Aeropex bone conducting headphones by AfterShokz have brilliant sound quality. They sound clearer and brighter than any other bone conducting headphones I’ve tried, and much less tickly when the bass gets going.
These headphones are so comfortable I end up wearing them the whole day and forget they’re even on. From doing the school run in the morning on the bike, to sitting in a café working, taking calls on the way home, and listening to a podcast while cleaning the kitchen. I wear them pretty much all day every day. Fortunately the battery lasts for ages, so I only usually need to charge them every other day.
Because they’re open-ear, you can hear the real world all around you, making them much safer to wear when cycling, running, and walking busy streets. Bone conducting ‘phones can’t yet match the sound fidelity and dynamic range available from over-ear cans, so these can’t replace a good set of e.g. BeyerDynamic DT 770 Pros you might use at home or in a studio. However, even to my sensitive ears, the sound quality is good enough that I use them for music at home a surprising amount even though I have higher-end equipment available.
The only downside with these headphones is that they’re a little more fragile than I’d like. I’ve been through a few pairs already, mostly covered under warranty. One set ended up with a buzzing sound on the left, one just stopped working for unknown reasons, and another had a weak headband that snapped all too easily. These problems are made much more annoying because I’m so reliant on wearing these headphones all day. I’m almost tempted to buy a second pair to have in reserve for when my current set inevitably goes south. AfterShokz support is fantastic, so my warranty claims have been handled quickly and fairly every time, no complaints there.
Before these I owned a set of bomb-proof AfterShokz Trekz Airs for two years. They’re still in good working order 3 years later, and my wife is using them daily. Those headphones were fine for podcasts and audiobooks, but music quality suffered a little, and bass was unbearably tickly on some tracks. Trying them again after the Aeropex, the difference in sound quality is immediately noticeable.
I’d recommend these headphones to anyone who wants to wear headphones all day for hands-free calls, light music, and heavy spoken word listening.
I give these headphones 4.5/5. Even though they can be flaky, when they work they’re brilliant, and when they don’t, AfterShokz support has your back.
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