OneOdio OpenRock S open-ear headphones BT 5.3 IPX5 60h battery life

Instagram: regancipher
YouTube: regancipher
Squiglink: regancipher
Socials: Biolink

Model: OneOdio OpenRock S
Price: Currently with 30% off - $62.99
Review Reference: RC110

Manufacturer Specification:

• Brand: OneOdio
• Model: OpenRock S
• Driver: 16.2mm Dynamic Driver
• Chipset: BES (version unknown)
• Mic: 4 mic ENC
• ANC: No
• Codecs: AAC, SBC
• App Support: No
• Multipoint: No
• Customisable Controls: No
• Gaming Mode: No
• Earbud Weight: 12.87g
• Earbud Dimensions: 61mm (width) x 44.3mm (height)
• Gross Case & Buds Weight: 137.18g
• Case Dimensions: 143.5mm {maximum} (width) x 30.1mm (height) x 56.8mm (depth)
• Case Charge Capacity: 450mAh
• Quick Charge: Yes - 2 hours playtime from 15 minutes chargetime
• Wireless Charging: No
• Charge Time: approx. 90 minutes
• Single Use Playtime: Up to 19 hours
• Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 60 hours
• Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.3
• 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 USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User Manual

YouTube Review:



Introduction
It's another day and another new sports wearable - the TWS world has been well and truly overshadowed during 2023 with release after release of bone and air conduction sets, each looking to topple Shokz, who must be wondering what they did to invite all of this competition!

One of the best Shokz alternatives during 2023 has been OneOdio's OpenRock Pro, with an uncharacteristically bassy sound signature and market-leading battery life, but it was slightly pricey - topping the £100 mark at times on Amazon UK - so OneOdio have decided to add a complementary model, scaling back some of the features, adjusting the ergonomics slightly, giving the case a revamp and upgrading to a Bluetooth 5.3 chipset.

Priced at around $62.99 with voucher code, this is pretty competitive, going head to head with the likes of TrueFree and their 01 'Oladance-clone' which I reviewed a few days ago here at Headfi. Inevitably though, there are some compromises - are they worth it? Read on for my views, along with a comparison to the Pro version.

Unboxing



When the OpenRock S arrived in the mail, I did get slightly excited thinking I may have ordered a new mobile phone whilst drunk - the box is shaped as such, but thankfully for my bank balance I had in fact stayed true to my trusty Sony Xperia 1 IV, and instead was in the process of of discovering what OneOdio had to offer with their latest release.

The unboxing is much more professional than something like the TrueFree 01, which is very basic and lacks the finesse of what we're looking at here - OneOdio are quite consistent with this, delivering a premium affair quite consistently, and this is no exception despite the scale-back in cost.



Despite the glossy exterior and hard case, you aren't really getting much inside - there's a quick user guide with big visuals that is quite useful, as it outlines how to adjust the buds. Apart from that, you've got a basic USB A to C charge cable, a longer manual in English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian and Chinese.

Charge Case



The charge case for open ear style buds is always a conundrum. Due to their size and shape, there's no easy way of concealing them, certainly in a way that makes it vaguely portable. The OpenRock S case is almost like a sunglasses case - and similarly sized too, measuring 143.5mm x 30.1mm x 56.8mm and weighing 137g full loaded - a bit of a beast, but it's slimline profile does at least stand in it's favour. I went for the cream model (they also offer them in black) and the case matches the colour of the buds - it's matte, plastic and has some heft to it that definitely sets it apart from some of the budget cases I've tested lately.



However, despite the premium feel to the outside, open the case up and you see some unfortunate design flaws. With the lid open, the weight of the lid is a little too much to ensure it can balance adequately, so it kinda tips itself backwards when you lay it down on the desk. This looks odd and makes getting the buds out with one hand a bit awkward. There's also some cut outs on the inner top of the lid, as you can see above, but they are a little too deep, and after adjusting the buds a little, I found on occasions the battery connectors would not always be touching, and the buds would remain connected to my device even with the lid closed, so this is something I'd advise to keep an eye on.



The area in the middle does reflect the case's adaptability, in that it allows you some wiggle-room to adjust the buds and place them in the case without the need to set them back to default. The case on the OpenRock Pro didn't have this level of wiggle-room, but it was also quite a bit smaller, albeit shaped somewhat unothodox.

The case is charged via USB-C only (charge socket at the rear). You've got an LED strip along the front of the lip, which is set into four portions. Those four portions correspond to a quarter each of the case's remaining charge. And since you get approximately two additional charges with the case, you can work out fairly routinely how much each of those quarters is in terms of hours remaining.

Ergonomics & Build Quality



The OpenRock S are a bit bulkier than the original OpenRock Pro, measuring 4mm wider than the Pro at 61mm but weighing the same (12.8g). This is probably a bit heavier than average, and it does show in how they appear, especially around the control area. This is the bit that is on show the most, and it looks OK - they've retained the OpenRock branding, but they look far nicer than the slightly cheap-looking Pro, benefitting from the absence of a metallic-looking surface, which wasn't really my thing.

The control area has to be slightly larger since it now houses the touch control sensor - unlike the Pro, they've gone for touch controls as opposed to tactile buttons, and I have to be honest and say I'm not particularly keen. When trying to switch EQ modes (holding both sensors down for 2s), I found I hardly ever got my fingers in the right place first time, and when I did, it still routinely changed the tracks instead.

The touch controls are actually a bit of a sore point - there's no volume control, and single tapping doesn't do anything. Double tap will play/pause and answer/hang up your call, holding the left and right respectively cycles tracks forwards and backwards. Triple tapping either bud activates voice assistant. Sadly, there's also no opportunity to customise the controls, because OneOdio does not have a dedicated smartphone app.



The ear hook is slightly larger too, but I do feel the ergonomics are slightly more balanced on the S. There's more adjustment area, so they are slightly more customisable in terms of the fit, and the driver opening has also been refined, positioned and shaped better with respect of channelling and concentrating the sound directly to your ear canals.



In terms of use-cases, like most open-ear buds, they're aimed at sports and recreational activities such as cycling, running, gym, etc. I had no issues with them on the bike - they wear fine around my helmet, and even when wearing sunglasses, they just sit on the outside of them quite securely. Despite them looking a bit unwieldy here, they still feel quite lightweight and I had no issues with stability at all. I also tried them out doing weights in the gym, HIIT and a 5km road run, and, like the Pro, the S were a comfortable and reliable companion.

They're IPX5, which is going to give you a bit more protection from rain and sweat than the likes of Oladance and TrueFree. IPX4 is only splash resistant, whereas IPX5 will resist a sustained, low-pressure water jet spray. In the real world, there's not a huge difference, but it's probably worth considering that if you go on long runs in the rain or bike rides without a helmet, that added protection will probably give you a bit more peace of mind. If you're an extreme sports person or are looking for something to swim with, IPX5 isn't going to give you the sustained protection, so do bear this in mind.

Audio & Sound Signature


With both models sporting a 16.2mm dynamic driver and supporting the AAC and SBC codecs, integrating their TubeBass technology and dynamic audio algorithm, designed to optimise the lower frequencies and automatically adjust the bass and treble to optimise sound quality.

I was intrigued to hear how the sound on each would compare, especially since the OpenRock Pro was one of the bassier-sounding open ear buds I've tested, with a powerful midbass that avoided distortion and gave it a warmer, upfront sound, not a characteristic usually applied to open ear designs.

However, this time around OneOdio have boosted the subbass but dialled back the midbass a little and focused the emphasis on clearer vocals and the perception of a wider, more open soundstage. The tone is a bit colder, without thinning to the extremes of their competitors, like the TrueFree 01, for example, so it's a different sound to the Pro, but evolution rather than revolution.

In the lower frequencies, it is apparent notably on rock & RnB, where midbass power is especially highlighted, that the S are cooler and less energetic. Bass isn't completely absent, but it is very tightly controlled - drums on house and techno are fast but quite lean, and the relatively flat midbass opens the sound out in the upper mids, so vocals, pianos and brass instruments have more presence, and come to the fore over basslines and drums.

In the trebles, the S are smoother than the OpenRock Pro, so there's a bit less stridence to cymbals and synths - the OpenRock Pro never sounded fatiguing, but the S have managed to bring vocals and instruments forward and give them more presence, without sharpening them to the point of shrill.

I wouldn't say the S sound better or worse than the Pro necessarily - they follow a similar brief, just with some minor adjustments. If you prefer more weight to your bass and a warmer tone, you'll probably prefer the Pro, and if bass isn't as important and you favour a leaner sound with cleaner instruments and vocals, you'll prefer the S - there's no real discernible difference in resolution, it's purely down to your preference in tuning. Remember, sound on this style of earbud is nowhere near as immersive as an IEM or TWS, so temper your expectations accordingly.

There is a second EQ mode - 'Relaxed' - which is activated by holding both buds for two seconds. It's meant for low-intensity workouts where the added energy might not be required, but I have only actually managed to activate this twice due to the finickiness of the touch controls, and as such haven't been able to measure it. However, subjectively there's an even leaner bass response and a slightly subdued treble extension - everything is designed to sound a bit flatter, and I suppose it's alright if you find the default sound overly bright, but like most presets I found it to do more harm than good.

Call Quality

Whilst the ability to make calls maybe isn't a priority with a set of sports-focused buds, for those using them on the commute or maybe taking or making a quick call whilst out on a run or bike ride without having to shout above the noise in the background definitely has it's merits. The OpenRock S feature AI four-mic ENC, and it actually works pretty well - giving a good balance between weight and clarity of your voice, and the reduction of environmental sounds that can typically scupper your calls. Outdoors, they handled the noise of traffic and other commuter sounds very well, only letting a little wind through, and elevating your voice without too much distortion or digitisation.

Indoors, they also handled background chatter in my coffee shop testing environment as well as any bud of a similar price, and the performance is actually marginally better than the OpenRock Pro, so that's one definitely a feather in the cap for OneOdio on this release and a pleasant surprise.

Other Features

Connectivity is good on this model - Bluetooth 5.3 - and like many releases over the last year, when you get to the connection distance limit, rather than cutting out altogether it drops the quality first rather than lose the connection altogether by default. I really like this feature, because if I'm listening to a podcast or webinar at home or in the office and forget that I've strayed too far from my PC / phone, it's handy to get a reminder that way rather than miss a few seconds of speech and lose my train of thought.

There's no app support on this model as previously mentioned, and it does seem like a bit of a shame that OneOdio haven't got round to supporting this yet, as there's certainly enough models in their range to justify it.

Battery Life

Battery life on the S is the star of the show, with an advertised 19 hours again, like on the Pro, and after my battery finally gave up just over the 17.5 hour mark, which I had to test across a week due to how long it lasted, I could finally breath a sigh of relief as I rushed for a pen to frantically scribble down that number before forgot.

The OpenRock S trounce Oladance and Shokz in the battery department, and the slightly bulkier frame of the earbud is a bit more forgivable when you take this into consideration. You can go for long bike rides or weekend hikes without even needing to worry about plugging the earbuds into a power socket, which is a welcome feature if you're a die-hard enthusiast.

The S also have a handy 'Quick Charge' feature, giving you around 1 hour extra playtime from 5 minutes extra juice. It's just 90 minutes for a full charge of the buds and case.

Summary

For OneOdio, I think the brief here of delivering a lower-cost alternative to their Pro offering, that retains many of the key features, such as long battery life, good ergonomics and a decent level of moisture resistance, and ignoring some of the arguably unnecessary features that many such products have like multipoint and gaming mode, has definitely been met.

The S are comfortable, stable, and offer clarity to the sound and surprisingly very decent call quality. The absence of an app is a shame, but hopefully that can be remedied in the future.

For those on a budget, looking for a solid air conduction earbud that does the basics well and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, this is one of the more attractive options on the market currently and a worthy complement to the Pro.

Other OneOdio Reviews:

OpenRock Pro

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. Fuelled 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.