Last week during CES, we got to meet with the excellent people at Aftershokz to try out their first ever headphones which use bone conduction technology. What that means for us and you is that when you are out running or even just walking down the street you can hear the sounds around you as well your music. They accomplish this by requiring the headphone resting in front of your ears instead of in them, so you’re ears are open to hear your surroundings, yet the music is still there. This technology is not new, it’s what the military have been using to make sure they can hear everything around them as well as get directions. So, you knows it’s already awesome.
I got to take home a pair for myself to try, being that I go to the gym and do running about 6 times a week this seemed like the perfect product and so far I really enjoy them. One problem I do find with them is that if the outside volume is fairly loud then you need to crank up the volume on these, which normally would be fine. However, once the volume is up higher then it kind of tickles your head as their bone conduction tries to push the sound to your ears but with some minor adjustments it’s pretty easy to overcome.
Haven’t yet been able to try these outside and only been within a gym setting due to the current cold tempatures so, I’m not able to comment on their main use which is outdoor activities but I am able to have a conversation while listening to music without a problem. In addition, one thing I was worried about being that these go on the side of your skull, rather then in your ear, is that sweat would get into them and cause them not to function correctly, but it has rubberized padding which can easily be cleaned. The headphones come with a powered switch that also has a volume control which will last for around 15 hours with continous play and can be easily charged by plugging it into the included USB charger.
All in all, these are my new favorite headphones for exercising but won’t be replacing my in-ear beats for extra loud places or planes. I definitely recommend these to anyone for their new years resolution.