They probably seem like they were pulled out of a science fiction movie, a gadget of the future. But not only are bone conduction headphones real, they’re accessible to the average person, no more expensive than a pair of regular old AirPods.
Resting on the cheekbones rather than going in or over the ear, bone conduction headphones transmit sound vibrations through the bones in your head instead of through the air to your eardrum. This method of hearing allows the vibrations to bypass the auditory canal and go straight to the cochlea, the fluid-filled chamber where the brain processes sound. However, there is considerable debate over whether the sound quality of these headphones is on par with that of regular earbuds. In fact, writer Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica and others claim that they have a tinny, distorted quality that may make them not worth the money.
I don’t pretend to be an expert on bone conduction headphones – to tell the truth, I’ve never even owned a pair. But being a bit of an audio junkie, I had to find out all I could secondhand about the science of bone conduction. And through my research, I’ve compiled a subjective list of the five most important things to know before you consider buying a pair of bone conduction headphones.
1) Bone conduction is not a new science.
Knowledge of bone conduction hearing has actually been around since the 1500s, and bone conduction headphones have been used for improved communication in the military for over a decade now. They don’t seem to be revolutionizing the way we listen to music either, although they may provide new opportunities for people with hearing damage. Because the sound vibrations detected via the bone conduction method don’t pass through the outer and middle ear, it provides a better listening experience for individuals with a damaged eardrum. Bone conduction technology is used in many hearing aid systems for this very reason.
2) If noise cancellation is important to you, don’t buy them!
Bone conduction headphones are designed to allow the listener to be more attune to their environment. They’re definitely not meant for quiet study sessions, but if you’re looking specifically for a pair of bluetooth headphones for running, biking, or another athletic activity, then they might just be a match. Athletes often need to be aware of their surroundings but don’t want to sacrifice good tunes, and bone conduction headphones can give them the best of both worlds. In addition, their unique shape and positioning on the skull help them to fit underneath most helmets, unlike regular earbuds. But despite the pros for athletes, bone conduction headphones don’t seem to be the best option for any other activity. Even with earplugs, they are about as far from noise-cancelling as you can get.
3) Their audio quality is definitely sub-par
Enough articles have been written bashing the sound quality of bone conduction headphones to convince me that they’re not going to sound like Bose. Daniel Varghese of GQ Magazine labels them as “horrendous for day to day use” and “totally unintelligible at anything other than extremely loud volumes” (para. 7). The bass tends to get lost in translation traveling through the bones, and mid-frequencies can be muddied as well. Still, many users – especially athletes – have said that the deficiencies in quality aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. In his YouTube video about bone conduction, Dr. Cliff Olsen remarks that the audio quality of a pair of these headphones is just as good as a pair of low-grade earbuds. But even if this is the case, cheap earbuds certainly doesn’t equal great sound.
4) They may be less likely to damage your hearing
Because bone conduction headphones don’t stimulate the eardrum, there is a possibility that they are less likely to damage your hearing. But the keyword there is possibility. Turning up the volume too loud on any pair of headphones can be harmful to the cochlea, and bone conduction headphones are no exception. Additionally, Dr. Cory Portnuff of the University of Colorado states that “bone-conducted sound is transduced by the cochlea similarly to air-conducted sound” (para. 4). Because bone conduction headphones are poorer noise isolators than regular earbuds, they could actually pose an even greater risk to users who don’t realize how high they are turning up the volume to combat ambient sound. So although in theory it seems like bone conduction headphones should be less likely to damage your hearing (given that they are used properly), further research remains to be done.
5) They might take a little bit (or a lot) of getting adjusted to!
Bone conduction headphones have to apply a little bit of pressure in order to vibrate the bones in the skull and work properly. For certain head shapes, this can make listening uncomfortable – and at the very least, it will take anyone a moment to get used to hearing music through their bones versus through their ear canal. Though some people may experience more discomfort than others, it seems to be worth trying on a pair before you buy.
So there you have it: my humble opinion on the topic of bone conduction headphones. This short list may make it seem like the cons of using them far outweigh the pros. But don’t be discouraged. If you know what you’re getting into and you have a purpose for buying them, bone conduction headphones definitely have the potential to be a worthwhile investment.
Megan Ireland 
