[Sidban85]

Please don't use them at top high volume as it can still be harmful. Saying this because some may not realize that given that it does not sit on ear.

[sukhbirST]

Thanks for sharing very informative review.
Just wanted to add that in Naval aviation I used to like the throat mike (just strap round the band around your throat) Sound clarity is less but found it convenient in long sorties.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by WhiteKnight

Looking at the underlying technology, wouldn't it be useful as a hearing aid for people who has ear drum issues?

Yes, it can help people with specific kinds of eardrum/hearing issues.

Originally Posted by Jaguar

This is strange. Mine charges using micro USB, so one less cable to worry about. Will have to see if Shokz has moved to proprietary charging for all their models. That would be a bummer.

The base model has the C Type USB, the mid and top models both use the proprietary charging. One review indicated it is to get better control and enable the IP67 rating for the Open Run model. But strangely the Open Run Pro only has an IP55 rating.

Originally Posted by IAmGroot

There should be a dual use headphones to get best of both worlds. Bone conduction plus regular ear/headphones as a single unit with option to switch as per the situation.

There are models that attempt to do this, where you can adjust the level of noise cancellation and also switch it around to let in more of the outside sounds. But again very niche and expensive.

Couple of more additional observations:

• The band that goes around the neck is not adjustable and also not very flexible. So although it stays in place very well, it is an irritant if you want to lean back and rest your head against a headrest.
  
• Although use during exercise is a primary use case of this head set, I had not thought of it as something useful for me as I never have used headphones during exercise. Tried it today and loved it. Was sweating heavily and did not have to worry about any impact to the headphones.

[airguitar]

Thanks for the painstaking review of a new product and a relatively new technology, something that a lot of people may not have known about.

I, personally, have been investigating such/similar products for a while.

1. Does the bone conducting earphones reduce probabilities of Noise Induced Hearing Loss ( NIHL ) ? So many people that I know have lost hearing in the human speech frequency range due to non stop use of earphones for office calls, personal calls, music, audio books etc.

2. What are the side effects on health, if any, as compared to regular earphones?

Overall, my opinion remains that the earphones (along with social media, internet enabled mobile phones and television) have been the most grossly misused inventions. Instead of keeping them to the important uses, many people have become addicts to such devices, without understanding what health damage it causes. I see no, absolutely no education/advisories from any health organizations on the ill effects of using earphones. I see so many people that are aged around 40-45 asking me to repeat things even when I speak from close quarters and they don't even realize that they have hearing loss.

I routinely hear people in the elevator listening to loud music and I can hear every word of it standing next to them. I see people wearing big headphones when driving alone in a car - I don't see why they would need a headphone when driving alone posing risk to themselves and fellow road users.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by airguitar

1. Does the bone conducting earphones reduce probabilities of Noise Induced Hearing Loss ( NIHL ) ? So many people that I know have lost hearing in the human speech frequency range due to non stop use of earphones for office calls, personal calls, music, audio books etc.

2. What are the side effects on health, if any, as compared to regular earphones?

1. While I have not seen any cited studies around the topic, general articles indicate that it does reduce such hearing issues. Reason stated for this is that the eardrum- which is in play with regular headphones is much more fragile than the bone and muscle which the Bone Conduction headphones use.

2. While there is no long terms impacts called out, some issues that specific people can encounter are below

General Discomfort or Pressure: Probably the most common issue to encounter. Some users may experience discomfort or pressure on their cheekbones, temporal bones, or jaw due to the vibrations from bone conduction headphones. This can lead to headaches in some users.
Tinnitus issues In some infrequent cases, bone conduction headphones can potentially irritate or exacerbate tinnitus symptoms.
Vertigo or Dizziness: In some rare cases, users may experience vertigo or dizziness when using bone conduction headphones. These sensations may be caused by the vibrations generated by the headphones or individual sensitivities.