How Bone Conduction Headphones Work (and When You Should Use Them)

I like my bone conduction headphones. I put on them after I’m operating in order that I can hear site visitors approaching. I additionally love them for noisy environments the place I put in earplugs. For the reason that 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 expertise, and what are the downsides? I’ll clarify. 

How bone conduction works

Usually, after 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 outdoors the scope of this text, although. We’re simply excited by how the vibrations get from our headphones to the center ear.) 

There’s one other approach to vibrate these center ear bones, although: you are able to do it straight, by sending vibrations proper by way of the top. In keeping with legend, Beethoven would chew his conducting wand and maintain it in opposition to his piano, in order that he may “hear” by way of his tooth. You’ll be able to do this proper now, with any previous earbuds: activate some music and maintain your earbud’s speaker in opposition to your tooth. You’ll hear the music. Wild, huh? 

We really hear bone-conducted sounds on a regular basis. Each time you converse, you’re listening to your individual voice by way of bone (and mushy tissue) conduction and by way of the air. (That’s most likely why your recorded voice sounds so totally different from what you’re used to listening to once 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 mushy tissues like pores and skin, muscle, and fats, however the bones do a very good job and are what the expertise is called 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 effectively. 

As a result of folks don’t at all times consider this—I got here throughout some Reddit threads the place folks had 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 grasp what’s happening. 

First, put on them usually. The little audio system shall 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, in order that they’re not making contact. Sure, you’ll nonetheless hear the music. However, will probably be tinny and quiet, in comparison with once you had been carrying them usually. 

Now, put on them usually once more, however plug your ears along with your fingers (or, in case you like, a useful pair of earplugs.) The sound shall be totally different—a bit deeper, is how I might describe it, however I’m no audiophile. It nearly looks as if 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 to your ears? 

Bone conduction is neither higher or worse to your ears than conventional headphones, as a result of in the end the identical factor occurs in every. Your cochlea (which is the part of your ear that’s damaged in the commonest varieties of listening to loss) nonetheless receives the vibrations both approach. Too-loud bone conduction headphones are dangerous for you, identical to too-loud common headphones.

There’s a method that bone conduction headphones may be higher to your ears, as I hinted above. For those who’re in a loud surroundings, you’ll be able to put on earplugs to guard your ears from the loud sounds round you, and you’ll be able to put on bone-conduction headphones to ship a little bit of music to fill the silence. 

I began carrying the earplugs-and-headphones combo this summer time after I was doing loads of out of doors exercises close to a loud air conditioner, and in addition realized that the sound of dropping the bar was really fairly darn loud as effectively (dropping the bar is a routine part of olympic weightlifting). So I obtained some Loop earplugs, and located that not solely may 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 in a position to flip the quantity to a near-minimum and nonetheless hear it simply fantastic. 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 you need to at all times take a look at critiques and check out headphones in particular person if you wish to make a shopping for resolution based mostly on sound high quality. However basically, the upside of bone-conduction headphones can also 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 taking part in on goal, 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 approach, both. Identical to your voice sounds totally different along with your ears plugged, the sound mixture of bone conduction plus earplugs will not be fairly the identical as what you’d hear by way of a superb 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 operating, I simply want to have the ability to hear in whereas nonetheless having 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 house, with a nice pair of noise-canceling headphones.