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Bone conduction headphones have been around for a couple of decades. We’ve come a long way from those early first efforts. They used to tickle your head with uncomfortable vibrations that would make you prefer to not wear headphones at all. Or delivered the sound quality that made you question why they existed in the first place.
Thankfully, things have gotten a lot better. Sound performance has stepped up, the uncomfortable vibrations have lessened, and now bone conduction headphones make up some of our favorite workout headphones.
These are our favorites. Don't see anything you like? Check out the rest of WIRED’s audio coverage, including the Best Wireless Headphones, Best Cheap Headphones, and the Best Open Earbuds.
Best Overall
Shokz has been the market leader in bone conduction headphones, though the first few headphones that the company manufactured were so unpleasant that we avoided the category entirely for a few years. It was also a misstep to launch the first-gen OpenSwim without Bluetooth streaming. That was rectified for the OpenSwim Pro, which is great, and not just for those seeking extra motivation in the water.
Whether you take the Bluetooth streaming route or try to find something to fill up the built-in 32-GB music player, the Pro is capable of producing enjoyable open-ear sound on both fronts. They offer a surprising amount of bass and overall warmth, with a level of clarity that makes them a good match for listening to audiobooks or handling calls. The standard and swimming EQ modes give you the option to tailor sound to land- or water-based listening, while an IP68 waterproof rating provides strong protection against water and sweat. The combination of silicone and titanium in the neckband design provides ample comfort and reassurance they can handle some knocking around in a bag.
There’s room for an easily reachable set of physical controls and a battery that can hit nine hours for Bluetooth streaming. Swap that in for the music player, and that’ll drop to six hours. The OpenSwim Pro isn’t Shokz’ flagship headphone, but in terms of striking the best balance between sound, design and performance, these are the best it has to offer.
Specs Headphone design Neckband Weight 27.3 g/0.96 oz Bluetooth version 5.4 Microphones 2 Battery life 6-9 hours Music player storage 32 GB File formats MP3, M4A, WAV, APE, FLAC Waterproof rating IP68 Charging type Proprietary cable Headphone design Neckband Weight 27.3 g/0.96 oz Bluetooth version 5.4 Microphones 2 Battery life 6-9 hours Music player storage 32 GB File formats MP3, M4A, WAV, APE, FLAC Waterproof rating IP68 Charging type Proprietary cable Runner Up
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The OpenRun Pro 2 is Shokz’s flagship bone conduction headphone that’s available in two sizes, comes in the most color options, and features its latest bone conduction technology.
That new approach uses both a bone conduction driver and an air conduction speaker. This combination aims to serve up precise mids and highs, and the air speaker provides the bass rumble. The result is a noticeable uptick in warmth and bass performance compared to the earlier OpenRun Pro. It loses some clarity with the two competing open-ear approaches, but the result really sings for runs and everything else.
Shokz didn’t need to make sweeping changes with a neckband design. At 1.1 ounces, it's light and doesn't bounce around when you’re on the move. It’s also a better fit for those with smaller heads thanks to that added size option. Crucially, it has USB-C charging, which is faster and means you have one less cable to think about.
Specs Headphone design Neckband Weight 30.3 g/1.1 oz Bluetooth version 5.3 Microphones 2 Battery life 6-9 hours Music player storage N/A File formats N/A Waterproof rating IP68 Charging type USB-C
Best for Swimmers
Naenka changed its name to Nank. While that made a bad brand name even worse, the Chinese audio brand at least knows how to build a solid set of bone conduction headphones. The Runner Diver2 Pro offers Bluetooth or MP3 music player streaming, wrapped up in a comfortable and secure-fitting neckband design that’s made primarily for runners and swimmers. That’s why you’ll find a well-positioned set of physical buttons and an IP69-rating. They're tough enough to be submerged in freshwater and seawater up to 10 meters for as long as five hours.
While it lacks the more balanced sound profile of Shokz’s OpenRun Pro and Swim headphones, the Diver2 Pro makes up for it with its power and bass. Nank includes sound enhancers that sit inside your ear to create a better seal, though they do feel odd to put in and wear. You can instead wear them with the vibration units placed closer inside of the ears to create a more closed listening experience to block out more outside sound. They offer pleasant open-ear sound in all scenarios, so if you like the idea of something well-built for swimming and everything else, these are more than up to the task. We also like the Jabees 7Seven ($74) as an affordable option. Check our guide to the Best Swimming Headphones for more.
Specs Headphone design Neckband Weight 32 g/1.1 oz Bluetooth version 5.4 Microphones 1 Battery life Up to 10 hours Music player storage 32 GB File formats MP3, M4A, WAV, APE, FLAC Waterproof rating IP69 Charging type Proprietary cable Best for Glasses Wearers
The Mojawa Run Plus comes from an audio brand that has Apple engineers within its ranks. Whoever personally designed them, the design for the Run Plus rules. At just 1 ounce, they're a similar weight to most other leading bone conduction headphones, and the good-looking shape more easily accommodates sunglasses.
The Mojawa app also gives you access to four EQ modes and lets you enjoy Shokz-rivaling sound, with some meaty bass and a performance in the mid and treble departments as notable highlights. I also like the combination of touch and physical controls, although the capacitative buttons do cause some problems in the water under a swim cap.
You’ll need the proprietary charging cable to drag and drop files on to make best use of the 32 GB music player, which offers enough room for roughly 8,000 songs. There’s far from class-leading battery life and only hit the maximum eight-hour number when listening at more moderate volumes. It’s a knock that most will be able to live with, especially when the Run Plus impresses in other key departments.
Specs Headphone design Neckband Weight 28.6 g/1 oz Bluetooth version 5.2 Microphones 1 Battery life Up to 8 hours Music player storage 32 GB File formats MP3, M4A, WAV, APE, FLAC Waterproof rating IP68 Charging type Proprietary
Best for Phone Calls
Suunto recently made the surprise move into launching headphones and decided that bone conduction would help it stick to its more outdoor-centric roots. While the Sonic wasn’t its first pair or its most feature-rich model, it hit the sweet spot for price, performance, and providing another option outside of the more established names.
The Sonic’s design is an unoriginal neckband one, which at just over 1 ounce is nice and light. They're ideal for running for a few hours without suffering from wear fatigue. The built-in physical controls make it a breeze to adjust volume or intercept a call from your phone. Speaking of calls, Suunto includes two microphones, accompanied by an algorithm designed to cancel wind up to 15 kilometers per hour. It’s surprisingly effective how well this feature works to make handling calls in more challenging environments worthwhile.
The bone conduction sound can be tweaked by using one of the two available sound modes in the Suunto app. The normal mode provides a pleasant, balanced profile, with just enough in the bass department and a level of detail that makes it well-suited for listening to podcasts instead of a marathon training playlist. Swap it for the outdoor mode, and you’re mainly going to enjoy more volume to counter the added noise in your environment. It does miss out on some fun features from Suunto’s premium headphones, like the safety LEDs and a charger that doubles as a power bank, but the Sonic focuses instead on the factors that make it a solid yet affordable purchase.
Specs Headphone design Neckband Weight 31 g/1.09 oz Bluetooth version 5.2 Microphones 2 Battery life Up to 10 hours Music player storage N/A File formats N/A Waterproof rating IP55 Charging type Proprietary
How Do Bone Conduction Headphones Work?
Bone conduction as a method of delivering sound has been around for decades. All bone conduction headphones feature transducers, which are devices that are positioned on the cheekbone. From there, they transmit sound vibrations from the cheekbone and jaw toward the inner ear. Those vibrations are carried to the cochlea, where vibrations are converted to sound. The brain interprets these vibrations as audio.
This is achieved without putting hardware directly into the ear. This is why bone conduction technology is frequently used to make open earbuds.
What Are the Benefits of Using Bone Conduction Headphones?
The biggest benefit is that you can listen to your ambient environment while still enjoying your audio. They work whether you're trying to gauge traffic near busy roads or in an office and making sure someone can grab you for a quick chat.
Many headphones and earbuds offer similar awareness-style modes, but with bone conduction there’s no need to press a button or open an app. They're designed to do that all of the time.
There are also benefits with the fit. Unlike wireless earbuds, you don't have to worry about knocking them out of place mid-workout or when lifting a sweater over your head. They’re easier to wear with hats and glasses, too. They also don't collect in-ear sweat and dirt, so they're easier to clean.
What’s the Difference Between Bone Conduction and Air Conduction?
Bone conduction isn’t the only open-ear headphone technology available. We now have air, and even cartilage, conduction, with air the biggest open-ear alternative to bone. Air conduction does not use transducers. Instead, it uses speakers to move sound through air. Sound is channeled into the ear where vibrations make their way toward the cochlea and the same process where the brain interprets audio occurs. This is how traditional headphones deliver sound.
Air conduction speakers sit near the ear, and these will sound like more traditional on- and in-ear headphones. You won’t have to worry about any vibration tickle and usually have a greater scope to adjust the sound profile through EQ settings. However, the level of awareness you can enjoy with air versus bone conduction tends to be more effective with the latter, if that’s something you value most.
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