Underwater bone conduction headphones

[Davor]

I simply wonder if anyone has first hand experience with bone conduction headphones, and especially for underwater use. One may get some generic headphones of this kind on ebay, say aqua, but the reviews on this technology are not consistent.

Because the headphones of this kind are not vibrating the air, but more dense materials which are not compressible, I expect to see more of these for underwater use.
Some 25 years ago I was engaged with some underwater ranging ... things, that used magnetostriction. Perhaps this is something similar.

I ordered a set of popular brand bone conduction headphones for my wife. Shelled A LOT. A clear benefit when using them in the air is that your ears are not covered, and you may listen to the surroundings with no obstruction. I'll know more about them when the package arrives.

[Polymer]

Hello Davor,

i was looking into bone conduction headphones around 2 years ago and came to the conclusion
that they need quite some pressure against the bone to work well, so I wasn't sure and did not buy any.
So no first-hand experience with me.

Perhaps they are better now and I am looking forward to your real-life test results!

[6666]

A mechanical "knocker" can be made from small relay, held against the side of head with wetsuit hood.

[ivconic]

"Transmits sound via light vibrations..." !!!
That's interesting claim!

http://aftershokz.nuwavedev.com/technology/


"...We use a pair of transducers to power your music into your head. With one transducer resting on each side of your head we create vibrations that pass sound off of the surface of your face. This contact point allows our headphones to conduct sound onto the bones of your head. These vibrations send sound all the way from your cheek bones to your inner ear, allowing sound to reach the cochlea without even using your ear drum. It’s fascinating!.."

[Davor]

The affordable part in the link is a serious understatement, but as for the operating mechanism - it is spot on. When you talk, a significant portion of you hearing your own voice comes by means of bone conductivity. You may test this by recording your own voice and playing it near your lips - a totally different person.

Having headphones that will not prevent you from hearing vipers slithering in the bushes seem a good incentive to use these even on land.

[ivconic]

The affordable part in the link is a serious understatement, but as for the operating mechanism - it is spot on. When you talk, a significant portion of you hearing your own voice comes by means of bone conductivity. You may test this by recording your own voice and playing it near your lips - a totally different person.

Having headphones that will not prevent you from hearing vipers slithering in the bushes seem a good incentive to use these even on land.

"...a totally different person..."

Oh that's so true!
I hate to hear my own voice, it's completely different on recording.
...
Ambient sounds are very important and that's why this kind of earphones are having real advantage in our hobby.
It's not only the vipers... more important is to hear police sneaking behind your back!
Or mad land owner!

[ODM]

Also, any enclosed headphones or earplug headphones are a very bad idea for diving use. Need to keep ear canals unobstructed to avoid barotrauma.

An internal clacker (relay mechanism) is easy to hear in water even through an enclosure, so there may be no need for a headset when diving. No tangly headphone cable, and one less cable seal in enclosure

[Davor]

Good point.
My thoughts are in a direction of what works universally, and apart from the cable annoyance, these bone conduction 'phones may be the answer.

During my military service I was involved with some nasty electronics that should withstand everything. A common denominator was oil that filled those boxes. It is not common for consumer electronics. But it makes sense. The only good thing air does in an enclosure is to provide good acoustic matching for a loudspeaker.
With oil you always know how well the box is sealed

Ah, a joke about sealing...
In Mercedes they (supposedly) had a sealing test with a cat. In the afternoon they'd put a cat in a car, and close it inside. If by the morning the cat was suffocated, the sealing is tight.

In Lada they also had a cat test for sealing. If by the morning a cat is still in a car - the sealing is tight.

[ivconic]

I like the idea of "no headphones at all" when diving.
Small mechanical transducer will serve just fine.
Also small "vibro-motor" from smart phones can serve there too.
With addition of few colored leds - even better!
...
But bone conduction headphones are really interesting choice for inland searching.

[ivconic]

...
Ah, a joke about sealing...
In Mercedes they (supposedly) had a sealing test with a cat. In the afternoon they'd put a cat in a car, and close it inside. If by the morning the cat was suffocated, the sealing is tight.
In Lada they also had a cat test for sealing. If by the morning a cat is still in a car - the sealing is tight.

Ah that's nothing!
In Yugo it is a "standard" to provide enough "ventilation" from everywhere you can think on!
The very best "air-car" in history!
Cats may come and go all the time!

[Davor]

Vallon uxo detectors have vibration and a LED light show. Works straightforwardly for detecting mines. Those are also very sleek, and incredibly balanced to handle. Nearly everything is in a stem, including D-sized batteries. You may use such detector with haptic indication only. A certain-manufacturer-whose-name-must-not-be-said makes the exact opposite kind of uxo detectors (heavy, clunky, and confusing), with the exact opposite kind of indication. NATO chosen Vallon. Makes sense.

[Davor]

I received the AfterShokz Bluez 2S a few days ago, but I did not brag about it by now. I had to give them a proper go. And I did. They work very well.

Of course there were problems, but not on the side of the headphones. I had to find an update of a Bluetooth stack to exorcise some evil spirits from a laptop. It was odd. When I switch phones on, with pairing, it took some 15 seconds to get perfect connection and beautiful sound. But... as soon as I switch headphones off and back on again, they go to poor quality headset mode, or I get connection with no sound if I delete the communication headset "device". Tried everything. Even found that it works fine when a laptop awakes from hibernation. And concluded enough was enough.

There happen to be a newer BT stack to install for this laptop and I gave it a go. Perfect. Everything works beautifully.

How they work? Very nice

Perhaps the sound quality would not satisfy a serious audiophile, as BT connection was ~300kbps, but otherwise it is a nice unobstructed sound experience. The funniest thing is when I stick fingers in my ears - the sound continues to be nice.

My set is not for underwater use, but my wife is very happy.

I guess delay is not on a desirable side because of BT communication, I didn't test it yet. But the wired sets must be just right.

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