The 8 Best Treadmills for Runners The Best Prime Day Running Headphone Deals 2024 Gear of the Year 2024 need to listen to music to keep them motivated to clock miles, while others swear by skipping beats streaming into their ears so they can hear traffic and other sounds around them. But bone conduction headphones pretty much fit both categories of runners—you can listen to music while still hearing surrounding noise.
You might be asking, ‘How do bone conduction headphones work? How can you hear background noise and your music?’ We break down the science, plus what to know about this type of headphone.
How do bone conduction headphones work?
Bone conduction headphones take advantage of a sound pathway that bypasses both the ear canal and ear drum. They vibrate against your bones—usually those in front of the ear—and send sounds straight to the inner ear. Using this kind of device rather than earbuds or traditional headphones makes it possible for someone to have more access to noises from their surroundings, while they enjoy music or any other audio they want to hear.
Wearing them for the first time can be surprising, says Jamey Schwartz, the vice president of marketing for Shokz, a company that makes bone conduction headphones. “You can hear the person talking to you. You can hear everything out there around you. But then you also hear your music,” she says.
Although that sensation may not necessarily feel familiar at first, it’s something that most people have already experienced. Think of how a recording of your voice sounds different than what you hear as you speak. Cory Portnuff, a clinical audiologist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says his recorded voice sounds less deep and resonant than what he hears as his speaking voice. That’s because when he speaks, he experiences sound that travels through both the vibrations of bone conduction and from sound waves traveling through the ear canal.
The vibrations that conduct sound through bone (like in bone conduction headphones) have also been used in headsets for military personnel and certain types of hearing aids. They are especially useful for people born without an opening to the ear canal, a condition called aural atresia.
The type of hearing aid that utilizes these vibrations, which first became available around the 1970s, are usually designed to fit to the temporal bone behind the ear and can be used with a headband. However, they are often fitted to an implant in the skull with a connection such as a post or a magnet.
So, why do bone conduction headphones go in front of the ear? It’s mostly about having a firm fit to the bone. To provide a consistent sound experience, the devices must sit firmly against the head without becoming uncomfortable.
“It’s harder to clamp something onto the head behind the ear,” says Portnuff. “That’s why most manufacturers have stuck with putting something on to the cheekbone, or the jaw joint.” (Keep in mind, people with jaw problems might not be able to use the headphones without discomfort, he notes.)
Schwartz says Shokz uses the cheekbone to provide stability for the device, particularly during activities like running and jumping.
How do bone conduction headphones differ from regular headphones?
Traditional headphones use speakers to emit sound waves either near or inside the ear, using a process called air conduction. The sound travels into the ear canal and vibrates the ear drum. This moves the bones in the middle ear, which then transfers sound to the cochlea in the inner ear—that’s where vibrations are turned into electrical signals and sent to the brain so that we can experience sound.
Bone conduction headphones skip past most of that anatomy. They send vibrations straight to the cochlea, using devices that turn sound into vibrations. These devices are called transducers and they are held firmly against a bone by a band that hugs the head. (The transducers need to stay in place in order for them to send audio into the bone.) Most designs place two transducers against each cheekbone, in front of the ears. The devices also include a band that wraps around the ears and then the back of the head, connecting the two devices.
A Bluetooth connection sends audio from a mobile device to the headphones, which then vibrate the cheekbones and send sounds to the inner ear.
What should you keep in mind when wearing bone conduction headphones?
Much of the marketing around these devices focuses on how bone conducting headphones offer more awareness of your surroundings than traditional headphones that sit in the ear. That’s largely true, but there are a couple of benefits and cautions worth keeping in mind when wearing them.
Having multiple inputs is one reason why bone conducting headphones can help runners maintain awareness of the surrounding environment. But a principal called masking can still mean that you won’t catch all the outside sounds. You won’t hear surrounding noises quite as well as you would if wearing no headphones of any kind—even though bone conduction headphones keep your ear canals wide open. It’s not a reason to avoid the headphones, but it’s something to be aware of if using them.
that send sound through the air in-ear headphones, where nearby sounds must travel past or around the headphone and then into the ear canal before competing with your headphone audio.
Portnuff wears bone conduction headphones when running outside, even though “they’re not inherently safe devices,” he says, because they can be distracting and still cover up some of those outside noises. “But they do have the advantage of not blocking up your ears and creating that seal that physically blocks out other sounds.”
No matter what, don’t blast your bone conduction headphones. First, because of the way the devices work, when they are used at too high a volume, the amount of vibration in the bones can actually become uncomfortable. That self-limiting effect, Portnuff says, can be helpful because “any type of headphone, when listened to at a high enough volume for a long enough time, risks damaging your hearing.” Sidestep that risk of damage and the potential discomfort by keeping volume low.
What should you know before buying bone conduction headphones?
If you are buying bone conduction headphones, be careful what you pick. “I’ve been seeing advertisements for things calling themselves bone conduction headphones that really aren’t,” says Portnuff. He suggests seeking devices that look sturdy, with a headband that holds the device firmly to the bone. Avoid those that hang off a loop around your ear and don’t have a headband.
A good pair can help runners maintain a sense of what’s happening around them, Portnuff says. “They can provide you better environmental awareness, situational awareness, but only if you’re choosing sound levels that let you hear sounds over what you’re listening to,” and choosing a set of bone conduction headphones that actually work.
Should you ever not wear bone conduction headphones?
If you’re seeking an extremely high-quality audio experience, bone conduction headphones might not be for you. Bone conduction won’t give the same quality of sound as the most exquisite traditional headphones that send sound through the air.
Also, in situations when you want to keep other sounds out, like on a bus or train, bone conduction headphones may not be the preferred option. Schwartz says you can pair them with ear plugs on an airplane, but it won’t block the roar of the engines as much as regular headphones or earbuds.
Finally, if you’re on a busy street or in a place where you definitely need to be aware of and hear all the surrounding sounds while running, it’s probably best to skip headphones altogether.
