OpenRock X Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds Review – You Come At The King, You Best Not Miss
Received the OpenRock X free and unsolicited from the company for my review. Check here for the product page. You find coupon codes below.
I spent last week in Florida with little more than a pair of flip flops and my trusty $40 Tozo Open EarRing buds and found myself, sonically at least, perfectly contented. Likewise, my spouse almost never removed her $50 Baseus Eli Sport 1 buds (review here), which create quite a racket by open-ear standards. The ultimate question, then, is whether the considerably pricier ($169) OpenRock X bring enough to the party to justify the premium.
The X are certainly well-packaged, with a brick-like alloy charging case which is impressively built but too large for pocketability and somewhat fiddly to use (you need to slide out the sticky battery compartment and return the buds to the top and the bottom). 12 hour battery life, however, is best-in-class.
Connectivity was instantaneous, and the OpenRock app is well-conceived; ignore the typically horrible presets and use the custom EQ function. I especially like the use of physical control buttons on the buds in lieu of unreliable touch panels; for a change I avoided accidental turnoffs or volume spikes.
The OpenRock X also have a clever hinge which allows you to swivel the earpieces up, down and sideways. It works pretty well, but could use a broader range of adjustability; depending upon your ear shape the buds may sit slightly above (rather than right over) your ear canals. Something like the dual-axis design on the Tozo 02 OpenBuds permits a more customized fit. The X is also marginally heavier than its peers; they’re very comfortable but you won’t forget you have them on.
Soundwise, the Openrock X excel in several respects. First, they have an unusually wide stage with excellent stereo spread and a lot of space between performers; imaging is extremely accurate for an open-ear and these wholly avoid congestion. Second, they reproduce drums and percussion with surprising accuracy; transient responses are quick and you can hear the subtle differences between kick drums, snares, etc.
Finally, they present a full, clear midrange which really highlights male vocals. Tonality is neutral (neither bright nor warm); it’s not as natural-sounding as comparable Oladance but very pleasant and they’re coherent, without spikes or drop-offs in frequency. They aren’t as detailed or revealing at the high end as ring-style buds like the aforesaid EarRing or Sanag, but quite good nonetheless.
My quibbles are comparatively minor. Their volume output is more than adequate, but the treble tends to lose composure and sound a little spiky and shrill when maxed out. Also, while bass is well-shaped and ample in quantity, it misses the lowest notes—compared to something like the Soundpeats PearlClip (review here) or the aforesaid Baseus, the X is laid-back and won’t throb and punch, although the X is the more refined listen.
The OpenRock X are unquestionably a well-executed product which ranks at the top in battery life and soundstaging; you also have to appreciate the obvious attention to design, build quality and materials. That said, I can’t help but to feel that OpenRock would broaden its appeal by utilizing a smaller, simpler case design, cutting down on the packaging and charging a few bucks less (I notice that open-box samples are going for $90-100 on Ebay, which seems about right).
OTOH, mainstream players like Bose and Shokz seem to prosper at the same or higher pricepoints, so maybe my intuition is ill-founded. The OpenRock X is deserving of success in any event and if you wanna buy ‘em I wouldn’t discourage you.
Openrock provide the following product links and discount codes:
10% Code: OPENX10
Website: https://reurl.cc/96KVWx
20% Discount Code: G4WQOYWI
Sadly, we don’t get any of the proceeds for providing links; we’ve probably left millions of yen on the table since our inception.
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