Bone Conduction Headphones: What are the Technical Difficulties that Affect the Experience

Introduction

Bone conduction headphones are different from traditional headphones. Instead of transmitting sound waves through your ear canal to your eardrum, they send vibrations through your temporal bones directly to your inner ear. While this offers unique advantages, it also comes with a few drawbacks. In this article, we’ll start by discussing the common problems with bone conduction headphones, from sound quality to sound leakage. Then, we’ll delve into the different ways that Shokz’s new flagship sports headphone, the OpenRun Pro 2, overcomes each one of these problems.

The Common Problems with Bone Conduction Headphones

There are four common problems that people ascribe to bone conduction headphones: sound quality, particularly with bass frequencies; vibrational discomfort during prolonged usage; short battery life; and sound leakage.

Sound Quality

Bone conduction headphones often struggle to produce deep, rich bass. This is because of the physical limitations of sound transmission through bone. Its higher density means that more energy is needed to transmit low-frequency vibrations. As a result, the bass can sound thin or less pronounced.

Vibration

As one might expect, the vibrations that are transmitted through the temporal bones can cause some discomfort, and even headaches, after extended periods of time. People with sensitive skin can also experience irritation.

Battery Life

Because of their compact size, bone conduction headphones often have smaller batteries than traditional headphones. However, they still lack the kind of charging box that’s included with most air conduction earbuds, which can make charging more convenient and extend battery life. Bone conduction headphones also need to power the transducers that convert sound waves into vibrations, which use up battery life. Although they are reliable for most activities, long listening sessions may require frequent charging.

Sound Leakage

Bone conduction headphones are known for their distinct open-ear design, resting just outside the ear, unlike traditional headphones that use sealed ear cups or earbuds. However, this is not the reason for sound leakage. Instead, it’s because the earphone core vibrates, causing the surrounding air to vibrate and form sound waves that leak. In quiet environments, the leakage can be especially noticeable.

Advantages of Bone Conduction Headphones

Despite the above mentioned drawbacks, bone conduction headphones still have several advantages. For starters, the open-ear design allows users to maintain situational awareness since the ear canal remains unobstructed. This provides for greater safety when cycling or running on busy streets. It also allows users to communicate with friends while listening to their favorite music or podcast, removing the isolating stigma associated with headphones.

The open-ear design has health benefits as well. It reduces the risk of damaging the eardrum and doesn’t put any pressure on the ear canal. It’s also more hygienic than in-ear headphones, which allow earwax to accumulate within the ear canal and even foster bacterial growth, due to moisture, warmth, and lack of air circulation. This can lead to infection.

Finally, the hooked structure of the open-ear design makes for a more secure, lightweight fit. So unlike over-the-ear headphones, which can be bulky, or in-ear headphones, which can fall out, bone conduction headphones are compact and stable, especially during exercise.

What Makes Shokz Bone Conduction Headphones Unique?

Shokz is one of the leading brands in the bone conduction headphone space, in large part because of its relentless pursuit of innovation. With over 4,300 patents worldwide, Shokz is constantly pushing the boundaries of bone-conduction technology in hopes of delivering the best possible user experience. Some of its biggest breakthroughs have been in sound quality, as well as comfort and stability.

Shokz headphones are created with a particular focus on active lifestyles. Their weather-resistant designs are meant to withstand whatever nature has in store. Their extended battery life also means that long excursions don’t need to be cut short or interrupted by constant charging. And because most Shokz models include microphones, users can take hands-free calls while exercising.

Key Upgrades to the OpenRun Pro 2

With the OpenRun Pro 2, Shokz has made key improvements that address each of the common problems facing bone conduction headphones. The result is an unparalleled listening experience that’s as powerful as it is comfortable.

Sound Quality

The OpenRun Pro 2 is superpowered by DualPitch™ Technology, which combines a bone-conduction driver for more precise mids and highs with an air-conduction driver for a deeper, more booming bass.

While most bone-conduction headphones struggle with bass-heavy genres of music, the OpenRun Pro 2 delivers louder bass without compromising audio balance, even when played at high volumes.

Vibration

In past headphones, the bone-conduction driver sometimes produced a tingling sensation against the skin when handling low frequencies. But this problem has been eliminated with DualPitch™ Technology, which helps minimize overall vibrations by assigning low frequencies to the air-conduction driver instead.

Additionally, the bone-conduction driver, through its innovative dual-coil-and-reed design, ensures a stable vibration system so that the vocal sound is purer.

Battery Life

With a larger battery, the OpenRun Pro 2 offers an incredible 12 hours of battery life when fully charged. Its dual smart drivers also help to optimize power usage, allowing users to get the most out of their headphones.

Perhaps best of all, a little bit of time goes a long way when charging. A five-minute power boost gives you 2.5 hours of battery life.

Sound Leakage

OpenRun Pro 2 features advanced sound leakage control through an integrated design, acoustic EQ, and DirectPitch™ Technology, which minimize how much sound escapes from both the bone and air conduction units. The decoupled drivers further ensure that your audio stays private, even in shared spaces.

In addition, the maximum volume of the OpenRun Pro 2 has been increased by 3dB, so users can enjoy clearer and louder sound without having to worry about leakage.

FAQ

1. Why are bone conduction headphones more comfortable than traditional in-ear air-conduction headphones?

Unlike in-ear models that can put pressure on the ear canal, bone conduction headphones rest on the temporal bone, eliminating discomfort. Additionally, the open-ear design prevents the buildup of heat and moisture, especially during exercise, which can cause irritation.

2. Why are bone conduction headphones becoming more and more popular?

Bone conduction headphones have gained significant popularity among sports enthusiasts due to their open-ear design, comfort, waterproof features, and secure fit. These qualities make them ideal for active individuals who need to remain aware of their surroundings while enjoying their music or podcasts. As people continue to prioritize sports, health, and fitness, and as bone conduction technology advances, it is likely that these headphones will become even more popular.

Conclusion

Ultimately, bone conduction headphones offer greater comfort and situational awareness but often compromise on sound quality and battery life, especially compared to their air conduction counterparts. That said, Shokz has distinguished itself as a pioneer in bone conduction technology, continually raising the bar with each and every headphone it designs – and the OpenRun Pro 2 is no exception. With DualPitch™ Technology and a larger battery, the new flagship sports headphone from Shokz offers premium sound quality, reduced vibrations, longer playback time and less audio leakage, resulting in a superior audio experience.