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The Shokz OpenRun line of headphones uses bone conduction. Lillian Brown/Business Insider I'm a runner living in a busy, car-filled city, and while I cycle through a few different headphones during workouts throughout the year, Shokz are my favorite option when I'm worried about safety and being able to hear my surroundings. I own a pair of Shokz OpenRun, which go for $130 .
The Shokz OpenRun Pros are the next step up and more expensive, but they're on sale for just $110 at Amazon right now. That's 39% off their standard $180 price tag, just $10 shy of the all-time lowest price. If you have a slightly smaller head and want the mini version of the OpenRun Pros, they're also on sale for $110 (down 31% from $160).
Shokz OpenRun Pro Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones use bone conduction technology, leaving your ear canals open. They're a strong way to enhance safety and situational awareness while exercising in a busy outdoor setting. Anyone slogging through a long training run or bike ride knows how boring it can get without music or podcasts, but exercising in a heavily trafficked area with headphones in is a daunting task when it comes to staying aware of your surroundings.
The Bluetooth-connected Shokz OpenRun line uses an open-ear, wraparound design and bone conduction. With standard headphones, sound travels through the air as waves that enter through your ear canal and make your eardrum vibrate. These vibrations then pass to your cochlea, or inner ear.
Bone conduction uses small transducers to vibrate through the cheekbones and skull to reach the cochlea directly, leaving your ear canals open so you can hear what's around you. I've found the OpenRun headphones particularly helpful while road running in Boston, keeping me aware of cars and bikes coming up behind me while still listening to music. I don't recommend using these headphones for gym workouts (especially at busy, loud gyms with their own music playing) or while flying, but when it comes to outdoor exercise in settings where situational awareness trumps pure sound quality, they're a stellar solution to a common safety problem.
Shokz makes several different models of headphones and earbuds. Lillian Brown/Business Insider The OpenRun Pro deal is the best offer from Shokz right now, but the brand makes several popular models. If you're looking for the absolute latest, there's the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 and the OpenRun Air 2 , along with the OpenSwim line.
If you're shopping for earbuds, the OpenDots or OpenFit are the way to go. The Shokz OpenDots 2 are the top picks in our guides to the best running headphones and best headphones for working out . You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here .
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Click to unsubscribe from email alerts. I'm the Editor of Streaming at Business Insider. A lifelong entertainment and media buff, I specialize in helping you find how to watch your favorite shows, movies, and sporting events.
My areas of expertise My main expertise is in streaming services, television, and film. I've tested nearly every major streaming platform, many of which I've used for several years (and through several rounds of price hikes and rebrands). I evaluate the apps using our comprehensive streaming testing methodologies , examining content, user-friendliness, cross-device compatibility, and other metrics to see how they hold up in an increasingly competitive market.
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I went on to write entertainment features, roundups, and conduct celebrity interviews for publications like Vulture, TV Guide, Esquire, Time, and The Daily Beast before joining Business Insider's Reviews team as a streaming specialist. In my current role, I write about everything from finding the right VPN for watching overseas soccer games to choosing the best streaming service for original TV series. When I'm not writing, I'm editing stories from freelancers or fellow Reviews team members.
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