AfterShokz bone conduction headphones

Because I love running, I have been looking for various running-related technology products. I have been trying out AfterShokz bone conduction headphones for more than half a month. Let me share with you some of my personal experience. In the past half month, I have used it almost every day, mainly on the subway to and from work, during running twice a week, and occasionally on business trips. I will comprehensively evaluate this AfterShokz bone conduction headset from four aspects: wearing comfort, sound quality, functionality and industrial design. But rather than calling it a headset, I think it is more of a smart wearable device.

AfterShokz bone conduction headphones

About bone conduction headphones

I have never really experienced bone conduction headphones in the past. I just heard that bone conduction headphones are suitable for long-term wear, will not cause ear discomfort, and look very big, with a sense of technology, and more connotation than the big headphones with two "Bs". Let's first popularize the concept of "bone conduction". Baidu Encyclopedia explains it this way: sound can pass through the skull and jawbone to the auditory nerve, causing hearing. In science, this way of sound conduction is called bone conduction. Some people who have lost their hearing can use bone conduction to hear sounds. It is said that after the musician Beethoven became deaf, he bit one end of a wooden stick with his teeth and pressed the other end against the piano to listen to the sound of his own playing, so as to continue to create.

[[128164]]

The author wears AfterShokz bone conduction headphones

The earphones and glasses legs are not squeezed, and reflective strips can be attached to the back

About wearing: Very comfortable

There are generally three types of ordinary headphones: "2B" type large headphones that can cover the ears, in-ear earplugs, and earplugs that hang on the ear bones as standard for Apple iPhones. Aftershokz, on the other hand, clips the headphones to the outside of the auricle from the back of the head. This way, the ear holes will not swell after long-term use. The longest time I wore AfterShokz was 8 and a half hours, and there was no discomfort. It has moderate tightness, and it does not shake when shaking your head, which is especially suitable for running. If you use traditional headphones, the sound will tremble with every step you take, but this will not happen on Aftershokz. And for running enthusiasts, another major benefit of wearing AfterShokz is that it will not block the ear holes. When running on the road, you can clearly hear the sound of the car horn behind you, which greatly increases the safety of running. The designer also thoughtfully gave a reflective sticker in the box, which can be attached to the headband of the headphones. In addition, AfterShokz has fully considered users like me who wear glasses. There is a curved design at each end of the earphones so that the earphones will not squeeze the legs of the glasses when worn. I really like this detailed design!

Comfort ★★★★★

AfterShokz bone conduction headphones connect to iPhone very easily, which can be called "instant connection"

About sound quality: medium effect

Objectively speaking, sound quality is indeed a flaw of current bone conduction headphones, and it is a shortcoming determined by technical characteristics, including the AfterShokz product . Because the ear holes are not blocked, users can hear external noise, which will reduce the intuitive sound quality. Let me list a few common usage scenarios. In environments with relatively loud bass noise such as airplanes, high-speed trains, and subways, AfterShokz is not very suitable for use. The low-frequency sounds in the music are mostly annihilated, and the high frequencies are not strong enough. When running outdoors, the overall feeling is good, and the daily noise on the road has little effect on its effect. When used indoors, it is basically similar to medium headphones. In general, the sound quality of AfterShokz is slightly above medium, mainly manifested in the lack of sound levels, and the low and high frequency bands have a more obvious impact under the interference of external noise. Of course, every profession has its own specialty. AfterShokz focuses on the sports market. When running or cycling, reliable safety is much more important than a little improvement in sound quality. If you really just want to enjoy music, then I don’t recommend buying this product. It is more suitable for "runners" and "riders".

Sound quality ★★★☆

Headphone control buttons and USB charging port

About the function: basically enough

AfterShokz does not have too many fancy functions. The control parts are all on the right side, mainly the power button and audio control button, as well as a Micro USB charging port. It was a bit difficult to find the power button by blind touch during the first few times of use. On the one hand, it is relatively small, and on the other hand, it is close to the ear. If the power switch can be placed on the other side and made larger, it will be more convenient to operate. ***When using it, you need to pair it by pressing the power button frequently. I used iPhone6, iPhone4s and iPad mini for testing, and they can all be successfully paired and used within a few seconds. After pairing successfully once, in the future, as long as you turn on the power of the headset, you can connect to the device in seconds. There is a small protrusion in the direction of increasing the volume of the audio control button, which can be easily touched and is also convenient to control. If AfterShokz can add a button for the previous song/next song, it will be more convenient to use. In addition, it does not have a Mic function, so it is not very convenient to make a phone call while listening to music. Looking further ahead, since AfterShokz has been defined as a wearable device, it is not a bad idea to add some sports-related functions to future products, such as GPS, pedometer, and corresponding running-related apps. With sharing and social networking, it can become a very good Internet social tool that integrates music and sports. In addition, I would like to add its battery life. After fully charging it once, I used it continuously for 10 days, an average of about 2 hours a day.

Functionality ★★★★

Auxiliary headband allows the headphones to fit more closely to the head

About design: high appearance, minor flaws

The question of appearance is purely a personal preference. I like bright yellow-green clothing very much, so my long-sleeved and short-sleeved running tops are all this color, which matches the black and green headphones of AfterShokz very well. And its design is very sporty, and the material feel is also sports-friendly. In particular, it supports sports waterproofing, so it can work normally even if I run and sweat profusely. I think it will be fine as long as I don't swim. There are also some flaws in the design, because AfterShokz wraps around the back of the head, so if you wear a hoodie when wearing it, it will have some impact. If you lean your head back when you are on a high-back seat such as an airplane or a high-speed rail, the back of the chair will push up the headphones. These two points are some inconveniences I found during use.

Design ★★★★☆

The earphone material is very elastic and has strong anti-extrusion ability

The earphone material is non-slip and waterproof, so you don't have to worry about sweating during exercise

Overall, AfterShokz gave me a brand new experience. As I said at the beginning - I don’t think of it as a pair of headphones, because its specialty is not in sound quality; I use it as a smart wearable device, which solves the problem of listening to music while running.

About the author:

Wang Xuegang, executive editor of PChome, has run 700 kilometers since he started running in April 2014. He plans to participate in 3-4 half or full marathons this year, with the Zhengzhou-Kaifeng Marathon at the end of March as the first stop. He will wear AfterShokz bone conduction headphones to participate in the half marathon.