#hearitall: AfterShokz Trekz Titanium Wireless Headphones

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Aftershokz Trekz Titanium to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

Over the past couple of years, I have been against running while listening to music. The main reason? Safety.  With the common earbuds and other headphones, you can’t hear what’s going on around you. Whether there is a car coming from behind you, or someone is sneaking up behind you, you are in a dangerous situation. 

  
AfterShokz has come out with the Trekz Titanium Headphones.  Here are some of the features of the Trekz Titanium Headphones:

• Bone Conduction technology 
• Titanium wraparound headband is lightweight and flexible for durability and portability.
• Open Fit design ensures maximum situational awareness and comfort during long-term wear. 
• Premium Pitch+ guarantees a premium audio experience, including wide dynamic range and rich bass.
• Wireless Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity and convenient multipoint pairings. 
• LeakSlayer technology significantly reduces natural sound leakage.
• IP55 certified to repeal sweat, dust and moisture, from workouts to wicked weather.
• Enjoy 6 hours of continuos music and phone calls on a single charge.
• Dual noise canceling microphones exclude surrounding noise, effectively enhancing speech.
• Audrey Says voice prompts guide users through power, pair, play, and talk.
• Hassle-free 2 year warranty.

I’ll be honest, before given the opportunity to try out the Trekz Titanium headphones, I didn’t have a clue what bone conduction technology was. Basically, bone conduction means that the vibrations from the speakers in the headphone go right to the cheek bone which then travels past your eardrum and right to your choclea. 

  This then allows for your ears to remain open and unobstructed to any surrounding noise.  Plus, earbuds could do damage to your ears just by putting them in your ears.

I have had several weeks to try the AfterShokz Trekz Titanium Headphones.  I have used them while running, while at work, and even while on an airplane.  I am greatly impressed with the sound quality and comfort of these headphones. 

 When you first wear them, you will notice a little vibration on your cheek bone.  This will go away very quickly as you get used to the bone conducting technology. After that, you will probably never notice it again. When running, I never felt them bouncing around or becoming uncomfortable in any way. Also, they are very lightweight (1.27oz). If it wasn’t for the music playing, you would probably forget you were wearing them. One more thing on comfort, you don’t have to worry about yanking them off your head because you got your arms tangled in the wires, because they are wireless.  Just pair them up with Bluetooth on your favorite listening divice and you are good to go!

“Yeah, but with the sound not going directly into your ears, the sound must suck.” Wrong! The sound on these things are great, and very clear. And once again, you can still hear everything going on around you.  On my early morning runs, I could hear the birds chirping while listening to my music.

I have not raced in these headphones, which I probably won’t until at least May, but these would be perfect for races so that you are more aware of other runners around you as well as any announcements that are being made before, during, or after the race.  I can not tell you how many times I have almost ran into other runners or had to needlessly move over further to get around slower runners (dispite me yelling out warnings that I was coming) because they had no idea I was there because they had earbuds and could only hear their music.  If they had a pair of AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones, I believe they would have heard me.   

 I liked these headphones so much, that I bought my wife a pair for an early Mother’s Day gift.  She had been wearing mine on runs, but I am a little selfish with my pair and like to take them to work so she doesn’t always get to wear them.  She did wear them today for her Carmel Half Marathon and says she was very well aware of runners around her and still able to hear her music.  Before the race today, we were able to easily carry on conversations with others while listening to music.  

  I was a little confused when I got the headphone, that were supposed to leave your ears open to hear what’s going on around you, why they also included a pair of earplugs.  I got my answer why when I had to fly out of town for work. With the engines of the plane, I could not hear the movies I was watching on my iPad with just the headphones alone. With the earplugs in, I could hear the movie clearly.  

 One other thing you can use the headphones for is for taking phone calls.  Once again, the sound quality is great on these, not only for the one using the headphones, but for the other person on the other end of the line. 

I believe that these headphones will change the way you listen to your music while you run.  Try them for yourself! Use promo code BibRave20 to save 20%!

Join us in Tuesday April, 19 at 9:00 EST as AfterShokz sponsors #bibchat on Twitter.