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Comment by catonmylap | Hacker News Reader

Shokz OpenFit ear phones. I bought them to be able to go running or cycling while listening to music and hear my surroundings. However it doesn't really work, because as soon as there is a little bit of noise around I can't hear the music anymore. A passing car, or a little bit of wind(which happens quite often on a bike) is enough to not hear anything that comes out of them.

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Shokz OpenSwim Pro. Waited for years for these to come out. The jump from 4GB -> 32GB sounds great, until I found out that whatever decoder chip they are using doesnt support folders. So you are expected to put 32gb of mp3's on the device (since bluetooth doesnt work under water when swimming), and then navigate file by file. Insanity.

Could be wrong but I don’t think the OpenFit version is for running or biking - it’s mainly for the gym.

I have the OpenRun version and use it for biking and running and it’s great. I’ve been using these a lot running and I prefer these over my Sony noise canceling over ear headphones. There is just something about being outside and still being connected to surroundings - yes for safety but even beyond that - I just run better with my ears open to the air.

I’ve tried several of the bone conducting variety. Shokz is the easiest to use. They also just released a new version that has even better sound called the OpenRun 2 or something similar and it seems to have an even bigger bone conducting audio device.

The difference is that the OpenFit are not bone conducting, they have speakers which sit over the entry of your ear. And I think that's the reason why they are not really working for me.

Maybe I should give the bone conducting ones a try.

The bone conducting ones are better, but still not great with moderate-high background noise.

I got those and I love them, but that same thing happens to me if my sideburns get in the way of the speakers. It's a good signal to me to get my hair cut.

Mostly, I use them to listen to stuff in the house and still be able to carry on a conversation without having to doff my headphones, just pause whatever I'm listening to! A friend also uses them in a wood shop that doesn't allow headphones, but he listens to podcasts to help get through the day.

I'm sorry they don't fit your use case, and I'll have to keep that in mind as I get back on a bike next year.

Yes, I think for your use case they work fine. I also read a review from a father that watches his kids while listening to things on the OpenFit.

However, outside with noise, I find them unusable.

> A passing car (...) is enough to not hear anything that comes out of them.

Isn't this part kind of the point?

Wondering if he means the thresholds are off. I imagine erring on the side of caution is the smarter thing to do re: liability. Imagine if a cyclist couldn't hear a quieter electric car and turned into its path because the headphones are geared towards a low band pass.

I mean that at one point the surrounding sounds are louder than the music. Of course I could turn the music up, but at one point it's just too loud.

They are just speakers on top of the entry of your ear. So the music competes with the surrounding sounds.

I see — have you tried Jabra? Their in-ear headphones have a great pass-through mode (as well as ANC/others) that work really well for me when I'm running.

No I didn't try them, I might check them out. thanks

I was expecting that the surrounding sounds blend in with the music instead of drowning it out. Like you can hear music coming out of a speaker while a car passes.

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