Disclaimer: I received a pair of AfterShokz Trekz Titanium wireless headphones to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
My friends at BibRave gave me the opportunity to test out the AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones the last 6 weeks. Now with all the wireless headphone options out there, what makes the Trekz Titanium unique?
From their website:
- Bone conduction technology delivers music through your cheekbones, ensuring ears remain completely open to hear ambient sounds
- Titanium wraparound headband is lightweight and flexible for durability and portability
- OpenFit™ design ensures maximum situational awareness and comfort during long-term wear
- PremiumPitch+™ guarantees a premium audio experience, including wide dynamic range and rich bass
- Wireless Bluetooth® 4.1 connectivity and convenient multipoint pairing
- LeakSlayer™ technology significantly reduces natural sound leakage
- IP55 certified to repel sweat, dust and moisture, from workouts to wicked weather
- Enjoy six hours of continuous music + calls on a single charge
- EQ presets boost bass and reduce vibration on the go
- Dual noise canceling microphones exclude surrounding noise, effectively enhancing speech
- Audrey Says™ voice prompts guide users through power, pair, play and talk
- Hassle-free 2-year warranty
So what does that all mean to me? The most important thing to me is that it means that you can wear wireless headphones without having to worry about not hearing cars, animals, other runners, etc. If you read my review on the Plantronics Back Beat Fit headphones from last year, that was my biggest complaint with them because I really want to be able to hear if a car is coming for safety reasons.
When you open the box, there is a nice case, the headphones and then a packet with the instructions, a USB charging cable, little rubber things and a set of ear plugs.
I immediately took them out of the box and put them on only to get a not so nice surprise when I put them on and the top of my ears hurt immediately. The hard plastic was hitting that part of my ear and I was like uh oh. But I opened the instructions and saw that the 2 little rubber pieces were there to help keep the headphones off the ears.
Once I put the rubber pieces on then they felt a lot better on. Basically the rubber pieces stick to your hair/hat etc. to keep the headphones up and off your ears.
So how is the sound quality since they aren’t in your ears? It was surprisingly good. The headphones sit on the bone in front of the ear. They use bone conduction technology to deliver the music.
I wore them for the Hot Chocolate 15k back in March and I have to say that I was impressed at how good the sound quality was. I will say though that if you are in an area with a lot of noise they don’t work well.
That being said, in keeping with my honesty policy, there are a few things that I don’t like about the Trekz Titanium.
1) I think that the headband is not very flexible, it’s not easy to fit into a pack for long runs/races. I think these would be perfect with a more flexible headband for storage because really, I can’t fit the headphones in the case in my Orange Mud Pack and would I take the case with me on a run? No, and I don’t always want to wear them the whole time so a more flexible band would be nice.
2) I had a hard time with them fitting well when I was wearing a hat and sunglasses. They fit perfectly with neither of those and with just a hat but with both, I couldn’t get them to hit my cheekbones.
All in all I think that these unique headphones are great and for those of us who want to be able to hear cars, people and anything around us but also listen to music with a wireless headphone the Trekz Titanium are amazing!
In addition to having awesome headphones that are safe, this spring AfterShokz is partnering with United Relay of America.
From the United Relay website:
United Relay of America is the first non-stop running relay setting off from Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles and meeting in New York City!
Three routes (Red, White & Blue) from the West to the East coast of America, over 9,000 runners and one aim: inspire, empower and connect people across America – to not just be part of running history, but to be united for a better world!
There are a lot of opportunities to be a part of the United Relay and if you are interested in running a leg, click here for more info.
I’m linking up with my friend Running with SD Mom for Try Out Thursdays. Want to check out what others are trying out? Head over to her page click here 🙂 and check out what others are trying out this Thursday!
