Review: Audio Bone Headphones

With a somewhat weird name that doesn’t make sense until you understand how it works, the Audio Bone Headphones operate by conducting sound via the bones in your face directly to your inner ear. This means you don’t actually insert anything into your ears or place anything over your ears. These headphones connect with the bones directly in front of your ears.

I ran the Audio Bone headset through its paces to see if it performed as well as advertised. I was initially surprised to find that there was remarkably more of a frequency response than I had expected, and a side benefit of not having to wear a (potentially) uncomfortable set of ear plugs or headphones, and these were nice and light. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended.

I found that the sound quality (freq response) and volume varied depending on exactly where you positioned the headset. Since it just sits using the little pressure from the clothespin-like structure, it means that it can easily shift and change position when you move your head.

The volume was entirely too low. Although you can wear earplugs and still ‘hear’ the audio from this headset, it changed the freq response, making it more bassy. However, in any kind of noisy environment, they become unusable. So forget trying to use these on an airplane without earplugs. You’re better off using noise-canceling headsets anyway.

My recommendations for the next generation of Audio Bone headphones – work on the volume response as well as getting them to sit more stably in 1 position. This may mean turning them into powered headphones, and raise the weight, but if there’s a market for non in-ear/over-ear earphones, then the volume has to go up.

If you’re still interested in trying out a pair, you can get a pair for $179.