Review of AfterShokz OpenComm headset
The first big thing about this headset is that it does not have a speaker to transmit sound. Instead it uses a bone conduction pad in front of your ear that transmits sound via vibrations. This leaves your ear free, which helps you keep your situational awareness.
To start off what comes in the box:
- AfterShokz OpenComm headset
- Hard-shell case
- Proprietary magnetic charging cable
- Some paper handouts
The first think I did was to charge the OpenComm so that I could really put it through it’s paces. I would normally start complaining at this point about having to use a proprietary charging cable but the magnetic connection the charging cable uses is fantastic. The charger is literally pulled to the port with little effort making it easy to charge.
The first hurdle I had to get through was to wait for the headphones to charge. I think this is the first product that I have received in a long time that was not charged before I got it.
While the OpenComm is charging let’s talk a little bit about the setup. It’s a one size fit all type of arrangement. Which is not as bad as it sounds. The band that connects the two ear units is flexible and pretty light weight.
On the right side you have most of the controls and the charging port. The controls consist of the volume up, volume down and the multifunction button. the multifunction button on the conduction pad, and the volume controls are on the underside
The left side only houses the boom mic. The mic can swivel back and out of the way if you are listening to music or just want it out of the way. Unfortunately moving the mic does not cause the mic to be muted. I think this was a real misstep by AfterShokz which I hope they fix in future models.
Once the OpenComm was charged I immediately pared it to my computer following the short instructions that came in the box. To par the OpenComm and in fact to turn them on you have to use the volume up buttons. Not the big orange multifunction button on the side. Again a misstep but one that can be overlooked.
One the OpenComm was pared, I was ready to give it a try. I have to admit I was really excited to see how this headphones worked. I have been keeping an eye on the bone connective technology for years. I wanted to try bone connecting headphones but it never worked out.
Which was probably a shame if any of the ones I looked at in the past were actually as good as the OpenComm. The sound is clear and the noise canceling mic worked great.
I have been using a number of different headphones and ear buds over the past year to try to find what worked best in my Zoom and Teams meetings. I would forever have problems with dropped sounded or the mic picking up background noise. None of that was a problem with the OpenComm. I could hear the conversations clearly and the mic effectively eliminated background noise.
The other important thing is comfort. I have using the OpenComm for a little over two weeks. I have been initially wearing them eight hours a day. I do not get the fatigue like I get from wearing other headphones. So these are definitely good for all day usage.
The good think is that the battery can take it. At a listed 16 hours, the battery last way longer than the average work day. I have not ran a batter test, but with my habit of charging after work and I have never ran out of charge during the day.
I would also like to point out that after a week of using the OpenComm, I was searching the AfterShokz website when I say this headset supports multipoint connection. I was shocked and tried it out immediately. I am happy to say it works fine. I can connect to two different devices simultaneously. Of course you can only hear one device at a time it is still a very nice feature to have and one that should be documented better. I should not have had to accidently found the convoluted process of paring on the company’s website.
As with all things there are some short falls. Luckily or unluckily the OpenComm’s short fall is it’s software. The on board software can not be updated and it is just enough to get by. It reminds me of the type of connection you would find on a headset four to five years ago.
Even with the bad software the hardware more than makes up for it and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
For those of you who have tried AfterShokz OpenComm put your comments below. I look forward to hearing other people’s opinions.