Shokz Bone-Conduction Headphones

TLDR: great open-ear headphones for < US$150

So I am not an early adopter and a bit of a skeptic. But this reminded me a bit of the old Bone-Fones of the 80s, something I wanted to try as a teenager and could not possibly afford...

I've been ignoring these for a few years now, but recently a friend got me to try his and I was seriously impressed by the quality. So I got a pair, and am not regretting it at all.

There is nothing in your ears to gunk them up or cause pain or irritation, a definite issue with headphones. And they don't put you in a dangerous situation if you are driving, biking, or avoiding being pushed down the stairs in your favorite city.

Open ear design means that you still hear what's around you. It's a plus and a minus -- just like ambient light with a video projector. With video, you get less black; with audio, you get no silence if you are in a noisy environment. But these headphones do pretty well in noisy environments, surprisingly. And in a quiet room they sound amazing.

There is a little piece of springy plastic that connects them, but it does not go over your head or touch you at all -- it is just a spring that hangs behind your neck and keeps the speakers gently pressed just in front of your ears. I often forget I am wearing these.

I am a fan of wired things generally, but lately I've given up. Pairing is good, battery life seems to be well over 10 hours (they are very small and light).

The bone conduction is a bit of a lark -- these have a dynamic speaker pointed at your ear, and if you pull them away from your skin you can still hear 80% of the sound. But the final 20% is well worth it.

A fat thumb up. [That is a lot for a grouch]

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