How do air conduction headphones differ from bone conduction headphones? You can not avoid certain aspects of air conduction, and one key factor is loudness. Although bone conductions are novel in every aspect, their loudness is somewhat inferior to air conductions. Are bone conduction headphones loud or just another new tech with utility?
Like every audiophile, I was intrigued by the AfterShokz Aeropex bone conduction headphones. As far as loudness is concerned, I am very delicate about listening to the music I like. Good bass combined with crispiness makes a quality music experience that bone conduction headphones cannot provide.
In this article, you will learn about the comprehensive details and my personal experience with different bone conduction headphones. In addition, there will be tips and guides to increase the bone conduction headset’s loudness.
Why are bone conduction headphones not loud enough?
A bone conduction device works by reverberating on the bones of your cheeks and surrounding areas of the head. While this usually results in good sound in most situations, there are some limitations in loud environments.
Noisy Surroundings
If you are in an environment with a lot of noise, standard headphones may not present the same problems as bone conduction headphones. Using standard headphones, you will not likely be able to hear any outside noise, and you will be able to take the sound directly into your ears.
You must understand that headphones with bone conduction do not come with speakers. Using bone conduction headphones, you will find that the pad echoes and shakes as it sits on the jawbone, which translates into the sound.
Not Adequately Placed
Most of the time, the issue lies in the placement of the headphones on the mastoid bone that transfers the sound vibrations to the cochlea bypassing the eardrums.
Low Volume
When it comes to less sharp or loud noise, sometimes you forget to volume up the headphones and end up in a silent or less loud experience.
Less Clamping Force
Clamping force is the main element that exerts the proper pressure on the basilar membrane to provide the optimum sound quality. Without proper clamping force, you will not hear loud music.
How to Increase the Loudness of Bone Conduction Headphones?
If you don’t know, you can adjust the volume control on the headphones separately from the volume control on the telephone, allowing you to increase the headphones’ volume. It would be wise to use earplugs if you live in a noisy and chaotic environment. Doing so would help muffle the noise coming through your ears.
Furthermore, if you are in an environment that is loud and has no safety concerns, you should also use earplugs. They might sound silly, but they will help you perform better and focus more.
To effectively block the secondary sound that enters your eardrums, earplugs allow the eardrums to concentrate on bone conduction, allowing you to hear the sounds more clearly.
What Are the Best Bone Conduction Headphones On the Market?
As you browse the site, it will be apparent how passionate I am about Aftershokz’s bone conduction headphones. Aftershokz is advancing the technology in the industry and has been leading the way for nearly a decade.
In addition to showcasing what the technology developed and used by AfterShokz is capable of, this technology will also come at a higher price. Still, it will outlast, perform, and last for far longer than anything else there.
There is no doubt that AfterShokz Aeropex Bone Conduction headphones offer the current best performance on the market right now. However, if you are looking for a way to listen to music while swimming without carrying around an extra device, then the AfterShokz Xtrainerz might interest you. It offers an internal storage capacity for MP3, allowing you to play the music wirelessly without a device.
Do bone conduction headphones make noise?
Bone conduction headphones work on the principle of basilar membrane vibration in response to a pressure gradient on the mastoid bone. It indicates that bone conduction does not work on the air conduction method, and the sound leakage is not as possible as we often hear in the Beats or Bose headphones.
With my Shokz Xtrainerz, I have been training for a while now. To my pleasant understanding, my surrounding people in the gym could not hear anything except a minor sound. So, the bone conduction headphones do not make noise as regular headphones, except you have a higher volume.
Are bone conduction headphones comfortable?
When I bought AfterShokz Trekz Titanium for my running routine, it was a bit strange initially as it needed certain pressure to execute the sound process. I pressed it a bit, and it ended up with a tiny discomfort, but with time, it had become my routine process, and I didn’t notice any difference while wearing it or not wearing it.
Certain things about it were terrific; it was lightweight, the clamping force was adequate, and it came with an optimized and ergonomic design. So, in a word, wearing bone conduction was not an unpleasant experience; it was a bit on the comfort side.
Can bone conduction headphones hurt your hearing?
Are there any side effects to bone conduction headphones? There is always a concern that people show before wetting their feet. The bone conduction headphones use the mastoid as the medium to transfer the sound to the cochlea without using air conduction. Luckily, this method does not affect or hurt your hearing.
Note: Continuous bone conduction headphones use can cause vertigo and headaches.
Can you hear bone conduction headphones?
If you know the phenomenon of how bone conduction works, then you will better understand the scenario. The cheekbone or skull serves as the medium that transfers the vibration to the cochlea.
Further transforming the signals to sound, the cortex provides the proper translation of the signals. You can hear some audio when it’s not up against your temple, and when it’s pressed against it, you can hear it reasonably loudly.
For lower to lower-mid frequencies, Aftershokz uses bone conduction, while for higher frequencies, they use regular tweeters. As a result, some users have complained about sound leakage because the speakers are close to their ears, which makes them transmit higher frequencies through the air like a regular headphones.
Conclusions
Are bone conduction headphones loud? The bone conduction headphones serve the purpose of situational awareness for runners or cyclists. Bone conduction headphones were not intended to be loud. Instead, they provide the optimum sound quality.
While they might not be the best option for use in a noisy environment, the use case does not revolve around using these products in a noisy environment but rather around being able to hear what is happening around you. AfterShokz, however, typically comes with earplugs. They remove the additional input that goes into your ear canals, restoring your ability to hear clearly in loud environments.