Transmitting sound through your bones may seem like magic, but it's tech that's well established by now. The Sharp Bone Conduction Headphone HP-BC50 hangs on to the sides of your head much like sports headphones, but don't poke into your earholes. Instead they sit on the outside, on the cheekbones, and pump sound into your eardrums.
Quick specs
- IP66 water resistance
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 2GB internal memory
- 2.5hr charging time
The sound is clear and doesn't sound muffled. However, if you're playing bass-heavy music, the “speakers” will vibrate crazily against your skin. It's both ticklish and annoying. You may also feel a little bit of a headache for bass-heavy tracks. Watching shows with lots of dialogue though, is fine. That said, while mids and highs are fine, bass is a bit soft. A heavier bass will probably cause stronger headaches (at least for me, I'm guessing). You can't adjust the EQ, either.
An advantage of bone conduction is that it doesn't involve putting anything into your ear canals. So no worries if you have sensitive ear canals that itch easily. You can also hear your surroundings. I do note that ambient sounds will still appear muffled since the audio from the HP-BC50 will probably drown it out. But you can just lift it away from your skin to hear, and place it back to resume listening. However, the headphones don't detect if it's away from skin, so it doesn't auto-pause. There are two buttons at the left and right sides that control the volume, playback, as well as turning on and off.
Music playback is rated at 5 hours, and I managed to get more than that — 5hr 39min to be exact, at 100% volume. The headphone charges with a magnetic clip, and Sharp gives two inside the box. The charger can also be used to transfer music to the headphones for internal playback. There's 2GB of storage. Other noteworthy specs include IP66 water resistance — that means you can spray a water jet at it with no issue. You can't go swimming with it, though.
Retailing at S$189 (or cheaper on sale), the Sharp Bone Conduction Headphone HP-BC50 is an interesting pair of headphones. It's great for outdoor use, and may make sense for office use. You'll still be able to keep your ears open to listen in to work chats. Get it from Shopee or Lazada.
Note: Review unit provided by Sharp.
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