Clips are all the rage these days in wireless earbuds. Sony’s got a clip, Bose has a clip, JBL has clips, and now Shokz is back with the OpenDots 2, marking its second-gen clip-style wireless earbuds. Shokz is bringing some upgrades to the $199 OpenDots appeal, including improved bass, upgraded Dolby audio, and better call quality, which are perks over earlier generations of Shokz earbuds. The question isn’t necessarily if the OpenDots 2 are better than their predecessor, though; it’s whether they stand out in a field of clip-style open earbuds that feels wider than ever.
4 Shokz OpenDots 2 The Shokz OpenDots 2 are solid open wireless earbuds with a great clip design, good bass, and solid sound. Pros Bass is solid Dolby Atmos audio ups the ante Comfortable Cons Fit wasn't quite right for my ears Not the most feature-rich Price is slightly higher than I would expect A proper sequel Like other open wireless earbuds from Shokz, including the OpenFit Pro (which I really like), the OpenDots 2 aren’t lacking in the audio quality department. With the perks I mentioned earlier, the OpenDots 2 sound pretty great. The bass is genuinely solid thanks to Bassphere 2.0, which is Shokz’ spherical acoustic system powered by two 11.8mm drivers that are meant to sound like a larger 16mm driver. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo I could get into nerdy specifics about how Bassphere 2.0 works, but what you really need to know is that it translates to good low end, especially for a pair of open wireless earbuds, a category that’s not necessarily known for its performance in that arena. Listening to “Da Funk” by Daft Punk, I got good performance across the frequency range. Driving bass was well represented but not obnoxious; synths in the upper and mid frequencies were sitting above the mix; pops of sampled tracks were still audible in the middle of everything. In the rock genre, this full range was also performant. Steely Dan’s “Any Major Dude” sounded clear and immersive, and I was able to pick out keys, rhythm, and lead guitar. Again, bass was surprisingly present but not overpowering or too artificially boosted.
