Audio Technica’s innovative headphones never touch your ears, still deliver crisp audio and call quality

Bone conduction is a new audio technology that some brands are exploring to gain the attention of music lovers and people with hearing disability. Rather than stuffing earbuds in your ears or painfully wearing headphones for long hours beaming audio into your ear canals, this technology transmits audio via your inner lining of bones in the ear. Audi Technica has gone one step ahead with the new cartilage-conduction headphones. They first launched the headphones with this innovative tech back in 2022 and there were many takers.

Improving on the first version, the brand has now released the second-generation model dubbed the ATH-CC500BT2. This pair of headphones comes with all-day comfort, crisp audio quality, and better call quality. Just like bone conduction headphones, these don’t block your ears thus making you aware of your environment. That’s pretty useful in loud traffic or public transport when you need to be aware of what’s going around.

Designer: Audio Technica

This audio tech uses the ear’s cartilage to transmit the sound waves to the eardrums and, consequently signal the brain. The headphones come with an open-ear earbud-like design, something similar to the Shokz OpenRun 2 headphones. Audio Technica went for this configuration to have a more secure fit that’s comfortable and more hygienic as well since there is no contact with the greasy inner ears.

The newer version comes with the next-generation vibration driver that has an acoustic stabilizer to make up for the fading audio. This promises better sonic delivery and voice calls, as external vibrations are eliminated in this newer version. Another good add-on with this tech is the stereo effect made possible by the slight delay in which the sound reaches the left or right ear. According to Audio Technica, “With bone-conduction, the sound is fused in the cranial cavity making it difficult to differentiate between left and right sound.”

ATH-CC500BT2 is going to be a good fit for active individuals like runners and athletes who want to be ultra-aware when on the roads about any vehicles or wild animals. Bluetooth Multipoint support means the headphones can play audio from two different devices switching seamlessly. The IPX4-rated headphones promise a continuous battery life of 20 hours when music is played at medium volume levels. Fast charging further makes it possible to get two hours of playback with just a ten-minute charge. If you are the patient kind like me, a full charge will take approximately two hours.

The only thing missing in the cartilage conduction headphones is the ANC (for obvious reasons) as there is no physical seal with the ear canal. Audio Technica has a unique workaround of the tech though, as the AI-powered noise reduction does filter out unwanted background noise and wind. The audio accessory supports Siri and Google Assistant out of the box for voice commands and any notifications. ATH-CC500BT2 headphones are up for grabs in Europe for €139 (approximately $150) and we can expect availability in the US and other parts of the world in the coming months.

The post Audio Technica’s innovative headphones never touch your ears, still deliver crisp audio and call quality first appeared on Yanko Design.