Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Yeah, this is the TLDR review :) I wasn't looking but ran across these bone-conducting headphones and was a little skeptical even though I understood the concept and it seemed solid. I vacillated between options at several different price points before deciding to start roughly in the middle. Also, this brand has a pretty solid reputation from what I've found. I found the idea interesting, and I chose these over a couple of others in the same price range. I am a music composer and producer and I have a studio in my home, so I'm always looking for different ways of auditioning my compositions in different environments and on different equipment, so I basically saw these as just another way to hear how my productions sound. I also like to use binaural beats and thought this would be a good option (assuming they worked well enough) and I can do that while keeping my ears open to my surroundings. Now, I always pay attention to packaging, even though I realize some manufacturers try to be slick and put a lot into the packaging and not much into the product. Nevertheless, these come in a nice box with a quality feel to it, so that was the initial positive. If you're like me and have never seen this type of headphone before, you'll probably think they look a little weird, as I did. They have a nice, quality feel to them and seem sturdily built. I got the blue ones, because of the blue strip I think looks cool, but I didn't realize they come with several other alternative strips so you can have a different decorative design if you like. One thing I worried about, and it turns out I needn't have, is how much pressure they would apply on the area where they are designed to sit, which is right in front of your ear canal. Too much pressure there would likely cause headaches. The pressure is barely noticeable within a moment or two of putting them on. The frame between the two 'speakers' is rigid titanium so it keeps a permanent curl that maintains enough pressure to be able to hear them consistently no matter how you move your head. That frame though, will sometimes hit the collar of my shirt and change the angle and pressure of the pads, but not by much and not enough to negatively affect the overall sound to an unacceptable degree, and least to me. And speaking of sound... They sound amazingly good considering how they work. I thought bass would be too thin but it's not. It's not going to rattle your chest, but it's surprisingly deep, fat and present. I've listened to several of my songs that are at various stages of completion and they all sound true to the level they're at. A polished, fully mastered tune sounds, well, polished and fully mastered! Also, when I listen to binaural beats, even with ambient sounds mixed in, they sound clear and immersive. They are able to get loud enough that ambient sound is not distracting from what you're listening to, unless of course it needs to be (e.g., urgent or emergency situation). I haven't yet turned them up all the way (haven't needed to) or used them with a phone call, so I can't comment on either right now. They charge via USB-C, which I prefer, but charging time is a little long considering you only get about six hours of use on a full charge. I would have preferred around 10-12 hours ideally. They can't be used while charging (connecting the cable turns them off), but I can't imagine who would need to anyway. Pairing them with my phone was no more complicated than pairing any other Bluetooth device; you just have to remember to start with them OFF when you want to pair them. They come with a nice little drawstring bag for storage, but though I'm not likely to use it, it's a nice touch. If you want a richer, more immersive sound, you can just plug your ears; a pair of simple foam earplugs will do. Of course, you will lose the advantage of being able to hear your surroundings clearly, but that may be what you want from time to time. Some brands come with earplugs, but these did not. There are two reasons I deducted one star: charging time vs battery life, and the fact that the frame sometimes hits my collar and slightly moves the pads. I would only have deducted a half a star for both issues if I could have. Overall, I'm pleased with this purchase and would recommend these to anyone wanting to check out this relatively new tech. I don't know how close to the quality of these I could have come with a cheaper set, or how much better a more expensive set would sound. I just know I'm very satisfied with these. Give your ear canal a break and try them, I think most people will find them surprisingly effective.