Aftershokz Trekz Air Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones Review
Our Verdict
Smashing effectually the role, the gym and out on a run, these bone conduction earphones that sit exterior the ear are then comfortable y'all forget you're wearing them. Yet, sound quality is non equally good as from regular headphones.
For
- Exacting design
- Comfortable & stable fit
- Flexible & lightweight
- Helps situational sensation
Confronting
- Low volume
- Ear 'tickle'
- Sound quality is defective
- Short battery life
TechRadar Verdict
Cracking around the part, the gym and out on a run, these bone conduction earphones that sit outside the ear are and so comfortable you forget you lot're wearing them. However, sound quality is not as good as from regular headphones.
Pros
- +
Exacting design
- +
Comfortable & stable fit
- +
Flexible & lightweight
- +
Helps situational awareness
Cons
- -
Low volume
- -
Ear 'tickle'
- -
Sound quality is lacking
- -
Curt bombardment life
Do you exercise or commute in magnificent isolation? Blocking-out ambient noise is the best way to immerse yourself in your music. If you're working out in a gym then that's all fine, just if you're out on a run in an urban environment, or commuting through busy streets and stations, you do really need to hear those cars and other people around yous to avoid collisions.
Cue open up-ear running headphones similar the Trekz Air, which do away not only with dissonance isolation, but with intrusive earbuds altogether.
While about manufacturers persist with technology that stresses racket isolation and counterfoil, Shokz (which inverse its proper noun from AfterShokz in December 2021) has bucked the trend by promoting situational awareness, and information technology does information technology using bone conduction headphones technology.
The Trekz Air are a pair of wireless headphones that wrap effectually the back of your neck and Shokz is keen to stress that the technology has come on a lot, and at present doesn't mean sacrificing bass.
In our tests, that's by and large true, though with a proviso (see the Performance section, below).
- The all-time running headphones
Although they're aimed at 'elite and aspiring athletes' (aren't they always?), a toll signal of £149.99 ($149.95, AU$219) makes them affordable to anyone after a serious pair of headphones for general use. You might well purchase these for running around urban center streets, simply they're going to have to piece of work a little harder than that for the money.
If the price is only also much, know that Shokz' debut, a slightly chunkier, less close-fitting attempt at bone conduction headphones, the Titanium, now sells for a more than palatable £99.99 ($129.95, AU$149).
Design
The key design feature of the Trekz Air is, of course, that they're not earphones at all, but speakers. Shokz calls this 'OpenFit', and despite them allowing y'all to hear what'south going on around you lot, one of those small bone conduction transducers comes with a further prophylactic option; a mute button. On the left-hand side and piece of cake to find, it'south designed for the user to press when, say, crossing a busy road.
Less neckbuds and more head-backbuds, the Trekz Air are strong, nevertheless they flex. A lot. That's thanks to the use of a lot of titanium in their design, which allows them to be twisted and tugged a surprising amount.
Information technology ways they tin be worn around the neck, shoved into a pocket or balanced on a hook, which is all useful stuff for a pair of headphones designed to be used when exercising. And then also is their IP55-rated waterproof build.
They might exist a unique suggestion, but the Trekz Air are no heavyweight; they weigh a mere 30g. However, the soft silicon covering together with the careful positioning of the electronics means that the Trekz Air tend to stay in one place, all the same active. In fact, they barely move whatever it is you're doing.
That's partly to do with the materials used and the weighting and positioning of the various components, but it'due south also got to practise with where the speakers themselves sit on your head. At to the lowest degree on the confront that nosotros tested them on, the Trekz Air sat comfortably within a small dimple area at the top of the jawbone. It's a actually subtle, careful, clever design.
As y'all might wait, information technology's as well possible to have hands-gratis calls on the Trekz Air. For that item feature, each speaker comes equipped with noise canceling microphones to lessen ambient noise during calls to make voices as clear every bit possible.
Operation
Set-up was like shooting fish in a barrel, with a female voice chosen Audrey confirming that the Bluetooth pairing procedure with a telephone had worked. Thanks, Audrey.
On each side of the Trekz Air there's a pocket-size fingertip-sized housing that contains batteries and controls, though they too have a role to play in keeping the Trekz Air nevertheless on the back of the head.
The controls are simple, too; on the right-hand side are volume buttons, which send a tone to the speakers with every press (and a higher-pitch tone when the maximum volume is reached). That'southward important considering, equally open up-ear headphones, there is a risk of sound leakage.
We didn't actually think this was a major problem; people close to you can definitely hear what you're listening to if your music is at full book, simply only if you lot're in a very quiet surround. However, they're great around the part, where y'all tin can listen to music and and never fear that you'll miss a barked order from the boss.
So how do they sound? In a sentence; good enough for the gym or office, and much fuller than the Shokz Titanium, but non every bit expert equally a pair of regular headphones or earphones.
As well as testing them in the gym and on a run, nosotros took them through a busy city eye and found that volume and bass levels actually weren't loftier enough when in a scenario where there'due south lots of chatter, or in a blustery air current. Put the Trekz Air on full volume and yous start to feel the vibrations in your jawbone, with the odd sensation of a slight tickle in your ears.
So it's probably best to avoid these for commuting, and keep them for the gym or a jog, where they will happily operate, tickle-free, on less than total volume.
Bombardment life
I of our biggest gripes virtually the Trekz Air has to exist its short battery life. Aye, nosotros realise that it's lightweight design is to blame, and we're loathe to criticise that, simply just six hours does put them in the dreaded 'twenty-four hours apply' category.
We don't mind charging our smartphones overnight, but headphones as well? No thank you. The saviour is a quick-charge mode that sees the Trekz Air recharge plenty in but fifteen minutes to become you through an hour in the gym.
That said, if you're just after the Shokz Trekz Air for fitness use, so the battery will be great and easily last a marathon for about anybody.
But many people don't desire headphones for just ane utilise whatsoever more - especially at this price -and if that'southward yous, then yous might discover the bombardment life a niggling short .
We liked
Most exercise-axial headphones that claim to block-out noise create an odd effect that is never on their features list; they feed into your ears the vibrations from your feet as they hit the basis.
By avoiding your ears, the Trekz Air don't do that at all, while still delivering decent sound quality. They also have a swell fit; stable and steady, they don't move much at all when out running. Kudos to the designers for the careful weighting, and precise positioning of the speakers and components. It's even possible to clothing a baseball cap while wearing the Trekz Air without whatever overlap.
Nosotros disliked
The Trekz Air lack the volume to cope in outdoor scenarios with lots of groundwork noise, and the overall sound quality is not upwardly at that place with regular headphones. Put them on full and there's also a weird ear-tickle to contend with.
Add to that the battery issues that people who desire to use these more widely, and y'all'll run across they're not perfect. However, both of these issues are natural limitations of the tech and design, so it's hard to castigate likewise hard for their lack of ability.
Final verdict
A lack of ultimate clarity in busy environments was always going to allow downward the Trekz Air; after all, its os conduction speakers are really designed to do the opposite of most headphones that merits dissonance isolation or counterfoil.
The slight 'tickle' of the ears volition as well put-off some, only let'due south stress i affair; the Trekz Air are superb in the gym, or if you're out on a run in the countryside.
Our biggest effect with the Trekz Air isn't the use of os conduction, but its short battery life. However, that'southward acquired by a clever lightweight design that'south hard to resist, and which gives the Trekz Air a characteristic that'southward truly unique; they're and so calorie-free and un-intrusive that it's easy to forget you're wearing them. And that, surely, is what true immersion in music is really all well-nigh.
- All-time running gadgets: the peak fitness tech to assist you lot run better
Source: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/aftershokz-trekz-air-headphones
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