Bone Conduction Headphones

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allan

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#298670 6-Jul-2022 12:30

I just received an email from PB Tech today promoting the Shokz range of bone conduction headphones https://www.pbtech.co.nz/category/headphones-audio/headphones/brand-Shokz and wondered if anyone here had any real world experience of using them (any brand). Overseas reviews I've found range from the greatest thing since sliced bread through to being complete rubbish.

My background is that I've had single sided hearing for the last 20 years due to the removal of a specific type of tumour back then and even although I use a hearing aid, a "cros aid" to send sound from my non-hearing side to my goodish ear, plus Bluetooth feed from phone/laptop etc to hearing aid - that is all single sided mono sound of course.

I'm not looking for a high quality audiophile experience, just something to give me a sense of stereo sound again - so any input on actual use would be welcome

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#2938779 6-Jul-2022 12:39

I've used the AfterShokz (now Shokz) Aeroplex model for over a year now and, as a running headset they can't be beat. Decent enough quality and great battery life. The main advantage of these is they allow me to hear external noises, so if I'm road running I can hear traffic and everything that is going on around me. At high volumes the vibration on my head tends to get annoying, but turning them down solves it. The only minor issues I have with them is they are hard to hear when there is traffic noise, or other loudish droning noises in the background and the quality isn't that great for the price. It's definitely acceptable for what I use them for though. For the gym, I would use my in-ear headphones with memory foam tips.

morrisk

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#2938829 6-Jul-2022 14:36

To get "stereo" sound you need your non hearing ear to be able to hear via the bone conduction approach - whether it can do this will depend upon which part of the hearing mechanism was damaged when the tumour was removed. If it was a tumour associated with the acoustic nerve and the nerve was damaged then the bone conduction will only be to the good ear and the result I suspect will be much the same as you are getting with your cross aide.

allan

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#2938841 6-Jul-2022 14:52

morrisk:

To get "stereo" sound you need your non hearing ear to be able to hear via the bone conduction approach - whether it can do this will depend upon which part of the hearing mechanism was damaged when the tumour was removed. If it was a tumour associated with the acoustic nerve and the nerve was damaged then the bone conduction will only be to the good ear and the result I suspect will be much the same as you are getting with your cross aide.

Yes that's a good point actually.

johno1234

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#2938918 6-Jul-2022 17:15

allan:

I just received an email from PB Tech today promoting the Shokz range of bone conduction headphones https://www.pbtech.co.nz/category/headphones-audio/headphones/brand-Shokz and wondered if anyone here had any real world experience of using them (any brand). Overseas reviews I've found range from the greatest thing since sliced bread through to being complete rubbish.

My background is that I've had single sided hearing for the last 20 years due to the removal of a specific type of tumour back then and even although I use a hearing aid, a "cros aid" to send sound from my non-hearing side to my goodish ear, plus Bluetooth feed from phone/laptop etc to hearing aid - that is all single sided mono sound of course.

I'm not looking for a high quality audiophile experience, just something to give me a sense of stereo sound again - so any input on actual use would be welcome

OT, but I am also hearing on one ear only with CROS hearing aid setup. The HAs have DSP to add a small delay on the transmitter side which my brain is supposed to learn to interpret for a little but of direction sense. TBH I am not sure that is working for me, but hard to know as it is so subjective and gradual.

I am not expecting to get stereo sound sense, ever. I've been hearing one sided since birth and don't feel like I am missing anything as it is something I've never known.

But having got HAs in my late 50's after being half deaf for life... I have to say I wish someone talked me into it earlier. These things are bordering on life changing. Mind you, rechargeable digital BT hearing aids weren't a thing until recent years and extremely expensive until very recently.

everettpsycho

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#2938968 6-Jul-2022 20:09

The way they work is to vibrate the bone to resonate the sound to your cochlea. I'd go out on a limb and say if you can't have cochlea implants to resolve your hearing troubles then bone conduction likely won't achieve anything for that ear. The main hearing issues they circumvent really is blocked ear canals where vibrating air wouldn't get through.

For what it's worth I used my aftershokz trekz titanium loads. Real world the sound is only really adequate, lacks bass if you want that unless you plug your ears. The sound also leaks out a fair bit. That said, I only wore them on my bike, and for that or running having your ears open to hear traffic was the entire reason I got them. At high speed on the bike the wind did drown the music out a bit, as did any larger vehicle driving past, but at least I knew it was there. I'd definitely buy another set for that one particular use case, anything else I prefer just shoving one wireless earbud in as the sound quality is much better.

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#2939000 6-Jul-2022 22:43

Presumably PBtech, Harvey Norman or JB Hi-Fi etc would have a pair you could test before purchasing?

I know a former colleague swore by them, so hopefully it works out for your situation!

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JeremyNzl

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#2939070 7-Jul-2022 10:53

I have the aftershocks , Aeroplex. I agree with all the comments above great for when external awareness is required,

Not the best in super noisy environments as when you turn them up they can produce tenderness where they contact your face/ear though the vibrations.

Torpedo 7 sell them and I was able to test a pair in shop before I purchased them.

They are surprisingly good, but don't have the fidelity of in ear

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#2939155 7-Jul-2022 12:54

JeremyNzl:

I have the aftershocks , Aeroplex. I agree with all the comments above great for when external awareness is required,

Not the best in super noisy environments as when you turn them up they can produce tenderness where they contact your face/ear though the vibrations.

Torpedo 7 sell them and I was able to test a pair in shop before I purchased them.

They are surprisingly good, but don't have the fidelity of in ear

This is a great review. I decided against them after using them in both a bike shop and borrowing a pair in the office.

Great in the office - less so in the shop, due to noise. Also - as described above - fidelity is not on par with in-ears, but that's a consideration when you're weighing up the safety aspect of being able to hearyour surroundings.

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#2939176 7-Jul-2022 13:39

i have friends who walk around everywhere at work with them.

they are very clear however i wouldn't call the sound musical

also seems a bit expensive

allan

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#2939205 7-Jul-2022 14:31

Well I won't be testing any for a bit - tested positive for Covid this morning 😷

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#2939249 7-Jul-2022 15:57

Have heard good things about them - great for truck drivers for example where hands free is no good due to the loud ambient noise, but you don't lose any of your normal hearing by having something in your ear. Supposedly the mics are very good too.

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#2939287 7-Jul-2022 16:40

I've tried to like bone conduction headphones but I just can't get over the lack of bass or anything musical really. I do a lot of running and like to run with music. I tried to use bone conduction headphones as I wanted to be aware of my surrounds but I just couldn't get past the poor musical performance. I've just gone back to using my 2nd Gen AirPods, because they are not a sealed in ear design they still allow a reasonable amount of ambient sound in as long as you don't have them turned up to ear drum splitting levels.

Most people I know who swear by bone conduction headphones use them primarily to listen to podcasts where the lack of bass isn't an issue.

kiwigander

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#2943268 18-Jul-2022 08:21

I've had Aftershokz for a few years; originally bought them to listen to a voice programme (so musical fidelity not an issue) while commuting by bicycle (they fit nicely below a helmet). They work well for listening to online lectures at home, too, and to have voice instructions from Google Maps while cycling. Downsides: limited volume before they begin to distort; thin bass; and (a feature not a bug) they don't block any noise, so a big diesel truck struggling by will overwhelm whatever you're trying to listen to.

My original pair developed a fault, and the rigmarole to get them replaced (they cannot be repaired) under guarantee was something to behold. (At the time they were only sold through Torpedo 7, and I did not want to spend a lot of time trying to get Torpedo 7 to honour the CGA.)