When I biked or walked on the busy roads near our house, I never felt comfortable listening to music via headphones or earbuds. I was not about to take any chances with my safety, because these traditional methods made it difficult to hear oncoming traffic. However, Aftershokz's bone conduction headphones claim to be much safer for exercising. They don't cover my ears or disrupt my natural hearing. How well do they work? Read on to find out!
In the Box
A bag for storage, a USB charger, and cord extender, and the headphones (of course) are included.
Comfort and Fit
Because these earphones use bone conduction technology, the Aftershokz are designed to sit on your cheek bones. The headband is quite flexible, so it does adjust to the size of your head. Wearing them this way is quite comfortable. They are so light that I often forget I am wearing them. They also seem to stay on very well.
Design
The AfterShokz are powered by a battery, and must be re-charged via USB port. According to the company, the battery lasts about 15 hours- I haven't tested this claim, though.
Having an in-line mic is handy, (or in the case of the Sport headphones- volume and stop buttons) but the in-line mic thingy (above) is bulky and comparatively heavy. It does have a clip, but I still wish it were lighter and smaller so it would not flop around so much.
Sound
Reasonable and decent are two adjectives that come to mind when describing the AfterShokz's audio quality. The AfterShokz headphones tend to have light base. It is also worth noting that the volume increases and the audio quality sharpens the closer they are worn to your ears. The sound will not be satisfactory for audiophiles, but it will be satisfactory for active people. Most joggers probably won't be splitting hairs over sound quality while jogging. :)
As advertised, the AfterShokz let me hear my surroundings with remarkable clarity. Unless the volume was turned to max, I could hear birds, traffic, and people around me perfectly.
Conclusion
Other bone conduction headphones similar to the Aftershokz are available. From what I can gather, however, they cost more and do not provide more features or better sound quality. If you exercise outdoors and are concerned about the safety of listening to music, Aftershokz bone conduction headphones are the way to go.
Product Info
| MSRP: | $69.95 from AfterShokz |
| Manufacturer: | VoxLinc |
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Bone conduction! What will they think of next? Very impressive.
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