Image: Shokz
I freakin’ love bone-conduction headphones, and the Shokz OpenMove has been my go-to pair for years now. The lightweight design, easy controls, and USB-C charging make it one of my most-used mobile gadgets — more than my laptop, in fact. Already a pretty good deal at an $80 retail price, Amazon has the OpenMove in multiple colors for just $54.95 for its October Prime Big Deal Days event. Note that you’ll need to be a Prime subscriber to get the discount.
If you’re not familiar with bone-conduction headphones, here’s the gist. Unlike normal earbuds or cans that cover your ear canal, they rest just outside and in front of your earlobe, keeping your ear canal free. Using vibration pads instead of conventional speaker drivers, they transmit sound to the bones of your inner ear. The advantage is that with your ears unobstructed, you can hear whatever you’re listening to on your device and the world around you at the same time.
I love the OpenMove for almost any kind of listening outside my house. I use them for grocery shopping or walking in the city, where earbuds might leave me unaware of people around me and bumping into them. They’re perfect for riding a bike, as the unobstructed listening takes care of the primary safety issue with headphones without the inevitable whoosh-crackle of “awareness mode” in ANC headphones or earbuds. In fact, pretty much the only time I still use conventional headphones outside the house is when I’m on the bus, as bone conduction does have a tendency to be audible within a few feet.
Bone conduction definitely can’t replicate the sound quality of a good set of high-quality headphones, so don’t expect hi-fi performance out of these. But for fantastic practical listening while keeping aware of your surroundings, they can’t be beaten. While the OpenMove isn’t quite as premium (or waterproof) as the more expensive OpenRun, I prefer it for its much easier USB-C charging.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
Michael is a former graphic designer who’s been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.
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