We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
The CXK Bone Conduction Headphones are my top pick for most people, because they combine the newest Bluetooth version here, a genuinely light 28g titanium frame, and the longest single-charge playtime in this group.
• CXK Bone Conduction Headphones — best for everyday workouts and long wear; pick this if you want the lightest build here (28g), Bluetooth 6.0, and up to 10 hours per charge in a wrap-around titanium frame.
• KIM HOST Bone Conduction Headphones — best for all-day wear and swimming-adjacent training; pick this if you want an IP68 rating, up to 11 hours of playtime, and simple physical buttons anyone can learn in seconds.
• PSIER Bone Conduction Headphones — best for swimming and phone-free listening; pick this if you want IPX8 waterproofing plus 32GB of built-in MP3 storage so you can leave your phone on the pool deck.
• MRYTKY Bone Conduction Headphones — best for outdoor sports on a simple brief; pick this if you want a secure titanium wrap frame, Bluetooth 5.4, and 10 hours of playtime with basic sweat-and-rain protection.
This is an open-ear, bone-conduction model built around an enclosed-cavity driver design. The pitch is straightforward: sound travels through your cheekbones instead of into your ear canal, so your ears stay open to traffic, training partners, and whatever is happening around you. For anyone who runs or cycles near roads, that awareness matters more than a few decibels of isolation.
The specs that actually change your day are the boring ones. It weighs 28g and uses a wrap-around titanium memory wire, which is the lightest combination in this group — that's the difference between "I forgot I had them on" and "I'm ready to take these off" after two hours. Bluetooth 6.0 is the newest version in this lineup, and the controls are touch-based with a one-key setup: long-press to power on, then pick the X14 entry on your phone.
Battery is rated at up to 10 hours, with a full charge in about 2 hours over Type-C and up to 240 hours of standby. The IPX6 rating covers sweat and rain, and the brand is explicit that these are not for swimming — so treat them as a land-and-gym pair, not a pool pair. The 15mm drivers and 8-ohm impedance are tuned for a soft, easy listen rather than a bass-heavy one.
There's also an app angle: the Boean app can generate tracks from a mood or idea and gives you custom EQ modes across jazz, classical and other genres. That's a nice extra if you like tweaking, and harmless if you don't.
The trade-off: no built-in music storage, and IPX6 rather than a submersion rating. If you want to swim with headphones or leave your phone behind, this isn't the one.
The KIM HOST pair is the all-rounder of the group, and the headline spec is IP68 waterproofing — the highest rating here, and the reason it can be listed for swimming alongside running, cycling and work use. A 10-meter Bluetooth 5.3 range and 40-ohm impedance round out a fairly conventional but sensible package.
Comfort is the design goal. The open-ear fit rests outside the ear canal, so there's no pressure build-up and no ear fatigue over a long day. That makes it a reasonable pick for commuters, office workers who still need to hear a colleague, and parents who need one ear on the room. The physical buttons are the part I like most: play/pause, skip, volume and calls, all on push buttons with no learning curve — far easier with sweaty or gloved hands than touch panels.
Battery life is rated up to 11 hours on a 1-hour charge, which is the quickest top-up and the longest runtime in this lineup. Bluetooth 5.3's lower energy draw helps stretch the cycles between charges. It ships with a protective case and headband, and the brand notes compatibility across phones, laptops, tablets, Android, iOS, PC and Mac.
The trade-off: it's the heaviest option here at 0.23 kg, and it's the only model without built-in storage, so swimming means relying on Bluetooth — which generally doesn't travel through water. The brand itself flags checking the specific model's IP rating, so read the listing carefully before you assume pool duty.
The PSIER S18 is the specialist. It's the only model in this group with a 32GB internal MP3 player, which holds roughly 4,000 songs, and it's rated IPX8 — submersible to two meters for one hour. If your main goal is listening while swimming, this is the design that makes the most sense, because you don't need a phone anywhere near the water.
On land it's an open-ear design with silicone cushions and an adjustable strap included to fit different head sizes. It uses 14mm bone-conduction drivers, supports Bluetooth 6.0 with multi-device pairing, and runs up to 8 hours in Bluetooth mode with a full charge in about 1.5 hours. The Boean app hooks in here too, for AI music generation and custom EQ.
The trade-off: the shortest playtime here at 8 hours, and touch controls rather than buttons — which can be fussier with wet hands. The brand also recommends switching to MP3 mode before getting in the water and cautions that Bluetooth won't connect there, so there's a small routine to learn.
MRYTKY Bone Conduction Headphones
The MRYTKY S1 keeps things simple. It's an open-ear bone-conduction headphone with a wrap-around titanium frame that bends without deforming, which is the feature doing the real work: a frame that springs back keeps a firm fit through running, cycling and climbing instead of slowly loosening on your head.
Audio comes from 16mm driver units — the largest in this group — paired with a built-in microphone for calls. Impedance is 8 ohm and the frequency range is the standard 20Hz to 20,000Hz. Bluetooth 5.4 handles pairing with a stated range of about 33 feet, and battery life is rated at 10 hours per charge with a 1.5-hour charge time.
Water resistance is IPX5, which is aimed at sweat and rain during exercise rather than swimming. For runners, cyclists and gym-goers who want basic weather protection without worrying about submersion, that's the honest level to expect. It ships in gift-box packaging with a carrying case, and the manufacturer lists a 1-year warranty.
The trade-off: IPX5 is the lightest water protection here and it explicitly doesn't cover swimming or heavy rain exposure. There's also no memory storage and no app integration, so this is a no-frills pick — which is exactly what some people want.
How We Picked
I compared the published spec sheets side by side: Bluetooth version, waterproof rating, driver size, playtime, charge time, weight, frame material, controls and any built-in storage. The ranking is our independent editorial opinion, based on which design fits which real-world job — not on popularity. No brand paid for placement.
The driver sits outside your ear canal rather than inside it, and bone-conduction models send vibration through your cheekbones. You hear your music and your surroundings at the same time, which is why runners and cyclists tend to prefer them.
Only if the model is rated for submersion. Here, the PSIER is IPX8 and the KIM HOST is IP68, and both are listed for swimming. The CXK is IPX6 and the MRYTKY is IPX5 — both are for sweat and rain, and the CXK is explicitly not for swimming.
Because Bluetooth signals don't travel through water reliably. The PSIER and KIM HOST include 32GB of MP3 storage so you can load songs and listen without a phone, which is the practical way to use them in a pool.
They generally deliver less bass than in-ear models, since they bypass the ear canal. Driver size helps — the 15mm and 16mm units on the CXK and MRYTKY are the larger ones here — and app-based EQ (available on the CXK and PSIER) lets you adjust the balance to taste.
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