one for a wider consumer group. In the case of Shokin OpenFit Zhuyu in front, this Air has not been overshadowed, but has performed on par with its "predecessors". Although it is not as good as the flagship product Shokin OpenFit in terms of hardware and technology, it performs very well in both wearing comfort and sound quality.
In addition, the IP54 rating for water and sweat resistance makes the headphones suitable for most light sports outdoors and indoors. At the same time, its fashionable appearance and the advantages of no sense of wearing can also be used at home. Therefore, whether you are a white-collar worker who loves sports in the workplace or an entertainment expert who is avid about watching dramas, this Shokin OpenFit Air all-scene headphones can meet your needs.