The Best Open Air Headphones For 2024

Tim Powers By, Tim Powers
Updated
Best Open Air Headphones
Best Open Air Headphones

The Rundown

1. Best Of The Best: AfterShokz Aeropex - Open-Ear Headphones

AfterShokz Aeropex - Open-Ear Headphones are the first and only headphones that allow you to hear the world around you while they give you bone-conduction audio. These headphones are lightweight, super comfortable, and can be worn for 8 continuous hours of music or podcasts without taking them off. Read Review

2. Best Bang For The Buck: Philips Audio Fidelio X2HR Over-Ear Open-Air Headphone

The Philips Fidelio X2HR Headphones are a stunning pair of headphones that offers high-quality sound and incredible comfort. The ear shells are engineered double layered with pre-tilted speaker plates so that the sound is in your sweet spot, and they’re also designed with an open-back acoustics architecture to offer the best listening experience possible. Read Review

3. Best Easy To Use: Shokz OpenRun Pro - Premium Headphones

We all know the pain of in-ear headphones, but we also know the joy of experiencing premium audio through your cheekbone. With our Bud-Free design, these wireless headphones are lightweight and stable during intense training thanks to our lightweight wraparound titanium frame. In addition, sports enthusiasts will be able to take 10 hours of music or calls on these buds without worrying about ear fatigue. Read Review

4. Best Connectivity: AfterShokz Air Headphones

AfterShokz Air Headphones are the most comfortable and durable headphones on the market. Hear your surroundings, play and pause your tunes, and answer calls with just a tap. With patented bone conduction technology, you can listen to your surroundings without blocking them out with earbuds or headphones that rest on or in your ears. Read Review

5. Best Comfortable: Shokz OpenMove Headphones

The Shokz OpenMove Headphones provide unmatched comfort and balance, with an earbud-free design that prevents ear fatigue. Enjoy six continuous hours of music, calls, and podcasts on a single charge with headphones. With our Bluetooth connectivity, you can easily switch between devices including your phone or tablet. The High Sound Quality means you'll be able to listen to your favorite songs and hear conversations clearly without disturbing others around you. Read Review

The best open-air headphones aren’t just fabulous for listening to music and podcasts while doing activities like jogging or biking. They’ll even let you take calls and listen to your favorite audiobooks while working in the yard or hanging out on the porch. In other words, they’re a must-have if you want your phone calls, podcasts, and audiobooks to be private.

Thankfully, there are several options available when shopping for open-air headphones. Here we'll go over everything you need to know before making your purchase so that you can find the perfect pair of headphones with minimal fuss.

Our team spent about 15 hours researching, sifting, and selecting many high-quality models. As an outcome, the best open-air headphones are AfterShokz Aeropex - Open-Ear Headphones. In addition to the other suggestions on this list, which equally deserve your consideration, we have also compiled a helpful buyer's guide to help you make your decision.

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 AfterShokz Aeropex - Open-Ear Headphones
Our Score:
9.9
Aftershokz

Wireless Convenience - Easy multipoint Bluetooth pairing with iOS and Android Bluetooth-ready devices. Multifunction Button to play, pause, skip, activate voice assistant, answer calls, etc. with one click.

Open-Ear Design - Patented bone conduction headphones deliver premium audio through the cheekbone. Unlike over ear headphones, Aeropex keeps you connected and aware of your surroundings.

8-Hours of Music & Calls - Enjoy 8 continuous hours of music or podcasts, plus dual noise-canceling mics for crystal clear calls.

IP67 Waterproof Rating - Completely sweat and waterproof earphones for workouts, fitness and running. Moisture detection alert included for safe charging. (Not suitable for swimming)

Lightweight & Comfortable - Experience unmatched comfort with our most lightweight and comfortable sport headset, featuring a bud-free, pain-free design for all-day listening.

TOP Choice #2 Philips Audio Fidelio X2HR Over-Ear Open-Air Headphone
Our Score:
9.7
Philips Audio

Connector Type: 3. 5Mm Stereo; 1/4-Inch

Acoustic open-back architecture

Engineered double layered ear-shells with pre-tilted speaker plates

3.5mm detachable oxygen-free cable (3m) 3 5 mm to 6 3 mm adapter and cable management clip included

Hi-res Audio Certified with extended response frequencies

Lightweight self-adjustable hammock with 3D mesh and genuine leather outer headband

50 mm high definition neodymium drivers with LMC diaphragm

Replaceable deluxe memory foam ear-pads with breathable velour finishing

TOP Choice #3 Shokz OpenRun Pro - Premium Headphones
Our Score:
9.5
SHOKZ

10 Hours of Music & Calls - Enjoy ten continuous hours of music, calls and podcasts with our Bluetooth headphones. OpenRun Pro also features a 5-minute quick charge for up to 1.5 hours of battery life.

Open-Ear Comfort - OpenRun Pro features our best fit yet. Avoid the discomfort of in-ear headphones with our bud-free design. These headphones stay put during any workout. Includes Shokz headband.

Safety & Connection - OpenRun Pro ensures you enjoy your favorite audio with awareness of your environment for improved connection and safety compared to traditional earbuds or over-ear headphones.

Secure Fit - A lightweight, wraparound titanium frame keeps your wireless headphones stable and in place during intense training.

Premium Sound Quality - Experience premium audio delivered through your cheekbone with our 9th bone conduction technology. Engineered with Shokz TurboPitch technology, OpenRun Pro headset features our best listening experience with clear sound, powerful volume, and a rich bass.

4 AfterShokz Air Headphones
Our Score:
9.4
Aftershokz

Comfortable & Durable - Experience comfort with our wraparound titanium frame for a light and flexible design.

Sweatproof - IP55 certified to repel sweat, dust, and moisture. Perfect for withstanding even the rainiest runs.

6-Hour Battery Life - 6 hours of continuous music and calls on a single charge.

Multifunction Button - Easy controls to play, pause, skip, activate voice assistant, and answer calls

Open-Ear Design - Patented bone conduction technology delivers audio through the cheekbone, keeping you connected and aware of your surroundings.

5 Shokz OpenMove Headphones
Our Score:
9.3
SHOKZ

Secure Fit - From light jogs to everyday commutes, a wraparound titanium frame keeps your bone conduction headphones in place during a range of low impact activities.

6 Hours of Music & Calls - Enjoy six continuous hours of music, calls, and podcasts on a single charge with our bluetooth headphones.

Safety & Connection - Stay motivated with your favorite audio without compromising on safety. Unlike over-ear and in-ear headphones, OpenMove keeps you connected and aware of your surroundings.

High Sound Quality- Enjoy balanced audio, optimal volume and rich bass delivered through your cheekbone, anytime, anywhere with this premium OpenMove headset.

Open-Ear Headphones - Experience unmatched comfort with our lightweight, secure fit, featuring an earbud-free design for all-day listening without ear fatigue.(Rebranded version of AfterShokz OpenMove)

Self-adjusting 3D Wing Support provides a comfortable listening experience; total ear-fit design minimizes pressure. Maximum Input Power: 700 mW

53 mm drivers reproduce clear treble and midrange. Connectivity Technology: Wired

Frequency Response - 20 – 20, 000 Hz and Impedance - 45 ohms

Bobbin-wound CCAW voice coils for superior power handling. Impedance: 38 ohms

Lightweight aluminum honeycomb casing with excellent acoustic properties

Sensitivity: 100 dB/mW . Full open-air type headphones produce no sense of pressure on the ears, resulting in a completely natural sensation

Connector Type: 3.5mm

🎧 【Bluetooth 5.0 & Easy to Use 】Bone conduction headphones headphones with excellent sound quality and clarity of up to 10 m for smartphones or tablets with iOS Android and Mac.The wireless sports headphones only have one multi-function button to control all function, it is easy to use.Please contact us if there is any problem, we will provide a satisfactory solution for you.

🎧 【IP55 Waterproof】 Fully sweatproof earbuds for training, fitness and running. our headphones resist sweat, moisture, water drops, and dust throughout your indoor or outdoor activities. High quality materials ensures these headphones withstand most of exercises of running, cycling etc. (Not suitable for swimming)

🎧 【Lightweight & Stable Fit】Our sport earphones weigh 26 grams, made of premium soft silicone material, keeps running relax, the open ear design helps you achieve the true painless and harmless as the earphone is no need to plug into the ear canal.With ergonomic surround and streamlined sinking design, the sports bluetooth headphones can keep on ear when running, dance, or wearing glasses.

🎧 【Open Ear Design】 Bone conduction bluetooth headphones deliver premium sound through the cheekbones. In contrast to over-ear headphones, WANFEI wireless running headphones make you a burden-free wearing. It can avoid some dangerous situations from happening as you can also hear the surrounding sound when you use it to listen to music.

🎧 【7 Hours Play & Premium Sound Quality】Bone conduction headphonesUSB charging and include 165mAh battery, enjoy 7 hours of non-stop music or podcasts, it can greatly reduce natural sound leakage and offer you a premium sound quality. Built-in microphone achieves clearer phone call.

8 Sennheiser HD 650 Open Headphone
Our Score:
8.7
Sennheiser Consumer Audio

Specially designed acoustic silk ensures precision damping over the entire frequency range and helps to reduce THD to an incredible 0.05 percent

Lightweight aluminum voice coils for very fast transient response

Improved frequency response is 10 39,500 Hertz ( 10 dB)

High power neodymium magnets deliver maximum efficiency; 3.5 millimetre jack plug. Frequency response (Headphones):10 41000 Hz

Cable length 118 inches

Hand selected matched driver elements; Highly optimized magnet systems for minimum harmonic and inter modulation distortion

9 Monster Open Ear Headphones
Our Score:
8.2
Monster

[ Open-Ear Comfort ] Monster open ear Bluetooth headphones are a new design of sports headphones, with innovative bone and air conduction technology to achieve premium sound without the ear pain.

[ Fast Charging Dock ] After enjoying a long music feast, put your Monster bone conduction headphones into the compact magnetic charging dock. The powerful magnet will automatically draw the headphones for charging. Just takes 2 hours to fully charge and gets you the next continuous play.

[ IPX5 Water-Resistant ] Equipped with IPX5 water-resistant rating, Monster bone headphones conduction Bluetooth could withstand sweat or sudden rain when jogging, cycling, sprinting, or hiking. It also can be cleaned with a simple short rinse after using.

[ Bone & Air Conduction Technology ] Monster Bluetooth bone conduction headphones bring accurate sound reproduction through bones' vibration and air transmission, even in a noisy environment. Enjoy the crystal-clear calls or music.

[ Secure-Fit Design ] The lightweight and secure-fit design of the headphones bone conduction offers a very comfortable listening experience to the sound professionals who have to wear them for a long time, and support you even for any vigorous exercise.

[ Enhanced Sound Quality ] Monster wireless bone conduction headphones creatively combine bone conduction and air conduction. Bone conduction helps you feel the pulse of the bass and rhythm, and air conduction brings lossless original sound to your ear.

[ 60MS Low Latency ] Monster's internal refined acoustics design provides the open ear headphones wireless Bluetooth with only 60MS low latency on gaming mode. A high-sensitivity microphone ensures chat clarity and a high-performance speaker bring melodious sounds.

[ Pure Monster Sound ] Monster's unique sound technology from 40 years of sound engineering is fine-tuned to create the most impactful musical experience. It's like being in front of the artists, or staying with them in the studio or on stage, bringing you "closer to the music".

[ 7 Hours Playback ] Equipped with a built-in high-energy density battery and lower power consumption chip, Monster bone conduction headphone could provide up to 7 hours of playtime with premium sound, no need to worry about the music stopping suddenly while exercising.

[ Advanced Bluetooth 5.3 ] Embedded with a Bluetooth 5.3 high-performance chip, Monster bone conduction headphones Bluetooth provide a more stable and faster connection and support connection range of up to 33 feet.

Audiophile-quality open-air headphones deliver clear, natural vocal and instrumental reproduction, a smooth tonal balance, precise imaging and superlative dynamic range

No sense of pressure on the ears, resulting in a completely natural sensation

Extremely comfortable ear-fitting pads

3D Wing Support Housing offers a vibration-proof mechanism that provides comfortable support for a better listening experience

Large-aperture 53 mm drivers and CCAW voice coils for superior sound reproduction

Product Images, Product Titles, Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API

What to Look For in a best open air headphones?

We're sure you've purchased something and afterward regretted it. We are all concerned about the items we purchase. The easiest method to prevent these concerns is to conduct a thorough study before purchasing the best open air headphones.

That is also why we decided to introduce this post in order to provide you with advice on how to avoid buying errors when selecting the best open air headphones.

Audio Quality

The second option is sound. There are many models that offer different sound quality. You want to choose headphones that suit your taste. With the companion app, some models can be customized to produce a sound that suits their needs.

Durability

A headphone shouldn't be considered disposable technology. This year's headphones will not be outdated six months from now, unlike almost all other consumer electronics. A pair of good headphones should last at least ten years.
Make sure you check the quality of headphones before purchasing. For example, some earbuds or portable devices can be quite fragile. Are the hinges strong enough to hold the headphones together for storage? Or will they break in just a few months? Remember that headphones' earpads, earbuds, and headphone cables will experience a lot of wear over their lifetime.

Headphone Type

Do you prefer a pair of headphones that are sealed or in-ear? Is active noise cancellation technology available in a headphone?
It is important to consider comfort. You might be using your headphone at least 4-5 hours per days. Would you choose a product that is strong but also isolates you well? Would you choose a larger can, which is lighter but still portable, or a smaller can?

Mobile App

Most popular headphones and earbuds have an app that allows you to control your audio experience.
Some apps allow you to pair the device and control the settings, while others let you manually adjust the volume and bass levels of the headphones or earbuds.

Special Features

A lot of earbuds or headphones have bonus features like Dolby Atmos support, spatial audio and adaptive EQ. You can also participate in calls and video calls when they are paired with your phone.
Many of these earbuds can be used with either your phone's native app or a separate app that allows you to locate an errant earbud quickly. Most headphones, however, aren't waterproof or water-resistant.
Consider the audio type and the place you will be listening. Then, pick the headphones that have the most common features and functions.

Design

The design is often more important than everything. Do you want in-ear or on-ear headphones, as well as over-ear and under-ear models? Wireless or wired? Sporty or luxury? These headphones can be worn for many occasions so you need something that fits your needs. No matter what type of headphones you decide to get, ensure that they are sturdy, lightweight, comfortable, and easy to transport.

Accessories

Accessories are equally important for wired models. The manufacturer should include an aux cable. It is a good idea to get headphones with an carrying case, charger cable, user manual, extra tips, or ear cups.

FAQs

If I Lose The Eartips That Came With My Headphones, Do I Need To Purchase A New Pair?

Absolutely, unless you are just trying something different. If you don't have the funds, you can contact the manufacturer to get a replacement pair. It can be frustrating to lose an earbud because they only have one size. Comply has a range of aftermarket tips to suit your brand if you are in an adventurous mood.

Does A Higher Price Tag Mean The Headphones Will Sound Better?

Not necessarily. It's surprising that so many people spend hundreds on smartphones but don't want to buy quality headphones. However, you shouldn't assume that all cheap headphones are equal.

Are Wired Headphones Better Than Wireless?

Wireless headphones generally have better sound quality than wired headphones. However, there has been so much advancement in audio technology in the last few years that you won't notice any difference with most of the top wireless headphones.
We recommend that audiophiles keep choosing wired headphones. It's up to you, the individual. Wireless headphones are a good choice if you prefer wireless headphones and they offer more convenience. You won't regret buying a high-quality pair if you want to enjoy the best sound quality.

How Do Wireless Headphones Work?

The wireless headphones can be powered by batteries and pair with an infrared or radio signal. Bluetooth technology is available on many devices, which makes it easy to connect and provides high-quality audio.

What Is The Difference Between Headsets, Headphones, And Earphones?

- A headset is an amalgamation of headphones and microphones. Gaming headsets are most popular.
- Headphones can be worn on the ears or over-ear.
- Earphones can be described as small, earbud-shaped earbuds that are worn inside the ears.

Do I Need A Headphone Amplifier?

The quality of portable MP3/CD players' amplifiers can be affected by the headphones you use. They aren't responsible for this. The little guys must power both their electronic devices and internal amplifiers using very few volts. The sound quality of some home AV receivers with headphone jacks can be very variable.

How Do Noise-canceling Headphones Work?

Two types of noise-canceling exist: active and passive. Passive noise cancellation is where noise is blocked by headphones. Earbuds that are too close to your ears, such as over-the-ear or earbuds, can block the sound.
The active noise cancelling headphones feature a microphone to pick up noise and produce an opposing sound wave that blocks it.

Conclusion

Finally, the best open air headphones may be readily used and offers a range of options to meet your needs. When looking for another kind of best open air headphones, which we recommend  Mu6 Ring Open Ear Air Headphones, all of these characteristics are significant. 

We've combed through all of this data in order to assist you in making the best decision possible. Let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you discover the best open air headphones in the comments section below!


1 ratings

About Tim Powers

Tim Powers

Tim Powers is an audio equipment & home theater gadget reviewer and the editor of TheAudioInsights.com. He has been involved in the home theater hobby since the late 1990s when he purchased his first AV receiver. Tim is also a writer, with articles appearing in various online and print publications.