OneOdio OpenRock Pro IPX5 APTX Bluetooth 5.2 Open Ear Sports Earbuds

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Model: OneOdio OpenRock Pro
Price: MSRP £119.99 - currently £89.99 from Amazon UK
Website: AliExpress
Review Reference: RC103

Manufacturer Specification:

• Brand: OneOdio
• Model: OpenRock Pro
• Driver: 16.2mm Dynamic Driver
• Chipset: Qualcomm QCC3040
• Mic: 4 mics with environmental noise reduction for calls
• ANC: No
• Codecs: AptX, AAC, SBC
• App Support: No
• Multipoint: No
• Customisable Controls: No
• Gaming Mode: No
• Earbud Weight: 12.84g
• Earbud Dimensions: 57mm wide, 47mm high
• Gross Case & Buds Weight: 89g
• Case Dimensions: 77.6mm (width) x 58.4mm (height) x 41.7mm (depth)
• Case Charge Capacity: 400mAh
• Quick Charge: Yes - up to 1 hour from 5 min juice
• Wireless Charging: No
• Charge Time: 60 minutes (buds), 90 minutes (buds and case)
• Single Use Playtime: Up to 19 hours
• Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 46 hours
• Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.2
• Bluetooth Protocols: BLE/ HFP 1.7/ A2DP 1.3/ AVRCP 1.5
• Water Resistance: IPX5

Includes:

1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x User Manual: 9 different languages
1 x Quick Wear Guide

YouTube Review:



Introduction

Sports-focused open ear buds seem to be all the rage at the moment, with even the budget vendors making headway into this market and adding them into their portfolio. My next review after this is probably going to be the SoundPEATS Wings2, we've seen the Haylou Purfree Buds in my previous reviews, QCY have their Crossky GTR, and of course there are the OG Oladance Open Ear and the pretenders to the crown, the new Shokz Openfit.

The OneOdio OpenRock Pro have been around a few months now, and with a fairly hefty price tag (MSRP £119.99) expectations are rather high for this release. I've been testing them over the course of the last few weeks across a number of activities - here's what I thought of them.

Unboxing



OneOdio unboxings are typically quite impressive, and the OpenRock Pro are no exception. In a yellow and black enclosure that has a hint of 'Poco' about it, the case and cable are held in with a foam inlay and the manuals and warranty card sit on top. These kind of earbuds don't tend to have too many accessories other than a charge cable, and the user manual, which comes in 9 different languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Polish. Everything in the manuals is very clear and they've used diagrams to pretty good effect here.

It isn't quite up there with the Haylou Purfree Buds as far as unboxings go, but it will do.

Charge Case



The clamshell style case is certainly different. The black plastic clamshell style design even looks a bit like a shell, with the lined outer edges adding a bit of friction to prevent it slipping out of your hand. It's a bit of a beast at around 7x5x4cm and just shy of 90g fully loaded. Put it this way - you won't be taking this case out with you on a run unless you want it to be a weighted one! The case is held narrow-way facing you, the OpenRock logo side. Flip it open and you'll immediately notice there's no friction on the hinge until you get to full extension, where it has a double-latch effect. Shake it hard enough, and that hinge will unfortunately slam shut. Due to the shape, where OneOdio have tried to reduce the overall dimensions by adding curvature to the edges, it won't stand on the desk - hence the picture above. Instead, you have to hold with one hand and remove the buds with the other. The case gives you plenty of room to unhook them, and away you go.

I've tried a few different releases of this ilk, and nobody has really come up with a consistent, winning case configuration in any of their products really - each has their pros and cons. The OpenRock Pro case is durable and hard-wearing, if not the most portable approach, but removing the buds is a little easier than, say the Haylou Purfree Buds, which operates more like a glasses case, lying the buds flat.

The case does give an impressive level of charge though. The buds are capable of around 19 hours playback - and even with the odd call I wasn't too far short of this - and the case takes that up even further to a total of 46 hours. There's a quick charge feature giving you an extra hour of playtime from 5 minutes juice, and OneOdio also supply a travel sleeve so you can at least pack them away if you're on a bike ride and you decide you don't want to listen any more - you can switch them off by long pressing the buttons.

On the bottom of the case you'll find a USB-C socket (there's no wireless charging) and an LED, which gives you indications of the battery level when charging and when not. When charging, you'll get a red pulse when it's below 20%, a red and green simultaneous pulse when 21-50%, pulsing green when 51-99% and then solid green when it's fully charged, and there's a similar configuration when it isn't charging that makes it very straightforward to learn how much battery you have remaining.

Ergonomics



Plenty of thought has gone into the OpenRock Pro, and as a result it is both very comfortable and extremely secure. The buds measure around 57mm at their widest and around 47mm high, and weigh in at 12.8g. That may sound heavy, but it's identical to the Oladance equivalent and only slightly heavier than the Haylou. They feel extremely lightweight until you start moving, and their mass is a big benefit at this point because there's no movement whatsoever, regardless of how rigorous you're moving around.

As you see above, the units are predominantly plastic, save for a flexible area around the top which allows you some minor adjustment if they don't sit perfect on your ear. I have averagely-large ears as a 43 year old male, and didn't need any adjustment personally, but it's there if you need it, and this could come in handy particularly if you're not getting the most out of the 16.2mm drivers. These drivers are spread over a single cylindrical area as opposed to the multiple points you see on some others, but this doesn't seem to really make any difference either way.

On the main body underneath the OpenRock logo, you will find the control buttons. Yep - there's no touch controls here thankfully, they are physical, tactile buttons. They do feel a little cheap admittedly, but it's still a far better solution than touch controls, and they have made them light enough that you don't have to fiddle around too much while you're moving. Pressing the button once operates play or pause, pressing the left ear twice turns the volume down and the right ear twice turns it up, whilst progressing songs is done by holding the respective button for a couple of seconds. Triple tapping the button hails your voice assistant. It takes a little getting used to, but I like that OneOdio haven't tried to overcomplicate it and are giving you all the basic controls you're going to need, even if in practice whichever solution vendors go for isn't going to be perfect when you're running.



I did wonder beforehand if the predominant use of hard plastic would result in the buds wearing a bit bulky or looking a tad intrusive, but this isn't the case at all. OneOdio seem to have got the dimensions pretty much spot on. The OpenRock Pro are extremely comfortable for long periods of time, and they pass the shake test with flying colours. I even used them doing ab exercises, where I'd be tilting my head back on the mat a fair bit, and they stayed in place a little better than the Haylou. Whether you could wear them under a motorcycle helmet is perhaps a little questionable, and they aren't as good for side sleepers as the Purfree Buds, but for running, cycling, hiking and use at the gym, the OpenRock Pro are ideal, and their IPX5 rating improves on the likes of the Oladance, which tops out at a slightly disappointing IPX4.



Here you can see how each of the vendors have taken an alternative route. For me, the Haylou (middle) have a better hook - made from titanium alloy and a soft rubberised edge, there's a little more maleability to them, and they feel a little more gentle on your ears, but the main control area is better on the OpenRock Pro, keeping a similar if not improved level of thinness to the profile without jutting outwards. The Haylou can look a little awkward at times, whereas the OpenRock wear a bit more intuitively, and don't make your ears stick out quite as much.

The build quality is good, and comfort is very good too. You've got some flexibility in the hooks and they wear well with sunglasses, so absolutely nothing to complain about the ergonomics at least. The only minor quibble could be the aesthetics - my ears are a little longer than average, so the slightly 80's-looking black and grey 'bluetooth headset'-esque look probably doesn't resonate as much as it does on smaller ears. I've seen some pictures where it seems to take over the wearers entire ear, and the silver panel is a little cheap looking under close scrutiny. It probably isn't going to win first prize in a beauty contest, so if this is a major thing to you check the pictures carefully, but for me at least I don't think they look too bad.

Audio

OneOdio have combined large, 16.2mm drivers with the AptX codec and their 'TrueBass' technology, and the result is, by open ear standards, fairly impressive. With open-ear designs, the focus in slightly different to TWS or IEMs, because there's also the form factor to consider - the drivers will be set back from your ear canal somewhat, and as a manufacturer you want to give users a tuning that balances appropriate acoustics and loudness with the requisite situational awareness for the specific use cases.

With the OpenRock Pro, the balance is about right. It's a v-shaped sound signature, with slightly muted vocals and harmonics and a warmer tone, with a fullness to lower frequencies. Uncharacteristically for open ear designs, you get a fair bit of oomph to kick drums and darker tones come through emphatically in electronic synths. There's also decent balance to the trebles, with percussive elements retaining texture and presence without ever sounding harsh, even on higher volumes. Whilst the bass is arguably a bit too strong when you're listening in silence, when you're out on a run or on the bike, this is where the OpenRock Pro sound signature shines - it's much more engaging than the Haylou Purfree Buds, sounding much less thin as a result. The trebles are rolled off a little, and this works really well, because out of the box you really don't want something etched and coarse - this is an absolute no-no, but many vendors don't necessarily follow that mantra.

The soundstage is quite nice too. It isn't as wide and open as the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, for example, but there's far better layering and dimension than most open ear offerings. OneOdio have favoured getting those lower frequencies across strongly without bordering on distortion, and in that respect it is mission accomplished. In my experience, this kind of tuning works really well for this type of earbud, because it retains plenty of energy and guards against fatigue.

The only blot on the copybook is the slightly-low maximum volume - like the Haylou Purfree Buds, it's perhaps a notch or two short of being perfect in all conditions. I took the OpenRock Pro out on the bike near Gatwick Airport, and the mixture of traffic and aircraft noises around the A23 left my audiobook a little incoherent even on maximum volume. You are also deprived of the ability to customise the sound, because OneOdio doesn't have app support. Of course, you can use Wavelet on Android, and there's some merit in that, but overall I think they've done a decent job with the tuning that won't have you desperately trying to EQ them.

So as far as open ear products go, it's one of the most impressive tunings out of the box I've tested so far.

Call Quality

Call quality on the OpenRock Pro probably wasn't their priority, but it's actually rather effective. Outdoors in particular, it handles traffic and general commuting noises pretty well, and whilst wind can take your call off course a fair bit, this is the case with most TWS, let alone open ear ones. The ambient noise reduction works well in this environment, taking the edge off engine noises and only really struggling with sirens and alarms. Outdoor calls are definitely possible - it's far better than something like the SoundPEATS RunFree Lite, for example.

Indoors, you can sense very quickly that the noise reduction wasn't tuned with a busy coffee shop or office in mind. Whilst calls aren't impossible, the NR battles to work out whether it is your voice or the incoherent chatter around you that needs to be dulled, and as a result your voice, whilst still elevated, is softened a little bit, making it hard to decipher every word. Even so, your voice comes across with a fairly natural weight and tone, it just isn't quite sharp enough to make them ideal for calling in a way the better performing TWS do.

You can also control volume with the physical buttons whilst on a call, which is a nice touch, and isn't always the case. I

Battery Life

The advertised 19 hour battery life on the OpenRock Pro almost knocked me for six - were they really going to over DOUBLE the battery life of the Haylou, almost TRIPLE the original Cleer Ally Arc and SMASH the 16 hours on the Oladance?!

Yes, they actually did! They didn't quite hit the heights of the advertised - using the aptX codec on Android on maximum volume with a few calls in there, I got a few minutes over 15 hours - still way more than the competition and incredibly respectable as an audio device of any description.

The case features a handy quick charge feature too, giving you can additional 1 hour of playtime from 5 minutes in the case, and the total playtime - 46 hours - is pretty much unparalleled, making up for the chunkiness of the case profile very quickly!

Other Features & Drawbacks

The OpenRock Pro use the Qualcomm QCC3040 chipset - a very popular Bluetooth 5.2 chip which we see a lot in sports wearable audio. It is extremely stable and gives you actually pretty good latency if you are going to watch videos with them. Gaming is probably out of the question as there's no low latency mode - again, not really an issue for me given their raison d'etre, but worth a mention. There's also no in-ear detection, although for me I tend not to worry about this with open-ear buds like these as pausing them is just easier.

Usually in my TWS reviews it's at this point I start tearing strips off the app, but sadly OneOdio don't have one. It's a gift and a curse- whilst they avoid my wrath, it does mean you're kinda stuck with the EQ and button configuration, especially if you're on IOS and can't benefit from Wavelet. An app isn't just about EQ and buttons though - they are also useful at seeing your battery percentage at a glance, and updating firmware. And once again, there's no option for this....and at around £100 this does once again feel like an opportunity missed.

The case, whilst fine for me, isn't going to please everyone. It won't fit in your pockets, and whilst there is a silicone carry case for the OpenRock Pro, you have to buy it as an extra. Whilst it's only an extra fiver, I think OneOdio could have won some PR points here by including it with the buds. Not a deal breaker, but still a bit of a shame.

Summary

2023 has definitely been the year of the open ear bud so far, and having been one of the early adopters, OneOdio remain a front runner if you're looking for a design that gives you plenty of long-term comfort, good stability, decent sound and outstanding battery life.

At £119.99, they are much cheaper than the Shokz Openfit and Oladance, and around the same price as they Haylou Purfree Buds. Given they've been on the market a while and with Prime Day coming up, I could foresee some decent discounts on the OpenRock Pro - if you're a runner or cyclist and these drop below the £90 mark I'd bite their hands off - they're a solid performer that will even stand the test for 50 mile ultramarathon runners.

About OneOdio

At OneOdio, everything revolves around excellent sound, tapping the visceral power of music for all. We have infused decades of experience and passion into creating music to life. Fueled by cutting-edge tech and unwavering passion for quality, we create high-end headphones and audio equipment designed to elevate your listening experience. So far we have firmly planted the OneOdio flag in the DJ, Monitor, ANC and HIFI industries. Besides, we are also devoted to the high-tech consumer electronics industry-sports open earbuds.

OneOdio have successfully branched into different product areas - now adding microphones and sports headphones to their portfolio, and this outward product development looks set to continue strongly into 2023.