Shokz (which was renamed from Aftershokz Xtrainerz in Dec 2021) is no new to the bone-conduction headphones industry, with a selection of wireless headphones that are great if you despise the thought of using earbuds but want the flexibility that over-ear earphones don’t allow.
The Shokz OpenSwim (previously known as AfterShokz Xtrainerz) are MP3 earphones instead of wireless, which means no Bluetooth connection and a straightforward design. Depending on what you require from them, this is both a good and a negative thing. Unless you’re a swimmer, give us an additional point and you’ll be overjoyed. Everyone else, on the other hand, might want to think again.
Just a little pricey for what they provide because there’s no Bluetooth and users can’t use them to make or receive calls. These are generally geared at swimmers since they make the most impact when you’re underwater. Although, as previously said, they aren’t headphones for resting at home with, the audio quality is decent for what they offer. The Shokz OpenSwim is clearly aimed towards the energetic swimmer.
Aftershokz Xtrainerz Price:
Shokz OpenSwim is now accessible worldwide. They haven’t experienced any big discounts since their arrival in 2019, with prices starting at $149.95 / £139.95 / AU$219.95. Considering that the Shokz OpenSwim earbuds are a very unique offering in the world of headphones, we don’t expect many reductions in the future, however, having a color scheme to choose from may boost your chances.
Design
The Shokz OpenSwim is a very light swimsuit. They weigh slightly over 1 oz and glide behind your head in such a way that you quickly forget about them. You don’t even have to worry about finding an appropriate fit for your ears because they feature bone-conduction technology. They just sit beside your ears and effectively transmit sound down your bones. If you’ve never used technology like this before, it seems magical in a positive way.
This is especially good for swimming because you won’t be restricted by earphones or worried about their slipping out. Especially when you tuck the Shokz OpenSwim underneath your swim cap to keep it secure.
A charging cradle is included with the headphones. Rather than charging through micro-USB or USB-C, the Shokz OpenSwim earphones need to be plugged into a dedicated charger. It’s simple to set up and a decent way to prevent water from leaking when swimming, but we’re concerned about what would happen if you misplace your charger. If you’re prone to misplacing items, the benefit of using it more conveniently is that you can always locate a replacement (and typically already possess one). However, this might get costly if you’re prone to misplacing things.
Once it relates to the controllers, we like how simple they are. There’s a mode button that allows you to choose which song is on shuffle or repeat, as well as a swimming mode key that enhances your audio. The power and volume/skip buttons are located elsewhere. They’re all tactile and responsive enough without being overly complicated. You may not be very impressed because they are unremarkable, but they do the job.
- Lightweight
- Designed for swimmers
- Great sound quality
- Bluetooth not include
- Bit expensive
Perfomance
It’s a little strange to grade the Shokz OpenSwim on audio quality because it’s reasonable to assume that they aren’t designed to be used in the comfort of your own home. They’re true active headphones, relying on the fact that you want some fantastic background music while swimming instead of expecting someone to be listening for precise mids and other such details.
Because of this, the Shokz OpenSwim performs admirably. When you change to swimming mode, you’ll be surprised to find that you can still hear crisp music while splashing around. We’re not persuaded that anything has been done especially well, but the subwoofer sounds adequate, which is just what you require.
There’s no way to alter things about or tweak the EQ, with the only exception being the Mode button, which does a little something different. The Shokz OpenSwim does not have Bluetooth capability, as we have often said. When you’re swimming, it’s insignificant, but it would have been beneficial when you’re not.
The earbuds support MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, and FLAC and can transfer files via your PC or Mac. Because your computer recognizes the earphones as a 4GB external hard drive, it’s quite simple to perform.
The slide is also a little unwieldy. It chooses tunes at random, so even if you’ve used up all of the 4GB disk storage, you may find yourself listening to the same song over. Its battery life is average at eight hours, which is sufficient for a couple of long swims and some sessions while traveling between sites.
