Bone Conduction Headphones – Aftershokz Air REVIEW
Are you interested in bone conduction headphones? Well, in this post I’ll have the Aftershocks Air unboxing, feature description, and review. Coming up!
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Hi, I’m Dr. Derek audiologist with ProFitHearing.com bringing you the best insight in today’s latest hearing aids and audio technology to improve your life. If you have concerns about your hearing always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
Now what I have today are the Aftershocks Air wireless bone conduction headphones in slate gray. For the latest pricing, check out the Amazon link HERE. You never know when these might go on sale. Click HERE for the Aftershokz Air manual and quick start guide.
Bone Conduction Headphones Difference
So, what sets the Aftershokz Air wireless headphones apart from all of the other headphones out there? These use bone conducted sound. That means that the headphones rest directly against the skull and transmit sound through the bone to the inner ear. That’s where our hearing sensory cells are located. These headphones do not cover up or plug your ears, so you still will be able to hear the sounds around you.
The Aftershokz Air wireless headphones are a great match for athletes, runners…really anybody who wants good sound awareness around them while they’re listening to music with headphones. They also work well for people with conductive hearing loss since the headphones can bypass the damaged part of the ear. These headphones can be used while wearing hearing aids, since they do not go inside your ears. Sometimes headphones and hearing aids do not mix well because of feedback or whistling from the ear. So if you wear hearing aids, the Aftershokz air wireless headphones may be just what you’re looking for.
Unboxing
OK, so let’s move on to the unboxing (see video below). We have the headphones themselves, the accessories, and the instructions for bluetooth connection. The first thing I notice is these are very light and flexible. So we have the headphones in the middle, instructional guides, charging cable, a pair of ear plugs (if you want to block out the external sounds around you), and the carrying case.
Aftershokz Air Key Features
Now, I’ll go over the key features of the Aftershokz Air wireless bone conduction headphones.
Open Ear Bone Conduction Technology
Stay connected to your music and the environment around you. These are great headphones for people who want to have good sound awareness while also listening to their music.
Lightweight and Flexible
These headphones only weigh 30 grams.
Sweatproof
They have IP55 water resistance. This means that these are water resistant. They’re not waterproof, but they’re great for workouts.
Bluetooth 4.2
This allows up to 33 foot range of wireless connectivity so you have quite a bit of range to work with.
Noise Cancelling Microphones for Phone
This way the person you’re speaking to can hear you more clearly.
Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery
This gives you a six hour battery life, and it recharges in two hours with the micro USB cable.
EQ or Sound Equalization Adjustment
There’s a few adjustments you can make to the sound quality of these devices: a setting for headphone use without earplugs or with earplugs.
Multi-point Pairing
You can connect two devices at once and transition between them. So let’s say you’re listening to music on a tablet and you get a phone call. The connectivity of the headphones can transition from the tablet over to the phone, so you can pick up the phone call and have a conversation.
Bone Conduction Headphones – First Impressions
OK, so I’ve used these Aftershokz Air wireless bone conduction headphones for about a week now and I’ll share my first impressions.
PROS
These headphones are very light, wireless, and water resistant. So that makes them very convenient for working out. You can pair them to your phone and enjoy music while you’re exercising. They can also be paired with an Apple Watch so you can leave your phone at home, track your workout stats with your watch, and listen to music at the same time.
I can listen to music podcasts and audio books without feeling cut off from the outside world. I can still interact with all the people around me and enjoy my music. Bone conduction sound transmission is more efficient than how typical headphones work, which is using air conduction. So, the volume of these headphones can be lower and still audible.
They also maintain stereo sound quality, which gives music a much more enjoyable sound quality. Also, the bass response is surprisingly good. Phone calls work great on these headphones and give you the sensation of hearing the sound of the person’s voice in both ears. That makes it easier to understand what the person is saying, and this can especially be important if you have hearing loss. Like i said before, you have the flexibility of also wearing hearing aids with these headphones. You may want to consider trying these out, because they do not fit inside your ear.
CONS
These headphones aren’t as comfortable as traditional headphones for long term use. I found that the way these sit in front of my ears, the pressure that’s in front of my ears does get a bit uncomfortable over time. If you also need to concentrate while you’re wearing these headphones, you probably will find they’re not adequate because they don’t block out the sounds around you.
If you choose to use the included earplugs, you might find also that the bass response is elevated. The bass sounds are increased due to something called occlusion effect. This leads to sound quality that is less than ideal. *see EQ adjustment for earplug setting
Final Thoughts
OK, so for my final thoughts. Overall, I really like the Aftershokz Air wireless bone conduction headphones. They are great for their target audience, which is active people who want to enjoy their music and have access to all the sounds around them. I see this product to be very effective for that situation. I personally would choose a pair of noise canceling headphones over these for general music listening, but for what these are intended for I think they’re an excellent product and I highly recommend them.
I hope you will try out these headphones for yourself and see what you think! Click HERE for the latest pricing on Amazon.
Question of the Day
So for today’s question: have you tried the Aftershokz Air air wireless bone conduction headphones? How do these compare to other earphones or headphones that you’ve used? I’d love to know your thoughts, so please comment below. What other product reviews do you want to see? Let’s connect in the comments.
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Remember, Pro Fit Hearing brings you the best insight in today’s latest hearing aids and audio technology to improve your life. If you have concerns about your hearing, always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
-Dr. Derek