How Do Bone Conduction Bluetooth Headphones Work and Do Bone Conduction Headsets Leak Sound?

Bone conduction Bluetooth headphones are becoming popular among sports fans. We always see people wearing headphones that don't have to be tucked into their ears when they are running, riding, or working out. They looks cool, so what are bone conduction Bluetooth headphones?How do they work?

Bone conduction Bluetooth headphones, as the name suggests, are headphones that use bones to conduct sound. They actually use the principle of sound transmission in solids, and directly transmit sound to the auditory nerves through the skull to achieve sound transmission and perception. Compared with traditional headphones, due to the different transmission paths, they do not need the earbud part of traditional headphones, or even do not need to touch the ears at all. They ensure that the ear canal hygiene will not be affected, so they are healthier and more hygienic.

How do bone conduction Bluetooth headphones work?

Bone conduction Bluetooth headphones are a product that "attaches the sounding unit on the temple of the head, and the vibration of the sounding unit triggers bone vibrations, thereby transmitting the sound to the auditory nerve".

Normally, when the air vibrates, the eardrum vibrates and a person perceives sound. It needs to be clarified that it is not the eardrum that really feels the sound, but the cochlea. The eardrum is only one step in the sound transmission process. Vibrations of the eardrum are transmitted through the ossicles to the cochlea at the back of the ear where they are perceived as sound, which is how air conducts sound.

In the process of air conduction sound, there is a medium that is listening to the ossicles. So, is it possible to transmit sound directly from bones? It's possible, and it's real. The vibration caused by the sound unit drives the bones around the ear to resonate so that the sound signal is transmitted to the cochlea, which is perceived as sound by people. This is the principle of bone conduction technology.

After understanding the way sound is transmitted and the principle of bone conduction technology, we can better understand how bone conduction headphones work. When they are in working condition, as long as the sounding unit is pasted on the temple, the sounding unit converts the sound signal into mechanical vibration, drives the bone to vibrate, and transmits the vibration signal to the auditory nerve in the cochlea, thereby completing the transmission of sound. This is how bone conduction Bluetooth headphones work.

Do bone conduction headsets leak sound?

Bone conduction headsets will leak sound, but now some mature brands have found a solution to the problem of sound leakage, such as wissonly and Aftershokz have done a good job in reducing sound leakage.

The sound leakage problem of bone conduction headsets is mainly due to the fact that they convert sound into mechanical vibration through the sound unit, and vibrate the bone to transmit sound. When the headphone is working, the shell of the headphone will be vibrated together by the sound unit, and the shell will vibrate the surrounding air, so sound leakage will occur. In other words, the shell of the bone conduction headphone becomes the "amplified speaker" of the headphone, spreading the sound to the surroundings.

From the principle of the sound leakage phenomenon, we can easily see that all bone conduction Bluetooth headphones have sound leakage problems. Those headphones that claim to have no sound leakage at all are basically fake.

It's just that some bone conduction headphones may have made more efforts to reduce sound leakage. For example, some headphones use anti-phase sound waves to offset the sound waves of sound leakage, or through the integrated design of the body without holes, reduce the air vibration caused by the vibration unit, thereby reducing sound leakage. There are also some brands that optimize the structural design and increase the shock absorption function of the body to reduce sound leakage. It should be said that with the efforts of the entire industry, the sound leakage of bone conduction headphones has also been greatly improved.

Although bone conduction Bluetooth headphones have the problem of sound leakage, it has to be said that they have several outstanding advantages

Safer: Wear them without blocking your ears, which allows you to maintain awareness of your surroundings and make outdoor sports safer;

Healthier: They use bones to transmit sound and do not need to use the eardrum, which avoids damage to the eardrum and can protect hearing well;

More hygienic: bone conduction headsets do not need to be worn in the ear, even if worn for a long time, they can keep the ear canal clean and avoid the growth of bacteria;

More comfortable: They are very light, there is no feeling of weight when wearing them, and the wearing comfort is very high.

These advantages also make them popular among young people.So how to choose the right headphone? I think there are three key points to consider: sound quality, sound leakage reduction and comfort.Next, I will recommend some excellent headphones to you.

1. wissonly Hi Runner bone conduction Bluetooth headphones

Reason for recommendation:

Wissonly bone conduction headphones are recognized by the market with its leading bone conduction vibrator technology. Their team has accumulated more than 10 years in the field of bone conduction technology, which has been affirmed in terms of product quality and hearing protection effect.

Wissonly Hi Runner uses a large-size bone conduction vibrator, which increases the vibration area by 35%. When you wear it, the diffusion direction of sound quality will be more comprehensive, the coverage will be wider, and the sound will be more stereo. Its sound will be deeper in low frequency and more transparent in high frequency. They have also made a lot of efforts in the technology of sound leakage reduction, including the built-in reverse sound wave system and the all-closed-body design, thus reducing the sound leakage by 90%.

It is comfort: Wissonly Hi Runner's whole body is made of high-tech and low-sensitivity silicone, which contains no chemical components to avoid allergy. The overall touch is as silky as baby's skin, which can avoid uncomfortable situations when worn for a long time.

Wissonly Hi Runner bone conduction Bluetooth headphones are also equipped with a new Bluetooth 5.0 chip, which has stronger anti-interference ability, and can easily cope with various outdoor complex scenes, so as to ensure that the good mood during exercise will not be disturbed by disconnection. The stable connection also brings ultra-low delay performance. Listening to songs, chasing dramas and playing games meet all the daily demands for headphones.

2. Philips 7607 bone conduction Bluetooth headphones

Reason for recommendation

They use a 17mm large-scale sound unit that makes their low-frequency sound more delicate, and that makes middle and high frequency sound clearer and not harsh. IP67 waterproof performance allows them to have a waterproof and sweatproof function in daily wear, and to be no problem in the face of sudden rain in a short time. When you wear them at night, LED night running lights make passing vehicles perceive your own location, so the safety factor is higher.

3.AfterShokz OPENRUN PRO bone conduction Bluetooth headphones

Reason for recommendation:

Openrun Pro bone conduction headphones are worn in an ear-hanging structure with both ears. The body frame is made of titanium alloy, which makes the weight of the headphones very light, only 26g, and there is no sense of weight when wearing them. The body is made of soft and skin-friendly silicone material, which also makes it more comfortable to wear. As the body is integrated, this also makes Openrun Pro inherently has a good waterproof performance. Its waterproof rating reaches IP67, and there is no problem in sweating and getting wet in the rain. However, it is not professional waterproof after all. Therefore, it can't be used when swimming.

4 Earsopen BT5 bone conduction Bluetooth headphones

Reason for recommendation:

earsopen BT5 bone conduction headphones are originated in Japan and can play music continuously for up to 6 hours. They adopt IPX7 waterproof design, are not afraid of sweat in sports, and are very suitable for use in sports scenes. Their unique audio equalization technology and high-performance vibration unit support sound of different frequencies. BT5 have an echo reduction function to minimize echo.

5. Nank Runner CC3 bone conduction Bluetooth headphones

Reason for recommendation:

The Runner cc2 headphone’s body is fully enclosed design. The waterproof ability is greatly improved, reaches the level of LPX6, it can easily resist daily rain and sweat. It has a built-in low-energy Bluetooth 5.0 chip that has fast connection and stable signal. In terms of reducing sound leakage, the Runner CC 2 is still relatively small in sound leakage. The sound quality is also OK, and it is a good entry-level bone conduction headphone.

It should be noted that among the five products, Wissonly and Philips are my favorites. Philips is a big brand, and its cost performance will be a little poor. I have used Wissonly for a long time. It works very well. The key is that it is very cost-effective and worth buying.