I have owned a pair of the Aeropex bone conductor headphones for about 3 years and I have to say, they have been amazing. But first, let’s get into some detail on the brand and their products.
Aftershockz state on their web site that they have sold over 7 million pairs in 60 different countries since the company was founded back in 2011. They list three different pairs under the heading of sports, the entry level Open Move, then the slightly more expensive Air and their flagship product being the Aeropex. The prices range from £79.95 to £149.95, and all connect to a device with Bluetooth technology, which was super easy to connect to my iPhone.
The weight of each pair doesn’t vary significantly, ranging from 30g to 26g, the cheaper Open Move and Air products advertise a 6-hour battery life and the Aeropex 8 hours. As an owner and regular user of the Aeropex I can confirm the battery life is very good, though I have never had cause to use for 8-hours straight, I often find myself forgetting to charge them up for my next run and always being grateful they have plenty left to see me through. No complaints from me on the battery life, even over time the battery seems to perform just as well as it did when new.
Though I have seen no evidence of the battery deteriorating, if it does it is in a sealed unit, so if the battery does die, the headphones die with it, it would appear.
As runners, we want a fit and a feel that just means they are there and we pretty much forget about them, well my Aeropex tick that box. I always wear a hat of some description, depending on the weather and they sit above my ears and round the back of my head perfectly. There are 3 buttons on the device, a volume up, volume down and a separate button to pause what you are listening to from your device. The volume up button doubles up as the on / off button with a longer hold. Could not be simpler to use, which for me is exactly what I need when running.
Each pair has a waterproof rating, my Aeropex are IP67 rated, which in simplistic terms means they are extremely hardy in rain and resistance to sweat. However, they are not rated for swimming. If you need a pair to swim in, then the X Trainer model is for you at £139.95. They come with 4gb of storage for your music or podcasts and are rated to IP68, which is the swim rating. I have never owned a pair but if I did want headphones for swimming, then I wouldn’t hesitate with these.
The last pair on offer from Aftershockz are the £149.95 price Open Comm. They look exactly like the Aeropex however on one ear they have the Brittany style mic attached. It has a quick charge facility, and the mic is also noise cancelling. I can only imagine that you would want these if you were taking calls all day and wanted something extremely lightweight and easier to wear than other heavier Brittany mic type headsets? They have no waterproof rating that is advertised, so an indoor use only headphone. Personally, I would have no use for these but for those who might, then worthy of investigation on the back of the reliability and quality of the other products. You can take calls on the sports model headphones, as they have a built-in mic, ok the quality isn’t amazing but certainly good enough to make and receive calls quick calls whilst out on that run.
It is well advertised nowadays that races will only allow bone conducting headphones for safety reasons. So, the in-ear headphones such the Apple Air Pods for example can get you thrown out or a time penalty. The great thing about the bone conductor headphones is they sit so comfortably above and in front of your ear, this means they never fall out, like the in-ear models can and often do. The over the ear cans that I see occasionally on runners, I can only imagine the sound is amazing, but boy do they look uncomfortably warm to me?
So, what about the sound quality? Well, no it’s not as amazing as the incredible noise cancelling in-ear and over the ear headphones available from various manufactures but the sound is plenty good enough to really enjoy what you are listening to whilst out on a run. My only slight beef with it is, when listening to the spoken word, like a podcast or audiobook, heavy traffic noise can drown it out a little. Even with the volume at max on my phone, when a lorry thunders past you lose that sound for a while. But if you are trail running or not running along the local A road or dual carriageway then it’s really very good.
The colourways of the headphones could be a bit more exciting, they come in blue, grey, black, red and green but all are a very dull version of these colours, so don’t go thinking I will get a nice red pair to match my trainers or running vest, they simply don’t stand out, but then again, they don’t need to either, though I would love a brighter pair, but that’s just me.
Overall, I can’t imagine there are better bone conductor headphones on the market, but at nearly £150 for the Aeropex they are not cheap either. If they are affordable then I tend to look at value for money over the price. Will they last, will they be enjoyable to wear, is the sound good, does the battery last? I can say a resounding yes to all that, and you get a no drama 2-year guarantee as well, if you have the box and receipt, they will exchange them for brand new should you have any problems.
For me, and I am sadly not being paid or gifted any to this, but they are the very best around and if you can afford them, don’t hesitate.