AfterShokz – OpenComm Bone Conduction Stereo Bluetooth Headset – Slate Gray

This set is nice and the thing can connect to two items through Bluetooth. The only thing on how to do seems to be a secret. It didn’t come with the instructions on how to do it. I did find how to connect both items on their website. Those were wrong too. You need to do the first one then keep the unit on and repeat the process to connect the second. Just keep that in mind. Took me a while but I was able to connect both that way.

With moderate hearing impairment I’m always on the lookout for devices that help me. I’ve read about bone induction headphones but haven’t gotten to use them till now. When I read that there were some new ones out by AfterShokz called the OpenComm which has a boom microphone and I had to give them a try.
Unboxing:
These come in a nice heavy multi piece box and inside there’s a padded semi-rigid carrying case, “the case itself was pretty big so I wasn’t sure how large these were going to be”. Opening up the case I was pleasantly surprised by the size of these, as they are pretty small “a lot smaller than any of my on the ear headsets”. Also inside the case is a USB charging cable and a user manual, that’s it, nothing else.
Setting up:
The first thing I did was plug the USB cable into my multiport USB charger and let it charge up. There’s a red LED that lights while charging and turns “Green” once finished. The charging cable is proprietary and has a magnetic connector that firmly attaches to the back end of the earpiece.
The device itself has three buttons “all in bright orange so you can’t miss them, but can’t see them either while wearing” and are raised enough to find easily by touch. One button is on the right forward piece that sits against your jawbone in front of your ear, it controls answering/ending calls and stopping pausing music. Then there are two buttons on the body that goes directly behind your ear, these are used to turn on/off the device, set pairing and to control volume.
After charging was finished I followed the instructions and paired them with my S20 Ultra without a hitch. There is a voice prompt that lets you know when they are paired and when turning on/off.
Use:
The band itself that goes around the back of your head is very flexible and coated with a soft feel silicone covering, and the covering extends to the rest of the headset as well keeping it pretty well sealed up. The small boom microphone is thin and very unobtrusive, it also swivels up out of the way if you don’t want to use it or change the position for the best pickup.
The first thing I did was to make a few phone calls, and I was pleasantly surprised how well these sound, “sort of amazing that there’s nothing inside, on, or around your ears”. The clarity with my hearing difficulties was outstanding and I could easily hear everything that was said. The callers on the other end said I sounded just as good as everything else I’ve used and they didn’t know I was using a headset, other than that I was very clear.
The volume level on these seems to be enough, although I do wish it could go just a little higher but it’s plenty for now. In a noisy environment I did have to step away to a quieter area but still better than I expected. I’ve used this in a moderate noisy place “grocery store” and I can still hear my callers pretty easily, probably not as easy if I had something in my ears like my hearing aids or over/on my ears like my headset. The big difference is my ears weren’t numb from wearing a headset or sore from having my hearing aids in all day. I could tell where the pieces that rest on your jawbone sat but it was no were near as irritated as other devices.
Conclusion:
This is a great headset from AfterShokz, I can easily wear them for hours on end with very little discomfort. The sound quality for calls is pretty amazing “although I wish it could go just a little louder at times”. Listening to music isn’t that great, while general sound is good there’s just isn’t much for bass and that’s just due to a limitation of the technology. It works very well for listening to voice/commentary dialog and works well with listening to TV programming without something blocking out outside sounds and noises. It was pretty easy for me to listen to a program and carry out a conversation with my wife, “as long as she spoke loud enough as I wasn’t wearing my hearing aids at the time 🙂 “.
Battery life is also outstanding, I’ve made about 2 hours’ worth of phone calls, spent a good 2 hours listening to some videos and the battery is still around 75%, nothing I have will give this kind of battery life and should last close to a couple days of office use like the manufacturer states.
So if you happen to have mild/moderate hearing loss these are going to be well worth trying out just for the sheer comfort of not having anything physically on/in your ears.

The AfterShokz – OpenComm Bone Conduction Stereo Bluetooth Headset is one of the latest products from this company. But what’s so special about it? One is that is a bone conducting headset meaning that is doesn’t go to your ears but goes near your ear and sound vibrations pass on to your ears. This enables you to hear your outside surroundings. And while I really won’t recommend this for music, it is still perfect for passive listening to music and being able to hear your surroundings.
Being a headset, it has a retractable boom mic which has noise cancelling features meaning it blocks outside noise while you talk which makes it ideal if you make a lot of phone calls as you work. And it does help further that this unit is lightweight too making it comfortable to wear for long hours.
It connects via Bluetooth. And I have this with phone calls using both Android and iOS, Skype and Zoom and I must say call quality is good. People don’t notice if I am using a headset at all. And to add, battery life is great at 16 hours. The only downside I can think of is that it uses a proprietary magnetic charging cable rather than a USB cable (whether C or not) though my rating won’t be affected at all. So if you are looking at a headset to use in the office (or working from home) the whole day, I’d highly recommend this headset.

INTRO:
The AfterShokz OpenComm takes AfterShokz bone conduction headphone technology to allow you to remain alert of your surroundings while being able to be on a call or listen to music. But on top of that, the OpenComm integrates a noise canceling boom microphone for those who need to be in communication—whether for a personal call, conference call or other.
UNBOXING:
Inside the packaging, you get a nice carrying case which holds the OpenComm and magnetic charging cable. Additionally, there’s a small card with instructions on how to get started, as well as a manual with more detailed instructions towards the various controls available on the headset.
BUILD QUALITY:
The OpenComm has a lightweight build at 33g, with a titanium frame and soft touch rubber. And compared to alternative offerings from other brands, I’d say the AfterShokz have the most professional look and do their best not to look clunky. On top of that, they have IP55 water resistance and moisture detection to protect the battery for safe charging.
SETUP:
The setup is very easy on the OpenComm. While wearing them, simply power them on by holding the Volume+ button for 5-7 seconds. A voice will first let you know that the headset is on, and after holding for the full duration, the voice will let you know that you’ve entered pairing mode. At this point, your device should be able to see the “OpenComm by AfterShokz” device in the bluetooth settings.
If you’d like to enable multipoint pairing (which I only just now figured out you can do while looking at the online FAQ), simply enable the pairing mode as mentioned above, then hold the Multifunction button and Volume+ button for 2-3 seconds. Then connect your first device. Afterwards, power it down by holding the Volume+ down for 2-3 seconds. Then enable pairing mode again by holding the Volume+ button for 5-7 seconds. After which, connect your second device. Now you can have two devices connected to your OpenComm simultaneously. You won’t be able to receive audio from both devices at the same time, but if you were to pause the audio on one and start audio on the other, it should transition in under 10 seconds—a small inconvenience, but it’s more convenient than having to turn off the device just to initiate pairing to the other device.
Additionally, if you use an NFC-enabled device, you can also pair using the NFC chip on the left side of the headset.
CONTROLS:
The controls are mostly standard fare, but there are a couple “gotchas” that I recommend reading the manual for or visiting the online FAQ for to get more information about the controls. Overall, I’d say these “gotchas” could have been avoided if a separate power button was integrated, but considering how quickly I was able to adapt, it’s really not anything I’d complain about.
Additionally, you can flip the boom microphone out of the way, but this DOES NOT mute the microphone, which is really unfortunate, as I would expect this behavior from most headsets these days. While the noise canceling microphone will work to reduce any background noises, you may still remain audible.
COMFORT:
In terms of comfort, the AfterShokz says the OpenComm was designed for all-day communication. I think this experience is going to differ from person to person, especially because the comfort and positioning will depend on the anatomy of your ears and the length of the arc from one ear to the other ear.
From my experience, I can certainly wear the OpenComm for several hours at a time, but I do have sensitive ears and prefer to take breaks.
I’ve worn them with my glasses on, and with a hat and face mask all simultaneously. I did have to put on my face mask first before I could put the OpenComm on, but I took it with me on a trip to the grocery store and had no issue enjoying music while still remaining aware of my surroundings.
PORTABILITY:
As far as portability is concerned, you can wear these anywhere, and they can be used for extended periods of time. The headset itself doesn’t cause any obtrusion while worn.
However, while the carrying case is nice and sturdy, it’s kind of comically large compared to the actual headset. That being said, I understand that the frame is made of titanium and can’t be expected to be bent around and stuffed into a bag. The case can definitely house the headset, the magnetic charging cable, a USB charger, and perhaps a few more cables if you wish to do so. But I think it could and should be more portable.
If AfterShokz are willing to change the interior mold of the case to house a cable and maybe an optional USB charger, I think they could lower the footprint of their case.
SOUND:
As far as sound is concerned, this one is tough because it’s even more dependent on your anatomy compared to traditional headphones. And while I am an audiophile and have reviewed and purchased headphones and headsets across different price points, I have very limited experience with bone conduction. As a result, I lowered my expectations.
The sound here is not going to blow away any audiophiles, but it is certainly adequate/sufficient to have a decent listening experience for both communication and music. Remember, this headset was designed with communication in mind first, rather than music. That being said, my personal experience has been that treble is generally a strong point and bass can be experienced if the OpenComm is worn in a way that lends to it. That being said, the quantity of bass won’t satisfy serious bass heads, but for the way I position it, the sound signature leans neutral with some treble emphasis
I have noticed that I can get clearer midrange and treble depending on how I position the bone conduction drivers just in front of my ears, and the same applies to the bass response. Unfortunately, you can’t really adjust how you wear the OpenComm aside from tilting it or slightly rotating it. And since it kind of rests on your ears without anything else to keep them positioned, it can be challenging to consistently get the same exact fit/position each time you put them on. Which means that the sound you get each time you put them on can be a bit variable.
So there are times where I’m impressed with the sound, and there are times where I feel like there is a veil over the top-end where the treble takes a hit. For music purposes, I usually find myself adjusting until I get a sound I find to be pleasant, but it usually doesn’t take very long. I do think it would be nice if I could better conform the frame to my head. I tried putting a hat on while wearing the OpenComm and it pushed the frame downwards, causing the bone conduction drivers to tilt a bit—which consequently changed the sound I was experiencing. So I had to adjust the OpenComm again after putting the hat on.
That being said, these things don’t really matter as much when you’re simply on a call with someone. I’ve used the OpenComm on long calls for work as well as for chatting up a friend. I had no issues hearing anyone talk, and I’d generally stick with the default EQ. The secondary EQ cuts out the bass and focuses on midrange and treble. This is likely a more sensible EQ if you are wearing earplugs with these in use—in which case, the sound can actually get overly bassy with the default EQ.
Why would you want to wear earplugs with these in use? Loud environments like construction zones where you can’t have noise canceling headsets. The earplugs will let you attenuate the loud noises while the bone conduction drivers will let you hear audio at volumes that won’t destroy your ear drums.
MICROPHONE:
As mentioned previously, the microphone can be flipped out of the way, but it DOES NOT mute the microphone. So it’s important to be mindful of this. You can mute the microphone while on a call by holding the Volume+ and Volume- buttons for two seconds. But AfterShokz claims that this may not work with all applications—in which case, you should use the mute functionality in your software.
I’ve found the microphone to be clear, and the noise cancellation is pretty good at eliminating background noise. When I compared to other bluetooth options I have, the OpenComm was slightly quieter likely due to the noise cancellation, but delivered excellent clarity, otherwise.
BATTERY LIFE:
AfterShokz claims up to 16 hours of call time, 8 hours of playback time, and up to 14 days of standby time. While I certainly have not tested a full 16 hours of call time, I will say that I’ve had no issues being on extended calls with the OpenComm with some mixed usage of music playback, as well. In my testing with mixed usage, I could easily get through a full day without charging them. And even if you needed to charge them, a quick 5 minute charge can yield 2 hours of talk time. A full charge can be had in 1 hour.
CONCLUSION:
Overall, I approached the AfterShokz with curiosity and skepticism, but I was pleasantly surprised at what they deliver. Whether you work from home and need a bluetooth headset that allows you to be attentive to your family, or someone who works in environments where you can’t safely use other headsets, or you’re just looking for a small comfortable headset that lets you be remain alert, the OpenComm is worthy of your consideration. And while I think the OpenComm has noteworthy potential in business applications, transportation and construction, it really does stand out to me as a choice many people ought to consider.