Review of AfterShokz Bluez 2 Wireless Headphones

AfterShokz Bluez 2 wireless headphones come in a stylish box with an extensive description of the advantages and how to use this unusual gadget. And these are not just advertising slogans. The fact is that AfterShokz Bluez 2 is not quite an ordinary wireless headphone in the usual sense of the word. These are headphones that transmit sound through the bone, and not directly into the ears, as is customary. For this reason, the ears remain completely free, and at the same time you hear music or can talk on the phone. It is very convenient, although, in some cases, a similar way of listening can be inconvenient. But first things first.

Structurally, the headphones are a headband that must not be worn on top of the head, on the back. Headphones firmly press the special pads to the bone of your head near the ear, thus transmitting vibration along the bone directly to the inner ear. The method is not familiar, but surprisingly effective.

On the right side of the darling there is an on / off button, a volume control and a Micro USB connector for charging the built-in battery. On the left side there is a multi-function button that performs the function of start / stop in the player or the beginning / end of a conversation if the headphones are used as a telephone headset.

I liked the level of performance of the headphones, it is at a good level. When you pick it up, you immediately realize that a thing is of high quality. Pleasant to the touch plastic, all parts are ideally located, there is nothing superfluous. Is there any backlash, no squeak, no complaints at all about the build quality.

Places that touch the head during operation, such as pads and a rim above the ears, are covered with a pleasant and dense rubber material.

The volume control button, although it is located on the headband behind the head, is located easily, you quickly remember the place and subsequently the volume control does not cause any problems.

The start / stop button is also conveniently located, has a clearly distinguishable click when pressed and a noticeable move, which makes it convenient and informative.

The headband is not adjustable, but there is an additional interchangeable strap for those who find the plastic headband too big. Read about usability below.

Appearance

The appearance of AfterShokz Bluez 2 is unusual, people are used to the fact that if you are wearing headphones or a headset, it must be in your ear. Otherwise, how will you hear the sound?

Therefore, when I walked down the street or sat in a cafe and talked on the phone using AfterShokz Bluez 2 as a headset, people looked at me with interest, because could not understand how I hear the interlocutor.

The headset is very curious among others, so if you like to be in the spotlight, this gadget you will like. People see it and try to guess what it is and what it is used for.

I did a little experiment with my friends: I put on AfterShokz Bluez 2 and asked them what it was on my head. Thoughts that these headphones did not come immediately. The main ideas were that this is a fitness device for tracking heart rate, calories, pedometer and the like. The fact that these are headphones, no one thought the first time. And this is wonderful, it turns out there are gadgets that can surprise even people who are passionate about technology.

If we talk about the appearance of the headphones, I also liked it. They look concise, stylish, compact and have good ergonomics.

Convenience

Before I start talking about ease of use, I want to warn you that nature has awarded me with a head, the size of which is larger than that of an average man. Not much, but more. For this reason, when I wear traditional headphones, I usually push the headband adjuster to the full or so, then they’re time for me. Therefore, keep this fact in mind when you read about the ease of use of AfterShokz Bluez 2.

The headset comes with a special strap that can be attached to the headband of the headphones from the inside. It is needed for those cases when the plastic headband seems large and the headphones do not sit tight enough on the head. I did not need this strap, the headphones sit on me tightly, firmly, but not annoyingly.

When describing these headphones, the manufacturer specifically mentions that they are convenient for playing sports and I decided to check this out. I do jogging regularly on the street and have been running with AfterShokz Bluez 2 for several days. I liked it. Headphones sit firmly on the head, normal running was not able to move the headphones, they sat on the head firmly and reliably. During running, the sound is heard well and there are no wires, it is very convenient. According to the manufacturer, the headphones are protected from rain and sweat. I didn’t run in the rain, but I sweated while running significantly, and I confirm that the sports headphones fit great.

In normal home use, headphones can be worn for several hours without problems. They began to bring me slight discomfort only at the third hour of listening to music. This was due to the method of attaching the headphones to the head. They dress on their ears and hold on to them. At the third hour of use, one ear was tired, it was necessary to give it a rest. I took off the headphones for about 20 minutes, then put them on and sat in them for about another hour. The ear, of course, did not have time to completely rest, but there is no need to talk about any serious discomfort.
The manufacturer says that the internal battery lasts for 6 hours listening to music. I listened to the headphones for about 2 to 2.5 hours for three days in a row, and only then did the headphones notify me of the discharge. In my opinion this is an excellent result. Few people will use the headphones for 6 hours in a row to listen to music, which means you can charge the headphones in the evening and use them all day without fear that the battery will run out at the crucial moment.



But there is a slight minus of the headphones - the whole structure is monolithic, it does not move, is not regulated. When using, this does not cause problems, but if you decide to put the headphones in a backpack or bag, this must be taken into account. Put them in such a way that they are not crushed by anything, otherwise you can damage the temples.

Destination AfterShokz Bluez 2

While listening to these headphones, I kept thinking about who they were for. I won’t tell you a secret if I say that for a music lover with good hearing, they will not be an excellent choice for listening to your favorite songs, because The nuances of sound are not accurately transmitted. So, music lovers disappear. Who is staying?

In my opinion, they are well suited if you must stay in touch and at the same time your ears should hear well what is happening around. This, for example, drivers, athletes, cyclists. For these people, the main thing is not to miss a sound that can warn them of danger, and in this case, the quality of music transfer is no longer a priority.

Still there are couriers, people of professions who constantly work with their hands, or for workers in the office. For them, AfterShokz Bluez 2 will work well, because they do not need to be removed to talk to the other person even if the music is playing. You will easily hear both.
But it is this effect that draws the disadvantages of headphones. And, probably, they can not even be called disadvantages, this is just a feature.
When using AfterShokz Bluez 2, your ears are always open, which means you hear everything that happens around. Therefore, if your path to the office runs along a busy highway, you will not hear that the headphones are playing, because car noise is much louder. If you go down the subway, you will not hear the music, because the noise from the cars is much louder than the headphones.

However, I noticed a funny effect. If you plug your ears with ear plugs, or with your hands, the sound will become much louder and you can easily listen to headphones even in a moving subway car.

AfterShokz Bluez 2 as a wireless headset

AfterShokz Bluez 2 is well suited for use as a headset for a telephone. Connect with him via Bluetooth 3.0.
The interlocutor is heard clearly and loudly, it is especially convenient that you hear not with one ear, as it would be in the case of using traditional wireless headsets, but with two at once. Thus, it is much easier for you to recognize words in an unstable cellular environment.

AfterShokz Bluez 2 uses a noise reduction system, so your interlocutor will hear you perfectly. However, during field trials, I noticed that when in very noisy places or near them, for example, walking along a busy highway, the noise reduction system starts to make mistakes and does not always clearly transmit your voice. But it is worth reducing external noise, as everything falls into place and the other person hears you again without any problems.

In headset mode, the headphones can work all day without any problems. This is a great result.

AfterShokz Bluez 2 as music headphones

These are unusual headphones, and, I confess, I don’t know how to objectively evaluate sound quality.

To begin with, the headphones transmit sound through the vibration of the bones of your skull. So, sound distortion is inevitable. High frequencies are transmitted more efficiently than all others, medium frequencies pass worse on the bone, and lower frequencies are even worse, which means the music gets its own shade.
At the same time, I can’t say that there are no low frequencies at all, they are. But, I think you know that low frequencies are drowned out by background noise most effectively. Thus, you can only hear them if you are listening to headphones in a relatively quiet environment. On the street, most likely, you will not distinguish between them.

But I also can’t say that the headphones are not suitable for listening to music. They play music well, given the way they transmit sound.
I think that due to the peculiarity of transmitting sound through the bone directly to the inner ear, the headphones have a limited maximum sound volume. In my opinion, this is good. Thus, you can not think about whether they are safe for the health of your hearing - absolutely safe. They simply are not able to give out a volume that would be harmful to the ears.

In AfterShokz Bluez 2, the music sounds a little different, the whole character of the sound changes. I can note the loss of sound depth, its volume, and subjectively different perception of certain frequencies.

There is a funny tickling effect when playing deep low frequencies at high volume. The reason for this is that the headphones transmit sound through vibration, and this vibration with tickling bass starts to tickle a little. Vibration goes over the head and gets a little on the teeth. So, if they are very sensitive in you, perhaps these headphones will not suit you. Not necessarily, but there is such an effect, and I warn you about it.

Let's remember their purpose - to make sure that a person hears everything that is happening around and at the same time he can listen to his favorite music, podcasts or talk on the phone. Headphones do just fine with this.

I decided not to conduct a test with listening to individual musical compositions, as they will not be relevant to sound with any other traditional headphones, reviews for which I wrote and will write in the future. It just doesn’t make sense, these headphones are not created for avid music lovers, but to create a musical background for daily sports or during work, they can do this very well.
Conclusion

AfterShokz Bluez 2 Wireless Headphones really impressed me. They look stylish, attract to themselves, and therefore to you, people's attention and do an excellent job of freeing your ears and hands.

They, like an invisible assistant, can talk on the phone and listen to music in the background and learn the latest news from the latest podcasts. At the same time, you hear absolutely everything that is happening around, because your ears are not busy, and your hands are free, because the headphones are wireless.
6 hours of continuous sound reproduction result in the fact that in the morning you can put on your headphones and not take them off all day.
It’s convenient to use it as a headset, you hear the person you are talking to well, and the person you can hear easily. AfterShokz Bluez 2 can work in this capacity all day.

If you are looking for headphones that play background music well, do not distract you while playing sports or driving a car, at the same time be a telephone headset, work all day, have a stylish look and are absolutely safe for your hearing - then AfterShokz Bluez 2 is a good choice.

Pros :
• Compact, durable, reliable;
• Work on a single charge for more than 6 hours;
• Stylish appearance;
• Bluetooth 3.0 - compatible with most phones, smartphones and players, energy efficient;
• Do not cause discomfort even with prolonged use;
• Your ears hear everything that happens around you;
• No wires. Especially useful for those involved in sports;
• Great for the role of a telephone headset.

Cons:
• Noticeable vibration when playing low frequencies at high volume, this may cause discomfort to some people;
• At high volume, others may hear what you are listening to;
• Original reproduce some sound frequencies;
• Already at a moderate level of ambient noise, you will no longer distinguish between low and low mid frequencies.

Headphones can be purchased from Dadget . At the same time, there is a discount for GeekTimes readers, you can get it using the GEEKT-SA2 code , which is valid 14 days from the date of publication of the review.