I just got a pair. The final verdict is that you probably wouldn’t want to use these if you were just listening to music. By nature, the audio is passing through skin/flesh and bone before it hits your inner ear, and the results are slightly muffled, bass heavy, and just generally less crisp than you’d get from earbuds or a headset–depending on the quality of said device, of course. Like for like in terms of price, however, it’s no comparison in terms of sound quality.
That said, I went for a long bike ride Saturday, wore earbuds one way and the bone conduction headset on the way back, and that absolutely converted me to using them when out and about, especially when doing anything physical. The difference in sound quality is less important when you just want some soundtrack to accompany your activities, and the relative “freedom” to hear what’s going on around you is, dare I say, game changing. I haven’t taken them into a pool yet (which is why I got them… if they fizzle & die, I’m out $80) but if you run, bike, or swim they are IMO superior to having devices stuck in or covering your ears. The music tracks much more like ambient sound around you, and your ability to hear other things going on is not seriously diminished. At least that’s been my present, limited experience.
It is a little weird to walk into a building that already has music playing because now you have what sounds like two ambient soundtracks going on. However, if you’re somewhere without music, talking to people, they don’t interfere with that.
When someone else is wearing them you can hear them from a few feet away when at max volume. Some experimentation might help with that if it matters at all.
Personally, I found them comfortable and light enough that they quickly became near unconscious to wear. Your mileage and the size of your noggin’ & ears may vary. They are slung low on the back of the head, so didn’t bump into my bike helmet. We’ll see about how they go with a swim cap.
My version came with a manual that typically has print the size of microdots, and I had no joy finding the same text on-line. The manufacture’s “User Manual” link just goes to the top of the page. Just futzing around with them works. It’s fairly standard. Press for power. Press and hold to power off. Press and hold to power on/sync.
Mine came in a box with earplugs (that apparently improve the sound quality, but kind of miss the point if you ask me) a drawstring bag, a short charger cable, the aforementioned micromanual, and a warranty card. They probably spent $5-15 on the box which is one of those schmancy, near-origami foldy things with molded plastic for the headphones. Personally, I don’t care. It probably looks nice on a store shelf.
Mine are black, because that’s what was available for cheaper. I’d have gone with a bright color because I’m wearing them outdoors and bright colors when next to traffic is a good thing. They’re tiny, of course, so not a big deal, but it’s the little things that count, they say. (They say a lot of stuff…)
Have them new for $70 with instant $40 coupon on mothership.