Now may be the best time to invest in this increasingly popular tech.
Headphones and speakers have traditionally invested in one style of sound output: producing frequencies that are carried by air. But what if the source could go into your ear via other medium? This can be done through bone conduction, which is becoming increasingly popular especially in headphones.
Imagine yourself with a hearing problem; regular headphones won’t do the trick. The same issue applies to environments too dense for sound waves to travel (underwater for scuba divers) or where spatial awareness is vital (on a battlefield for soldiers). By going through the temporal bones and into your inner ear, bone conduction can bypass these specific obstacles.
It’s an atypical way to enjoy your music or communicate on the go, but bone conduction definitely serves its purpose. As a result, headphones with this tech are becoming progressively popular across the globe. Analysts predict that bone conduction headphones will experience a compound annual growth rate of over 20 percent until 2024. That’s a healthy increase for new-age tech.
What Are Bone Conduction Headphones?
Bone conduction headphones are headphones that transmit sound via vibration of the temporal bones and into the inner ear. It skips the usage of using the outer and middle ear to transmit sound via air particle vibration.
Thanks to advancements in this technology, bone conduction has become more mainstream and found its way into consumer headphones. Brands such as AfterShokz are synonymous with bone conduction headphones, and other companies like Pyle have recently focused on budget-friendly models.
How Exactly Do Bone Conduction Headphones Work?
Bone conduction sounds like a complicated process, but its application is actually quite simple. Vibrations are created by the audio device and released directly on the bones above your jaw. The frequencies are then sent to the inner part of your ear and into your brain. In turn, there’s no need to place drivers over or inside your ears like with traditional headphones.
In what may be a drawback or advantage, depending on your hobby or profession, not having earpads or eartips on this type of headphone means no isolation from environmental noise. Even though you’ll get clear-cut sound from your bone conduction headphones, noise cancelation is out of the question unless you wear earplugs.
Who Needs Bone Conduction Headphones?
You may be wondering: Do I really need bone conduction headphones? The answer is simple, as long as you fit into any of the categories that benefit from this technology.
Hearing Problems
Those who’d benefit most are users with hearing problems. Since bone conduction headphones deliver sound straight to the inner ear, people with damage to their eardrums won’t have to worry about missing out on their favorite music and podcasts.
Sports
Another popular usage case is in sports. It can be used as a workout headphones. Swimmers and divers wouldn’t have to worry about water interference or damage since the headphones press close to the temples. On busy streets, runners would hear their surroundings and avoid potential danger.
Spatial Awareness
Finally, anyone who needs spatial awareness and headphones at the same time would definitely benefit from bone conduction. These cases include automotive drivers who need to be alert of their surroundings at all times and office workers who must pay attention to what’s on their computers and neighboring coworkers at the same time.
Now Is a Good Time to Invest
Despite the relative newness of the tech, bone conduction headphones have already become more affordable and easier to find in stores. Whether you have hearing loss or need the perfect headphones for your sport, now may be a good time to try out this type of gear. You can find the best bone conduction headphones that we gathered here.
And even if you’re not part of any category, bone conduction is still worth a try. It can benefit you in more ways than one.
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