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I really like my bone conduction headphones. I put on them after I’m working in order that I can hear visitors approaching. I additionally love them for noisy environments the place I put in earplugs. Because the headphones don’t require my ear canal to be open, I can use earplugs and nonetheless be capable of hear my bone-conducted music. So what’s happening with this unusual know-how, and what are the downsides? I’ll clarify.
How bone conduction works
Usually, once we hear a sound from one thing round us, the sound waves journey by way of air till they hit our eardrum, positioned contained in the ear canal. The eardrum vibrates in time with the music—actually, the frequency of the sound—and transmits that vibration to tiny bones positioned in what’s known as our center ear.
(From there, vibrations are transmitted to the inside ear, together with the cochlea, the place they’re translated into indicators despatched to our mind after which additional processed into our notion of sound. All of that’s exterior the scope of this text, although. We’re simply occupied with how the vibrations get from our headphones to the center ear.)
There’s one other method to vibrate these center ear bones, although: you are able to do it straight, by sending vibrations proper by way of the top. In response to legend, Beethoven would chunk his conducting wand and maintain it in opposition to his piano, in order that he might “hear” by way of his tooth. You possibly can do this proper now, with any outdated earbuds: activate some music and maintain your earbud’s speaker in opposition to your tooth. You’ll hear the music. Wild, huh?
We truly hear bone-conducted sounds on a regular basis. Each time you converse, you’re listening to your individual voice by way of bone (and tender tissue) conduction and thru the air. (That’s most likely why your recorded voice sounds so completely different from what you’re used to listening to whenever you speak.) Stick your fingers in your ears and converse out loud, and also you’ll hear simply the bone-conducted portion.
Bone conduction headphones make the most of this phenomenon. Like all headphones, they’ve tiny little audio system. However as an alternative of pointing these little audio system into our ear canals to vibrate the air after which our eardrums, the headphones are designed to press their little audio system in opposition to a bone—often the cheekbone proper in entrance of the ear. Technically they’re additionally conducting the sound by way of tender tissues like pores and skin, muscle, and fats, however the bones do a extremely good job and are what the know-how is known as after.
Are Shokz and different “bone conduction” headphones actually conducting sound by way of bone?
Sure, they work by way of precise bone conduction, however not solely bone conduction. A few of the sound will get transmitted by way of the air as properly.
As a result of individuals don’t all the time imagine this—I got here throughout some Reddit threads the place individuals have been arguing over whether or not bone conduction is bullshit—listed below are two little experiments you are able to do with bone conduction headphones to know what’s happening.
First, put on them usually. The little audio system will probably be on the bony spot proper in entrance of your ear. Activate some music. Take pleasure in. Now pull the audio system gently away out of your head, so that they’re now not making contact. Sure, you’ll nonetheless hear the music. However, it is going to be tinny and quiet, in comparison with whenever you have been sporting them usually.
Now, put on them usually once more, however plug your ears together with your fingers (or, in the event you like, a useful pair of earplugs.) The sound will probably be completely different—a bit deeper, is how I might describe it, however I’m no audiophile. It nearly looks like it will get louder. The headphones undoubtedly don’t want air-based entry to your eardrums to get their sound by way of.
Is bone conduction protected in your ears?
Bone conduction is neither higher or worse in your ears than conventional headphones, as a result of finally the identical factor occurs in every. Your cochlea (which is the a part of your ear that’s broken in the most typical varieties of listening to loss) nonetheless receives the vibrations both means. Too-loud bone conduction headphones are unhealthy for you, identical to too-loud common headphones.
There’s a method that bone conduction headphones might be higher in your ears, as I hinted above. In case you’re in a loud setting, you possibly can put on earplugs to guard your ears from the loud sounds round you, and you’ll put on bone-conduction headphones to ship a little bit of music to fill the silence.
I began sporting the earplugs-and-headphones combo this summer season after I was doing a variety of out of doors exercises close to a loud air conditioner, and in addition realized that the sound of dropping the bar was truly fairly darn loud as properly (dropping the bar is a routine a part of olympic weightlifting). So I bought some Loop earplugs, and located that not solely might I nonetheless hear my music by way of my Aftershokz Aeropex Mini (an older model of what’s now the Shokz OpenRun Mini), I used to be capable of flip the amount to a near-minimum and nonetheless hear it simply wonderful. Total my ears are getting rather a lot much less noise publicity, in order that’s a win-win.
What are the downsides of bone conduction headphones?
There aren’t any well being or security downsides (as we mentioned above), however you aren’t going to get pristine sound high quality by way of bone conduction headphones.
Some are higher than others, and it is best to all the time take a look at critiques and check out headphones in particular person if you wish to make a shopping for resolution primarily based on sound high quality. However generally, the upside of bone-conduction headphones can be their draw back. Since Shokz and the like don’t block out ambient sounds, the sound that reaches your ear is a mixture of the music you’re enjoying on objective, and the noises of the world round you.
After I put on my Aftershokz with earplugs, I don’t get nice sound high quality that means, both. Identical to your voice sounds completely different together with your ears plugged, the sound mixture of bone conduction plus earplugs is just not fairly the identical as what you’d hear by way of a very good pair of high quality headphones.
Personally, I discover these minor downsides are balanced by the opposite benefits that bone conduction headphones present. I don’t want to listen to my podcasts in crystal-clear audio whereas I’m working, I simply want to have the ability to pay attention in whereas nonetheless with the ability to hear what’s happening round me. After I do need to take heed to music in excessive constancy, I try this at residence, with a pleasant pair of noise-canceling headphones.