Tech Friday: New “used” After Shokz bluetooth headset
Posted By RichC on September 29, 2017
After slowly giving up on ever really making my “90% hearing loss” right ear useful again (due to Ménière’s disease – posts 1 or 2), I had a chance to try out my buddy Jeff’s After Shokz bluetooth headset a couple weeks ago. I’m not saying it was like I was binaural again, BUT the “bone conduction” really does improve “sound” in my bad ear.
So last week I order an opened or damaged package from Amazon for $75 (saved 30% but was practically perfect) and am initially pretty happy with this active-wear bluetooth bone conducting headset. On the plus side, it is well made with a titanium band that wraps around the backside of you head/neck. The “speakers” rest just in front of your ears after looping over the top with a little spring pressure holding the vibrating pads against the side of your head. The ears are left open so it is surprisingly easy to hear what is going on around you even though in all but dead silence people around you will not hear what you are listening to. I haven’t given the phone connection a full test yet (noise canceling???), but have no problem hearing the caller on my end. On the downside, I suspect the music quality is less than perfect for persnickety listeners and most likely the amount of “vibration” will require more battery power at louder volumes and shorten the listening time between recharges. So far, no big deal.
About the only other plus minus is that it clamps (although gently) to your head for excellent positioning while active (running, walking, hiking, biking) but can be a little tiring if you use it for longer periods. Also … it is not a good choice if you wanted something when laying down (on your side) … which is something I often do with earbuds.
My advice is that if you have moderate hearing loss, give these or some kind of “bone conduction” headset a try (even if you wear a hearing aid) … it might surprise you and be well worth the cost.
Comments