Aftershokz Sportz M2 Headphones review

Several weeks ago I received an inquiry if I was interested in trying out the new Aftershokz Sport Headphones.  They seemed like a good fit for me so I agreed to test and review these headphones.  Here's what I received:

Aftershokz

Aftershokz are open ear headphones.  As you can see above, they do not go into your ear but rather rest on the cheek bones and then the music travels into your ear.  They are made so that you can do exercise, or in my case run, while listening to music but also be able to hear things around you making you safer in your surroundings.

Upon opening the box, it's presented in a nice case to keep it in:

Nice internal case to hold everything

The case is really a nice touch as you can see the headphones and accessories fit nicely in it.  There is a charging cable since this needs to be charged with your computer USB and it also comes with another cord to allow compatibility with all devices.  It worked out of the box with my iPod.

I think the concept for this product is a great one.  I run most of my training runs in the dark and it's nice to be able to hear things around you.  That is the biggest advantage to these headphones.  I've tried many of headphones but none that allow you to be safe as well while running.

Fit around your ears and very comfortable

These work with all kinds of devices including the iPod(which is how I used them), iPad, iPhone, Smartphones and MP3 players.  They can also be used for making/taking phone calls so if you happen to use your phone while running, these would come in handy.  Of course, you can listen to music on them as well.

The technology they use is a military bone conduction technology.  Essentially, you can hear the music through your bone.  Here's how it works:

They are sweat proof and water resistant as well.  While I did not test the water resistance of the headphones, they seemed to not be an issue for sweat.  I question the ability for these to work well if it really started to rain hard since the controller appears susceptible to water.

The headphones do take a little getting used to.  I'm used to having something in my ear so from that perspective it was a nice change to hear everything including the music.  The headphones wrap around the back of your head.  In all my running(probably ran at least 50 miles with them), they don't bounce around and you also don't notice them on so they are comfortable for use daily.  Of course, because they are not in your ear, the sound is not as good as headphones that go into your ear but they are good enough for running and keep you safe.  Most headphones will not do that for you.  These are excellent for biking when it's really not safe to have headphones in your ears.

One of the biggest things I did not like about them was the controls.  While it's nice to have in-line controls, the controls are quite large compared to other headphones.  Take a look:

There is a clip at the back of this so you can clip it to a jacket/clothing.  For my use, I clipped it to my running safety belt that I wear during the dark.  Frankly, though, if I did not have that on, there would not be anywhere to put the controller and it's too heavy to just let it hang.  Of course, women typically have a strap that would allow a place to put it but most guys will not have anywhere unless they are wearing a sleeveless shirt.  Because of how large the controller is, it's not something I would run with without having a place to clip it on.  Unfortunately, the controller is not close to where you plug in your iPod so you can't clip it to your shorts so I'm not sure where you would put it for men.  I'd rather just have no controls on the unit itself.  It would make a significantly better product.

I think if they could move the controller down towards where you might be able to clip it on your shorts, it might work better in my opinion.  The other option is to consider their wireless version called the Aftershokz Bluez which is a bluetooth version that would work well with bluetooth compatible devices.

The headphones retail for $79.95 and are available on their website, Amazon and other authorized re-sellers.

Here's more information from the manufacturer below about the headphones.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Interested in learning more?

Go to their website, HERE

Go to their Facebook page, HERE

Go to their Twitter page, HERE

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Five miles on the schedule today.  I felt amazing on today's run so I pushed it more than I normally do.  I enjoyed a sub 8 minute pace.  Enjoyed is the key word here.  Haha!

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Have a great day and....Keep Running!!!!

* Note - I received a pair of Aftershokz Sportz M2 Headphones in exchange for this review.  All opinions on this blog post are my own and I was not paid or required to give a particular opinion on the product.