OpenRock X open-ear air conduction sport earbuds review — Exuding audio excellence

There are so many different kinds of earbuds available. While I’ve had my fair share of them, I’ve never owned a pair with hooks to place around your ears. I also had no clue that the OpenRock X open-ear air conduction sport earbuds were of open-ear design. This proved to be a new experience for me once they arrived at my home, and after getting more familiar with them, I’m thoroughly impressed by what OneOdio has created.

Inside the box you’ll find the OpenRock X open-ear air conduction sport earbuds (hence referred to as OpenRock X), the metal charging case, a keyring, and a short USB-C cable. I love the extremely durable metal case, with a drawer-like design that encapsulates the earbuds. The way it pulls out and displays the OpenRock Xs, I almost feel like I have a Batman gadget in my pocket. It’s stylish, and stays clicked shut, even in your pocket.

Speaking of pocket, it is a bit large, about the size of a small power bank. This makes it a bit of a pain to carry in your pocket, which is why they’ve included a keyring to attach it to your bag or belt loop. I picked up an additional small carrying case OneOdio offers, which definitely fits easier in your pocket although it doesn’t provide the additional charging.

Putting on the OpenRock Xs, the comfort is immediately apparent. These not only fit like a glove, but are light as air to the point you almost forget you’re wearing them. The buds themselves rest over your ear canal rather than inside it, and the dual hinge connecting them to the ear hook allows you to maneuver them correctly to best fit your ears. Like the case, they look fashionable as well and the slim design keeps them from protruding off your ears. I also noticed they don’t interfere with your glasses when wearing them, which is just another plus for the earbuds.

These are connected via Bluetooth to your devices, so they’re not incredibly versatile, but very easy to link to what you’re using them for. For gamers, it may not work out of the box for your PS5 or Xbox Series, but having them for say your Steam Deck or Switch – both consoles that travel with you – is the perfect pairing. Given the portability, the OpenRock X earbuds have been wonderful on the go with these devices, or with the Meta Quest VR headset to keep your head light.

While you might assume the open-ear design would lead to a lot of escaping audio, I’m happy to report it’s the opposite. These earbuds sound outstanding during use, and I haven’t had any complaints of people hearing what I’m listening to. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite, with my tests not bothering anyone or even hearing any of my sound. Beyond just this, the open-ear choice also allows you to be aware of what’s going on around you, something I’ve enjoyed even as a believer in active noise canceling headphones. This is also a good idea for something sold as “sports” earbuds, allowing you to be cognizant of any dangers around if you’re out running.

I’ve already mentioned the fantastic quality of the design, and I’d be remiss not to call out the amazing quality of sound. One of my biggest pet peeves with headphones and headsets is when a company just turns up the volume to give the illusion of good sound. These headsets generally end up with muddy audio, lacking detail. The OpenRock X earbuds on the other hand have a ton of detail to the audio, and I found myself actually turning my phone volume to around the midway point of the slider. For your information, I very rarely get earbuds that sound good that low, usually having to blast the volume to hear much. What OneOdio is doing here is nothing short of tremendous.

Using them to play video games is a natural extension of that. As mentioned above, they work well with the Steam Deck, and I specifically tested them with it using Warhammer 40K: Boltgun. The audio was phenomenal, with plenty of spatial cues even when I wasn’t using the additional spatial audio feature that’s included via the OpenRock app (more on that later). Hearing the stomp of the space marine as I ran around the battlefield blowing aliens to bits is already great, and the OpenRock X earbuds made it even better. Also, the bass in these earbuds is striking, with the customized 14.2mm dynamic driver giving a nice lift to said detail.

Spatial audio is something I tried out on my phone with Warzone Mobile, and to great effect. Footstep audio is paramount to a win in any multiplayer or battle royale game. Knowing where an enemy is coming from via those audio cues can be the difference between gunning down your foe or succumbing to death. I could easily tell where these players were coming from, once even turning completely because of the footstep audio’s detail to win a gunfight. OneOdio might not be designing these specifically for gamers, but they’ll work for gamers in a pinch.

Whether or not you need it, the mics on the OpenRock X earbuds also sound great. There are four beam-forming microphones, and some AI noise cancellation to help you sound clear when communicating. I don’t know that the noise cancellation is great, but in making phone calls and getting feedback on my voice, along with a few recordings, I thought the mics did their job nicely.

We’re at the part of the review where battery life is discussed, and thankfully, there’s not much to talk about. OneOdio advertises up to twelve hours in a charge for the earbuds, and forty-eight total including the charging case. It seems right, as I’ve been using the heck out of them and haven’t had to worry about the battery at all. Take that as you will, but as per usual, if I don’t have to think about charging my earbuds, it’s good enough for me.

Lastly, let’s touch on the OpenRock app. There’s nothing special here. I like having an app just for a few extra benefits and software updates, and that’s here. You can change a few EQ presets (one of which really boosts the bass and is awesome), enable spatial audio (which isn’t good for music), adjust what your button presses on the earbuds do, and more. It also includes a Find My Buds feature, which I love even as someone who always keeps track of his earbuds. The app is a sweet bonus to what is already a stellar product.

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