206
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #154,300 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
Fantastic for Calls
Michael C. Jackson's review is comprehensive and I agree with him on all points, but since there aren't a lot of reviews yet I just wanted to add one more positive vote for these. I've been looking for a headset like this for a long time and am so grateful to AfterShokz for producing them.
Everyone has different needs, so I'll list what mine are and why these respond so well to them:
* I work from home and am on a lot of conference calls or one-on-one calls throughout the day at various times. These pair immediately and solidly so that I don't have to worry about my connection or wait for them to pair (I use a Mac, if that matters)
* I don't like things directly on or around my ears - they get hot & uncomfortable with pretty much anything on them. And I got an ear infection a few years ago from wearing true wireless earbuds so haven't been thrilled about sticking things in my ears either. These AfterShokz are comfortable enough to wear all day, and the battery lasts well beyond a day so I put them on in the morning, have them on throughout the work day, and then charge them at night.
* I like being able to hear the call clearly but also being able to hear what's going on physically around me. These are stellar for that.
As soon as I got them, I tested the sound quality with a coworker and compared my iMac's build-in microphone, my AirPod Pros, and the AfterShokz OpenComms. He said that there was no comparison - the OpenComms were clear and vivid, as if I were talking directly into the phone, and it was the best I'd ever sounded on calls.
I've used AfterShokz bone conduction headphones for years for running, hiking, or walking my dogs, so I'm used to the sound quality - I wouldn't wear anything else for those purposes, and I was super stoked when I saw that AfterShokz had made a headset for calls and was really, really hoping that the boom mic would deliver, but they exceeded my expectations - my coworker, who is literally a professional audio engineer, said they sound great.
As others have noted, you don't wear these expecting high-end audio on your end, although they do sound surprisingly good (and even better if you wear earplugs - they include a pair in the box), but for calls the sound of your callers' voices comes through clear with no problems - I have zero difficulty making out what anyone's saying and after about a week's worth of use I don't even think about it anymore - it just feels natural now.
If comfort, sound quality of your voice on your listener's end, and reliability of connection matter to you, I can't imagine anything beating these guys. It's an absolute home run for me and has made my working life a heck of a lot easier.
October 2020 · Electronics · verified purchase