Hands-On: Audio Bone Bone-Conducting Headphones

"Ludwig van Beethoven, the famous 18th century composer who was partially deaf, discovered Bone Conduction," asserts the Audio Bone Web site. "Beethoven found a way to hear music through his jawbone by attaching a rod to his piano and clenching it in his teeth. There have been many attempts at bone conduction listening since Beethoven, but none have provided true high fidelity quality sound--until now." Following in Beethoven's footsteps is certainly a lofty prospect. Attempting to one-up him just seems downright crazy. But Japan-based company Goldendance claims to have done just that with the release of the Audio Bone: bone conduction headphones that sit in front of your ears and amplify your music by vibrating your skull. We first saw the Audio Bone headphones at CES back in January. We, of course, were eager to get our hands on a pair. Bone conduction holds a number of advantages over earbuds: First, and perhaps most important, they're less likely to contribute to hearing loss than traditional headphones--particularly earbuds--because they bypass the ear drum. Also, since the headphones don't obscure the ear canal, they don't drown out ambient noise. Users are able to keep an ear out for their surroundings while listening to music. AirDrives had a similar idea when it placed its headphones' speakers just in front of the ear canal, allowing more ambient sound to sneak in. Also, interestingly, the Audio Bone headphones are completely waterproof. Combined with an iPod enclosed in an Otterbox case and "Eye of the Tiger," these could become a staple for any swim team. The Audio Bone looks like a fairly standard set of wrap-around headphones: It's sporty, slim and lightweight, and come in black, blue, orange, and white. For $219 you can choose from "special edition" colors, including pink, lime, taupe, and purple. The spot where the speakers traditionally sit is a small black piece of plastic about the circumference of a penny. This piece vibrates with the music, ultimately resonating in your skull. The sensation isn't off-putting at all. In fact, once you get used to the idea of wearing headphones in front of your ears, it feels a lot like listening to a standard pair of headphones. The sound quality, however, is not so great. The headphones are quiet--you'll have to turn your audio source up a lot louder than you normally would. The music is also a bit muddier--it's not dissimilar to the sensation of listening to music over a speakerphone. It doesn't take an audiophile to note the differences between the Audio Bone and standard headphones. The company's claims of "high fidelity" sound are exaggerated at best. Interestingly, I found that the headphones conducted a lot better when I had a pair of earplugs in my ear canals--though that sort of defeats the whole ambient sound aspect. At $189, they're also fairly pricey--particularly for a pair of headphones that output lower-fidelity sound than your standard $20 headset. Of course this is a relatively new technology in the world of headphones, and as we've seen many times, first-generation technologies are often expensive and not quite all there in terms of quality. That said, there's no denying that there's potential in bone conduction. The Audio Bone, however, is not there yet.