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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a single pair of open-ear headphones that keeps working when you get in the water, choose SONR Bone Conduction Waterproof; if you need an everyday awareness headphone with a rear safety light for night runs and commutes, choose KLKE Bone Conduction Headphones.
• SONR's biggest strength: true IPX8 waterproofing plus a 32GB (29GB usable) onboard MP3 player, so you can swim phone-free.
• SONR's biggest trade-off: it's a specialist multisport tool — if you never swim or download tracks, you're paying for capability you won't use.
• KLKE's biggest strength: built-in rear safety light, adjustable silicone back strap, and up to 10 hours of playtime with USB-C charging.
• KLKE's biggest trade-off: IP66 sweatproof only — that handles sweat and rain, not swimming.
• Bone conduction on both: open-ear drivers leave your ear canals clear, so traffic, voices and surroundings stay audible.
• Who each is for: SONR for swimmers, triathletes and phone-free training; KLKE for runners, cyclists and commuters who train mostly on land and in low light.
The SONR is the more specialized of the two, and the spec sheet says so plainly. It uses a bone conduction driver in an open-ear, wrap-around plastic frame, which means your ear canals stay uncovered — that's the whole point of awareness listening, and it matters most when you're moving through traffic, trails or a pool deck. But the headline feature is the IPX8 rating. IPX8 is the deepest water protection class you'll normally see on headphones, and SONR pairs it with a 32GB capacity (29GB effective) that turns the headset into a standalone underwater MP3 player.
That combination changes how you use it. Upload tracks over USB, switch to MP3 mode, and you can listen while swimming with no phone anywhere near the water. Flip to Bluetooth on dry land and it behaves like a normal wireless headset, with a built-in microphone for hands-free calls during workouts that aren't in the pool. Battery is rated at up to 8 hours of continuous playtime, and the ergonomic wrap-around frame is built to stay put through heavy swim sets and fast runs. Controls are physical buttons rather than touch, which is honestly the right call for wet or gloved hands.
Who should buy it: swimmers, triathletes, and anyone who trains in and around water and wants music without carrying a phone. It's also a strong pick if you want one headset that covers pool, bike and road.
KLKE Bone Conduction Headphones: Who It's For
KLKE takes the awareness-headphone idea and pushes it toward safety and all-day comfort instead of water. Same open-ear bone conduction driver, so you still hear traffic, voices and your surroundings while music or podcasts play — that's the core of the "aware mode" style of listening, except here it's not a toggle you switch on and off. The ear canal is simply never blocked, so awareness is always on.
Where KLKE differentiates is the built-in rear safety light. For night runs, evening walks, cycling and low-light workouts, that's a genuinely useful addition, because being seen is half of the safety equation when you're on a road shoulder. The adjustable silicone back strap is the other practical touch — it lets different head sizes dial in a more personalized, secure fit, and the whole thing weighs 32 grams, which is light enough to forget you're wearing it.
On the audio side, KLKE gives you two sound profiles: Indoor Mode for balanced clarity on calls, podcasts and gym sessions, and Outdoor Mode for a fuller sound out on the road. Bluetooth range is listed at 10 meters, charging is USB-C, and playtime runs up to 10 hours with a 3-hour charge time. Protection is IP66 — sweatproof and resistant to rain and splashes, but not something you'd swim in. There's also a clear-call microphone and a stated support channel with responses within 24 hours.
Who should buy it: runners, cyclists, hikers and commuters who want to stay aware and stay visible, and who value a longer 10-hour runtime and USB-C convenience.
Who should skip it: if you swim laps or want phone-free underwater listening, IP66 won't get you there. That's SONR's territory.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for swimming and underwater listening → SONR. IPX8 plus the 32GB MP3 mode is the only reason to pick it over KLKE, and it's a big one.
• Best for night runs and low-light visibility → KLKE. The rear safety light has no equivalent on the SONR.
• Best for phone-free training → SONR, thanks to the onboard storage and MP3 mode.
• Best for fit adjustability → KLKE, with its adjustable silicone back strap for different head sizes.
• Best for charging convenience → KLKE, which uses USB-C; SONR charges via its included cable and uploads tracks over USB.
• Best for sound tuning on the move → KLKE, which offers separate Indoor and Outdoor modes.
• Best for all-weather sweat and rain on land → either, but only SONR survives full immersion.
In my opinion, the right buy depends entirely on whether water is part of your training. If you swim or race triathlon, I'd buy the SONR Bone Conduction Waterproof — the IPX8 rating and 32GB MP3 mode are features you simply cannot work around with a land-only headset, and the 8-hour battery covers long multisport days. If your workouts stay on dry land and you run or ride in low light, I'd buy the KLKE Bone Conduction Headphones instead: the rear safety light, adjustable strap, dual sound modes and 10-hour runtime are a better match for everyday outdoor training, and the IP66 rating still handles sweat and rain. Neither is "better" in the abstract — they're built for different athletes. Check the current price on Amazon for both before you commit.
how to turn on aware mode on bose headphones
That control is specific to Bose models and doesn't apply here. On these two headsets, awareness isn't a mode you switch on — both use open-ear bone conduction drivers, so your ear canals stay open and you hear your surroundings the entire time you're listening.
how to turn off aware mode on jlab headphones
what is ambient aware on headphones
It's a feature on some sealed headphones that pipes outside sound in through the speakers so you can hear traffic and voices. Bone conduction achieves a similar result mechanically: the driver vibrates against your cheekbone and sound reaches your inner ear directly, leaving the ear canal unobstructed.
what's the difference between IPX8 and IP66 for headphones?
IPX8 means the SONR is engineered to survive immersion in water, which is why it can be used for swimming. IP66 on the KLKE means it's protected against dust and strong water jets — fine for sweat, rain and splashes, but not for swimming laps.
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See also: bone conduction headphones waterproof, headphones bone conduction, bone conduction headphones with camera