Updated by Lucian Bergstrom. Shokz headphones and the rest of the open ear headphones category: the pairs that deliberately let the world in.
Best for running
OpenRun Pro 2
$150 to $250
Check priceFor headphones for running on roads, buy the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2: bone conduction keeps your ear canals open so you hear traffic, and this generation adds a bass unit that fixes the thin low end the technology was known for. If a band behind the head annoys you, the clip-on OpenFit 2+ covers the same ground in a different shape. Neither is the right choice on a plane.
Something that leaves your ears open. Bone conduction sends sound through your cheekbones and keeps the canal clear, so you hear the car behind you; clip-on air-conduction designs do the same with a different shape. Noise cancelling earbuds in traffic are the one unsafe choice in this category.
Open by design, on purposeOpen-ear design guidance
Not the flagships. Neither the Sony WH-1000XM6 nor the Bose QC Ultra publishes a water rating, which tells you they are indoor and travel headphones. Sport models publish an IP figure, and that is the number to look for: the first digit is dust, the second is water.
No IP rating on either flagshipMaker specs
The Sony takes calls better among the flagships, with a twelve-microphone array reviewers rate above Bose's. Multipoint, which keeps a laptop and a phone connected at once, is on every over-ear pick here. On open-ear designs, wind is the limit: run-focused reviewers rate Shokz calls as good rather than class-leading.
Multipoint on every over-ear pickMaker specs; reviewer comparisons
Best bone conduction headphones
The band stays put at running pace and clears the arms of glasses.
| Spec | The box says | Testing and sources say |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Bone conduction with a dedicated bass driver | The 2nd generation adds an air-conduction bass unit to fix the thin low end that bone conduction is known for |
| Noise | Open ear, nothing blocked | That is deliberate. For road running the hazard is not hearing a car, and reviewers recommend open designs for exactly that reason |
| Calls | Dual noise-cancelling mics | Run-focused reviewers rate call clarity as good rather than class-leading, especially in wind |
Sources: Shokz published specs; Running and audio reviewers on open-ear designs; Our listing data, 25 October 2026. Full write-up: on the main list.
The open-ear pick if a headband annoys you or you wear a cap and sunglasses. For hard running the banded OpenRun Pro 2 stays put better.
Sources: Shokz published specs; Our listing data, 25 October 2026.
High-quality headphones in 2026 means something specific: a pair somebody measured, with a battery figure you can hold them to. Open ear headphones exist because noise cancelling removes exactly the kind of steady low-frequency sound a car engine makes. On a pavement that is a feature you do not want. Every running-focused reviewer makes the same recommendation for road use: keep the ear canal open.
Bone conduction sends vibration through the cheekbone to the inner ear, bypassing the canal entirely. Clip-on open designs instead sit just outside the ear and fire sound in. Both leave you able to hear a bike bell; both leak a little sound to the person beside you at high volume.
The limitation is calls in wind. Reviewers who run in these rate call clarity as good rather than class-leading, and no open design will beat a sealed earbud with a long microphone stalk on a windy day.
Hard case for folding over-ear headphones
The single most common way an expensive pair dies is a backpack. A hard shell costs less than one earpad replacement.
What to look for: Measure the cups. Sony's XM6 folds, the XM5 does not, and the cases are not interchangeable.
Under $15 on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026.
Check price on AmazonEarbud cleaning kit with brush and pen
Blocked mesh is the usual reason one earbud goes quiet. People replace the pair; the fix is a two-dollar brush.
What to look for: Soft brush plus putty. Keep metal away from the driver mesh.
Under $15 on Amazon, Oct 25, 2026.
Check price on AmazonFor running and cycling, yes, and for the specific reason that they leave your ears open. The old complaint was thin bass; the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 adds an air-conduction bass unit to fix exactly that. For a flight they are the wrong tool: they are not trying to block anything.
OpenRun is bone conduction with a band behind the head, which stays put at running pace. OpenFit clips over the ear and uses air conduction, which sounds fuller and suits walking, the office and anyone who dislikes a band. Both leave the ear canal open.
Not comfortably in any of these. For sleep, foam earplugs cost a few dollars and outperform every pair on this page. We would rather say that than sell you a $400 solution to a $6 problem.
An over-ear with a published battery figure above 24 hours, and a two-prong airline adapter if you want the in-flight films. Cabin noise is mostly low-frequency, the part ANC removes best, so this is the scenario where the flagships earn their price.
Look for deep pads, a soft clamp and, best of all, a band that sits behind the head. Glasses arms break the seal, and a broken seal is the main reason ANC underperforms for people who wear them. Our fit checklist walks through the five-minute test.