Bone Conduction Headphones

 

When I go for a run, go geocaching, scooter, bike or play disc golf, I like to listen to music, an audio book or a podcast. It's not for everyone, but I find the audio can often add to my experience. Gliding past the roller coaster at the Mission Beach boardwalk listening to Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffet or the Beach Boys ... ahh!

But San Diego is a busy place, chock full of other pedestrians, bikers and cars, any of which could sneak up behind, surprise me and make for an unfortunate encounter. For this reason it's important to me to be able to hear what might be coming up behind me and maintain situational awareness.

I've experimented with a couple variations on the portable audio to solve the situational awareness problem and they are just "OK". I have one that I wear around my neck. Looks like a black horseshoe (see image below). One shortcoming is that it's fallen off several times and clattered on the pavement. They really aren't designed to run with. They don't take bouncing well. Also: they are speakers, so everyone around you can hear what you are listening to. 

Fast forward many months later and I find that, not one, but two of my friends (within a week) who are sporting "Bone Conduction Headphones". BC headphones are designed for exercise and situational awareness. They do not cover your ears nor require you to stick anything in the ear canal. Instead they rest externally on the cheek / upper jaw bones (Zygomatic arch) right in front of your ear.

BC headphones transmit sound through your bones to your inner ear. This leaves your ear canals unobstructed to hear other sounds like a car sneaking up behind you. I'm intrigued. 

I did my research (as I always do when considering a, possibly pricey, purchase). I read DOZENS of articles, reviews and watched as many videos in order to determine which brands / models to consider.

I very rarely return things on Amazon. I often know exactly what I want and order it from Amazon because of price and convenience. One exception is audio equipment, like headphones. You simply cannot determine how they will sound or how comfortable they will be on YOUR head. Everyone is built differently. There are a lot of variables from body to body. My wife's ear canals are small and earbuds easily fall out. I have a big head and some headphone are just too small for my melon. For this reason it was important that I test several headphones for both audio quality and fit.

Below are the headphones that I tested.

1) ZKAPOR: Terrible. Awful. Bleeds audio. Low audio. Cheap in price and quality. Avoid.

2) MOING: Not bad, but very low audio.

3) Tayogo: Not comfortable for me. Audio not good.

4) Padmate / Pamu: The best of the budget models. Not comfortable for my big head. Sound is OK.

5) Shokz - OpenRun: Pricey: you get what you pay for. The best audio for BC headphones. Most comfortable for me. 

Unlike the "horseshoe" neck speakers that I used to wear, there is no chance that these will fall off. They are snug. Also, other people cannot hear what you are listening to. I tested 5 headphones. 4 were inexpensive brands and one was a more expensive, recognized brand (Shokz). I ended choosing the Shokz - OpenRun. The Shokz were by far the most comfortable. It's easy to forget that you are wearing them. They have the best audio from those that I tested. A caveat: Even the best Bone Conduction headphones will not sound as robust and rich as a good set of over the ear headphones or earbuds, they cannot. They deliver sound in a VERY different way. Therefore, I highly recommend that if you're looking for supreme, exquisite audio quality, avoid BC headphones. However, if you want to be able to hear your surroundings and safely keep your situational awareness, then BC headphones are my highly recommended choice.