OneOdio’s OpenRock Pro Wireless OpenEar Air Conduction Earbuds are great for leaving you able to hear what’s going on around you; however, if it’s particularly loud, they’re not quite powerful enough to avoid being drowned out. Neither the buds nor the charging case are exactly tiny either, but the sound quality is surprisingly good – and they last really well.
In the box, you get a manual, a USB-C charging cable, the headphones themselves and a charging case. Neither of these last two are particularly small, but then you do get great battery life.
> Buy the OpenRock Pro Earbuds from OneOdio for £118
Although the headphones are big-ish, they are not heavy and because they don’t go into the ear canal, they are very comfortable to wear. They can be tweaked a bit for fit, though more to stop them falling off your ears rather than getting them closer in. Despite initial expectations, them falling off is not an issue.
Pairing is straightforward too, and just worked on the variety of devices I tried.
OpenOdio says the OpenRock Pros are rated to IPX5, which is fine for this kind of device. Google suggests it’s ‘Considered water-resistant, sweatproof, rainproof, or splashproof but not as fully waterproof.’
Sound
The sound quality is a pleasant surprise. For an over-ear design at this price they punch well above their weight, with a surprisingly good level of bass for what they are.
This design’s main advantage, however, is also its main disadvantage: On the one hand, by leaving your earholes unbunged they don’t block out environmental sounds that many consider vital to staying safe while cycling. They’re also a bit more sociable for home use.
On the other hand, those ambient sounds can seriously compete for volume, and these don’t always quite have the oomph to win. I found these okay for Zwifting with a loud cooling fan on, but in heavy traffic or with wind noise above around 35kph, I found myself not being able to follow a podcast or hear all of the music.
Charging and battery
OneOdio claims up to 19 hours for the headphones on one charge, and up to 46 hours while using the charging case. I’ve been using these for about a month now and have only charged the case once.
Charging is quick, using the supplied USB-C cable. Full charge takes around 90 minutes, but if you’re in a hurry, just five minutes will give you an hour of playtime.
Press the little button on the bottom of the case and an LED indicates charge level: over 50% and the LED is green, 21-50% is orange, and 11-20% is red. Below 10% the LED will flash red five times.
Value
At £118 these are not the cheapest headphones, but against other open-ear or bone-conducting headphones we’ve reviewed, the price is not unreasonable.
The Mojawe Mojo1 wireless bone conduction headphones are close at £129.99, and Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones cost more at £159.95; both suffer from wind noise (or more accurately, don’t stop your ears from suffering it).
Oladance’s Open Ear Headphones are significantly more expensive at £199.99 and don’t come with a battery in the charging case.
Of course you don’t have to spend that kind of money on earphones; the JLab Go Air Sport True Wireless Earbuds cost £39.99 and Stu enjoyed using them, though they do go in your ears and block external sound.
Overall
I like these. They are comfortable, battery life is great and the sound quality is good too. Both the headphones and charging case are bigger than some, but if that’s not an issue for you – but being able to hear traffic is – these are great.
Verdict
Great open-ear headphones with a long battery life, but can get drowned out if it’s really noisy
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road.cc test report
Make and model: OneOdio OpenRock Pro Wireless OpenEar Air Conduction Earbuds
Size tested: One Size
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
OneOdio says: “The open-fit design allows air pressure to stay equalized while ensuring important environmental sounds can still be heard for a safer, more comfortable wearing experience even after long hours of use.
“With an IPX5 waterproof rating and resistance to sweat, dust and moisture, Open Rock Pro is the perfect workout companion for sports, fitness or running enthusiasts.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
OpenOdio says:
Audible Unit: 16.2mm dynamic
Audio decoding: aptX, AAC, SBC
Frequency range: 20Hz – 20kHz
Waterproof rating: IPX5
Battery life: 19hrs (headset only), 46hrs (with charging case)
5-minute charging for 1 hour of play
Full charge duration: 1.5 hours
Charging port: Type C
Rated input: 5 V 400 mA
Support: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
Weight: 13g (single headset), 90g (complete set)
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The open-ear design has advantages and disadvantages; you can still hear what’s going on around you, which is good for cycling (and other sports), but the downside is that in noisy environments what you’re playing can be hard to hear.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Good comfort and music quality, long battery life.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Max volume could be louder to help in noisy environments.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
£120 seems about minimum spend for decent open-ear headphones; if you’re happy to go for in-ear types, than decent cheaper options are available.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
These sound great, are comfortable wear and pairing just works. The only thing that would make them better if is max volume could go just a little louder.
About the tester
Age: 44
I usually ride: All of them! My best bike is: Ribble Endurance SL disc
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, club rides, mtb, Zwift
10 thoughts on “OneOdio OpenRock Pro Wireless OpenEar Air Conduction Earbuds”
Wearing headphones of any
Wearing headphones of any kind while cycling is asking for disaster. The road is a battlefield and you choose to go in unarmed?
ChuckSneed wrote:
Use your eyes!
If you rely just on your ears, then you’re going to be caught out by quieter vehicles, pedestrians etc and to be honest, you’d be a fool to make a maneouvre without looking behind first.
I struggle to hear much
I struggle to hear much downhill with the wind.
Hence using that small mirror you recommended and latterly I got a radar unit.
ChuckSneed wrote:
what?
I don’t wear headphones, I found I couldn’t hear the music over the wind noise when I tried.
ChuckSneed wrote:
Which one is it, Chuck? Are you a hard man or a little crybaby?
The point about open ear
The point about open ear headphones – either this sort or bone conduction ones – is you can still hear the traffic.
This.
This.
Dont the other bone condution
Dont the other bone condution earphones also suffer from the same “drowning out” problem.
Its not clear whether this is just a problem with the nature of the things or genuinely an issue with just this make.
Did any of the previous testers have a go? Otherwise seems a little reviewer subjectivity could be creeping in.
It would also be good to have
It would also be good to have a direct comparison with the Oladance ones (possibly just to find out I’ve overpaid!)
These are not bone conducting
These are not bone conducting.
I attempted to make it clear in my review that the drowning out issue is inherent in their design.
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