3 causes I solely use bone-conduction headphones for working

True wireless headphones get all the thrill today. It appears there is a new pair of workout-friendly headphones or earbuds on the cabinets each week. I’ve examined my justifiable share on exercises and runs, however for working and biking particularly, I’ve determined to stay to a barely much less widespread headphone format: bone-conduction.

Most headphones transmit sound by the air to our eardrums. They both sit over the ears or lodge inside them, blocking the ear utterly. Bone-conduction headphones, alternatively, transmit sound by vibrations alongside your cheekbones with nothing within the ear in any respect. Meaning sound bypasses the eardrums and goes on to the inside ear.

This is not some fancy bit of latest know-how, both. It is the identical means that sea mammals hear underwater and the way Beethoven made music after he misplaced his listening to.

Whereas bone-conduction headphones have been round for some time, I solely began utilizing them not too long ago. After receiving a pair for evaluation final summer time, I gave them a attempt on my runs. I used to be pleasantly shocked by the expertise and have been utilizing them completely ever since for a handful of key causes.

1 Situational consciousness

Be well mannered and conscious of others

As a result of bone-conduction headphones sit exterior the ear, they maintain the ear canal open. This implies you can nonetheless hear noises out of your environment. The quantity additionally would not get fairly as loud, making it simpler to listen to ambient noise. That skill to listen to your environment turns out to be useful for a lot of causes, all of them associated to situational consciousness.

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I had just a few runs in a row with conventional earbuds when somebody got here up behind me. I used to be blocking the sidewalk as a result of I run with my canine, and they also needed to wait to get round me as a result of I could not hear them at first. I have been on the opposite aspect of that equation earlier than, ready to get round somebody who was in the course of the path or sidewalk and oblivious to their environment as a result of they could not hear past their headphones. It is actually annoying, so I by no means need to be that particular person as a lot as I can keep away from it.

Whereas I am sporting bone-conduction headphones, I will hear somebody developing behind me in order that I can pull my canine and myself out of the way in which earlier than impeding their progress (normally). It permits me to be much more courteous, which is all the time an excellent factor in my ebook.

2 Security

Keep alert, keep protected

As a girl who runs solo (if you happen to do not rely my canine), security is a continuing concern. This fear is not unfounded, both, as we have seen in latest information. I’ve personally been adopted on runs, which left me working with out headphones for a very long time as a result of I used to be just too apprehensive about being unaware of my environment.

Bone-conduction headphones permit me to listen to what is going on on round me, which implies I may be extra alert. After I put on headphones that block out exterior noise even a bit of bit, I are inclined to let my thoughts zone out and focus fully on the podcast I am listening to. That does not occur almost as a lot once I’m listening to the noises round me. Whereas it is nonetheless not as protected as not sporting headphones in any respect, I at the very least am in a position to be extra conscious of my environment in case one thing unsafe is occurring.

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Past girls’s security issues, cyclists, runners, or anybody in a metropolis may benefit from having the ability to hear their environment whereas sporting headphones. You can hear folks speaking, horns, sirens, and all basic site visitors, which may be essential for avoiding accidents.

3 Consolation on lengthy runs

Nothing in or on the ears means extra consolation

Bone conduction headphones even have an enormous benefit for longer exercises. I’ve small ear canals, so sporting earbuds for lengthy runs wasn’t all that comfy. With bone-conduction headphones, the one factor making contact together with your physique is the little bit that rests on high of the ear and the conduction half on the cheek. There’s nothing tight sitting on high of your head or inside your ears, which might make them rather more comfy to put on for lengthy intervals.

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In fact, the actual pair of bone-conduction headphones and your head will influence consolation degree, however you probably have points with issues in your ears, tight over your ears, or resting on the highest of your head, bone-conduction headphones may be the most effective different. Whereas I am at present not tackling any loopy lengthy runs (thanks, unhealthy hips), I have been sporting the Shokz Open Run Pros, and I do not discover they’re on my head in any respect whereas out for half-hour to an hour. I might think about the identical could be true for longer exercises.

The one concern I had about consolation turned out to be a non-issue. The primary time I wore my Shokz Open Run Professional headphones with sun shades, it felt a bit funky as the highest of the headphones overlaps with the temple of a pair of sun shades. This did not show as a lot of a difficulty as I anticipated, although. I rapidly obtained used to it and have not had a difficulty since.

I’ve heard some folks point out that bone-conduction headphones give them a headache, and there are definitely occasions when its good to tune out the world. This type of headphones is not for everybody and is not for each scenario. I am going to follow noise-canceling buds for the health club in order that I can hear my music over the health club’s audio system, for instance.

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However for many who search higher situational consciousness, whether or not for security or to be courteous, or who do not like the feeling of one thing sitting in or on the ear, it is exhausting to beat bone conduction. Personally, I will not return to another type for my runs.

FAQ

Q: How do bone conduction headphones work?

Bone-conduction headphones, in contrast to in-ear headphones, transmit sound by vibrations alongside your cheekbones moderately than sitting within the ear canal and the sound bypasses the eardrums and goes on to the inside ear.