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Anyone use open-ear headphones?

304 Views 8 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  newleaf150, 
newleaf150
As some of you may know, I've ridden with O-tus helmet speakers for over a decade now. Love 'em. My original set is still going strong after more than a decade, but I was interested in another set for my new helmet. Unfortunately, the company's website is now parked with GoDaddy and their products appear to have vanished from Amazon, etc.

Looking into alternatives which leave the ear canal open, I was struck by the bone conduction offerings. Decent battery life and the reviews seem mostly in line with what I'm looking for: I am more interested in hearing what's happening around me than I am in hearing a perfect reproduction of whatever music I'm listening to.

I wonder, looking at the big chunky cheek pieces if wearing such right in front of my ears might lead to odd looking tan lines. I also wonder how comfortable such a rig would be on an 8+hr ride.

There are several other designs, some of which seem better than others. I have no experience and am curious if any of you have already fought this battle and might have useful advice. I'm open to about anything which leaves my ability to hear ambient sounds intact. Anything save a regular Bluetooth speaker. They work for some, but I prefer not to inflict my music on anyone but me.
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i12ride
I do...........Altec Lansing bluetooth speaker :p nothing is inflicted unless you stop to talk or ride along beside them. It is great attention getter, beats my bell all to hell. You pass on by and life is good.....not like it's loud enough to cause brain bleed
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i12ride
Now, my serious option.........bone conduction, but you covered that. I have some but haven't used them for riding. Figured there'd be helmet fit issues and/or interfere with glasses or both and just seemed like too much clutter at once. Maybe I should try it.

Shokz OpenRun Pro Premium Bone-Conduction Open-Ear Sport Headphones with Microphones, Black (S810-ST | Quill.com

Order Shokz OpenRun Pro Premium Bone-Conduction Open-Ear Sport Headphones with Microphones, Black (S810-ST-BK-US) today at Quill.com and get fast shipping. Stack coupons to get free gifts & extra discounts!
www.quill.com www.quill.com
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i12ride
Maybe some bone conduction that hang off your glasses? Dunno if there is such a thing.........also would need to be weatherproof
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newleaf150
i12ride said:
Now, my serious option.........bone conduction, but you covered that. I have some but haven't used them for riding. Figured there'd be helmet fit issues and/or interfere with glasses or both and just seemed like too much clutter at once. Maybe I should try it.

Shokz OpenRun Pro Premium Bone-Conduction Open-Ear Sport Headphones with Microphones, Black (S810-ST | Quill.com

Order Shokz OpenRun Pro Premium Bone-Conduction Open-Ear Sport Headphones with Microphones, Black (S810-ST-BK-US) today at Quill.com and get fast shipping. Stack coupons to get free gifts & extra discounts!
www.quill.com www.quill.com
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I'd figured the same in terms of interference of this design with helmet or glasses. Judging by the reviews of a variety of models in this style, that happens to some, not to others. Gotta love those odds :rolleyes:.

Still, thank you for the feedback. I've read about bone conduction for some time, but never tried it.
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newleaf150
Update: I pulled the trigger on a cheapie bone conduction headset yesterday. Thanks to the magic of Amazon, I'm trying it out this morning. While there are some downsides, I am impressed overall. The headset is comfortable, offers decent sound quality, and appears to allow me to hear my music and ambient sound at the same time.

The sound quality varies a bit with some head motions and I will have to exercise care with volume as this thing can easily drown out everything if turned up too loud. That might be nice come time to hop a train or plane.

The headset appears to fit without interfering with either my glasses or cycling helmet. Hopefully that happy state of affairs will continue when I head out for a road test later.

I'm not thrilled at the prospect of something else on my head, but that also means I'm not limited in terms of head gear. My O-tus helmet speakers can be removed from the helmet easily enough, but I've never done it because that means undoing the routing of the wire from speakers to player. That's not hard, just something I don't want to mess with.

The headset means I can bring tunes hiking, paddling, and for other off bike adventures while enjoying the same ability to hear ambient sound.

More to come.
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E
no actually i love airpods but when they die it drives me crazy so i use wired headphones
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M
Tire Wheel Bicycle Land vehicle Vehicle


My music is The Best and people should be grateful to hear it.

But sadly, pwople who live on hills are fated to deprivation .....
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newleaf150
maelochs said:
View attachment 56152

My music is The Best and people should be grateful to hear it.

But sadly, pwople who live on hills are fated to deprivation .....
Click to expand...
Aww yea! A power bank fit for a deity, combined with a Bluetooth speaker to put all others to shame. Perfect! If it gets heavy, just go for the e-conversion. That thing's got power to spare :D.
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