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rahulahl
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Bone Conduction Headphones

Sun Jun 17, 2018 1:51 am

I was just wondering if the bone conduction headphones are any good for gaming?
I play csgo a lot, and I dislike using my headphones as it quite often results in a migraine.
Bone conduction sounds like an idea worth exploring, but I keep hearing that its nowhere as good as a headset.
But considering I don't intend to hear music on it, but rather people's voice chat and footsteps, I'm not too concerned about it being good as long as its functional and accurate with directional sounds.
Anyone have any experience using them?
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JovianLitany
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Re: Bone Conduction Headphones

Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:03 am

Hey there,

I am an audiologist who deals with bone conduction on the regular. If localization is what you want, BC headphones are literally the worst thing you can do. Localization comes from both a level difference from both ears for low frequencies and a phase difference from both ears for high frequencies. Being that, with bone conduction, your outer and middle ears are not being used (it vibrates the cochleae directly) there are not enough cues for your brain to process direction.

Sound Quality also fairly sucks. Headache chances are potentially worse with the amount of pressure that is needed to transmit the sound through the temporal bone.

Hope this helps.
 
rahulahl
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Topic Author
Posts: 256
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Location: Australia

Re: Bone Conduction Headphones

Sun Jun 17, 2018 9:12 am

JovianLitany wrote:
Hey there,

I am an audiologist who deals with bone conduction on the regular. If localization is what you want, BC headphones are literally the worst thing you can do. Localization comes from both a level difference from both ears for low frequencies and a phase difference from both ears for high frequencies. Being that, with bone conduction, your outer and middle ears are not being used (it vibrates the cochleae directly) there are not enough cues for your brain to process direction.

Sound Quality also fairly sucks. Headache chances are potentially worse with the amount of pressure that is needed to transmit the sound through the temporal bone.

Hope this helps.

Ah.. that kinda stops my train of thought along the line.
If the quality is gonna be sub par and they are possibly gonna make my migraines worse, then there is no real reason to try it out I guess.
Thanks for replying and helping me decide. :)
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Buub
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Re: Bone Conduction Headphones

Mon Jun 18, 2018 11:17 am

I have some AfterShokz Trekz that I absolutely love, but not for gaming. They're great for riding my bike because the sound is good, but they don't cover my ears, so I can also hear all the cars and other ambient noises around me. This is vital for safety, IMHO.

When I'm at the gym, I use my Apple Airpods. And if I'm on an airplane/bus, I use my Bose QuietComfort over-the-ear (corded) headphones.

So yes, the bone conduction headphones work well, but primarily (for me anyway) for outdoor sports.

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