It is but like everyone said bass is lacking and you really can’t achieve that through bone conducting technology. It’s just something you’ll have to get use to. However they solve some problems you can’t solve with other headphones. Cycling and motorcycling for example, you can’t have headphones in your ears, but these solve that. They also have waterproof for swimmers, etc.
It’s also kind of a weird feeling. You get use to it, but it sounds like SciFi like you said because sound doesn’t come from your ears, instead you hear it in your head. I use to wear these on the meetings and listen to classical music while someone drones on about profit margins and stuff.
I use earplugs in my helmet every day, I used Shure se215 for a long time as they were the slimmest product I could find, now I’m using Plugfones, which are essentially a silicon earplug with a transducer, they block out all noise with fairly good sound quality.
I’ve been using bone conductive headphones for years now, and are on my third pair from Shokz (formerly Aftershokz).
The sound is clear, and leaves your ear canals open so you can be aware of your surroundings. Perfect for urban running, or just while doing chores around the house.
The bass is severely lacking however, even on their newest model, where they stated that they’d made good progress in the audio quality department. I couldn’t really hear that much of a difference.
I tend to use mine for listening to podcasts and audio books, and keep a pair of more traditional wireless headphones for listening to music.
Do you mind if I ask a few questions? I got some bone conducting headphones for cycling and walking around. I found when I wore them cycling, even at max volume, I could barely hear act sound. However, after about 30 seconds, my ears start to hurt. If I put my finger in my ear to block the ambient noise, and the volume is actually extremely loud.
I have tried in different environments, and I find I podcasts can’t be heard clearly at all unless it is a quiet room. I have come to the conclusion that the technology just doesn’t work for podcasts, and is better for music where you don’t need the clearest sound.
Your comment sounds like podcasts work fine for you, even in a noisy environment. The only thing I can think, is either my headphones are too cheap (I got a no name brand, but it was middle tier price), or my skull is shaped a bit differently, and I can’t get a good connection. Do you have any thoughts? Do you ever experience ear pain in order to hear a podcast?
No worries. The only times I really have any problems hearing through mine, are when a large semi truck is driving by while I’m out for a jog. I do sometimes have to turn the volume to max, but only in very noisy situations. The newest model from Shokz did go some way to alleviate this, and nowadays it’s rarely a problem. I certainly don’t have to be in a quiet room!
I can wholeheartedly say that I’ve never experienced any pain at all. The first few times I used bone conducting headphones, the vibrations tickled a bit, but this faded really quickly, and isn’t noticeable at all anymore. Other than that, I don’t really notice having them on.
I can usually make out what’s being said in my podcasts however I wear mine, the placement doesn’t have to be precise. So I don’t really think it could be your skull shape. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because you went with a no name brand, but I haven’t tried anything other than Shokz (or Aftershokz), so I can’t of course be certain of that.
My mother-in-law isn’t too fuzzed about the audio quality while listening to music, and I bought her a pair for Christmas a couple of years ago. Except for when she’s charging them, I almost suspect she hasn’t had them off since. That should probably say something about the comfort level.
Hope that answers some of your questions. I realize this reads almost like a paid endorsement, but I really do love them. I need better audio quality for my music, however, and don’t like using them for that except for in a pinch when I’ve left my Sony’s at home.
Thank you for the detailed response. I think I’m going to give the Shokz a try. I’ll wait until next summer, because winter is around the corner where I live. I hope they have a good return policy. I really want the technology to work, because it sounds ideal for my use case.
As to their return policy, I unfortunately don’t know. In my part of the world, we have pretty strict buyers protection by law, and it is usually handled by the store in which you bought the item.
It’s surprisingly clear given that you don’t have anything in your ears. Iems or headphones will undoubtedly sound better but if you need to hear your surroundings or don’t want to stuff your ears then it’s a good alternative.
Very, but bass is lacking. Unless you put earplugs with it, which defeats the purpose and mess up the tonal balance big time. I tried it when using the chainsaw, and I would do it again
wow ! that reads like scifi ! Is the sound clear ?
edit Thanks everybody for the feedback. I’m terribly interested in a pair now
It is but like everyone said bass is lacking and you really can’t achieve that through bone conducting technology. It’s just something you’ll have to get use to. However they solve some problems you can’t solve with other headphones. Cycling and motorcycling for example, you can’t have headphones in your ears, but these solve that. They also have waterproof for swimmers, etc.
It’s also kind of a weird feeling. You get use to it, but it sounds like SciFi like you said because sound doesn’t come from your ears, instead you hear it in your head. I use to wear these on the meetings and listen to classical music while someone drones on about profit margins and stuff.
Not true about motorcycling. Motorcycle helmets pretty much all have a spot to put a speaker system into, and it works great.
Am talking about conventional earbuds. You can’t use that in helmet.
I use earplugs in my helmet every day, I used Shure se215 for a long time as they were the slimmest product I could find, now I’m using Plugfones, which are essentially a silicon earplug with a transducer, they block out all noise with fairly good sound quality.
And your law allows it? Ours specifically states only one ear can have an earbud.
I’ve been using bone conductive headphones for years now, and are on my third pair from Shokz (formerly Aftershokz).
The sound is clear, and leaves your ear canals open so you can be aware of your surroundings. Perfect for urban running, or just while doing chores around the house.
The bass is severely lacking however, even on their newest model, where they stated that they’d made good progress in the audio quality department. I couldn’t really hear that much of a difference.
I tend to use mine for listening to podcasts and audio books, and keep a pair of more traditional wireless headphones for listening to music.
Do you mind if I ask a few questions? I got some bone conducting headphones for cycling and walking around. I found when I wore them cycling, even at max volume, I could barely hear act sound. However, after about 30 seconds, my ears start to hurt. If I put my finger in my ear to block the ambient noise, and the volume is actually extremely loud.
I have tried in different environments, and I find I podcasts can’t be heard clearly at all unless it is a quiet room. I have come to the conclusion that the technology just doesn’t work for podcasts, and is better for music where you don’t need the clearest sound.
Your comment sounds like podcasts work fine for you, even in a noisy environment. The only thing I can think, is either my headphones are too cheap (I got a no name brand, but it was middle tier price), or my skull is shaped a bit differently, and I can’t get a good connection. Do you have any thoughts? Do you ever experience ear pain in order to hear a podcast?
No worries. The only times I really have any problems hearing through mine, are when a large semi truck is driving by while I’m out for a jog. I do sometimes have to turn the volume to max, but only in very noisy situations. The newest model from Shokz did go some way to alleviate this, and nowadays it’s rarely a problem. I certainly don’t have to be in a quiet room!
I can wholeheartedly say that I’ve never experienced any pain at all. The first few times I used bone conducting headphones, the vibrations tickled a bit, but this faded really quickly, and isn’t noticeable at all anymore. Other than that, I don’t really notice having them on.
I can usually make out what’s being said in my podcasts however I wear mine, the placement doesn’t have to be precise. So I don’t really think it could be your skull shape. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because you went with a no name brand, but I haven’t tried anything other than Shokz (or Aftershokz), so I can’t of course be certain of that.
My mother-in-law isn’t too fuzzed about the audio quality while listening to music, and I bought her a pair for Christmas a couple of years ago. Except for when she’s charging them, I almost suspect she hasn’t had them off since. That should probably say something about the comfort level.
Hope that answers some of your questions. I realize this reads almost like a paid endorsement, but I really do love them. I need better audio quality for my music, however, and don’t like using them for that except for in a pinch when I’ve left my Sony’s at home.
Thank you for the detailed response. I think I’m going to give the Shokz a try. I’ll wait until next summer, because winter is around the corner where I live. I hope they have a good return policy. I really want the technology to work, because it sounds ideal for my use case.
Thanks again.
As to their return policy, I unfortunately don’t know. In my part of the world, we have pretty strict buyers protection by law, and it is usually handled by the store in which you bought the item.
It’s surprisingly clear given that you don’t have anything in your ears. Iems or headphones will undoubtedly sound better but if you need to hear your surroundings or don’t want to stuff your ears then it’s a good alternative.
Very, but bass is lacking. Unless you put earplugs with it, which defeats the purpose and mess up the tonal balance big time. I tried it when using the chainsaw, and I would do it again