I love my Apple AirPods Pro headphones. But I have to admit, I’m not a fan of the idea of having a rubber stamp stuck in my ear for more than two hours. It ends up itchy and irritating.
This is why I love bone conduction headphones.
Bone conduction headphones are a type of headphones that do not need to cover the ears or fit into the ear canal like traditional headphones or earbuds. With bone conduction there are small transducers that rest on the bones in front of the ear. When these transducers vibrate, they transmit sound waves directly into the skull and inner ear, bypassing the outer ear and middle ear.
The benefit of bone conduction is that it allows you to listen to music or take calls while still being able to hear your surroundings. This is particularly useful for outdoor activities or when you need to be aware of the environment all around you for safety reasons, such as while jogging or cycling.
However, it should be noted that bone conduction headphones do not offer the same level of audio quality as traditional headphones or earphones, as they do not seal the ear canal and therefore do not block outside noise as effectively (from many bone conduction headphones come with earplugs).
In recent weeks I have tested the bone conduction headphones and I must say that they are convincing.
Technical characteristics of the H2O Audio Tri Pro Multi-Sport
- Bluetooth bone conduction headphones with built-in MP3 player.
- 5 hours of autonomy.
- The helmet can withstand immersion of 3.6 meters.
- The 8GB built-in memory can hold hundreds of songs in most music formats.
- Built-in microphone for making and receiving calls.
The Tri Pro Multi-Sport features a flexible neckband that stays in place no matter what you’re doing – running, biking, hiking or even underwater.
The H2O Audio Tri Pro Multi-Sport headphones are waterproof to IPX8 standard and can withstand submersion to 3.6 meters. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
The all-new Playlist+ feature lets you load music directly onto the headphones and leave your phone at home. Files are transferred using the H2O Audio application (available for iOS and Android), and Playlist+ is compatible with all streaming applications. You can load any audio file that can be played via Bluetooth onto the headphones: music, podcasts and audio books.
Bone conduction headphones are also perfect for hiking. H2O-Audio
This Playlist+ function is very practical, because Bluetooth does not like water and can only pass through it a few centimeters. This makes headphones, even waterproof ones, completely useless.
And storing songs recorded from streaming services in the headset’s memory is perfectly legal.
The controls on the side of the headset make it easy to control audio once you figure out where the buttons are.
After a few weeks of use, here is what I think of this headset:
- They are very comfortable. I can wear them with no problem for the 5 hours of battery life. I’ve used them hiking and biking (in the heat and rain), exercising, and relaxing.
- The audio quality is good. It is not as much as that of the AirPods Pro, but it is good. It’s nice to be able to listen to ambient sounds while listening to music and audiobooks.
- The PLAYLIST+ app is very easy to use and being able to load up to 8 gigabytes of audio directly to the headset is a game changer as I can then leave my phone at home.
- Battery life is 4-5 hours, and less if the volume is high.
- Only one downside: The charging cable is a proprietary magnetic cable, and if you lose it, you’re in trouble!
For €149, these are exceptional headphones.
The high level of waterproofing gives you peace of mind not only when swimming, but also in the rain or when exercising, and the built-in storage that frees you from the smartphone is a great feature that allows you to take your favorite audio files with you. So you can leave behind the distractions of a smartphone.
Source: “ZDNet.com”