1. Bone conduction headphones or in-ear headphones which one is better
(1) Appearance design
1. In terms of appearance diversity: bone conduction is not as good as in-ear type
In terms of appearance design, the structure and shape of bone conduction headphones are relatively limited. Because the sound is transmitted through the bone by fitting the jawbone, bone conduction headphones generally require ear hooks to ensure a high degree of fit in terms of appearance and structure. This also means that the glasses party needs to reconsider, after all, ear-hook headphones are not very friendly to friends who wear glasses.
For in-ear headphones, the structural design of the appearance is much wider. Because the sound is transmitted by going deep into the ear and reaching the eardrum through sound waves, there are many structures to choose from for in-ear headphones. Ear-hook design can be used to enhance the stability of wearing; there are also arch bridges or ear braces designed according to the ear structure to ensure stability. Even, no additional design is required, and the friction between the ear canal and the earplug can be used to keep it stable. Therefore, the appearance design of in-ear headphones can meet the preferences of more people, especially the currently popular true wireless invisible Bluetooth headphones, which can only be achieved by in-ear headphones.
2. Structural rigor: Bone conduction is more innately waterproof
Although bone conduction is slightly insufficient in diversity, it is not structurally waterproof. Above, the innate advantages of bone conduction cannot be ignored. The current bone conduction earphones can have no openings and are completely sealed, but in-ear earphones cannot, because the sound quality will be lost by more than half if the bell mouth is sealed. Therefore, bone conduction headphones have more advantages in terms of waterproof performance, and can even be worn while swimming.
(2) Wearing experience
1. The novel wearing method of bone conduction does not damage the eardrum
Bone conduction earphones will basically have the same slogan after they are listed: bone conduction technology, comfortable to wear, and does not hurt the eardrum. Indeed, the advantage of bone conduction is that the earphones do not need to be inserted into the ear canal, and there is no feeling of squeezing pain when wearing them. At the same time, the vibration of the bone conduction earphones will give people a feeling of massage comfort.
So is the wearing experience of in-ear headphones very different from vibration? In fact, in-ear headphones are divided into full in-ear and semi-in-ear/earbuds. For all-in-ear headphones, if the earmuffs are not suitable, there will indeed be discomfort, and the ears will feel squeezed after wearing them for a long time, and there will be some stethoscope effects that must be adapted.
However, for semi-in-ear and ear-plug earphones, the comfort is also very high, and the comfort to wear is much more comfortable than that of full-in-ear earphones, and the stethoscope effect is also very small, almost insensitive. arrive. However, compared with bone conduction, it is still a little inferior.
2. The weight of bone conduction headphones is several times that of in-ear headphones
Finally, an important factor that determines comfort is the weight of the headphones. . Especially when exercising, this sense of weight still affects the experience. At present, the overall weight of bone conduction headphones is generally heavier than that of in-ear headphones, especially for true wireless mini headphones, the weight of bone conduction may be several times that.
So in terms of wearing comfort, it is best for everyone to use it according to their own habits. If you are running and jumping, it is recommended to choose a lighter headset; if there are more water sports such as swimming, it is better to give priority to bone conduction headphones. From my personal point of view, I will make a simple arrangement for the wearing comfort of these three types of sports earphones (TWS refers to true wireless Bluetooth earphones, I will not compare the wired ones, only the current popular styles) are roughly as follows:
TWS Half In-Ear/Ear Plugs> Bone Conduction Headphones> TWS Full In-Ear
(3) Sound Quality Performance
In terms of sound quality, the in-ear type is indeed more advantageous. Because the characteristics of bone conduction sound are not plugged into the ear canal, and the open sound quality has the phenomenon of sound leakage, the sound quality of bone conduction headphones is not as good as that of in-ear headphones in terms of sound quality. At present, the phenomenon of “sound leakage” exists in all bone conduction headphones. If you are more concerned about the sound quality, you should consider it carefully.
So for in-ear headphones, what’s the difference between full in-ear and semi-in-ear/earbud sound quality? In fact, the principle is the same, the semi-in-ear is an open design, and there will also be sound leakage. Although it is not as obvious as bone conduction headphones, it can still be felt compared to full in-ear headphones. For all-in-ear headphones, because of the blocking effect on the ear canal, the sound insulation is very good, the details of the sound quality can be well transmitted to the eardrum, and the external noise interference is much less.
But as a qualified sports earphone, the sound insulation effect is not very good. Therefore, even if many professional sports headphones are fully in-ear, there will be room for sound insulation, so that the sound of the outside world can enter the ear to some extent, reducing the danger of outdoor sports. Compared with the semi-in-ear type, bone conduction earphones do not block the ear canal at all, so the sound quality of these three types of earphones is sorted as follows:
TWS half-in-ear/earplugs> TWS full-in-ear> bone conduction earphones
(4) Other aspects
As sports, bone conduction and in-ear are comparable in many aspects. For example, the stability of the Bluetooth signal and the application of the chip are basically the same. Generally speaking, the larger the earphone cavity, the larger the battery capacity that can be accommodated, but it may be the reason for the internal structure of the bone conduction earphone. Although the earphone cavity is large enough, there is no obvious advantage in battery life. The battery life of true wireless earphones is about the same, 4-8 hours. Furthermore, in terms of the operation of the earphone, the bone conduction and the in-ear operation are basically the same, which are operated by buttons or touch.
So the difference between bone conduction headphones and in-ear headphones is mainly the above three points. Through comparison, we also found that these two earphones seem to have their own strengths in sports. At present, the overall in-ear type seems to be more suitable for sports. After all, the portability is relatively high, and the waterproof performance can basically reach the standard of bone conduction.
Second, buy bone conduction earphones or ordinary earphones
If you are planning to buy a pair of earphones in the near future, and you are confused whether to choose bone conduction earphones or traditional earphones Air conduction headphones, then I will give you three most pertinent suggestions.
1. See where you use it
Before deciding whether to buy bone conduction headphones, we might as well understand the basic principles of bone conduction headphones. The principle of bone conduction headphones is to make your ear bones become sound generators through high frequency and low density vibration. Different from traditional air conduction earphones, earphones like “earplugs” do not exist, and the user’s ears are completely exposed, with zero obstruction to nature.
Because the biggest feature of bone conduction headphones is to keep your ears in zero-barrier contact with the natural environment, where you use the headphones becomes one of the keys to choosing bone conduction headphones. If you just listen to music and work at work and don’t need to be in contact with anyone, then it doesn’t really matter what kind of headphones you use, you don’t need to emphasize bone conduction.
But if you’re exercising outdoors or commuting, you need to be aware of traffic. Or you need to be equipped with headphones when you work, and you need to maintain face-to-face communication with others, then the advantages of bone conduction headphones are reflected.
2. See what you do
Bone conduction headphones can not only be called outdoor artifacts, but also have a wide range of uses in many application fields . Especially in the field of sports, it is simply a product born for sports. It is a good choice if you are an active person, whether it is outdoors or indoors.
In addition to the inherent technical advantages of bone conduction technology, there are several unique optimizations for sports. For example, some brands of bone conduction headphones are intimately equipped with night running lights. Different flashing methods can be achieved by setting, which will make you particularly eye-catching even in the dark, thus greatly improving the safety of night running.
Not only that, the bone conduction earphones are ergonomically designed and not easy to fall off during exercise; the skin-friendly material and lightweight design make wearing more comfortable and support IPX5 waterproof and sweatproof. If you love sports, bone conduction headphones will definitely meet your all-round needs.
3. See who you use it for
If users are divided into groups, which type of person is more suitable for choosing bone conduction headphones? In fact, bone conduction headphones do not have particularly obvious user divisions, and anyone is suitable to use and experience this advanced sound transmission technology. It’s just that bone conduction earphones do not rely on air as the medium to transmit, so the immediate needs of some people can be better met.
Bone conduction earphones are more suitable for commuting to work. There are too many other groups. For example, a full-time driver needs to listen to navigation prompts or voice calls through earphones and maintain communication with passengers. Bone conduction headphones are a more perfect solution. In addition, in the family care link, it is more suitable to equip some elderly people with bone conduction earphones and hearing aids than traditional earphones.
