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If you want a set of bone conduction headphones you can actually take into the pool, choose MARLALL Soft Liquid Silicone; if you need all-day wireless listening with a charging case that keeps going for a week, choose Yistao Gen 2. These two open-ear designs look similar on the surface, but they are built for completely different owners. One is a swim-first tool with a built-in music player. The other is an everyday Bluetooth companion with a case, faster pairing, and a much longer total runtime. Let me break down where each one wins and where each one makes you compromise.
• MARLALL's biggest strength: true underwater capability. It carries an IPX8 rating, runs on a built-in 32G MP3 player, and uses skin-friendly liquid silicone over an ear-hook frame that stays put while you swim.
• MARLALL's biggest trade-off: you cannot use Bluetooth in the water. Swimming only works in MP3 mode, and you have to remember to dry the microphone after a swim to avoid call problems.
• Yistao Gen 2's biggest strength: stamina and convenience. Bluetooth 6.0 with an ultra-fast instant-link chip, up to 15 hours per charge, and a charging case that adds four more full charges for roughly 60 hours total.
• Yistao Gen 2's biggest trade-off: it is a land headphone. IP68 handles sweat and rain, but nothing in its spec sheet says immersion, so I would not take it into a pool.
• Who MARLALL is for: swimmers, snorkelers, and anyone who wants music underwater without a phone nearby.
• Who Yistao Gen 2 is for: runners, gym-goers, commuters, and audiobook listeners who want long battery life and quick pairing.
The MARLALL Soft Liquid Silicone is, in my opinion, one of the more specialized entries in the open-ear category. Its headline feature is an IPX8 waterproof rating, which means it is built to resist water immersion. That is a different promise than "sweat-proof." It is aimed squarely at people who swim, snorkel, or surf and want audio with them the whole time.
The catch is the mode switching. Underwater, Bluetooth does not work — you have to be in MP3 mode, and the music lives on the built-in 32G player. You load playlists through the magnetic charging cable, which also gives you direct computer access to that internal storage. A 1.5-hour charge gets you up to 7 hours of continuous playback. Two things to remember: music from a phone app cannot be copied straight to the memory card, and you should dry the microphone after swimming so calls keep working. Buy it if you swim regularly and want music in the water. Skip it if you mainly want a wireless everyday headphone — the MP3 workflow will feel like extra steps.
Yistao Gen 2: Who It's For
The Yistao Gen 2 is the opposite kind of product: a do-everything daily driver. Its upgraded ToneTerra bone conduction system claims a 30% volume increase over the previous generation, and SonicBoost 2.0 is tuned for a balance of deep bass and clear highs. There are two EQ modes — Music Mode for punchy bass during workouts and commutes, and Reading Mode that optimizes vocal frequencies so audiobooks and podcasts stay soft and clear over long sessions. That split is genuinely useful if you listen to spoken word for hours.
Comfort gets real attention here too. Yistao redesigned the ear-contact surface in liquid skin-friendly silicone, which it says reduces wearing pressure by 40% compared to the hard plastic of the prior generation. The added friction also helps prevent slipping. The earpiece is a hook shape with an open-ear fit, a 15 mm bone conduction driver, 8 ohm impedance and 86 dB sensitivity. Bluetooth 6.0 with an instant-link chip means opening the charging case pairs you almost immediately — roughly twice as fast as the older Bluetooth 5.3 setup.
Battery is the star. A five-minute charge gives you an hour of playback; a full charge in about 1.5 to 2 hours delivers up to 15 hours of listening, and the case holds four additional full charges for about 60 hours total. IP68 covers sweat and rain, and the carrying case is a compact 9 x 7 x 2 cm at 75 g. There is an 18-month warranty. Note there is no headphone jack, noise control is listed as none, and Bluetooth range is about 10 meters. Buy it if you want one headphone for running, yoga, commuting, and long listening sessions. Skip it if you need to swim with it — that is not what it is rated for.
• Best for swimming → MARLALL Soft Liquid Silicone. IPX8 immersion protection plus MP3 mode is the only combination here that works underwater.
• Best for battery life → Yistao Gen 2. Up to 15 hours per charge and roughly 60 hours with the case beats MARLALL's 7 hours per charge.
• Best for quick top-ups → Yistao Gen 2. A five-minute charge buys an hour of playback, and the case means you rarely hunt for a cable.
• Best for pairing convenience → Yistao Gen 2. Bluetooth 6.0 and the instant-link chip make connecting nearly automatic when you open the case.
• Best for spoken-word listening → Yistao Gen 2. Reading Mode is tuned specifically to keep voices clear and reduce ear fatigue.
• Best for music without a phone → MARLALL Soft Liquid Silicone. The built-in 32G MP3 player means nothing else needs to come with you.
• Best for a lighter, softer fit → MARLALL Soft Liquid Silicone. At 22.68 g with an even-pressure ear hook and liquid silicone, it is built for long water sessions.
• Best all-around everyday pick → Yistao Gen 2. For most people who are not swimming, it covers more situations with less hassle.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the Yistao Gen 2 — for the simple reason that most of my listening happens on land, and the charging case, Bluetooth 6.0 pairing, dual EQ modes and roughly 60-hour total runtime make it the easier headphone to live with day to day. I would only switch to the MARLALL Soft Liquid Silicone if swimming were a real part of my routine, because nothing else in this pairing lets you take your music underwater. In my opinion, the right call comes down to one question: do you need it in the pool, or do you need it to last all week? Check the current price on Amazon before you decide, since that is the one thing that can tip a close call.
FAQ
how to bone conduction headphones work
how to wear bone conduction headphones
Hook the earpiece over the top of your ear and rest the transducer against the bone just in front of your ear, not over the ear canal. The MARLALL uses an ear-hook design that spreads pressure evenly, while the Yistao Gen 2 uses a hook shape with softer silicone contact surfaces to reduce pressure.
how to use bone conduction headphones
Pair them over Bluetooth and play from your phone for everyday listening — that works on the Yistao Gen 2, and on the MARLALL too, but only on land. For swimming, the MARLALL must be in MP3 mode with music loaded onto its built-in 32G player, since Bluetooth does not work underwater.
how to bone conduction headphones stay in while swimming
They stay put through a combination of hook geometry and grip. The MARLALL relies on its ear-hook shape to distribute pressure and skin-friendly silicone to hold position, and it carries an IPX8 rating for immersion. The Yistao Gen 2 uses silicone contact surfaces to add friction, but its IP68 rating covers sweat and rain rather than swimming.
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See also: ZHQMG Bone Conduction Headphones vs MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming, ELVRLA Transparent Clear Earphone vs EBANKJ Sleep Silicone Earplugs, Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Swimming vs Hostena Full-Coverage Liquid Sil