Headphones with bone bone conduction technology: what are they, why are they needed and where to buy

    We often write about Aftrshokz - headphones with bone conduction technology that were brought to Russia several years ago, and at some point we began to receive questions, but are there any more? There is. And more. We rummaged around the Chinese flea markets, looked at which of the major players are in this market, and prepared a selection of headphones with bone conduction technology from China to Kickstarter. Under the cut 10 gold.





    Without them, nowhere, so I'm sorry, but:

    Aftershokz Bluez 2

    One of the most famous models of such headphones and a sample for clones from China. Aftershokz has been developing since 2001, and launched the first serial “household” model for users several years ago.

    For the first time, they began to identify “bone conduction = sport,” although they are used much more widely: among drivers, for work in the office, for a walk in the evening, etc. And, of course, for medical purposes. Aftershokz brought the team of our store to Russia.
    The most popular model is their wireless version: Bluez 2 .



    The official recommended cost of Aftershokz Bluez2 is determined by the manufacturer, and on our website they cost 6,700 rubles , or approx. $ 100, the same as in the Apple store, for example .

    • Speaker Type: Bone Conduction Converters
    • Frequency range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
    • Speaker Sensitivity: 100 ± 3 dB
    • Microphone Sensitivity: -40 ± 3 dB
    • Bluetooth Version: 2.1 + EDR
    • Compatible Profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
    • Communication Range: 10m
    • Battery Type: Li-ion
    • Work time: 6 hours
    • Standby time: 10 days
    • Charging time: 2 hours
    • Black color
    • Weight: 41 grams


    Damson headbones Damson

    headsets are immediately divided into two categories for the hearing impaired and sports . Survive the rain and sweating, work within a radius of 10 - 15 meters from the device, mount on the cheekbones, have a control panel. The cost in the official store is $ 149 .



    • Bluetooth - 3. 0 and higher
    • Battery - 320 mAh
    • Voice dialing support
    • Range - 50 - 20 000 Hz


    DigiCare

    The headset with bone conduction technology presented at CES-2015 , which everyone wrote about at the same time as something new. Meanwhile, by design, she strongly gives Bluez2, and the packaging, the first, wired Aftershokz headphones - AM3.



    • Bluetooth 3.0 and above
    • Frequency range - 20-20000 Hz
    • Radius - 10 m
    • Moisture protection
    • Talk / music mode - up to 6 hours


    Here is a fairly detailed review .

    The company is known for its “clones” and analogues, for example, a collection of fitness trackers and smart watches .

    ITreasure

    The official website of Shenzhen Vanda Technology Limited is tied to Alibaba and is probably some kind of "daughter". From the information from it it follows that the company has been operating since 2005 and creates all kinds of Bluetooth accessories, including a wide range of audio devices. The subject of our conversation is a headset with bone conduction sound for sports.



    • Bluetooth 4.0 Sync
    • Distance up to 10 m
    • Ability to connect up to 2 devices
    • Frequency Range 2.402 GHz - 2.480 GHz
    • Talk time - 8 hours; music - 6 hours
    • Waterproof (think moisture protection)


    Beasun

    Another instance that is found exclusively on Chinese sites and on GeekBuyng .



    The familiar design, which provides a headphone mount on the cheekbones, is available in different colors, but unlike Aftershokz, DigiCare and others, these headphones are “foldable”.

    They promise:

    • Noise suppression
    • Frequency Range: 20-2000HZ
    • Sensitivity: 123 ± 5dB
    • Bluetooth 3.0 and above
    • Range 10 - 15 m
    • Talk time - up to 8 hours


    RDT

    Revolution of Digital Technology, whose site redirects to Kscat.hk and does not load quickly, offers several sports models of headphones with bone conduction technology.



    Models are positioned as sports, and have the appropriate characteristics: durable, waterproof, with a working time of up to 8 hours. The ability to answer calls and control the volume without involving a phone - included.

    Yjkgroup

    It is an amazing case when a manufacturer of flippers and rubber gloves appears as a manufacturer of headphones, despite the fact that there is no information about this on the official website .

    Headphones, in the description of which they simply did not bother, but copied a photo of Aftershokz, still slightly different in design:



    • Battery - 220 mAh (up to 6 hours of talk)
    • Frequencies - 20 ~ 20 kHz
    • Sensitivity - -40dB ± 2dB


    Kenwood A

    company known in the market for special equipment for security guards, as it turned out, also uses bone conduction technology for its devices. For 1,550 rubles you can buy such a headset:



    It will only be compatible with Kenwood walkie-talkies.

    Motorola

    Once again distracted by the headset for phones - Motorola HX-1. Link to Amazon . The headset with support for bone conduction technology and conventional sound transmission was introduced back in 2009.



    A few more Noname models from China

    As an intermediate conclusion, it is worth saying that most models explicitly or implicitly copy Aftershokz headphone models by design, but there are also objective reasons. The design of the headphones with bone conduction technology is very “closed”: most often they should be able to be mounted on the cheekbones, and this also dictates the shape of the headband. Color in this case is not a serious selection criterion. On the headband can be added control buttons, volume, turn on / off music and receive a call. Design examples:



    Top to bottom:

    1. Aliexpress
    2. Aliexpress
    3. Alibaba
    4. Alibaba
    5. Aliexpress


    Concepts

    Recently, we wrote that on Kickstarter there was a fundraising campaign for BATBAND , a headset with bone conduction technology, which is fundamentally different in design from all currently known models. Aftershokz introduced their



    new version at Indiegogo . The campaign has already raised almost $ 500,000. There is also information on the features of the future model in our blog.



    What is bone conduction technology?

    Using this technology, sound is transmitted through the hard tissue of the skull to the inner ear, bypassing air conduction. The technology has been known, if not since ancient times, then for quite some time, and the most famous example in history is the composer Beethoven, who used this technology when he began to lose his hearing. We briefly described this story when we talked about hearing impairment .

    Headphones with bone-conduction sound do not block your ears and allow you to hear the outside world and music or talking on the phone.



    Currently, headphones with this technology are in demand among athletes, as this allows them to control everything that happens around them, to respond to car signals in a timely manner and communicate with loved ones or listen to music. Also, such headphones can be used by drivers or when working in the office.

    And my story about the sound ends with my favorite melody. Nino Rota:


    Also popular now: