REVIEW: AfterShokz Trekz Titanium Headphones

Take Music to the Course Privately and Safely
Music on the golf course isn’t exactly new, but has certain been a topic of conversation most recently with the plethora of Bluetooth speakers on the market; some are even specifically designed for golf.  One of the problems with Bluetooth speakers is annoying another golfers with your music.  I like music as much as the next golfer, but I might not like your music.  There is no certainty that even the 4 golfers in your group will like your music selection.  That leaves you with headphones, but with headphones the isolation from the world is either completely ignoring your 4-some or potentially putting yourself in harms way if you can’t hear “fore” being yelled.  AfterShokz makes a completely different kind of headphones.  They are offer the ability to listen to music privately, but yet participate in your group with the Trekz Titanium headphones.
I have always struggled to wear headphones for longer than a 1/2 hour.  It doesn’t seem to matter if they are buds or over the ear headphones, the way that they all feel like they trap heat in my ear really bothers me after about 1/2 hour.  I have some very nice over the ear headphones that are comfortable and have great sound, but I couldn’t wear them for a full round of golf.  I have tried numerous pairs of bud style earphones and they aren’t comfortable either.  AfterShokz Trekz headphones are totally different, they rest just in front of your ears and rest on the bone.  They use what is called “bone conduction” for passing the sound from the headphone into your inner ear.  This allowed me to wear these for hours without having my ears overheat.  That alone made these a winner for me.
 

One of the main reason AfterShokz Trekz work well for outdoor activities, specifically golf is the fact that your ears are still able to hear the world around you.  If someone suddenly yells fore, you will be able to hear it.  If there is a horn blast, or yell, or some other noise that your should be aware of, these allow you to still hear those sounds.  While sometimes you might want to tune out the world and just listen to music, the Trekz Titanium allow you to have music in the background your activity, more like a soundtrack in a movie.

The AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones are an activity proof Bluetooth headphones.  They pair easily and quickly with any smartphone.  They charge quickly and last longer than expected.  I didn’t test the complete battery life, but they last a least a couple rounds of golf.  You can also use them to talk on the phone too.   They were comfortable to wear and are offered in a variety of colors.  They are somewhat a one-size-fits-all design, but their flexibility allowed them to fit my head well.  They have volume on the headphones as well as 2 different equalizers to fit your preference.   They are designed for easy and comfortable user for a variety of activities.  My wife has informed me that she will be stealing these for her long runs. 

Initially the AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones offered a weird sensation, especially when the volume was up as you could feel the vibrations on your face, but after a few minutes that weirdness went away.  The other issue that comes with these is sound leakage.  When played at higher volume, people around you can listen with you.  To be fair almost all headphones are like that.  AfterShokz does have “Leakslayer” technology to combat that, but there is only so much it can do at high volume.  Personally I never listen to music that loud and especially if I’m trying to be part of a group, lower volume keeps my music private and allows me to still participate and hear the group.

I’m no audiophile, but I can appreciate high quality headphone.  AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones are not going to compete with high end studio headphones, but they do a good job doing what they were designed to do; allow you to listen to music and still hear the environment around you.  The treble comes through nice and clear, but the bass can be somewhat lacking.  These are activity headphones and they work amazing for that.  I liked them on the course so that I could listen to music and still participate with the group.   If you like music while you golf, these are the perfect blend of privacy and safety.

For more information:  aftershokz.com

Quick Hits:
+Super comfortable
+Easy to use
+Open ear design
+Good sound
+Swearproof

–Sound leak