Best Bone Conduction Headphones Recommendations in 2023
Due to the increase of telecommuting time at home, there are more and more scenarios where people wear headphones for a long time. However, if you wear your headphones all the time, your ears may be itchy or sore. In severe cases, you may also experience symptoms of otitis externa or hearing loss.
In order to avoid the above situation, I recommend you use "bone conduction headphones". This product has become very popular with young people in recent years because they allow you to hear the sound from headphones without plugging them into your ears. And they offer added security, letting you hear your surroundings while using them, or listening to music while talking.
This article will introduce: What kind of headphones are bone conduction headphones, how to choose bone conduction headphones, what are their advantages and disadvantages, and recommend several excellent bone conduction headphones.
What is bone conduction?
First, what is bone conduction? What are its advantages and disadvantages? Let's take a closer look.
Bone conduction is the way a sound source vibrates through the bones and transmits the sound to the brain."Bone conduction", as the name suggests, is a method of transmitting sound source vibrations directly to the inner ear through "bone", and then transmitting the sound to the brain, where it is recognized as sound by the brain.
When we listen to sound with ordinary headphones, the vibration of the sound is transmitted from the ear to the eardrum, and the brain recognizes it as sound. However, in the case of bone conduction, the sound can be transmitted without passing through the ear or eardrum, and the sound transmission path is shorter.
In terms of wearing methods, it is common to wear bone conduction headphones on the temples instead of stuffing them into the ears.
It is easy to hear ambient sounds and is safer
Many models of bone conduction headphones are worn on the temple, and the ear canal is completely open, so the wearer can easily hear the surrounding environment.
Therefore, you can use bone conduction headphones when you want to hear the sound of your surroundings, such as when exercising or working, or when you want to listen to the radio or music such as background music.
There is a sound leakage problem
Bone conduction headphones have the disadvantage of easy sound leakage due to the characteristic that they are not placed in the ear canal. Although their sound is transmitted by directly vibrating the bones, the vibration of the sound source also vibrates the surrounding air, so that the sound will leak into the surroundings.
Therefore, bone conduction headphones are not suitable for use in libraries, quiet offices, trains, etc. When using them in these places, pay attention to controlling the audio volume, such as turning the volume down, so as not to disturb others.
How to choose bone conduction headphones
1.wired or wireless
There are two types of bone conduction headphones: "wired" headphones that connect directly to the headphone jack, and "wireless" headphones that connect via Bluetooth.
We'll tell you the pros and cons of each bone conduction headphone.
(1)Wired type
A wired headphone is a headphone that connects directly to the jack and drives it. When you use them, you don't need batteries and charging, and you don't have to worry about not being able to listen to music because the batteries suddenly run out of power, which is their advantage.
However, since they connect directly to devices such as smartphones, they have the disadvantage of tangling cables.
(2)Wireless type
Wireless headphones use the Bluetooth standard to connect wirelessly with devices such as smartphones, eliminating the need for cables. You can freely use your smartphone while enjoying music comfortably, which is their advantage.
They also have some disadvantages, such as the battery having a power limit. When the battery is depleted, you will not be able to hear the sound. Therefore, you need to recharge the battery regularly. In addition, when watching videos or playing games through a Bluetooth connection, there will be a delay in the sound and video played on the device. Fortunately, some of the latest versions of bone conduction headphones have improved the sound delay problem of Bluetooth connection very well.
2.Is it comfortable to wear?
With most bone conduction headphones, the wearer typically uses them by sandwiching them between the temples. This means that the size of the head circumference will affect the comfort of wearing. Therefore, you are better off opting for adjustable headphones. At the same time, the softness of the headphone surface material will also affect comfort. You'd better choose soft and skin-friendly headphones.
Also, if you normally wear glasses, wearing bone conduction headphones may interfere with your glasses. In this case, you'd better choose headphones that are compatible with glasses.
3.Sound quality
Different models of bone conduction headphones have different sound qualities. Some models can only hear the vocal part, while others can feel the bass part. Generally, a bone conduction vibrator with a larger size will have a wider sound range, allowing people to hear the bass part better.
If it is used in a remote office scenario, you should consider a bone conduction headphone with a microphone.Some bone conduction headphones are great for telecommuting. They come with a microphone for better sound reception, so you can easily hear yourself and make calls comfortably.
Best Bone Conduction Headphones Recommendations in 2023
1.Wissonly Hi Runner Bone Conduction Headphones
Wissonly bone conduction headphone is very healthy. They protect hearing, so they are also recommended by many otologists.
Wissonly Hi Runner is also very good in terms of sound quality. The size of their vibration unit is 35% higher than that of traditional bone conduction headphones, which makes the sound range wider and has a good performance from treble to bass.
Their body is made of self-adjusting memory titanium, which allows them to adapt to different sizes of head circumference, ensuring a better fit. Their surface material is a soft and skin-friendly silicone material, which improves wearing comfort while ensuring a good fit.
They're powerful and cost-effective bone conduction headphones . Wissonly Hi Runner supports an IPX8 waterproof rating higher than the industry standard, and they can work normally when the wearer is swimming and diving. They are also equipped with 32G body memory, which can store 5000 songs, and support two working modes of Bluetooth and MP3. Their battery is strong, supporting 10 hours of continuous music playback.
2.Philips A6606 Bone Conduction Headphones
Their voices are highly recognizable and the sound quality is very good. When wearing it, you can easily distinguish between human voices and singing voices.
In terms of wearing feeling, their side pressure is not strong, and the weight of the headphones is very light, there is no sense of weight, and it is very comfortable to wear.
Their waterproof level is relatively high, reaching IPX7, even if the wearer sweats or rains, it can work normally. It's also possible to do short washes for it, but you can't use them while swimming.
They also have a thoughtful night light design. Wearing them, even if you run at night, people or vehicles behind you can see you, which provides higher security for night running enthusiasts. You just need to turn on the power, and when you click the power button, the light will light up! You can also adjust the flashing mode of the night light with multiple clicks!
They have no built-in memory and only work in Bluetooth mode, which is the downside of them.
3.Shokz OpenRun Pro Bone Conduction Headphones
The flagship product of Shokz (formerly Aftershokz), "OpenRun Pro bone conduction headphones, has an enhanced bass effect so that the sound quality is greatly improved. They also made a lot of efforts to reduce sound leakage, so they can protect privacy well.
Their battery life has been greatly improved, and they can play music continuously for 10 hours at normal volume. They also have fast charging, which can play music for 1.5 hours after charging for 5 minutes.
Their wearing comfort is also improved. The headphone body is adjustable, with a higher fit and less slippage. The surface of the headphones is made of soft material, which makes them more comfortable to wear.
They support IPX5 waterproof, and they can work normally when the wearer sweats, but you can't wear them for a long time in the rain or swimming. They also don't have built-in memory, which is their downside
4.Boco Earsopen Peace SS-1 Bone Conduction Headphones
Boco Earsopen "PEACE SS-1" is an over-the-ear wireless bone conduction headphone. They have a special way of wearing, you just clip them to your ears like earrings. When I actually put them on my ears, they felt very light and weightless. The way they are worn, there may be concerns that they will fall out during use. But I actually tested it myself, and when wearing them, there is no problem with moving the head slightly. The parts in contact with the skin are made of rubber. In order to avoid the problem of falling off, some special treatments have been done to balance the comfortable skin-friendly, and anti-falling off.
In terms of sound quality, their performance is relatively average. Bass performance isn't great, and you can only hear bass when the volume is increased and the volume in the low range increases accordingly.
They have a waterproof rating of IPX7. They work well in most water situations except for swimming. But they have no built-in memory and only work in Bluetooth mode.
5.Haylou PurFree Bone Conduction Headphones
They are equipped with a Qualcomm QCC3044 flagship chip, using Bluetooth 5.2 protocol and the latest directional audio technology. This minimizes sound leakage while achieving a better bass effect.
They are equipped with high-capacity batteries, which can play music continuously for 8 hours on a full charge. At the same time, they also support fast charging technology, which can play music for 2 hours after only 10 minutes of charging.
They support IP67 dustproof, waterproof, rainproof, and sweatproof performance, and there is no problem wearing them during sports.
In terms of wearing comfort, because the inner frame of the headphones is made of titanium material, they are very light, only 28 grams, and there is no sense of weight when worn.
To be clear, they have no built-in memory, only work in Bluetooth mode, and they can't be used while swimming.
6.Neanka Runner Chic Bone Conduction Headphones
They are entry-level bone conduction headphones with average overall performance but a relatively low price. They have mediocre sound quality, poor bass, and a bit of leakage when in use.
The body of their headphones is made of aviation-grade material, which is flexible and not easy to damage, and the weight of the body is only 28g. Combined with skin-friendly food-grade silicone as the surface material, they can provide a skin-friendly and comfortable wearing experience.
Their waterproof rating reaches IPX6, which can meet the basic life-level waterproof. But you can't wear them in the rain for long periods of time, or use them while swimming.
They also have no built-in storage and only work in Bluetooth mode. And their battery life isn't stellar either.
7.Boco Earsopen BT-5 bone conduction headphones
They are also worn in a clip-ear style. The difference is that they also have a neck strap. The addition of the neck strap makes the wearing more stable, and it has a light and comfortable fit when worn.
In terms of sound quality, they perform well. They have a wide range, good bass-to-treble performance, and a sound that is clear and engaging.Their other properties are average, and they are relatively early designs.
You can choose the right bone conduction headphones according to your needs. If you don’t have high requirements for sound quality and wearing experience, then some entry-level headphones can meet the requirements. And if you have requirements for sound quality and wearing experience, as well as special requirements for waterproof level, built-in storage, etc., then you must choose those products with powerful functions and high-cost performance. For example, Wissonly Hi Runner is a good choice, and it is a popular choice for many YouTubers and otologists who have made recommended products.