OpenRock is now a well-known name in the tech audio market, even though it is a relatively young brand as it has only been on the scene since around 2021. However, in this short period of time, OpenRock has established itself as an audio brand for all sports and fitness enthusiasts with the aim of offering earphones to take with you during any activity, ensuring a secure fit without compromising sound quality. So today I propose to you in review the new OpenRock S2, characterized by a rich and deep sound, always leaving the perception of hearing what is happening around you. They are the first headphones in the world, or at least among the first, to offer the new Bluetooth 6.0 and I will tell you about my experience obtained from over 2 weeks of testing.
English: It's not the first pair of "open" earphones that I've tested, but the OpenRock S2 immediately proved to be ultra comfortable, ideal for any situation and their design, that is to say to filter the sound just enough to perceive the surrounding environment, I particularly liked because compared to similar products, here the listening volume is well calibrated and therefore even at maximum volume I was able to really perceive what was happening around me. I skipped over the unboxing chapter, as in the sales package we only find the earphones with the relative charging case and the user manual. The charging cable is not included either, which must have a Type-C plug, but I don't see this as a shortcoming. It is now common practice not to include battery chargers in the smartphone package so why include yet another cable inside the earphone package when you can use the thousand cables you have at home thrown away in the drawer?
My first impression of the OpenRock S2, once removed from the box, was that of a pair of well-made true wireless earphones. The case itself feels good, with this semi-finished plastic with some shiny inserts and a roughness typical of rugged products. The lid is well made with a very sturdy hinge. The headphones have a design that includes a hook to secure them around the ears, designed to help them stay in place regardless of the activity. And right after wearing them, I immediately noticed OpenRock's commitment to providing a pair of earphones that are decidedly comfortable to wear, with a soft and pleasant-to-touch material, which avoids unpleasant sensations on the skin after long uses or when sweating begins to become significant.
Always on the hook, in the final part, the brand has inserted a button that will allow us to manage with click or long press both the music and call controls and this is a great convenience because by avoiding the touch, not only will you have a better accuracy of the command given even with sweaty hands but you will avoid involuntary touches and above all you will avoid the small taps on the ear that are really annoying in certain conditions, perhaps while you are relaxing on the sofa/bed. The main part of the earphone that houses microphones and speakers is connected via a thin and flexible (but sturdy) layer of liquid silicone. This helps to fix the earphones to the back of the ear.
While the basic open-ear nature doesn’t allow for a very compact size, the OpenRock S2 are actually some of the most compact open-back headphones you can find on the tech market. The charging case is small enough to fit in your pants pockets and shorts, making them easy to carry without putting pressure on your leg with certain movements. Another really important detail about these earphones is their weight, which is quite contained at just 7 grams, making them the lightest earphones OpenRock has ever produced. Plus, being so light means you don’t have to worry about them shifting or becoming uncomfortable after a long period of use. What’s interesting is that OpenRock designed the S2 earphones so that the weight is evenly distributed 50/50 across the ear. This way, the front and back sections of each earphone weigh about 3,5 grams each. It’s a pretty ingenious design that ensures that one part of the earphone doesn’t feel heavier than the other. This also helps ensure that the earphones stay put. They are also sweat resistant, so you can sweat as much as you want while wearing them.
No matter how comfortable a pair of true wireless earbuds are, no matter how good they sound, if the battery life is terrible, you're less likely to use them. That's not a problem for the S2, which can last up to 8 hours on a single charge. If you forgot to charge them, they only take 5 minutes to get an hour of music, which is more than ideal for a workout run. A full charge takes about 90 minutes. There's no wireless charging, but in my opinion that's not the end of the world and I don't find that a deterrent to buying them, instead pointing out that the battery life is excellent, as is the comfort and fit, a combination of factors that allows you to use them all day without problems, without redness on the back of the ear or the inside of the ear starting to pulsate like happens with in-ear earphones. The S2 are also very secure: I tried to slide them off my ears and they didn't move.
This makes the earphones ideal for any activity that requires a lot of movement. I took them with me on a few runs, trying to shake my head vigorously for a few seconds to see if they would loosen, and they stayed in place. Basically, an ideal solution for many of us who, like me, wear our earphones while eating to watch videos on our phones. The problem with many earphones I've used is that chewing during meals often causes the earphones to loosen to the point of falling out. Ok, that's all very nice, but how do the OpenRock S2 sound? As anticipated, we can manage the controls for listening to multimedia content directly with the physical button with single, double and triple click (but also 4 which I'll tell you about shortly) but we also have the long press for further actions, however only this last command can be customized via the companion app available for Android and iOS. We can therefore skip tracks, pause and play music, answer or end calls but it is also possible to adjust the volume directly from the earphones, just to name a few commands.
But the OpenRock S2 also offer a feature that has never been seen on similar products: you can use these earbuds as a remote shutter for your phone’s camera. With the physical buttons on the earbuds, you can activate your phone’s camera to take a photo hands-free. This is especially useful when you’re using a tripod with your phone or leaning it against something so that it’s upright or tilted so you can be in the photo, perhaps to take a selfie while you’re running the New York Marathon. Of course, the camera app must be open for this to work properly: four quick taps on the button and the photo is taken immediately.
The basic sound comes out with a setting that focuses on a greater emphasis on the bass, with less consistent mids and highs. The preset modes allow you to enjoy different musical genres but you can customize the equalization curve based on your listening preferences and musical genre. However, you can also use the spatial sound mode, which transforms the sound as if you were at a live performance, as well as use the maximum volume limiter. Personally, I have not used this function but it can be useful if you are afraid of damaging your hearing due to too high volumes. You can also balance the sound between the right and left ear, in short, functions that are not found on other earphones. But above all, thanks also to the Bluetooth 6.0 module that the OpenRock S2 enjoy, you can enable the high resolution mode (Hi-Res) or use the LDAC codec for greater quality and have the multipoint connection, thus offering the opportunity to pair and use the headphones with two devices at the same time. However, I must point out that it is not possible to activate the spatial sound and the high resolution mode at the same time.
Unfortunately, the quality of the microphones during calls is in line with expectations. In standard conditions, home or office use, the voice captured and returned to our interlocutor is excellent but in sports, with a headwind or with loud voices in the background, the S2 are not able to clean our voice from the context or suppress background noise. A flaw? It depends, after all if we think of sports use, calls should not belong to sports activity, in short let me run in peace without the stress of calls. OpenRock uses the technology called BassDirect to improve the bass without dispersing the sound. So, what you are left with is a rich sound that can explode at the right moment.
We have come to the million-dollar question: are the OpenRock S2 earphones worth buying? Are they worth the expense at around 70 euros? In short, I would say yes, they are worth it. Those who love the freedom of open sound and want a sporty model that remains stable even during the most intense workouts should definitely try them. Not only because of the price, but also because of their secure and comfortable fit, as well as their unmistakable sound. They are also perfect for those who want ultra-light earphones. The OpenRock S2 are well-made earphones, with an optimal fit and an innovative design.
