I believe that people who love running should use many kinds of headphones, from Bluetooth lanyard headphones to various wireless headphones. The reasons why they eventually break down are nothing more than charging problems, reduced battery life, unstable connections, water ingress, aging silicone shells, and so on. There is another problem with listening to in-ear headphones during exercise is that they are easy to shift and fall off when the movement range is too large.

Running bone conduction headphones are very comfortable to wear, it feels like you are not wearing them, and the operation is also simple. It is almost in a state of balance between ambient sound interference and listening to songs and running — especially the “Auditory Masking” effect avoid. It’s an almost perfect match for running and can give the highest recommendation level.

Let me talk about the general traditional headphones first. In the past, we may prefer to run without external interference, so we are used to in-ear headphones, but most of the experience of exercising is hard to describe. For example, all kinds of so-called true wireless headphones, most of them have intelligent design concepts and mediocre practical experience: most operations such as switching songs/increasing and decreasing volume/answering calls during running are very bad. The touch screen is not as convenient as the buttons, and the buttons generally cause ear pain. When you really need to adjust the noise reduction mode, it is often not as convenient as pulling off the earbuds directly. And no matter how high the sweat and water resistance they boast, it is inevitable that they will encounter the problem of not being able to charge after a short time. In this case, only the traditional Bluetooth-wired headset is relatively convenient to operate, and there is no problem of fear of dropping it. However, it is embarrassing that almost all major brands today no longer produce this type of headphone. All of them are models from several years ago. They feel good to wear but have mediocre battery life.

At the same time, there are only running bone conduction headphones that meet the requirements of long battery life, easy operation, and comfortable wearing.

The actual wearing feeling of running bone conduction headphones

In terms of wearing feeling, the in-ear type (even the Airpodspro with extremely high comfort) still has a sense of blockage to the ear canal, making it difficult to achieve long-term comfort, and it is too fit to the ear for running, which will affect your perception of the outside world to some extent. Your perception of the outside world. The same is true of all kinds of ear-wing headphones, even if there are several sets of fins with different sizes, they can only solve the problem of not falling off.

But bone conduction doesn’t have this problem at all. Bone conduction headphones are headphones that can produce sound through the vibration of bones. The bones transmit the vibration of the sound source directly to the inner ear so that the sound can be heard. Ordinary headphones transmit air vibrations from the ear to the eardrum, where they are recognized as sound and heard by the ear. The feature of bone conduction headphones is that it allows music to be enjoyed without passing through the ears or eardrums. When it is used, it will not block the ear, and it is more like wearing it on the ear, and no extra weight is applied to the ear at all, so it is not easy to feel oppressive.It solves the stuffy feeling after sweating to a great extent, and the headphones are hung on the ears, which will not have the same stethoscope effect as the in-ear type, will not squeeze the pinna, and will not hurt at all after wearing for a long time!

The biggest advantage of bone conduction headphones over traditional earbuds: the avoidance of the “auditory masking” effect

There are many controversies about whether you should listen to music while running. The core point is that the sound from traditional in-ear headphones will mask other sounds from the external environment. The sound signal is particularly strong and almost occupies all the workload of the brain. The sound responds — -this is the “auditory masking” effect of listening to music while running.

Because the sound is more monotonous after wearing earbuds (only the music in the earbuds remains), the nerve center in charge of movement will be easily inhibited, falling into a rhythm that is unconsciously contrary to the training effect. Moreover, the body is always sending out the most direct signals during running, such as the sound of footsteps landing, breathing, and abnormal noises of body joints. Traditional earbuds will obviously completely shield these.

All of the above, in turn, are the biggest advantages of bone conduction headphones. Since the bone conduction headphones do not block the ears when worn, you can still hear the surrounding ambient sound after wearing the headphones, which undoubtedly provides better security. Bone conduction headphones can hear the sound of cars and traffic lights in sports scenes such as running and walking, making it safer for you to use outdoors.

Bone conduction headphones are also a great option for those who like to enjoy music at work while paying attention to the sounds of their surroundings( especially their boss or colleagues).Also, I strongly recommend that you listen to songs while participating in running activities (such as marathon), and try to receive the interaction beside the track at the same time. It is a pity to be so immersed in your own musical world that you can’t hear the sound of the race itself. This is precisely the part that bone conduction headphones do better than traditional headphones.

Some people may say: Wouldn’t it be safer to exercise without wearing headphones or listening to music? Yes, in scenes that require a high degree of concentration to deal with, of course, you should not listen to music to distract your attention.

But exercise is often a long-term process, and more often it is mechanically repeated. For example, hiking, often walking for a whole day, no matter how beautiful the scenery is, is easy to be aesthetically fatigued. At this time, if accompanied by music, it can not only drive away the boring but also boost morale. While improving running enjoyment, it is also easier to achieve running goals. Then bone conduction headphones are your best choice.

Disadvantages of running bone conduction headphones:

It is more prone to sound leakage than traditional in-ear headphones. Bone conduction headphones are structurally prone to sound leakage because they are open type. while the vibrator vibrates the bones, it also vibrates the surrounding air, resulting in sound leakage. Ordinary headphones are sealed in the ear, so the sound is difficult to leak.

When you wear bone conduction headphones and the sound is turned up loud, the sound leakage will be more obvious. At this time, if you happen to be in a quiet place such as a library, people around you will hear everything.It is not only disturb others, but also reveal your own privacy. Of course, the sound leakage problem of bone conduction will vary between different brands, such as the Wissonly brand, they have greatly reduced the sound leakage problem through the optimization of integrated sealing design, vibration buffering, and other technologies.

How to choose running bone conduction headphones?

1: running bone conduction headphones also have two connection methods, wireless and wired. The wireless bone conduction headphones are characterized by no cables connecting the headphones and audio equipment and can be used comfortably through Bluetooth connections. There are no disadvantages such as cable entanglement, so you can freely Use your smartphone. However, it should be noted that some Bluetooth-connected bone conduction headsets may have problems such as sound interruption or delay. In addition, since the battery is built into the main unit, the battery power will affect the use time. If you need to use the headset continuously for a long time, please choose a model with a built-in large-capacity battery as much as possible.

Wired bone conduction headphones are the type that directly connects the headphones and audio equipment with a cable. Since it does not need to be equipped with batteries, there is no need to worry about running out of batteries. You can keep listening for a long time without worrying about the battery dying, another advantage is that the sound is less likely to terminate or delay. On the other hand, with wired-type bone conduction headphones, there are troubles peculiar to the cable, such as the cable being caught and disconnected or broken. These headphones aren’t for people who don’t like the hassle of wired connections, or who want to use them in sports situations.

2: When purchasing running bone conduction headphones, pay attention to the fit. Because, even if you choose a model with excellent performance, if the fit is not good, you may not feel comfortable using it. To use it comfortably for long periods, please try to find a model that suits your wear with high fit. Most bone conduction headphones are basically worn between the temples, so the fit of the headphones will vary depending on the size of the head. Also, wearing glasses and a mask can easily affect the fit. When choosing, it is best to choose those headphones that can be adjusted flexibly.

3: You can choose bone conduction headphones with suitable waterproof performance according to the usage scenario. If you want to use it in sports scenes or outdoor scenes, you should pay attention to the waterproof performance of bone conduction headphones. Water resistance is defined by JIS standards and identified as “IPX◯”. The larger the number in the circle, the better the water resistance.

If you plan to use it in general sports scenes, we recommend at least IPX4 or higher waterproof bone conduction headphones, such headphones can also work normally when sweating or raining. Some headphones can be washed with water, so if you’re looking for easy-to-clean headphones, pay attention. Headphones with IPX7 or higher models can be used in water immersion scenarios such as swimming or diving.

4: If you have the opportunity to make hands-free calls in a business scene, please choose a headset with a microphone. Bone conduction headphones don’t block your ears, so you can easily hear your own voice during hands-free calls. The bone conduction headset with a boom mic that brings the mic closer to the mouth, for those who use it in business settings to discuss important matters.

5: Don’t have strict requirements on sound quality. Before using bone conduction headphones, I didn’t have any expectations for their sound quality. But when I first heard the sound of bone conduction headphones, I was surprised that the sound quality was better than I expected, but compared to ordinary noise-canceling headphones, it is inferior. The sound quality of bone conduction headphones is characterized by clear and easy-to-hear high and middle tones, but weak bass. Therefore, it is very easy to hear the human voice, which is very suitable for making calls. Bone conduction headphones are more suitable for listening to music as background music, which is very suitable for running, exercise and other scenes!

6: Please choose a product with a price of 70–150 US dollars. Price is always the most critical consideration when buying a product. On the premise of ensuring product quality, the lower the price, the better. But it should be noted that bone conduction headphones under $50 generally do not perform well, and sometimes you accidentally buy fake bone conduction headphones. Products with a price higher than $150 have low cost-effective, and it is not recommended to choose products with a price higher than $150(except for a few headphones used for online conferences or underwater sports).

Recommended running bone conduction headphones:

Combining the above-mentioned 6 elements for selecting bone conduction headphones, I would like to recommend to you a running bone conduction headphone that I bought last year and have been using — -Hi Runner of Wissonly brand.

Wissonly is the fastest-growing brand in the past six months, headquartered in Hong Kong. Their team is a technical expert in the field of bone conduction headphones. As early as 10 years ago, it began to develop bone conduction headphones that do not hurt the ears. It mainly produces high-performance bone conduction headphones. The products have good sound quality, low sound leakage, high waterproof level, High comfort, high-cost performance, and other features, that received support from running fans. With its excellent bone conduction vibration unit optimization scheme, it has been recommended by many otologists and recommended by many channel owners on Youtube. 

In terms of comfort, the overall frame of Wissonly Hi Runner is made of adjustable aviation-grade titanium steel, which can adapt to different sizes of head circumference and ensure the stability of wearing, so that you don’t have to worry about the headphones falling during exercise. The surface of its headphones is made of high-tech low-sensitivity silicone material, which does not contain chemical ingredients to avoid allergies. The overall touch of the headphones is as silky as a baby’s skin, avoiding discomfort when worn for a long time.

Its weight is very light, less than 30g, so it will not feel heavy when worn. From the time I started running after wearing it to the time I took it off at the end of the run, the Hi Runner didn’t require me to make any extra adjustments. As the flagship outdoor running model of the Wissonly brand, it is the most comfortable and cost-effective model among all the current bone conduction models.

Wissonly Hi Runner running bone conduction headphones are open-ear design, worn directly on the temple, so your ear canal is completely open, which allows you to easily hear the sound of cars and traffic lights when you are running, walking and other sports scenes outdoors The sound makes you safer when using it.

Although the name of Wissonly Hi Runner is Hi Runner, it also has an IPX8 waterproof rating higher than the industry standard, which allows it to work normally during swimming and diving, which is a great advantage of it.

It is also equipped with 32G built-in storage, which can store 5000 songs, and supports two working modes of Bluetooth and MP3. In the scene of underwater sports or without a mobile phone, you can completely use it as a Bluetooth MP3 player.

Its battery life is very strong, and it can listen to music for 10 hours continuously, which makes up for the disadvantage of wireless headphones.

Due to the particularity of the technical principle of bone conduction headphones, it is more difficult to improve the sound quality. However, Wissonly Hi Runner subverts the traditional sound quality solution, adopting a breakthrough large wire frame vibration unit, and improving the effective vibration area through structural optimization, so that the sound has a good performance in treble and bass.

Its sound leakage reduction processing is excellent. We actually tested it. Turn on Wissonly Hi Runner and set the volume to 60%. At a distance of 2 meters, no sound can be heard at all, which is very good for privacy protection.

It should be noted that the microphone of Wissonly Hi Runner is a hidden microphone, which may not be suitable for scenarios that require an external microphone.

In terms of price, Wissonly Hi Runner only costs US$99.99, which is really cost-effective, because other brands of products with the same performance basically cost more than US$150.

Some usage summaries of running bone conduction headphones:

Take “Wissonly Hi Runner” as an example to summarize the experience of using bone conduction running headphones:

1.There is no “auditory masking” effect of traditional headphones, which is also the biggest advantage of bone conduction headphones

2: There is no sense of existence after wearing it, and the head will not feel oppressive. (Of course, Hi Runner will do better than other models in this regard);

3: The actual continuous use time of nearly 10 hours + magnetic fast charging can meet most of a single running training, Hi Runner won’t make you have any battery life anxiety;

4: The waterproof of the IPX8-rated headphones copes with a lot of sweat and rain with no problem, swimming and diving can be used.

5: The most suitable scenarios are obviously running and other sports. Of course, I think it is also very suitable for work and home use (will not miss other things/other people’s signals). Bone conduction itself cannot reduce noise and blocks ears, and it is easy to leak sound, so it is not suitable for use in airplanes and other vehicles with loud noises (in case the sound in the headphones cannot be heard) and some environments that are too quiet (avoid disturb others).

6: If you use it frequently, it is still recommended to buy the outdoor sports flagship Wissonly Hi Runner directly in one step, the hearing and wearing feel are excellent.