Bone Conduction Headphones

[stevej37]

Looking at buying a pair of these to use while biking. BlueTooth or cable they don't fit in your ear at all. Prices vary from$80 to $240
I like the idea of being able to hear traffic better than ear buds.

Anyone have and use them?

Here is good description of them....

Bone conduction headphones transmit sound through vibrations in your cheekbones directly to the inner ear, completely bypassing the ear canal. This open-ear design lets you hear music or calls while remaining fully aware of your surroundings — traffic, voices, and environmental sounds pass through unobstructed. Originally developed for military and hearing aid applications, bone conduction headphones have become popular with runners, cyclists, swimmers, and commuters who prioritize safety and comfort over isolation.

Amazon link
https://a.co/d/0fl6XiBS

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[masraum]

I know that's a thing. When I was a kid you could take the end of a vibrating tuning fork and touch it to the bone behind your ear and hear the sound through the bone. I'm curious to see what you think. I would think that the sound would come through sounding muffled, especially the high pitched sounds.

[stevej37]

^^^ I've never talked to anyone that used them....but I did read this article today and it gives ratings.

For some reason, it won't let me post a link.

If you do a search on Yahoo for this....it should come right up
We present to you the Top 5 Best Bone Conduction Headphones of 2026:

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[DonDavis]

I've used them for years. I really like 'em.

AAMOF, I had a minivan for work years ago and the Bluetooth connectivity was awful. I used my Shokx headphones while driving and it was very good. Vehicle connectivity has improved since then.

I use shokx while working, running etc.

I would put in foam earplugs and use them while vacuuming CT systems. Worked great.

2 thumbs way up, yo.

[stevej37]

The ones I linked on Amazon had 1900 reviews and averaged a 9.3 out of 10

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by DonDavis

I've used them for years. I really like 'em.

AAMOF, I had a minivan for work years ago and the Bluetooth connectivity was awful. I used my Shokx headphones while driving and it was very good. Vehicle connectivity has improved since then.

I use shokx while working, running etc.

I would put in foam earplugs and use them while vacuuming CT systems. Worked great.

2 thumbs way up, yo.

Whoa! That's great...those are the ones I'm leaning toward on Amazon.
Thanks!

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[stevej37]

There are choices before ordering.....What is magnetic charging?

[peppy]

The Shokz are the ones I got for my wife. She really likes them.
Sam's club has them on sale for $80

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

There are choices before ordering.....What is magnetic charging?

Like my electric toothbrush where it sits on a stand, but doesn't have metal contacts. I also have a flashlight and headlight that have a little magnetic tab on the end that charges. Also some modern cell phones can be laid on a pad to charge.

Apparently, even one of the Porsches will do charging where you drive over a large pad on the ground and the car is charged without having to plug in.

I'd probably go with magnetic for convenience. It's been working for me on multiple devices for years. Our toothbrush has been working on that sort of charging for 12-15 years.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by DonDavis

I've used them for years. I really like 'em.

AAMOF, I had a minivan for work years ago and the Bluetooth connectivity was awful. I used my Shokx headphones while driving and it was very good. Vehicle connectivity has improved since then.

I use shokx while working, running etc.

I would put in foam earplugs and use them while vacuuming CT systems. Worked great.

2 thumbs way up, yo.

and the sound is full range, nothing muffled at the high end or low end? I assume they figured out how to solve that problem.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by peppy

The Shokz are the ones I got for my wife. She really likes them.
Sam's club has them on sale for $80

Amazon is asking $129.....but they may be a newer model? They keep calling them 'Open Run' Shokz
Seems like a big diff in price...I'm not a Sam's member.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by masraum

Like my electric toothbrush where it sits on a stand, but doesn't have metal contacts. I also have a flashlight and headlight that have a little magnetic tab on the end that charges. Also some modern cell phones can be laid on a pad to charge.

Apparently, even one of the Porsches will do charging where you drive over a large pad on the ground and the car is charged without having to plug in.

Got it....the other choice is USB-C cable. I might do that one (cable)...simple.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Got it....the other choice is USB-C cable. I might do that one (cable)...simple.

magnetic is simpler than cable since you don't have to worry about getting tab A into slot b.

[masraum]

Looks like this is the charging port (the two white dots)



And this is the cable. get the cable close to the ports and it'll snap into place by magnetism.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by masraum

magnetic is simpler than cable since you don't have to worry about getting tab A into slot b.

From that pic of the contacts....magnetic is what my wireless earbuds are. I didn't know it was called that.

Ok...I might change it. The other choice I'm stuck on is the size...mini 17.2 cm or reg 19.3 cm. They fit below the skull and I don't want a big empty loop hanging off under my helmet. I also don't want it to be too small. I'm leaning toward the mini size.
I don't have an NFL neck.

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[red 928]

I have a set of Shokz gathering dust on a shelf, couldn't get the darn things to pair up to my computer so I'm using the good ole Vmoda crossfire 3.

[stevej37]

^^^ I had a few dropouts with my BlueTooth earbuds....but I think it was all related to cell tower dead zones. It would do it in the same places every time I biked there.
Some phones switch easier than others between BlueTooth connections.

[red 928]

I built my computer before blue teeth was a thing.
I've updated everything so it's not slow (i7-3820 3.6gig CPU, SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 video card, etc), but still have issues with connectivity sometimes.

I have a bluetooth dongle and it works on most things but not all.

[stevej37]

^^^ Does your cellphone work for the Shokz?

[flatbutt]

FWIW I use my cellphone mounted to the handlebars for music