Have you ever felt the need to listen to your music as well as your surroundings at the same time? With a pair of headphones covering your ears, it’s kind of hard isn’t it? Well, with AfterShokz you can do both.
What is AfterShokz?
AfterShokz is the new revolution in the headphones market which utilizes a novel technology called “Bone Conduction Technology”. The most unusual thing here is that these headphones neither go in your ears nor on your ears but wrap around the back of your head and sit on the flat area below the temple, just in front of your ears.
Bone Conduction Technology was initially developed for military special operations and law enforcement by Voxtech in 2001. Military and police use this technology not to listen to music, of course but for communication. It gives them the perfect opportunity to respond to radio messages as well as to their surroundings. However this technology is used today by VoxLinc to bring three AfterShokz products to the market: AfterShokz Sport, AfterShokz Mobile and AfterShokz Game.
How it Works?
Conventional earphones or headphones use the ear drums to transmit sound because what normally happens is that the sound waves travels to the eardrum, which then converts them to vibrations and transmit to the inner ear. But there’s another way we can hear.
Sound waves can also get to the inner ear through vibrations of the bones in the head without having to deal with the ear drum. This is the way that a person hears his/her own voice and also this is how whales hear.
Click here to read more about bone conduction technology.
However AfterShokz is not the first Bone Conduction headphones manufacturers in the world, but they are the ones who perfected it.
What Makes AfterShokz the Best?
AfterShokz headphones are manufactured to MIL10 Specs in an ISO 9000 certified manufacturing facility. Originally developed for use by military special ops and SWAT teams worldwide, AfterShokz bone conduction technology utilizes superior microelectronics coupled to a patent pending dual suspension system that delivers superior audio performance.
Product Overview
The AfterShokz ships with a USB charger and a Tote Bag. “What! With a charger?” Yes of course, AfterShokz requires its own power source and is equipped with a lithium ion battery. They advise us to use only the charger which ships with the product and not to plug them into an iPad or iPhone charger as it can overload the battery and reduce battery life. You have the capability to switch them off when you are not using them to save battery life and also increase and decrease the volume with the small controller attached to them.
They have mentioned three kinds of AfterShokz products in their website: AfterShokz Sport, AfterShokz Mobile and AfterShokz Game, although there is no information about “AfterShokz Game” Model. The difference between the other two is that AfterShokz Mobile contains a microphone in it and AfterShokz Sport doesn’t.
A question frequently asked is how the base response is. Well I didn’t get the chance to test it out myself but the people who have used it say that it’s great. In fact the tech reviewer Cali Lewis of Geek Beat TV says; “If you really crank it up with a heavy bass track, the pads will almost get to hopping around on your head.”
Advantages and Disadvantages
Because of the Bone Conduction Technology AfterShokz have become the safest headphones on the market as scientific studies have shown that the excessive use of in-ear headphones can damage your ear drum. You also can share what you are hearing with others without any sanitary issue as they do not go inside your ears.
Imagine how great it is to wear these when you are travelling on the road, driving or cycling. You will hear your music as well as horns of other vehicles and screeching sounds of tires which makes you confident about your safety. Because of the design which wraps around your head, they really come in handy in sports or when you are working out.
The only downside I see in them is that they require charging and this can become a pain if you are on the go and don’t have a place to recharge them.
Finally I think this is a great product for all the music lovers out there to quench your thirst while still be able to be in a pink of health.
AfterShokz is now available for pre-order. If you get one for yourself, share you shocking experience with us.
Tags: #Multimedia