Headset with bone conduction sound Aftershokz bluez 2 and a hearing impaired person
A person has two types of hearing: air and bone. The first is the usual rumor that we use every day, for example, when we communicate with each other, listen to music at a concert of our favorite group, enjoy the purring of a cat. But there is a second rumor - bone, i.e. when sound is transmitted not through the air, but through the bone, acting directly on our sound receptors.
There are technical means to transmit sound in the ear through bone conduction. In other words, utilizing human bone hearing. Such means include headset-headphones Aftershokz bluez 2, which will be discussed in this post from the point of view of a person (me) with a sensorineural hearing loss.
About Aftershokz bluez 2 have repeatedly written on the GT. If you are interested in reviews from people with good hearing, I can advise you to read the posts Review of the AfterShokz Bluez 2 wireless headphones , Sound through the bones. Headset SoundAround and Sound Around Headset with bone conduction technology . In this post, I review the headset from my point of view, as a person with a hearing impairment.
To make it clearer what my hearing is and what kind of person I am (in terms of hearing) I will briefly tell about the structure of the ear, hearing loss, air and bone conduction of sound, as well as about myself and my hearing. I will talk briefly, at the level of "to have a presentation." If you want to know something more, you can ask me a question in the comments. And if you are already "in the subject line", you can skip the next 3-4 sections.
')
The organ of hearing is conventionally divided into three parts - externally (external), middle and inner ear. The external ear is considered to be the auricle, the ear canal (ear canal) and the eardrum. The middle ear is a cavity filled with air behind the eardrum, called a chain of pits - a hammer, anvil, stirrup. And the inner ear consists of the vestibule and the semicircular canals , which are responsible for the sense of balance and body position in space, as well as (!) The cochlea , filled with fluid. It is here in the form of vibration get sound vibrations. Inside the cochlea is the organ of Corti , which is directly responsible for hearing.
Hearing loss is of three types - neurosensory (or sensorineural), conductive and mixed.
Sensorineural hearing loss is a hearing loss caused by damage to the sound-perceiving apparatus: the inner ear, the pre-cochlear nerve, or the auditory centers of the brain, it occurs due to a disruption of work or the death of sensitive (hair) cells (they are also fluid) in the cochlea and often constant. Simply put, the necrosis of the nerves that transmit sound to the brain, or their complete absence (complete deafness). With neurosensory hearing loss, the only thing that can really help is a hearing aid. Medical treatment for this type of hearing loss can not be.
Conductive hearing loss is a hearing loss associated with the problems of conduction and amplification of sound waves through the outer and middle ear to the inner ear. In this case, the inner ear retains full or partial functioning. In other words, damage to the eardrum, accreted auricle, lack of an ear canal, etc. In some cases, conductive hearing loss is temporary. Depending on the cause of the hearing loss, medical or surgical treatment may help. Conductive hearing loss can also be corrected with hearing aids or middle ear implants.
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss in one person. This type of hearing loss is corrected using a hearing aid and medical treatment.
Below is a graph of an audiogram - mine (sensorineural hearing loss), a person with good hearing, and a person with conductive hearing loss - superimposed on the "table of sounds." A person hears what is below the graphic line. I think the difference in hearing will be clear even to those who are not familiar with hearing aids.
There are two ways to transmit sound waves to receptors - air and bone conduction.
In the case of air conduction, sound waves enter the external auditory canal and cause vibrations of the eardrum transmitted to the auditory ossicles - the malleus, incus and stapes; the displacement of the stirrup base causes fluctuations in the fluids of the inner ear and then oscillations of the cochlea's main membrane.
When bone conduction sound, the source of which is in contact with the head, causes vibration of the temporal bone of the skull, and due to this - again, the vibrations of the main membrane of the cochlea.
I have a bad hearing since childhood, sensorineural hearing loss. I currently use the Microtech Focus 50 Power Plus behind-the-ear hearing aid. It is one of the most powerful hearing aids available on the market in July 2015.
Without a hearing aid, high sounds, for example, children (12-14 years old), birds, a bell ringing, I can’t hear at all. A woman’s voice (in most cases) I can only distinguish if a lady will shout loudly, and even that from a distance of centimeters to 50-100, but I don’t disassemble the speech itself. The male voice of loudness is slightly higher than average with the predominance of low frequencies I hear up to half a meter, I can hardly make out speech. Cars - meters to 2, cargo ~ 4-5. The noise of the subway inside the car I hear as a loud whisper.
With a hearing aid with the included high-frequency transfer to a low and dynamic microphone of birds and a bell, I hear up to 3 meters in a quiet environment; in the noise of the city can not hear. Children (4-6 years old) and women - up to 3-4 meters in a quiet environment; or up to 1 meter in the city; intelligibility of the speech of children - sometimes I understand what they say / ask, women - average. The male voice volume is slightly above average with a predominance of low frequencies - up to 5 meters in a quiet environment or up to 1-1.5 meters in the city, speech intelligibility is average. Cars up to 5-7 meters, trucks, maximum, 15. Noise of the subway - quite loud, turn off the machine.
Now, when it became clear to you what ear, hearing loss and hearing are, air and bone conduction, as well as some unusual hearing from me, you can move on to the hero of this post.
What a wonderful
Aftershokz bluez 2 is positioned as sports headphones. And this is no accident - the athlete needs to control the situation around. After all, most people rely on hearing, and ordinary headphones with air conduction of sound close the ear canal and we lose control over the surrounding space. Bluez, in contrast to ordinary headphones, uses bone conduction, so the ear canal remains open and we can hear not only the music from the headphones, but everything that happens around us.
Bluez made in the form of the rim, which is worn on the head is not on top, like regular headphones, and behind. In the part where we used to see the speakers, there are special pads that create vibrations. The headphones themselves are designed so that these pads are tightly pressed against the temporal bone. Due to these patches, or rather due to vibrations, the sound is transmitted through the bone immediately to the inner ear (cochlea), bypassing the outer (eardrum).
On the left "speaker" is a multi-function button (seen on the next photo.), And on the right - a microphone. On the lower right, on the handle are the controls - an on / off button, a microUSB connector for charging, closed with a plug, and a volume control.
The multi-function button performs various actions, depending on which mode the headset is in. For example, when listening to music a single press - play / pause, double - the next track; With an incoming call, a single press - pick up / hang up, hold for 2 seconds. - reject incoming call. Who is interested in all the options, you can see a scan of the translated instructions from Dadzhet .
The kit of Bluez includes, in addition to the headset itself, a manual in several languages ​​(no Russian), USB -> microUSB charging cable, pouch for storage, snap-on elastic to reduce the bezel, two reflective stickers (visible on the previous photo). Also included in the kit translation instructions from Dadzhet . In principle, more is needed. Knife, sea and stump are not included ;-)
Inside, Bluez is made of soft, pleasant to the touch rubberized plastic. They sit firmly on the head, do not slip and do not fly off, even with very active movements. Head movement does not interfere. If you fasten the gum to reduce the rim and lift your head up strongly, pushing her (head) back (for example, when you take the last sip from a can of cola), then the gum rests against your neck and the "speakers" are shifted to your ears. Those. even with a rubber band, you can raise your head and see what is above. By the way, with an elastic band, the headphones are pressed closer to the head, which also gives a slightly clearer and louder sound. For several hours of listening to music, I did not notice any obvious inconvenience. Although at first it was not very comfortable to wear them with a hearing aid, but I quickly got used to it. Without the device, the headphones are almost not felt.
The whole construction of Bluez is monolithic - does not move, is not adjustable. While using this feature does not cause inconvenience, but you need to take this into account when you put the headphones in a backpack or bag. Although the plastic at Bluez is of high quality and strong, it is necessary to put them in such a way that they are not crushed by anything heavy, otherwise you can damage the arms. Personally, it is quite convenient for me just to pull them around their necks, they will not fall anyway.
The absence of wires plays an important role - it is freedom of movement, relaxation and, of course, great comfort. You do not ask yourself a question that you can hook onto something with a wire and ruin a headset or, even worse, a phone / player. You completely immerse yourself in what you do. And the music ... It sounds like in your head.
I also want to note that playback control is very convenient. I pressed the universal button and Mouzon paused, pressed again and again enjoying the music, pressed twice - the next track. And do not climb into your pocket / backpack / bag for your phone. Calls also did not go unheeded. I will give a real example. My friend and I agreed to drive on the greats and that I 10 minutes before I drive up to him, I will ring. On the way, I listened to the music and for about 10 minutes I pressed the universal button for 2 seconds to activate GoogleNow on my phone and said: “Call Dima Ivanov on your mobile” (all this without pedaling and releasing the steering wheel). And in a second I already heard outgoing beeps. At the same time, the music was automatically paused, and after the conversation continued to play. When I was almost there, I received an incoming call from a friend, the music automatically stopped and all I had to do was press the universal button to answer (or hold it down for 2 seconds to reset). After the conversation, I enjoyed the music again. It is clear that it depends on the phone, and Bluez has nothing to do with it, that it will be so with (almost) any bluetooth headset, but I could not help but note this convenience.
Another convenient and useful "chip" - if you simultaneously press the volume buttons (+ and -), the headset will tell the battery charge level.
With the ears open, I can’t hear the sound from Bluez at all. But it is worth plugging your ears with earplugs, as the sound becomes loud enough even at 2/3 of the volume. My left ear is always plugged with an individual earbud insert, so for them I always hear the sound from the headphones — it doesn't matter if the hearing aid is on or not. But I plug the right one with an earplug, but in the city I don’t rely on it. So I can hear well the music from the headphones and (due to the hearing aid) everything that happens around me. At the same time on the Sony Xperia Z3C, I do not raise the volume level above 3/4, most often I listen around 2/3, and I can hear the music and the surrounding sounds with comfort. With headphones, gags on the same phone, I made the sound to the maximum.
At home I use Bluez with a laptop, it has Bluetooth 2.1. Headphones are connected without question, in the process, no complaints. The signal is stable - through two walls the music still plays without interruption.
Movies are much more comfortable to watch than with ordinary headphones or speakers. With ear plugs, even without a hearing aid, I am good at making speech, which for me was both a shock and a wow effect. In VLC (and in any other player that understands multimedia keys), the universal play / pause button also works, which is very convenient when you need to step back or get distracted.
I hardly use Bluez at work, but sometimes there is a desire to listen to music. With a volume of 1/2 - 2/3 (on the phone) I do not create discomfort to my colleagues (I specifically asked).
As with walking, with active movements, the headphones sit firmly, do not slip and do not fly off. Music is heard well. Under the helmet, the headphones sit differently. Some helmets lowered the head, for example, from country. Here the back of the helmet in some positions may cling a little to the bezel (depending on the design of the helmet). With a road helmet - you are like in a cap - the “back of the head” is tall, and you don’t get enough of it. I can’t say in fullfaces, there is no such thing. By the way, the cap is also quite comfortable.
When (rock) climbing, that with a rubber band, that without, it is quite comfortable. Bluez do not shift and do not interfere. In parkour there is a feeling that the headphones are about to fly off, but for me they never fell. The rest, everything is as above - the headphones sit firmly, do not slip and do not fly off, the music is heard well.
Until recently, the only normal opportunity for me to listen to music and watch movies was the speakers, but there were a lot of inconveniences with them: not listening to music at work, on the way too, you have to reckon with the rest at home, and you will not always make a comfortable volume. In ordinary headphones, of course, there is more comfort, but the intelligibility of speech (for example, watching a movie) left much to be desired, although the subtitles help a lot. I also had to make a fairly loud volume, so that those who were in the same room with me decently heard the sound. And for headphones, gags had to shoot the device. I never liked it, especially on the street - you lose all the sounds around you. And I never understood people who walk the streets with their ears stuck listening to music almost at full volume. For me personally, with Bluez, the convenience is that I can not only enjoy the music, but also hear the sounds that surround me. In addition, in ordinary headphones, I hear music in "mono", i.e. one left ear, on which the hearing aid, and with Aftershokz Bluez 2 - in stereo. This is for me the biggest wow effect. Now I listen to music every day on the way to and from work. The train, bus, street - all with a song and ambient sounds. Kayf!
I don’t use calls as such for a long time. I do not understand the full speech. But simple remarks, in the spirit of "yes", "no", "go out", "I approached", etc., spoken by close friends, I understand normally. In the headset, I make such remarks in the same way as if I brought the phone to the microphone of the hearing aid, i.e. quite normal. At the other end, they hear me too well.
A pleasant surprise was the fact that the headphones can work in the process of charging. I always have a PowerBank in my backpack. The other day, Bluez was discharged on the way ... I connected the cable and continue to enjoy the music. Another very pleasant and convenient moment - there is no need to charge the gadget every day - I only have one charge for 2-4 days.
The pros and cons of Aftershokz Bluez 2 I can include the following:
++ Compact and reliable, well and firmly seated on the head;
++ Long time;
++ Work (almost) with any phone, laptop, tablet, player;
++ No discomfort, even with prolonged use;
++ Not only music is heard, but everything that happens around;
++ No wires;
++ Convenient operation;
++ They are not afraid of rain and sweat;
- At a volume of about 3/4, vibration is noticeable, which begins to annoy a little when listening to music for a long time;
- When you put it in a backpack or bag, you need to put them in such a way that it does not overwhelm you;
- Lying on your back, do not put your head on the pillow / grass / sand, and do not listen to the music - the bow rests and the lining moves, with the head restraint in the same way.
People with a good ear , in my opinion, Aftershokz Bluez 2 are suitable when you need to stay in touch or want to listen to music and at the same time you have to hear well what is happening around. Those. for cyclists, skaters, skaters, runners, and in general, athletes, as well as drivers. In other words, for those who are in a situation where it is very important not to miss a sound that can warn against danger. Indeed, in this case, the sound quality of music is not a priority. Also, if you work with your hands most of the time or sit in the office, Bluez can be useful - you don’t have to take them off to talk to someone. You will hear well both the music and the interlocutor's speech.
On the other hand, for people with good hearing, such a feature of Aftershokz Bluez 2 is at the same time a disadvantage, because You will hear not only the music, but all the sounds that surround you. Although ... In my opinion, it is difficult to call it a disadvantage, it is just a feature, not only Aftershokz Bluez 2, but also any other headphones with bone conduction sound.
At the same time, bone conduction also gives a big advantage in noisy places - you can cover your ears with your fingers and calmly talk on the phone, while hearing the interlocutor well, and the sound (and speech) will become noticeably louder than with open ears. And the interlocutor will also hear you well enough, because Bluez provides noise reduction. In order to increase the audibility of you by your interlocutor, you can hold your fingers to your mouth without lifting your right thumb from your ear, then the microphone will be better to “catch” your voice.
Aftershokz Bluez 2 for people with hearing impairment will also be helpful. But here it is worth considering what exactly your hearing loss is. If the neurosensory degree is 1 or 2, then I’m sure you can use Bluez comfortably and most likely you don’t even need to plug your ears to hear the sound well and clearly. It does not matter if you use a hearing aid or not. And if your degree is 3 and higher, then you need to check for each one individually - it all depends on your bone hearing. In the case of conductive hearing loss, if you use a hearing aid with bone conduction, these headphones do not suit you - you will have to choose either a device or headphones, which you hardly want. And if you do not use, then you will surely fall in love with Aftershokz Bluez. On account of mixed hearing loss, it's hard for me to say anything. In any case, be sure to consult with your audiologist and / or hearing aid .
# Dima's bone of the mastoid process is somewhat large and pushes the rim apart. Therefore, the bow does not rest on the temporal bone and the lining does not fit snugly to the bone, or rather, it is lightly touched. Therefore, the sound transmission is weak. The photo is a little visible.
, .
Separately, I want to stay on conductive hearing loss. With conductive hearing loss, bone marrow often remains at a good level, close to a person with good hearing. But, due to damage (often) to the eardrum, airborne hearing deteriorates dramatically. Therefore, people with conductive hearing loss are likely to hear well in Aftershokz Bluez 2 both music and speech.
Remember Beethoven? This is a good example of conductive hearing loss. Another example ... A year ago, on GT, there was an article " Young Beethoven: a deaf boy with Aftershokz headphones playing a synthesizer ." This boy has microtia , while his inner ear is not damaged, it is also considered conductive hearing loss.
IMPORTANT : Aftershokz - headset-headphones, they are not are hearing aid.
Bluez does not replace the hearing aid , though, if only because they do not independently amplify the sound further. With a healthy inner ear, using Bluez allows the hearing impaired to listen to music, watch movies and talk on the phone. But what about ordinary life, ordinary conversations with people? Bluez useless? My answer is not quite, you can benefit here too! Thanks to Moscow guys from IT ForYou and their program PETRALEX Hearing Aidwhich is available for Android and iOS, a person with conductive hearing loss can use Aftershokz bluez 2 as a hearing aid with bone conduction. Also, this program can be used with a conventional headset with air conduction, which can be useful for people with sensorineural hearing loss of 1-2 degrees. PETRALEX Hearing Aid does not just enhance the sound from the microphone. This program contains quite complex and powerful algorithms that pre-process the sound, taking into account the user's hearing. But it is worth bearing in mind that headset microphones work at small distances, unlike hearing aid microphones. There can also be a 1-second delay from the moment when the interlocutor said something, until the moment when the sound enters the ear from the headset. I don’t know for sure, but nothing seems to be done here, such is "blue tooth ". Perhaps this information will be useful to someone.
Once again I want to note: neither Aftershokz bluez 2, nor PETRALEX Hearing Aid, nor even their joint use is a substitute for a hearing aid . These are just tools that can be useful for people with hearing impairment, but no more.
The microphone of modern digital hearing aids, as a rule, has 2 - 3 modes of operation - omnidirectional, dynamic and forward-directed (less common than the first two). But the point is this: if, with active dynamic mode, you listen to music or watch movies in headphones that are worn on the ear, then this leads to a very fast breakdown of the dynamic microphone mode. I myself stepped on this rake: 3-5 films a week for about 3-4 months + any videos from youtube and my device began to fail - omnidirectional and forward-directed modes worked fine, and in the dynamic periodically, almost completely disappeared sound.
I suppose the same will happen if you work daily with a jackhammer, ride the subway for several hours, hang out at discos. In general, for a long time to be in very noisy places, where the sound from all sides is almost uniform and the same.
In order for the hearing aid to serve for a long time and reliably, in such situations it is better to switch the device to the omnidirectional or forward directional microphone mode. I also switch my hearing aid to omni-directional mode when I listen to music or watch a movie in Aftershokz Bluez 2.
Aftershokz Bluez 2 headset is a great tool for people who need to talk a lot on the phone and still hear the surrounding sounds. It is also a great and convenient gadget for athletes. In addition, Aftershokz Bluez 2 can be a good helper for people with hearing impairment, especially with conductive hearing loss.
Bluez developers have provided almost everything so that the headset is comfortable to use and manage. Including even such a "trifle" as an opportunity to charge the gadget without removing it from the head and at the same time enjoying the sound of your favorite song. Although ... This is hardly useful, because 6 hours of work in playback mode should be enough for most people for the whole day.
I want to express my gratitude to my friends for their help in preparing the material, numerous comments and suggestions, as well as for what you are. Thanks you!
I also thank the store Dadzhet , for providing the Aftershokz Bluez 2 headset.
Within 14 days from the date of publication of this article, you can purchase Aftershokz Bluez 2 Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones (SoundAround) with a 10% discount using the code GEEKT-KP .
There are technical means to transmit sound in the ear through bone conduction. In other words, utilizing human bone hearing. Such means include headset-headphones Aftershokz bluez 2, which will be discussed in this post from the point of view of a person (me) with a sensorineural hearing loss.
About Aftershokz bluez 2 have repeatedly written on the GT. If you are interested in reviews from people with good hearing, I can advise you to read the posts Review of the AfterShokz Bluez 2 wireless headphones , Sound through the bones. Headset SoundAround and Sound Around Headset with bone conduction technology . In this post, I review the headset from my point of view, as a person with a hearing impairment.
To make it clearer what my hearing is and what kind of person I am (in terms of hearing) I will briefly tell about the structure of the ear, hearing loss, air and bone conduction of sound, as well as about myself and my hearing. I will talk briefly, at the level of "to have a presentation." If you want to know something more, you can ask me a question in the comments. And if you are already "in the subject line", you can skip the next 3-4 sections.
')
Ear structure
The organ of hearing is conventionally divided into three parts - externally (external), middle and inner ear. The external ear is considered to be the auricle, the ear canal (ear canal) and the eardrum. The middle ear is a cavity filled with air behind the eardrum, called a chain of pits - a hammer, anvil, stirrup. And the inner ear consists of the vestibule and the semicircular canals , which are responsible for the sense of balance and body position in space, as well as (!) The cochlea , filled with fluid. It is here in the form of vibration get sound vibrations. Inside the cochlea is the organ of Corti , which is directly responsible for hearing.
Hearing loss
Hearing loss is of three types - neurosensory (or sensorineural), conductive and mixed.
Sensorineural hearing loss is a hearing loss caused by damage to the sound-perceiving apparatus: the inner ear, the pre-cochlear nerve, or the auditory centers of the brain, it occurs due to a disruption of work or the death of sensitive (hair) cells (they are also fluid) in the cochlea and often constant. Simply put, the necrosis of the nerves that transmit sound to the brain, or their complete absence (complete deafness). With neurosensory hearing loss, the only thing that can really help is a hearing aid. Medical treatment for this type of hearing loss can not be.
Conductive hearing loss is a hearing loss associated with the problems of conduction and amplification of sound waves through the outer and middle ear to the inner ear. In this case, the inner ear retains full or partial functioning. In other words, damage to the eardrum, accreted auricle, lack of an ear canal, etc. In some cases, conductive hearing loss is temporary. Depending on the cause of the hearing loss, medical or surgical treatment may help. Conductive hearing loss can also be corrected with hearing aids or middle ear implants.
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss in one person. This type of hearing loss is corrected using a hearing aid and medical treatment.
Sulfur plug
I would like to highlight one more point, although this does not apply to hearing loss as such, but it is not uncommon - a sulfur plug . This accumulation of earwax in the ear canal due to the high secretion of sulfur glands located in it. Those. clogging of the conductive canal with earwax. If from time to time you become hard of hearing and / or there is congestion in your ears (approximately, like when water gets into your ears), you may have a sulfur plug. Everything is simple: go to Laura, he will tell you where to go for ear cleaning (or he will do it himself), they will remove the sulfur there and you will hear again normally. Clean the ears, as a rule, either with water pressure or a special hook. The latter, in my experience, is much more effective.
Below is a graph of an audiogram - mine (sensorineural hearing loss), a person with good hearing, and a person with conductive hearing loss - superimposed on the "table of sounds." A person hears what is below the graphic line. I think the difference in hearing will be clear even to those who are not familiar with hearing aids.
Air and bone conduction
There are two ways to transmit sound waves to receptors - air and bone conduction.
In the case of air conduction, sound waves enter the external auditory canal and cause vibrations of the eardrum transmitted to the auditory ossicles - the malleus, incus and stapes; the displacement of the stirrup base causes fluctuations in the fluids of the inner ear and then oscillations of the cochlea's main membrane.
When bone conduction sound, the source of which is in contact with the head, causes vibration of the temporal bone of the skull, and due to this - again, the vibrations of the main membrane of the cochlea.
Bone conduction has been known for a long time ...
In history, the most famous example is the composer Ludwig van. Beethoven . He was at the peak of his career when he started to have hearing problems. Wanting to regain all the musical possibilities, Ludwig desperately sought a solution to his problem. At that time, the general practice for hearing impairment was the use of the so-called "ear horn" - an archaic invention, suitable only for transmitting extremely loud sounds directly to the ear canal. Beethoven was not completely satisfied with this decision, and used several other devices, for example, wooden sticks and a cane ... But the device on the basis of a steel rod and several clamps fixing one of its ends to the piano became most famous. During the game, Beethoven pinched the other end of the rod with his teeth. The music emanating from the piano created vibrations passing through the steel bar. Later, these vibrations were transmitted along the core to the teeth of Beethoven, and reached the inner ear. This “hearing aid” was, perhaps, the first documented example of bone conduction technology.
A few words about me and my hearing
I have a bad hearing since childhood, sensorineural hearing loss. I currently use the Microtech Focus 50 Power Plus behind-the-ear hearing aid. It is one of the most powerful hearing aids available on the market in July 2015.
Without a hearing aid, high sounds, for example, children (12-14 years old), birds, a bell ringing, I can’t hear at all. A woman’s voice (in most cases) I can only distinguish if a lady will shout loudly, and even that from a distance of centimeters to 50-100, but I don’t disassemble the speech itself. The male voice of loudness is slightly higher than average with the predominance of low frequencies I hear up to half a meter, I can hardly make out speech. Cars - meters to 2, cargo ~ 4-5. The noise of the subway inside the car I hear as a loud whisper.
With a hearing aid with the included high-frequency transfer to a low and dynamic microphone of birds and a bell, I hear up to 3 meters in a quiet environment; in the noise of the city can not hear. Children (4-6 years old) and women - up to 3-4 meters in a quiet environment; or up to 1 meter in the city; intelligibility of the speech of children - sometimes I understand what they say / ask, women - average. The male voice volume is slightly above average with a predominance of low frequencies - up to 5 meters in a quiet environment or up to 1-1.5 meters in the city, speech intelligibility is average. Cars up to 5-7 meters, trucks, maximum, 15. Noise of the subway - quite loud, turn off the machine.
Now, when it became clear to you what ear, hearing loss and hearing are, air and bone conduction, as well as some unusual hearing from me, you can move on to the hero of this post.
What a wonderful gadget this aftershokz bluez 2
Aftershokz bluez 2 is positioned as sports headphones. And this is no accident - the athlete needs to control the situation around. After all, most people rely on hearing, and ordinary headphones with air conduction of sound close the ear canal and we lose control over the surrounding space. Bluez, in contrast to ordinary headphones, uses bone conduction, so the ear canal remains open and we can hear not only the music from the headphones, but everything that happens around us.
Appearance and controls
Bluez made in the form of the rim, which is worn on the head is not on top, like regular headphones, and behind. In the part where we used to see the speakers, there are special pads that create vibrations. The headphones themselves are designed so that these pads are tightly pressed against the temporal bone. Due to these patches, or rather due to vibrations, the sound is transmitted through the bone immediately to the inner ear (cochlea), bypassing the outer (eardrum).
On the left "speaker" is a multi-function button (seen on the next photo.), And on the right - a microphone. On the lower right, on the handle are the controls - an on / off button, a microUSB connector for charging, closed with a plug, and a volume control.
The multi-function button performs various actions, depending on which mode the headset is in. For example, when listening to music a single press - play / pause, double - the next track; With an incoming call, a single press - pick up / hang up, hold for 2 seconds. - reject incoming call. Who is interested in all the options, you can see a scan of the translated instructions from Dadzhet .
The kit of Bluez includes, in addition to the headset itself, a manual in several languages ​​(no Russian), USB -> microUSB charging cable, pouch for storage, snap-on elastic to reduce the bezel, two reflective stickers (visible on the previous photo). Also included in the kit translation instructions from Dadzhet . In principle, more is needed. Knife, sea and stump are not included ;-)
Specifications
- Headphone Type: Wireless
- Mount Type: Occipital Shackle
- Speaker type: sound to vibration transducer
- Sound transmission technology: based on bone conduction
- Sound Mode: Stereo
- Range: 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz
- Maximum sound pressure: 100 ± 3 dB
- Built-in microphone: yes
- Microphone sensitivity: -40dB ± 3 dB
- Connection Type: Bluetooth v3.0
- Transmitter power: 0.5 mW
- Supported profiles: A2DP , AVRCP , HSP , HFP
- Range: up to 10 m
- Battery: Lithium Ion
- Work time: up to 6 hours of music playback, up to 10 d in standby mode
- Charging time: up to 2 hours
- Color: black, red, neon
- Weight: 41 g
The convenience of use
Inside, Bluez is made of soft, pleasant to the touch rubberized plastic. They sit firmly on the head, do not slip and do not fly off, even with very active movements. Head movement does not interfere. If you fasten the gum to reduce the rim and lift your head up strongly, pushing her (head) back (for example, when you take the last sip from a can of cola), then the gum rests against your neck and the "speakers" are shifted to your ears. Those. even with a rubber band, you can raise your head and see what is above. By the way, with an elastic band, the headphones are pressed closer to the head, which also gives a slightly clearer and louder sound. For several hours of listening to music, I did not notice any obvious inconvenience. Although at first it was not very comfortable to wear them with a hearing aid, but I quickly got used to it. Without the device, the headphones are almost not felt.
The whole construction of Bluez is monolithic - does not move, is not adjustable. While using this feature does not cause inconvenience, but you need to take this into account when you put the headphones in a backpack or bag. Although the plastic at Bluez is of high quality and strong, it is necessary to put them in such a way that they are not crushed by anything heavy, otherwise you can damage the arms. Personally, it is quite convenient for me just to pull them around their necks, they will not fall anyway.
The absence of wires plays an important role - it is freedom of movement, relaxation and, of course, great comfort. You do not ask yourself a question that you can hook onto something with a wire and ruin a headset or, even worse, a phone / player. You completely immerse yourself in what you do. And the music ... It sounds like in your head.
I also want to note that playback control is very convenient. I pressed the universal button and Mouzon paused, pressed again and again enjoying the music, pressed twice - the next track. And do not climb into your pocket / backpack / bag for your phone. Calls also did not go unheeded. I will give a real example. My friend and I agreed to drive on the greats and that I 10 minutes before I drive up to him, I will ring. On the way, I listened to the music and for about 10 minutes I pressed the universal button for 2 seconds to activate GoogleNow on my phone and said: “Call Dima Ivanov on your mobile” (all this without pedaling and releasing the steering wheel). And in a second I already heard outgoing beeps. At the same time, the music was automatically paused, and after the conversation continued to play. When I was almost there, I received an incoming call from a friend, the music automatically stopped and all I had to do was press the universal button to answer (or hold it down for 2 seconds to reset). After the conversation, I enjoyed the music again. It is clear that it depends on the phone, and Bluez has nothing to do with it, that it will be so with (almost) any bluetooth headset, but I could not help but note this convenience.
Another convenient and useful "chip" - if you simultaneously press the volume buttons (+ and -), the headset will tell the battery charge level.
In the town
With the ears open, I can’t hear the sound from Bluez at all. But it is worth plugging your ears with earplugs, as the sound becomes loud enough even at 2/3 of the volume. My left ear is always plugged with an individual earbud insert, so for them I always hear the sound from the headphones — it doesn't matter if the hearing aid is on or not. But I plug the right one with an earplug, but in the city I don’t rely on it. So I can hear well the music from the headphones and (due to the hearing aid) everything that happens around me. At the same time on the Sony Xperia Z3C, I do not raise the volume level above 3/4, most often I listen around 2/3, and I can hear the music and the surrounding sounds with comfort. With headphones, gags on the same phone, I made the sound to the maximum.
Houses
At home I use Bluez with a laptop, it has Bluetooth 2.1. Headphones are connected without question, in the process, no complaints. The signal is stable - through two walls the music still plays without interruption.
Movies are much more comfortable to watch than with ordinary headphones or speakers. With ear plugs, even without a hearing aid, I am good at making speech, which for me was both a shock and a wow effect. In VLC (and in any other player that understands multimedia keys), the universal play / pause button also works, which is very convenient when you need to step back or get distracted.
At work
I hardly use Bluez at work, but sometimes there is a desire to listen to music. With a volume of 1/2 - 2/3 (on the phone) I do not create discomfort to my colleagues (I specifically asked).
Running, roller skate, bike
As with walking, with active movements, the headphones sit firmly, do not slip and do not fly off. Music is heard well. Under the helmet, the headphones sit differently. Some helmets lowered the head, for example, from country. Here the back of the helmet in some positions may cling a little to the bezel (depending on the design of the helmet). With a road helmet - you are like in a cap - the “back of the head” is tall, and you don’t get enough of it. I can’t say in fullfaces, there is no such thing. By the way, the cap is also quite comfortable.
Parkour, (rock) climbing, jumping, tumbling and all that
When (rock) climbing, that with a rubber band, that without, it is quite comfortable. Bluez do not shift and do not interfere. In parkour there is a feeling that the headphones are about to fly off, but for me they never fell. The rest, everything is as above - the headphones sit firmly, do not slip and do not fly off, the music is heard well.
My impressions and opinions
Until recently, the only normal opportunity for me to listen to music and watch movies was the speakers, but there were a lot of inconveniences with them: not listening to music at work, on the way too, you have to reckon with the rest at home, and you will not always make a comfortable volume. In ordinary headphones, of course, there is more comfort, but the intelligibility of speech (for example, watching a movie) left much to be desired, although the subtitles help a lot. I also had to make a fairly loud volume, so that those who were in the same room with me decently heard the sound. And for headphones, gags had to shoot the device. I never liked it, especially on the street - you lose all the sounds around you. And I never understood people who walk the streets with their ears stuck listening to music almost at full volume. For me personally, with Bluez, the convenience is that I can not only enjoy the music, but also hear the sounds that surround me. In addition, in ordinary headphones, I hear music in "mono", i.e. one left ear, on which the hearing aid, and with Aftershokz Bluez 2 - in stereo. This is for me the biggest wow effect. Now I listen to music every day on the way to and from work. The train, bus, street - all with a song and ambient sounds. Kayf!
I don’t use calls as such for a long time. I do not understand the full speech. But simple remarks, in the spirit of "yes", "no", "go out", "I approached", etc., spoken by close friends, I understand normally. In the headset, I make such remarks in the same way as if I brought the phone to the microphone of the hearing aid, i.e. quite normal. At the other end, they hear me too well.
A pleasant surprise was the fact that the headphones can work in the process of charging. I always have a PowerBank in my backpack. The other day, Bluez was discharged on the way ... I connected the cable and continue to enjoy the music. Another very pleasant and convenient moment - there is no need to charge the gadget every day - I only have one charge for 2-4 days.
The pros and cons of Aftershokz Bluez 2 I can include the following:
++ Compact and reliable, well and firmly seated on the head;
++ Long time;
++ Work (almost) with any phone, laptop, tablet, player;
++ No discomfort, even with prolonged use;
++ Not only music is heard, but everything that happens around;
++ No wires;
++ Convenient operation;
++ They are not afraid of rain and sweat;
- At a volume of about 3/4, vibration is noticeable, which begins to annoy a little when listening to music for a long time;
- When you put it in a backpack or bag, you need to put them in such a way that it does not overwhelm you;
- Lying on your back, do not put your head on the pillow / grass / sand, and do not listen to the music - the bow rests and the lining moves, with the head restraint in the same way.
People with a good ear , in my opinion, Aftershokz Bluez 2 are suitable when you need to stay in touch or want to listen to music and at the same time you have to hear well what is happening around. Those. for cyclists, skaters, skaters, runners, and in general, athletes, as well as drivers. In other words, for those who are in a situation where it is very important not to miss a sound that can warn against danger. Indeed, in this case, the sound quality of music is not a priority. Also, if you work with your hands most of the time or sit in the office, Bluez can be useful - you don’t have to take them off to talk to someone. You will hear well both the music and the interlocutor's speech.
On the other hand, for people with good hearing, such a feature of Aftershokz Bluez 2 is at the same time a disadvantage, because You will hear not only the music, but all the sounds that surround you. Although ... In my opinion, it is difficult to call it a disadvantage, it is just a feature, not only Aftershokz Bluez 2, but also any other headphones with bone conduction sound.
At the same time, bone conduction also gives a big advantage in noisy places - you can cover your ears with your fingers and calmly talk on the phone, while hearing the interlocutor well, and the sound (and speech) will become noticeably louder than with open ears. And the interlocutor will also hear you well enough, because Bluez provides noise reduction. In order to increase the audibility of you by your interlocutor, you can hold your fingers to your mouth without lifting your right thumb from your ear, then the microphone will be better to “catch” your voice.
Aftershokz Bluez 2 for people with hearing impairment will also be helpful. But here it is worth considering what exactly your hearing loss is. If the neurosensory degree is 1 or 2, then I’m sure you can use Bluez comfortably and most likely you don’t even need to plug your ears to hear the sound well and clearly. It does not matter if you use a hearing aid or not. And if your degree is 3 and higher, then you need to check for each one individually - it all depends on your bone hearing. In the case of conductive hearing loss, if you use a hearing aid with bone conduction, these headphones do not suit you - you will have to choose either a device or headphones, which you hardly want. And if you do not use, then you will surely fall in love with Aftershokz Bluez. On account of mixed hearing loss, it's hard for me to say anything. In any case, be sure to consult with your audiologist and / or hearing aid .
Feedback from friends
Dima (neurosensory hearing loss 3 degrees)
I'll tell you straight away - it's an awesome idea, but here is the realization ... You yourself saw them sitting on me # . Not at all. I lack the constructiveness of the rim, it just does not fit under my head. If the bezel could be adjusted, then it would be great.
As for the sound, here are the real advantages. I nevertheless got the hang of it, found a position for the sound to act as it should, although I had to press them while listening, but not the point. Here in terms of sound, the implementation is super! I can note the amplification of sound. It is very good, I listened to music without devices, it is quite normal. But the bass is not enough, but here you can "play" with the equalizer. We immediately see that the vibration is not your bass in the plugs - it feels a little worse. But given the purpose of the headphones, i.e. to free the ear canal, for the receipt of sounds of the surrounding world, but for you and me this, by the way, is also excellent and, probably, the only possibility without enjoying the devices to enjoy music and, at the same time, to hear what is happening around, "a couple decibels "these are little things.
# Dima's bone of the mastoid process is somewhat large and pushes the rim apart. Therefore, the bow does not rest on the temporal bone and the lining does not fit snugly to the bone, or rather, it is lightly touched. Therefore, the sound transmission is weak. The photo is a little visible.
Nina (audiologist, audiologist and hearing aid in one person)
When I first put on the headphones, I felt astonishment and delight. It struck me that I hear music and at the same time everything that is happening around. For me, as a person with good bone conduction, this is a gift. Previously, walking down the street in ordinary headphones, I always strained a little that there is little that can be heard besides music, especially when crossing the road or trying to talk to someone without taking them off. And with these headphones you can not worry about it. Feelings are about the same as when you go in the car, in the cabin of which the music is playing - you freely talk to the people sitting in it. Or how when you sit in a cafe with friends and calmly lead a conversation with them accompanied by light musical accompaniment. But with headphones there were other, new emotions - I heard birds singing and footsteps on the background of music. The sound seemed clear enough to me. Unlike ordinary headphones, there is no feeling of stuffiness in the ears ( occlusion ), which for me is an important aspect. I also noticed that over time I began to make the sound quieter. I turned down the volume, and after a while it seems to me again that it’s loud and I turn it down again.
(DJ, )
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Aftershokz Bluez 2
Separately, I want to stay on conductive hearing loss. With conductive hearing loss, bone marrow often remains at a good level, close to a person with good hearing. But, due to damage (often) to the eardrum, airborne hearing deteriorates dramatically. Therefore, people with conductive hearing loss are likely to hear well in Aftershokz Bluez 2 both music and speech.
Remember Beethoven? This is a good example of conductive hearing loss. Another example ... A year ago, on GT, there was an article " Young Beethoven: a deaf boy with Aftershokz headphones playing a synthesizer ." This boy has microtia , while his inner ear is not damaged, it is also considered conductive hearing loss.
IMPORTANT : Aftershokz - headset-headphones, they are not are hearing aid.
Aftershokz Bluez 2 instead of a hearing aid?
Bluez does not replace the hearing aid , though, if only because they do not independently amplify the sound further. With a healthy inner ear, using Bluez allows the hearing impaired to listen to music, watch movies and talk on the phone. But what about ordinary life, ordinary conversations with people? Bluez useless? My answer is not quite, you can benefit here too! Thanks to Moscow guys from IT ForYou and their program PETRALEX Hearing Aidwhich is available for Android and iOS, a person with conductive hearing loss can use Aftershokz bluez 2 as a hearing aid with bone conduction. Also, this program can be used with a conventional headset with air conduction, which can be useful for people with sensorineural hearing loss of 1-2 degrees. PETRALEX Hearing Aid does not just enhance the sound from the microphone. This program contains quite complex and powerful algorithms that pre-process the sound, taking into account the user's hearing. But it is worth bearing in mind that headset microphones work at small distances, unlike hearing aid microphones. There can also be a 1-second delay from the moment when the interlocutor said something, until the moment when the sound enters the ear from the headset. I don’t know for sure, but nothing seems to be done here, such is "blue tooth ". Perhaps this information will be useful to someone.
Once again I want to note: neither Aftershokz bluez 2, nor PETRALEX Hearing Aid, nor even their joint use is a substitute for a hearing aid . These are just tools that can be useful for people with hearing impairment, but no more.
Warning to hearing aid users
The microphone of modern digital hearing aids, as a rule, has 2 - 3 modes of operation - omnidirectional, dynamic and forward-directed (less common than the first two). But the point is this: if, with active dynamic mode, you listen to music or watch movies in headphones that are worn on the ear, then this leads to a very fast breakdown of the dynamic microphone mode. I myself stepped on this rake: 3-5 films a week for about 3-4 months + any videos from youtube and my device began to fail - omnidirectional and forward-directed modes worked fine, and in the dynamic periodically, almost completely disappeared sound.
I suppose the same will happen if you work daily with a jackhammer, ride the subway for several hours, hang out at discos. In general, for a long time to be in very noisy places, where the sound from all sides is almost uniform and the same.
In order for the hearing aid to serve for a long time and reliably, in such situations it is better to switch the device to the omnidirectional or forward directional microphone mode. I also switch my hearing aid to omni-directional mode when I listen to music or watch a movie in Aftershokz Bluez 2.
Conclusion
Aftershokz Bluez 2 headset is a great tool for people who need to talk a lot on the phone and still hear the surrounding sounds. It is also a great and convenient gadget for athletes. In addition, Aftershokz Bluez 2 can be a good helper for people with hearing impairment, especially with conductive hearing loss.
Bluez developers have provided almost everything so that the headset is comfortable to use and manage. Including even such a "trifle" as an opportunity to charge the gadget without removing it from the head and at the same time enjoying the sound of your favorite song. Although ... This is hardly useful, because 6 hours of work in playback mode should be enough for most people for the whole day.
I want to express my gratitude to my friends for their help in preparing the material, numerous comments and suggestions, as well as for what you are. Thanks you!
I also thank the store Dadzhet , for providing the Aftershokz Bluez 2 headset.
Within 14 days from the date of publication of this article, you can purchase Aftershokz Bluez 2 Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones (SoundAround) with a 10% discount using the code GEEKT-KP .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/395251/
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