Suunto’s new headphones finally made me appreciate bone conduction

As a metropolis runner, I ne'er thought excessively hard astir wearing noise-canceling earbuds. I’d dabbled with open-ear buds successful the past but mostly ran successful well-lit parks wherever my biggest information was dodging goose poop. It’s antithetic successful the suburbs. Recently, I was astir pancaked by a Range Rover going astatine slightest 10 implicit the velocity limit. I ne'er heard it coming, adjacent though my headphones were successful ambient mode.

Which is wherefore I’ve spent the past 2 months investigating the $199 Suunto Wing and $149 Suunto Sonic.

Both the Wing and Sonic are bony conduction headphones — a class that’s agelong been dominated by Shokz (formerly AfterShokz). The Sonic is the much basic, entry-level device, portion the Wing adds a fewer much flourishes — namely, LED lighting, a portable powerfulness bank, and caput question controls. The Wing besides has somewhat amended IP67 h2o and particulate absorption compared to the Sonic’s IP55 rating.

Bone conduction works by sending dependable vibrations done your cheekbones alternatively of traveling done the aerial and into your receptor canal. Some athletes curse by bony conduction due to the fact that it keeps your ears open, meaning you’ll enactment much clued into your surroundings compared to immoderate transparency mode. (As a bonus, it tin assistance radical with proceeding nonaccomplishment perceive to audio.)

I’ve known each that for ages, but I’ll admit — I’ve ne'er cared overmuch for bony conduction successful the past. My aged AfterShokz headphones weren’t comfy astatine all, but the existent occupation was that I trust connected bass-heavy moving playlists. And bony conduction? It’s not the champion astatine bass. Even so, astir getting flattened by a speeding Range Rover was arsenic a bully crushed arsenic immoderate to springiness bony conduction different go.

On that archetypal point, I was pleasantly amazed that the Sonic and Wing were some comfy to wear. My aged AfterShokz headphones had a wraparound neckband that dug into my skin, wounded my smallish ears, and ne'er sat rather right. These headphones besides person a wraparound design, but I felt nary discomfort. The headphones were unchangeable and unafraid during my runs and walks. Plus, the portion that sits implicit the receptor was bladed capable that it didn’t origin issues erstwhile wearing glasses oregon headbands — a occupation I’ve had with different open-ear headphones similar the chunky Bose Sport Open Earbuds.

Bass inactive isn’t amazing, but I was stunned astatine however overmuch amended it sounded connected the Wing and Sonic compared to my archetypal foray into bony conduction headphones. The rumbly intro connected Stray Kids’ “Megaverse” didn’t dependable astir arsenic chill arsenic it would’ve connected my Beats Fit Pro, but it was bully capable to support maine pumped. After a fewer weeks, I stopped noticing the difference. (It helps that Suunto offers assorted dependable profiles, including an extracurricular mode that boosts bass a bit.)

But portion the audio was amended than I expected, these are inactive bony conduction headphones, which means they’re not large successful large environments. I was hoping these would treble arsenic passable everyday, commuter headphones, but unfortunately, listening to audiobooks oregon podcasts portion connected a large subway oregon walking past honking taxis wasn’t a large experience. I had to crank up the volume, which, successful turn, cranked up the vibrations until the beforehand pieces were buzzing connected my face. These wouldn’t beryllium the archetypal headphones I scope for if I were to tally a contention with cheering crowds, either. That’s a spot of a bummer, fixed that Suunto’s headphones are connected the pricier broadside astatine $149 and $199. For reference, Shokz’s headphones scope from $80–$180.

Price is besides partially why, of the two, I reached for the cheaper Sonic much often. Not lone is dependable prime the same, but I wasn’t sold connected the Wing’s other features. The LED lights are neat, but I felt they were hard to spot against my hair. (Plus, I didn’t emotion the Wing’s gamer Kylo Ren vibes.) As for the Wing’s caput question controls, I could ne'er get them to enactment reliably. You’re expected to beryllium capable to reply oregon disregard calls, arsenic good arsenic skip tracks, by either nodding oregon shaking your head. Instead, radical looked astatine maine comic erstwhile I’d tally past, furiously shaking my caput due to the fact that I wanted to skip to the adjacent song.

The Wing didn’t triumph maine implicit with artillery life, either. Both devices person an estimated 10 hours, but the Wing besides has a powerfulness slope that holds an other 20 hours of charge. It’s nice, but is it $50 other nice? For me, not really. I mostly instrumentality to 30–45 infinitesimal runs, 3 to 4 times a week. The Sonic lasts maine astir a period earlier needing a charge. As for h2o resistance, the Sonic’s IP55 is bully capable for sweat and getting caught successful the rain, but the Wing’s IP67 standing isn’t bully capable for the pool. (Another bummer for swimmers — neither has onboard storage, and Bluetooth doesn’t enactment underwater.)

Ultimately, my idiosyncratic hunt for a brace of open-ear workout headphones to regenerate my Beats Fit Pro continues. Don’t get maine incorrect — my clip investigating the Sonic and Wing has fixed maine a greater appreciation for bony conduction headphones and wherefore truthful galore radical spell to bat for them (to the constituent wherever I called successful the latest Shokz to springiness them different go, too). I’m conscionable excessively addicted to the bass driblet to accidental my hunt ends here.