When I exercise on my treadmill I like to listen to podcast.
As you might imagine, the treadmill makes a lot of noise. So when I listen through the speakers built into the walls of my gym, I find that I have to put up the music pretty loud.
I'm thinking of getting either some bone conduction headphones or over the ear headphones that I can connect to my iPhone for listening at a more reasonable level without destroying my hearing.
Since I sweat a lot when running on my treadmill, the device would definitely have to be waterproof.
I'm wondering if people have any experience with comparing bone conduction headphones and over the ear headphones under such conditions and, if so, if you had any recommendations.
Thanks for any suggestions and/or advice.
--Pete
Comments
shokz/aftershokz
my suggestion is shokz, AKA, aftershokz.
I use open run pro
Headphones
If you want noise isolation, you'll want proper headphones or earbuds. AfterShokz leave your ear canals completely open so the audio will still be competing with ambient noise. This means you'll have to keep the volume high which will cause hearing damage over a long period.
Re: Headphones
Yes, I wasn't sure if hearing damage could also occur from bone conduction headphones if the volume was too high. I guess that makes sense.
So then, are there any headphones that are reasonably water resistant and won't get damaged after being covered in sweat?
--Pete
In ear/ Bone conduction
I have Bose in ear wireless/bluetooth headphones which are brilliant for everyday use, (although I can't use them for long as I suffer with eczema in my ears). For work I've got a set of Shokz Open Run bone conducting headphones. I got these as I use assistive software on my work laptop and need to be able to hear it/dictate and hear any incoming Teams calls. Bone conduction sound doesn't have the depth/bass of normal earphones, but these Shokz are clear sounding.
Beats Fit Pro
I’d definitely go for noise cancelling if you want to block out sound. Bone conductions selling point is that it doesn’t cut any sound out so the over all volume you’d have to use to listen with the same clarity would be exactly the same. Bone conduction might save damage to your eardrums but has the exact same effect on your inner ear. A given volume will deliver the same amount of energy and cause the same damage roughly speaking. I know someone who uses the Sony WF1000 X M4’s on a treadmill very regularly and she absolutely loves them. I have the WF 1000 X M5 and love them too but I can’t run with them on because I don’t like them bouncing. You might want to try and see how you get on. Either the M4’s or M5 are very similar and absolutely incredible headphones with what’s referred to as god tear noise cancelling. It’s slightly better on the M5’s and the transparency is quite a bit better on the M5’s Not as good as AirPods Pro 2 though. AirPods have not bad noise cancelling, nothing compared to the Sony’s but still very good. Transparency is excellent, better than the Sony’s but they might not stay securely in your ears. Thats why I say you might want to look at the Beats fit Pro. They have little wings that are meant to hold them in your ears when running. If you could deal with the bouncing headphones though and don’t mind giving up a little on the transparency the Sony’s are basically perfect headphones, The sound quality is just stunning for Bluetooth.
AfterShokz
I use them when I'm on the treadmill. I've found I don't have to turn the sound up that loud at all. I can still hear the treadmill, but the audiobooks I listen to while I'm walking are also a lot easier to hear with the AfterShokz. I can't wear anything in-ear, so that limited my options.
Aftershockz Air
I use the Openair by Aftershockz and really like it. They say it is waterproof, but I don't really want to risk it especially now that I have yet one more electronic device in the apartment. The Aftershockz website is a bit of a nightmare to use with VoiceOver, but the headset itself is great.
I Prefer Air Conduction over Bone Conduction
For me it is much better than bone conduction. When the volume gets higher, you do not feel that strange feeling in your ears from the bass. Also, if you want to keep your ears mostly open, I think that the pair I'm about to suggest are great. Also, the bass on these is far better than a lot of others that I have heard.
https://www.amazon.com/SoundPEATS-Conduction-RunFree-Lite-Comfortable/dp/B0BRXG92F6/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1FYYXZZNRZZY9&keywords=soundpeats+run+free&qid=1682962203&sprefix=soundpeats+run+fre%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-3
Whatever you decide, good luck.
Response to Sockhopsinger
I can't believe I never heard of air conduction before. My biggest issue with the AfterShokz is the lack of bass, and that vibrating feeling. Going to give the ones you suggested a try, the price is perfect. Thanks so much for posting!
Re: I Prefer Air Conduction over Bone Conduction
Thanks for the recommendation. These headphones sound nice and reasonably priced compared to the others I've seen. I haven't heard of air conduction headphones.
Do you think these would be loud enough when running on a noisy treadmill or would this be better for walking/running outside when one really wants to hear their surroundings.?
Thanks.
--Pete
Re: I Prefer Air Conduction over Bone Conduction
I think this could be used on a treadmill with decent success. However, it will certainly be fine for outside. I have even used these on public transit without much difficulty. You will certainly have to turn them up more, but unlike bone conduction, these will not vibrate your ear canals and potentially cause discomfort. The biggest downside of these is you can't really adjust the ear hooks very well, but I was lucky in that they fit me fine out of the box. I hope that works for you as well.
These look great for running.
Really inexpensive open ear headphones that you say sound good and looks like they have put effort into making sound good. Air conduction might be pushing it a bit. I mean yeh they use the air but conduction means contact through a material. Marketing pixies have to be paid though. I guess standard speakers pointed at your ears doesn’t work quite so well on a marketing sheet. Lol. I might try them. Thanks.