The majority of people are familiar with headphones. The average person doesn’t know much about bone conduction headsets or how they work.
Best Answer: Bone Conduction Headphones vibrate against your upper jaw or cheek bones, which then send vibrations to the inner ears, bypassing the entire ear canal.
They don’t depend upon the eardrum so they can be very helpful for those with hearing impairments.
Because they’re not in the ears, you’ll remain able to hear everything around you. They can’t reproduce sound as true to life due to their design.
However, sometimes sound quality is not the most important thing.
Sound is vibration through bone conduction headphones
Audio travels through air in a pressure wave. Variations in the frequency and strength are what make us hear different sounds.
The pressure wave vibrates in our ears, and our brains can hear the sounds.
All regular headphones, whether wired and wireless, are built on this idea.
Each earbud/earcup contains a little speaker that sends the sound waveform to our eardrums.
This is how all speakers work, not just headphones.
Bone conduction headphones aren’t bad. They sound very different.
The military and healthcare industries are the origins of bone conduction. It doesn’t require the eardrum for the waveform to be passed along to the cochlea.
Instead, bone-conduction headphones are placed against the upper jaw or cheekbone. The vibrations mimic an audio waveform and are transmitted directly to the inner ears.
They don’t go in your ears so you can hear traffic sounds and other people trying to grab your attention.
They don’t depend on your eardrum so they are great for people with hearing loss.
The sound quality of bone conduction headphones has one drawback. Although they don’t sound terrible, they don’t sound great.
They sound different. They can transmit sound directly from the vibration motor to the inner ear. However, if you have hearing loss or need to hear what is around you, these headphones may be right for you.
How bone conduction may help
The evolution of bone conduction is fascinating. Beethoven, the famed composer of classical music, lost his hearing but was able to write music by simply biting into a rod and placing it on his piano.
To actually hear the music he was playing, the vibrations from the instrument travelled through the rod. He was able to compose symphonies that he would not have been able to hear otherwise.
Since then, hearing aids have been created to benefit from bone conduction.
Tinnitus sufferers may also find relief by using them to reduce the ringing in their ears.
Although bone conduction headphones won’t be able to restore hearing to someone who is deaf, they may provide some relief for those who have some hearing loss.
The audio quality of bone conduction
They don’t sound nearly as clear as traditional headphones. It’s not bad or good, but it is different.
They sound muffled, which is a difference from conventional headphones.
These devices have their place, but they are still an option for those who want to be more aware and in touch with the world around them while listening to music.
These devices can be used for making hands-free phone calls and to help with machinery work that is not related to the needs of the hearing impaired.
Adjusting to a new fit
Bone conduction headphones won’t cover your ears because the sound doesn’t travel from the speakers to your ear canal.
They have a unique two-pronged effect, which is why they are so special.
Hearing impaired people can hear all the sounds around them, whether they have a hearing aid or not. Ear fatigue is not a problem.
These can be worn for longer periods of time with less discomfort.
The ear hooks hold them in place by holding them around the neck and back so that the bone conduction parts align with the jawbone.
They may initially feel a little strange, but they soon feel more natural.
Where can you use bone conduction headphones
Bone conduction headphones under $50 are great for outdoor activities such as running, biking, swimming, rowing and other sports.
You can listen to your music, podcasts, and audiobooks while still hearing what’s happening around you. The AfterShokz Aeropex are one of our favourites.
They’re great for biking and can be used as general headphones.
There are no restrictions on the music you can hear, but it might be difficult to hear details if there is a lot of noise around you, such as in a noisy venue or on a busy street.
These headphones don’t protect the ear from the external world in the same way that over-ear, on ear, or in-ear headphones do.
Final thoughts on How Bone Conduction Headphones Works
Although bone conduction headphones may not be new, they are extremely useful in diagnosing hearing impairments as well as providing a solution.
The invention of technology has provided runners and bikers with a safer alternative.
Although they pose the exact threat to the cochlea that standard headphones, they are soft and go the ear open to other information.
This technology can be used to bypass the eardrum to aid those with hearing impairments and daily users who need to be capable of hearing both the audio from the headphone and the surrounding world.
