Disclaimer: I received a pair of Aftershokz Trekz Titanium Wireless Headphones to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
I have been noticing more and more people wearing fancy wireless headphones, and I’ve wondered if they were any good. What sets the Aftershokz Trekz apart is that they are not only wireless, but also use bone conduction technology, which “guide mini vibrations through the cheekbones to the inner ears, delivering sound without plugging or covering them.” See the orange sounds lines below, vs. the traditional headphones/earbuds with the blue sound lines.
What the Headphones Come With:
- 1 pair of Aftershokz Trekz Titanium Headphones (they come in blue, green, or gray)
- 1 case
- 2 ear plugs
- 2 “fit bands”
- 1 USB charging cable
From the website:
The lightweight and comfortable Trekz Titanium wireless stereo headphones are the safest alternative to traditional sport headphones and earbuds. Bone conduction technology, an open ear design and a suite of convenient features deliver premium music play and crystal clear calling without compromise. Designed with athletes in mind, Trekz Titanium are sweatproof, secure, and will allow you to hear your surroundings – no matter where life takes you.
The Good
They are definitely light and durable. You can bend them and twist them easily. I *may* have dropped them a couple times, too, and they are still fine.
The lightness makes them pretty comfortable, too. I wore them on 2+ hour runs, without even really noticing that they were there. When I have my earbuds in, they eventually start to annoy me.
When I first put the Trekz on, the headphones felt a little wiggly, but I added the fit bands and after that, they felt nice and snug.
The fit bands are small, but seemed to make a difference for me.
The sound quality is good. It’s not as good as earbuds in my ears, but that’s kind of point, and I could definitely hear environmental sounds (bikes, cars, people) when I was running, which was great. If you put the earplugs in, the sound quality is much better, and comparable to what I would expect from a high quality in-ear earbud or headphone.
The battery life is great – six hours on one charge. Mine never ran out because I charged it after a couple long runs, but six hours can get you through most long runs and road races.
The Trekz aren’t waterproof, but they are sweatproof and rainproof. I was afraid that I was going to have to test this out one day when I almost got caught in a storm, but luckily I made it back in time 😉
The rain was coming!
You can connect the headphones to multiple devices via Bluetooth. I usually have mine connected to my phone, but tested them out with my computer at a coffee shop and had no problems.
The headphones also have dual, noise-cancelling microphones so you can use it to answer phone calls. I tried it with a couple calls and the sound quality was good.
The Not-So-Good
This is probably a wireless headphone issue, not an Aftershokz issue, but if you try to sit back or have a big hood or something pushes into the headphone part around the back, it pushes them off your ear. This means that the headphones are best used while being active, driving, or if you are sitting forward.
The Bluetooth can be finicky. I noticed that if I had my phone near my shoulders in a pack, or in front of me at the gym, it worked fine, but if I had it around my waist, the music would skip. I consulted fellow BibRave Pro Katherine about this issue when we were running the Platte River Half Marathon, and she told me that the Bluetooth receiver thing was in the right side of the headphones. I moved my little waist pack to the right side and had no further issues.
As I mentioned above, the sound quality is not as loud or as high quality as you might like from your earbuds (unless you put the earplugs in). And the whole point of the headphones are to hear what is around you, so that limits the volume.
The Bottom Line
I am really happy with these headphones. They are light, they are wireless, and they work great (as long as the device is in front of you/on your right side). I would definitely recommend them, and if you decide to try them, get 20% off any Aftershokz product with the code “BIBCHAT“.
