Tech Review
By: Nick Gambino
There are a number of innovative headphones out there from wireless Bluetooth to noise-cancelling but they are all still just earphones.
What if we could hear music, not through the ears but as vibrations through our bones? Sounds crazy, right? Well headphone company KOAR has etched out a corner of the “bone conduction headphone” market.
The KOAR Bone Conduction Bluetooth Headset uses bone conduction technology to transmit sound through the bones in the skull directly to the inner ear bypassing both the outer and middle ear where the eardrum resides.
This kind of technology allows for clear receipt of audio but also offers another appealing benefit. Because your ears are not obstructed you’ll still be able to engage with the world around you. While you’re wearing bone conduction headphones you can still have a conversation and generally be aware of your environment. In other words, you can still hear noises around you.
Apparently Beethoven (yes the deaf one) used a version of this technology by biting a composer’s wand while it was touching a piano. The reverberations would travel to his inner ear allowing him to hear what he was playing.
Now the KOAR headset also uses LiquiPel technology which repels sweat and water so the headset doesn’t get all nasty especially if you’re using it while you’re working out.
Additionally, it’s made of a light titanium metal which keeps it nice and light-weight making it even more appropriate for exercising whether you’re jogging, biking or lifting.
Now some reviews suggest that in a particularly loud environment it’s a bit hard to hear audio while others have problems with the quality of the bass levels. But as we all know headphone experiences vary wildly person to person. 
Currently the KOAR Bone Conduction Headset is available for $96.23 over at Amazon. But there’s a limited time sale going on over at thenextweb.com where you can get it for as little as $76.99.
Have you had any experience with bone conduction technology? What are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments below or give us a shout out on Facebook.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Gambino is a regular script writer and tech beat reporter for NewsWatch. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and daughter.
