Training with your own music while still being able to hear your surroundings. I tested the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium, which uses bone conduction technology.
Table of Contents
Bone conduction
Two unexpected gifts under the Christmas tree last month. I received two headphones to review. The first one to arrive was the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium.
The Aftershokz Sportz Titanium gave me the opportunity to try out the so-called bone conduction, “bone conduction”. A technology where you do not place the sound source on or in the ears, but on the temples.
I was able to try out the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium for about two weeks. However, I found out on the first day that this technology has very specific advantages and disadvantages compared to more traditional headphones and earphones.
This review therefore first discusses bone conduction in general and then specifically the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium.
“Advantage: Hearing your surroundings”
As mentioned, with bone conduction, the speakers are not placed on or in the ears, but on the temples. Right in front of the ear. This means you do not shut off your ears from ambient noise. Whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage depends on the situation.
During cardio at the gym, it can be wonderful to shut everything out and completely immerse yourself in your own music to get into “the zone”. Although this can also be nice outside, it is not always safe. In busy traffic, for example, it is nice to hear traffic and other possible dangers. In some countries such as France, it is therefore forbidden to drive, cycle, or run with earphones in traffic. With the bone conduction technology of the Aftershokz Sportz, you do not have to shut out ambient noise to enjoy your favorite music.
This can also be very useful at work. There are countless situations where you want to hear your own music but still want to remain approachable for others. It will be less likely to be considered antisocial if people don’t have to tap you on the shoulder to be heard.
Finally, think about all those cliché movie scenes where the victim of some disaster or serial killer couldn’t hear the sound of danger through headphones. That would have been a lot less exciting with the Aftershokz.
“Disadvantage: Hearing your surroundings”
But that also makes the Aftershokz immediately less interesting for those situations where you do want to exclude ambient noise.
For example, I’m not a runner for whom the Aftershokz is probably more attractive. I’m a gym rat. For me, a sports headphone is mainly meant to pump up extra motivated in the gym. For this, being able to hear my own music is just one aspect. An equally important aspect, or even more important, is being able to eliminate the damn dance music played in the gym.
With various headphones, I have noticed that they only sufficiently block out the music in the gym if you turn up the volume. Overpowering, in other words. However, even when I train, I don’t always need maximum volume in my ears.
Because the speakers of the Aftershokz Sportz are not in or on the ear, they offer no “protection” against ambient noise.
Sound quality
That specific advantage or disadvantage is therefore a characteristic of bone conduction technology. However, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of sound quality. So, I don’t know to what extent the experienced sound quality is attributable to bone conduction technology or the way it is implemented in the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium.
That the technology entails more than just placing it in front of the ears instead of on them is clear. Especially in the low tones. For example, if I place a DJ headset with a lot of bass in front of my ears instead of on them, all that bass is suddenly gone. I can hear my surroundings, but in my music, I only hear the higher tones. With the Aftershokz, this bass is translated into tangible vibrations on the cheekbone. A unique way to experience bass. Although you don’t hear the usual low tone, you do feel the usual vibrations of bass. You also feel this locally on the cheekbones, which also feels unique.
So, I cannot say that the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium offers optimal sound quality. I have previously written that I am a bass junkie and I miss this. For someone who wants to hear their own music and at the same time wants to hear their surroundings, I think bone conduction technology is a very good option.
By the way, for this review, I specifically went out for a bike ride. Not that the weather really invited me to, but okay. I didn’t have any trouble with wind noise while cycling and could have a conversation perfectly understandable with the built-in microphone.
Aftershokz Sportz Titanium
Aftershokz has several models that use bone conduction technology. The Aftershokz Sportz Titanium distinguishes itself from the regular models by its lighter weight, lower price, and greater comfort during sports. Incidentally, I couldn’t compare the latter myself since I only had the Sportz.
I can confirm that the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium is very comfortable. It is about 30% lighter than the previous model. Even with “wild” movements, the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium stays securely in place. The bench press test is always important for me: does the headphone stay in place when I’m lying on my back. This can sometimes be a problem for other types than the in-ear plugs. However, no problem with the Aftershokz Sportz. The band placed behind the neck, however, sometimes bothers me when I wear a hoodie. The band then touches the hood, and that sliding sound is amplified to the ears. Which is only annoying if you don’t have any sound playing that would drown it out.
Price
The Aftershokz Sportz Titanium is available with and without a microphone. I had the version with a microphone, which is sold for €69.95. The version without a microphone costs €59.95.
No bluetooth
The power is supplied via a battery connected by a cable. It therefore needs to be charged and then lasts about 12 hours. On the one hand, it’s a pity that the headset isn’t wireless (but still needs to be charged). However, that would have meant that the weight of the headset shifts to the head. Now, thanks to the handy placement of the battery on the cable next to your mobile phone in your pocket, the battery can be carried. Interested in bone conduction technology but prefer wireless? Then there is the Aftershokz Trekz as an alternative. The battery is placed on the headset itself. To keep the weight down, it has been made smaller, which means that the battery life is shorter than that of the Sportz.
On the cable of the Sportz is also the remote control to pause/play, skip, and adjust the volume. In addition, there is a clip to attach the cable to your clothing.
Conclusion
The bone conduction technology can be very useful if you want to hear your own favorite music but don’t want to completely shut out the surroundings. However, you do sacrifice some sound quality for this.
In terms of comfort, the Aftershokz Sportz Titanium is fine. It is comfortable and stays in place well. However, it would have been nicer if the headset was completely wireless.
