These are the OpenRock S2 open-ear air conduction sport earbuds, and these are honestly one of the lightest sport-style earbuds you are going to find right now.
Since they are open-ear style, they do not block your ears or anything like that. You can maintain complete awareness of your surroundings at all times. Whether you are walking, hiking, or cycling, these are going to be a perfect fit for that kind of lifestyle. I wanted to come out here and do some actual sport-related activities to really see how they hold up in a real-world setting.
Table of Contents
Fit, Comfort and Wearability
Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed is that these stay in place incredibly well. They are also extremely lightweight, to the point where you can honestly forget that you are wearing them.
I am not really into distance running these days, but if you caught me back in my twenties, I could easily knock out five or six miles on a good day. If I were into half marathons or even full marathons, I could absolutely see myself reaching for something like these.
One thing that stands out with the design is the specific shape of the earbuds. They angle themselves toward your ear in a very intentional way. This helps eliminate sound leakage while also giving them a much more minimal and clean appearance.
Open-style earbuds are huge right now, and most of them are the clip-on style. Personally, I am not a huge fan of that look. A lot of people feel like they resemble earrings, and I tend to agree with that. The OpenRock S2 goes in a completely different direction with a much more subtle and minimal design.
Every morning I go on a three-mile walk just to start my day off with some sort of physical activity. For the past few weeks, these have been my earbuds of choice on those walks. When I am crossing the street, I can hear traffic.
I can hear other people around me. I can even hear animals. That level of situational awareness is genuinely important when you are out in public, and this style of earbud handles that far better than traditional in-ear options.
Design and Build Quality
Taking a closer look at the earbuds themselves, the case is surprisingly compact, especially for an around-the-ear style earbud. Typically with this type of design, the case tends to be large and bulky, but that is not what is happening here at all.
To put it in perspective, I placed it right next to the AirPods Pro case, which is a very common benchmark, and the OpenRock S2 case is not that much bigger. In terms of pocketability, these definitely have you covered.
The earbuds themselves feature a pretty standard around-the-ear hook design. They are very flexible, and something I always tell people with this style is to not be afraid to actually mold them into the shape you need.
There is a titanium wire inside, and it is a lot more durable than you might expect. If you need a little more size, just stretch it out. If it feels a bit loose, bend it and shape it to exactly what works for your ear. That flexibility goes a long way in helping you find the best possible fit.
Speaking of fit, the earbuds have a soft silicone finish around pretty much the entire body, which feels great against the skin. Since these are open earbuds, there are no silicone ear tips. Instead, you have the speaker portion which produces the sound using 12mm drivers.
On the underside, there is a small physical button for your controls, which lets you play and pause, skip tracks forward and backward, and adjust your volume.
Bluetooth 6.0 and Battery Life
On the spec side, the OpenRock S2 is actually one of the first earbuds to cross my desk featuring Bluetooth 6.0. They pair incredibly quickly. By the time you pull them out of the case and get them on your ears, they are already paired up and ready to go. If you want a pair of earbuds that are somewhat future-proof in terms of Bluetooth connectivity, these are worth checking out.
As far as battery life goes, you are looking at roughly 8 hours on a single charge, which is more than enough to get you through a full day. Once you factor in the charging case, that total extends to around 32 hours. There is also fast charging built in, so just 5 minutes of charging will get you approximately one hour of playtime.
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Water Resistance and Durability
Since these are clearly designed for sports and athletes, water resistance is a big deal here. The OpenRock S2 carries an IPX5 rating and also features a special nano coating that acts almost like an invisible raincoat.
This helps prevent penetration from sweat and general moisture during intense activity. On top of that, the internal design separates the driver and the control chip into two different compartments, which further helps with overall moisture protection.
App Features and Customization
Inside the companion app, there are quite a few useful features worth going through. You can check the remaining battery life for both the earbuds and the case at a glance. You also have access to several EQ presets that are already installed for you.
Boom Mode gives you more of a V-shaped sound profile, which works great if you are doing something high intensity like strength training. Relax Mode offers a more mellow EQ curve with a slight bump in the upper frequencies, better suited for something calming like yoga.
Rock Mode bumps up the lower frequencies with a slight scoop in the mid-range. And if none of those suit your taste, you also have the option to build your own using the 7-band custom EQ. I have been spending time in there playing around with different settings and have landed on something I really enjoy, though it might still change.
There is also a max volume limiter, which is a feature I have come to appreciate more as I get older. It is simply there to help you preserve your hearing over the long term. Along similar lines, there is a wear time reminder that lets you set a timer anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours. Once that time is up, the earbuds will remind you to take a break. Both of these features reflect a genuine focus on long-term ear health.
In the gestures section, the single, double, and triple press functions are locked in and cannot be changed. However, the long press action can be customized. I have mine set to adjust volume, but you can also set it to activate your voice assistant or mute your microphone.
A few other standout features include spatial audio for a wider soundstage and a more immersive stereo effect. There is also a sound balance adjustment, which is great if you happen to hear better in one ear than the other. You can compensate for that by shifting the audio balance between left and right.
High-res mode is also available since these are LDAC compatible, meaning you can tap into high-resolution audio if your device supports it. Just keep in mind that enabling high-res mode will disable multi-point connection and also removes the spatial audio option.
The app also includes an automatic power-off timer for when the earbuds are sitting idle, and a Find My Buds feature that causes the earbuds to emit a high-pitched sound so you can locate them if they get lost around the house.
Sound Quality
These are using 12mm drivers, and the first thing worth pointing out is that they get noticeably louder than most open-style earbuds I have tested. Honestly, I rarely needed to go above 50% volume, especially outdoors where maintaining awareness of my surroundings is the whole point.
But if you are in a gym environment where machines are running and music is already playing over the loudspeaker, the higher volume ceiling on these lets you cut through that noise to a reasonable degree.
There is no noise cancellation, of course, but you can definitely crank the volume and block out a good amount of your surroundings when the situation calls for it. You essentially get the best of both worlds depending on where you are.
The clarity and definition of the sound also stand out in a positive way. It is a very clean and detailed listening experience, especially once you dial in the EQ to your liking. I personally gravitate toward the Boom preset, which adds a solid V-shaped sound profile with some decent bass presence.
That said, it is important to be upfront about something. The bass will not be anywhere near as dynamic or punchy as what you would get from a traditional pair of earbuds with silicone ear tips. That is simply the trade-off that comes with this style.
You gain comfort and full situational awareness, but you do give up a little in terms of low-end impact. Most people who have spent time with open-style earbuds already know this going in, but it is worth mentioning for anyone who is new to this category.
Who Are These For?
So overall, who exactly are the OpenRock S2 earbuds designed for? First and foremost, they are clearly aimed at athletes, and I think they nail that target audience. They are incredibly lightweight, incredibly comfortable, and built to handle the demands of an active lifestyle.
But beyond athletes, if you have been curious about the open-style earbud trend but have been hesitant because of the clip-on look, these are a great alternative to consider. The around-the-ear design looks far more minimal and refined in my opinion, and you still get all of the same benefits that make open-style earbuds worth considering.
Specification Table
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Model | OpenRock S2 |
| Earbud Style | Open-ear, Around-the-ear hook |
| Driver Size | 12mm |
| Bluetooth Version | 6.0 |
| Battery Life | Up to 8 hours (single charge) |
| Total Battery with Case | Up to 32 hours |
| Fast Charging | 5 minutes = ~1 hour playback |
| Water Resistance | IPX5 + Nano Coating |
| Microphones | 4 microphones |
| Audio Codec | LDAC (High-Res Audio) |
| EQ Presets | Boom, Relax, Rock + Custom 7-band EQ |
| App Features | Battery monitor, EQ, Spatial Audio, Sound Balance, Find My Buds, Wear Time Reminder, Volume Limiter |
| Controls | Physical button (play/pause, track skip, volume) |
| Long Press Options | Volume adjust / Voice assistant / Mic mute |
| Price | $98 |
Final Thoughts
As far as pricing goes, the OpenRock S2 comes in at $98. However, you can use the coupon code shown on screen to save 15%, which brings the price down to around $85. If you are interested, definitely check out the link in the description for more details. That is pretty much everything I have for you on the OpenRock S2. I appreciate you guys taking the time to read through this.
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