The best bone conduction headphones let you jam out to your favorite tunes, dive into podcasts and dial in phone calls while keeping your ears open to the world around you. Most audio headphones rely on air conduction, where sound waves travel down your ear canal and cause your eardrum to vibrate and trigger the auditory ossicles to send signals to your brain that we interpret as sounds. But you can also hear through your bones, thanks to a natural process called bone conduction. Bone-conduction headphones let you use this system by conducting vibrations along the bones in your upper cheek and jawbone to bypass your eardrum and directly enter your inner ear. It’s the same system sea mammals use underwater and the composer Beethoven used to keep playing when he started losing his hearing.
Bone-conduction headphones have a slight drawback: They don’t deliver the same immersive listening experience you’d get with conventional headphones or earbuds that seal to your ear canal. But that trade-off comes with a host of benefits that may outweigh the cons for some listeners.
A big draw for many is the ability to hear your surroundings when wearing a pair of these wireless headphones. This feature is especially valuable if you’re on the move in public, where being able to hear your environment can make all the difference in staying safe and aware of your surroundings. The same goes for users who are active and want to remain in touch with their environments while running, biking or swimming.
Most of the wireless bone-conduction headphones we’ve reviewed have Bluetooth 4.2 for easy pairing and stable connections to your cell phone or music player. Many also have a noise-canceling microphone that’s designed to prevent leakage and help you carry on clear conversations. Most of the headphones we’ve reviewed have a battery life that ranges from eight hours to 10 hours, with fast charging options for when you’re on the go and need a boost.
If you’re looking for a pair of headphones that can provide both good sound quality and adequate awareness of your surroundings, we recommend the Guudsoud BH5. This headset has great battery life at eight hours and is rated IP55 for dust- and water-resistance. Its noise-canceling features help you block out distracting sounds like chatter in crowded places, blasting AC, wind blowing or noisy engines. It’s a perfect headset for workers who need to focus on the job and still want to be able to hear their colleagues and coworkers on conference calls.
While it’s no surprise that Shokz, the company that dominates this category of headphone, makes our list of the best bone-conduction headphones for runners, the OpenRun are well-rounded and comfortable. A rebrand of the AfterShokz Aeropex, these open-ear headphones have an eight-hour battery life and a noise-canceling microphone that’s compatible with most smartphone apps. They’re also waterproof and have a ductile titanium build that helps them stay secure over your head even when you’re moving at a brisk pace. bone conduction headphones with mic