AfterShokz is making major sound waves in the tech community, and now we’re starting to hear the good vibrations rolling back. Can’t say we’re surprised. On a very basic level, bone conduction technology is cool. Try telling a friend about it and note his or her reaction. But, what’s cool without quality? We stand behind our headphones, or inside them (technically), and so do our users, especially in the context of cycling. So, let’s talk cycling before you embark on your next bicycle adventure.
Better Safe Than Soundless
Safety certainly comes first, but music is a very close second (maybe in the one-and-a-halfth place?), so we’ve made sure you can hear all things. Keep your ears on the road and your music playing as you pedal. In the “Play It by Ear” photo gallery by Brent Rose in Outside Magazine, the AfterShokz Sportz M2 open ear headphones take the cake for best headphones to use while cycling. “The speaker rests in front of your earlobe, and the audio reverberates through to your inner ear—to keep your sound field unobstructed. The result: you can hear what’s going on around you, which is critical when you’re sharing the road” says Rose, and we agree! It’s a no-brainer. You can hear those cars, which probably means they’ll wind up honking a lot less in the end, anyway. Stay safe, but don’t give up your music.
Keep It Legal
Most states have a strict traffic law stipulating that you cannot have both headphones/earbuds/etc. in at the same time while you cycle. AfterShokz do not cover your ears, so you can wear both without breaking the law and pedal unabashedly into the future. We recommend checking out this map of bike laws by state so you’re informed about the laws for your state specifically.
Practastic
You could argue that the actual sound quality of bone conduction audio is not as important as the safety or practicality of the headphones, and you’d be right. Our headphones are the only choice when you want to keep your ear canals clear while you bike, but the headphones happen to sound great as well. We got the attention of Wired for both sides of our personality and a good review, too. Reviewer Scott Neumyer had this to say: “Sound quality is good, and nearly great at times. But given the reason that you’ll most likely be spending dough on a pair of bone conduction headphones is practicality and not great audio performance, I would have settled for sound quality measuring just above mediocre. And as far as what they’re meant to do — allow you to listen to music while also being able to hear everything around you — they perform great.”
Yes, bone conduction technology is exciting, but it’s more than that. Your ear canals are liberated to allow you to listen freely while you ride. We recommend playing “I Feel Just Like a Child” by Devendra Banhart to celebrate in your AfterShokz sport headphones as you hop on your bike and channel your inner child without blocking your inner ear.
We’ve got the professional reviews, but now we’d like your review, too. Talk to us on Facebook and Twitter, and let us know how AfterShokz is working for you.
