Entertainment The best bone conduction headphones 2022
Entertainment The best bone conduction headphones 2022
The best bone conduction headphones 2022
The best bone conduction headphones allow you to be aware of your surroundings while working out. That makes them perfect for activities like running and cycling during which being isolated from the outside world is potentially unsafe. But, these headphones are also ideal for one type of activity: swimming.
These headphones transmit audio differently from earbuds and traditional over-ear headphones. Although it’s your brain that converts vibrations into audio, the way bone conduction headphones send those vibrations is different. Instead of using drivers to vibrate air directly into your ears, they utilize tiny transducers that send those vibrations along your bones to your ears.
That allows them to offer something that traditional headphones cannot, even if they can’t deliver the same kind of audio experience as, say, a set of Sony WH-1000XM5s. Anyway, you’re not really going for sound quality here. They’re about situational awareness, about safety, about ensuring that you’re hearing what’s happening around you, no matter how engrossing that latest podcast episode is.
There aren’t a lot of bone conduction headphones on the market, but we have put the most popular ones through their paces. So, we know a thing or two about what makes an excellent pair. Take a look at our top picks below. Whether you want the best bone conduction headphones for swimming or the best running headphones, you’ll find something on our list that’s a great match.
The best bone conduction headphones 2022
Usually, opting for bone conduction headphones means compromising on sound quality, but thanks to the Shokz OpenRun Pro, that’s no longer the case. These headphones contain a set of new bass transducers that deliver far richer sound than any other bone conduction headsets we’ve tested so far, which is a real advantage for activities like running where a solid beat can drive you on. You can even tweak the EQ settings in the new Shokz app to optimize the sound for music or audiobooks.
Design-wise the OpenRun Pro are very similar to the original OpenRun (below), but Shokz has made a few thoughtful design tweaks including repositioning the charging port so it’s now easier to access and increasing the size of the volume/power buttons. The headset is still light and comfortable to wear. It stayed comfortable during testing, even during our longest training runs. Plus, the quick-charge function gives you an hour and a half of playtime on just a five-minute charge.
The only downside is that those new bass transducers sometime felt a little tickly against our cheekbones, but that’s a minor gripe. The OpenRun Pro are the best bone conduction headphones you can buy right now, and they prove that opting for safety doesn’t have to mean compromising on sound quality.
Read our full Shokz OpenRun Pro review
If you’re interested in checking out a set of bone conduction headphones, but don’t want to pay serious cash for something you might not enjoy, the Padmate S30 could be exactly what you need. Its sound isn’t as rich or detailed as you’ll get with a higher-end headset, but if you’re interested in listening to audiobooks or podcasts rather than music while you’re working out, it could be a winner.
We thought the lack of a volume control strange (instead, you have to control the volume using your phone) and the buttons somewhat fiddly to operate. However, it’s nevertheless a comfortable headset that you can forget you’re wearing for hours at a time. It has impressive battery life too, even if you crank your phone’s volume all the way up (something that you might find necessary).
Read our full Padmade S30 review
The Shokz OpenRun (originally called the AfterShokz Aeropex before the company rebranded itself in December 2021) is a flagship headset that offers an impressively small and light design, plus a slight step up in sound quality over rival bone conduction headphones.
They’re 30% smaller and 13% lighter than the company’s Trekz Air headphones, and they have an IP67 water-resistance rating so they’re an excellent option for exercise and use in the rain. Despite their slender frame, they include two physical buttons to control volume, and the move to a proprietary charging setup helps them achieve that improved water-resistance rating. Dual noise-cancelling mics are available for those times you need to take calls, too.
On the sound front, Shokz has adjusted its approach to delivering audio to your ears to improve bass performance and offer less vibration and sound leakage than the brand’s other headphones. We found the improvements in bass and clarity to be noticeable, and with an improved eight hours of battery life and the same quick-charge support as the Trekz Air, the OpenRun are still some of the best bone conduction headphones around.
Read our full Shokz OpenRun review
The Zygo Solo are the only set of bone conduction headphones we’ve tested that can actually stream music and podcasts from a phone that’s sitting by the side of the pool. Instead of using Bluetooth, which can only penetrate water for a very short distance, these utilize an FM radio transmitter instead.
As a result, you can enjoy music, podcasts and coaching tips via the Zygo app without needing to save the MP3 files in the headphones themselves. Even better, we found the sound quality to be impressive. It might sound a little tinny on land, but dunk it in the water and you’ll get that booming bass to keep you motivated.
The transmitter is quite large and the headset itself isn’t very compact. However, we didn’t find the transmitter to be an inconvenience, and the headset stayed comfortable during our workouts. We’re also big fans of the Zygo mobile app and its instructor-led workouts.
Read our full Zygo Solo review
If you don’t want to spend big on the company’s OpenRun headphones, the Shokz Trekz Air offer many of the same features and overall audio quality for significantly less money. Although not as compact or light in terms of their design, the Trekz Air do come with an IP55 rating, making them fit for sweaty workouts.
Adopting the signature wraparound titanium frame, their 30g weight is distributed well; we found them comfortable to wear and they stayed in place. Pairing with devices over Bluetooth, the headphones feature controls to adjust volume and a mute button to make it quick and easy to cut music in busy environments – or, if you need to have a conversation.
Sound quality is as good as you’ll find on bone conduction headphones, but we did find that in busier environments they struggled to be heard. At full volume, you might experience some of the tickling sensation familiar with bone conduction, so we think these are best used at moderate volumes. With six hours of battery life, the Trekz Air also come with a quick-charge feature that will get you an hour of listening time in just 15 minutes of charging.
Read our full Shokz Trekz Air review
Like the Shokz OpenRun Pro, the Mojawa Mojo1 prove that it’s no longer necessary for bone conduction headphones to compromise on sound quality. The Mojo1 leave your ears open, but still deliver surprisingly rich bass that’ll help keep you motivated during a particularly tough workout.
We found that the Mojo 1 was stable and comfortable on our head even over long stretches, and their IP67 rating means they’ll easily resist dust, sweat, and splashes. Their reflective detailing is a nice touch too, helping you stay safer at night, though we noticed that the transducer pads sitting in front of your ears are larger and chunkier than usual.
As with the OpenRun Pro, we sometimes felt a slight tickle from the Mojawa Mojo1 when listening to particularly bass-heavy music, but it was never enough to be a serious distraction. In all other respects, these bone conduction headphones give you the best of both worlds.
Read our full Mojawa Mojo1 review
How we test bone conduction headphones
We’ve tested dozens of bone conduction headphones over the years, which puts us in a great position to select our favorites for this guide.
We have reviewed every pair listed above. In each case, we give the product plenty of time to run in before evaluating their sound quality across a variety of music genres, games, movies and podcasts, from several sources, against known class-leaders in the category. Sound quality at TechRadar is, and should always be, a priority when listening to music on the go.
We also consider how comfortable and secure the design is over extended periods of time, the situations the product best suits (running, gaming, audiophile hi-res listening), along with any extra or unusual features offered at the level.
When it comes to additional features, we look at voice assistant integration, on-device touch controls, how comprehensive the companion app is and anything else that each set of bone conduction headphones provides.
We also evaluate those battery life claims to ensure we could give an accurate opinion on how long they will last in normal use. Ultimately, we want you to have a product you’ll be over the moon with. We hope we help you achieve that.
How to choose the best bone conduction headphones for you
While we recommend bone conduction headphones for fitness folk who want to be more aware of their surroundings, they can also be useful in any scenario where you’d benefit from hearing a mix of your own music and any background noise, such as walking on a busy street or working at home while needing to listen out for family members or the doorbell.
But too much choice can feel like a burden, which is where we come in – because we’ve done the heavy-lifting (swimming, running and commuting) for you here.
What we’re saying is, we’ve tested the best bone conduction headphones you can buy right now for training, trying to beat your 10k and more.
Right now there aren’t as many bone conduction headphones to choose from as other types of wireless headphones. However, there are a few points to consider.
For example, if you’re thinking about investing in a pair of bone conduction headphones for use while exercising, then be sure to check the IP (ingress protection) rating, which will provide an indication of how well they will be able to fend off sweat and water.
What’s more, those who will be using the headphones to take calls, but who don’t want interaction with their smartphone while doing so, should look for units with built-in controls and a microphone.
There’s plenty more to consider, including the design, the fit and budget. Let’s take a look at the top bone conduction headphones of 2022 to find out more.
Do bone conduction headphones sound good?
All of the bone conduction headphones in this guide offer a decent audio performance, but you’re never going to get the same sound quality as you would from a pair of in-ear headphones or over-ear headphones.
If you do want to stay aware of your surroundings without sacrificing audio quality, there are plenty of true wireless earbuds out there with transparency modes, which feeds in sound from the outside world to your ears.
Are there any health benefits to using bone conduction headphones?
Aside from the obvious benefits of being aware of your surroundings while working out, bone conduction headphones could be better for your hearing health than earbuds, over-ear, and on-ear headphones.
That’s because they’re not driving air directly to your ear drum, which can lead to damage if you listen to music at loud volumes.
https://www.zordis.com/news/best-bone-conduction-headphones
Source link
