While many people want “noise cancelling headphones” while on airplanes or in noisy environments, there are other times when you genuinely want the open-ear listening experience, which Shokz famously delivers, not just through its 9th-generation bone conduction headsets, but its new DirectPitch OpenFit headset too, with Coco Zhong and Freya Chang of Shokz joining me in a video interview (embedded a little further below) to explain more!
Bone conduction technology to deliver sound has been around for decades, even in use during WWII so soldiers could hear and be heard on the very noisy battlefield, but today, having situational awareness means the opposite of active noise cancellation, for very purposeful reasons.
If you’ve ever heard of pedestrians aimlessly walking across the road, not able to hear the traffic around them, and even ended up in accidents because they were in their own sonic worlds, then you know one of the scenarios were bone conduction and direct pitch headsets truly excel, as they deliver the audio experience you desire – without blocking out the rest of the world.
What you achieve and receive is situational awareness, which modern bone conduction pioneer Shokz calls the Open-Ear listening experience, which “embodies the principle of being open to your surroundings and nature and allows you to immerse yourself in music while remaining open to the world.”
This is the opposite of headphones that “chase an isolated listening experience”, which definitely have their time and place, but in other scenarios, you definitely want to be open to easy communication, to hearing the traffic around you, or to be more aware of your surroundings, even if you’re listening to streaming media or having a conversation on the phone.
Available in over 60 countries and regions, with over 7 million customers, nearly 3000 patents applied for and over 950 granted, Shokz has progressed through nine generations of bone conduction headsets, having launched the OpenRun range, and this year introduced its new OpenFit headphones that uses a different type of open-ear technology, which the company calls DirectPitch.
More details on the range and technology are below, but first, let’s take a look at my video interview with Coco Zhong, Shokz Marketing Manager for Australia and New Zealand, and Freya Chang, the Product Marketing Manager for the OpenFit range, which is embedded immediately below – please watch and read on!
So, how does Shokz define the Open-Ear listening experience?
The company explains if you’ve ever wanted to enjoy your music while being aware of your surroundings, then Open-Ear headphones may be the solution you’re looking for.
Unlike traditional earbuds, which sit in your ear canal and block out external sounds, Shokz explains its open-ear headphones use Bone Conduction Technology or DirectPitch Technology to transmit sound to your ears without obstructing them, which allows you to stay aware of your surroundings while still enjoying your favorite tunes.
Open-Ear listening delivers a personalised and immersive audio experience that doesn’t isolate you from the world around you, while letting you hear ambient sounds while enjoying your favorite music or podcast, making them perfect for everyday use.
And because you can enjoy your music without blocking out ambient sounds, you can be running on a busy street, hiking in the woods, or just going for a run around the block, and be kept safer, sharper, and more connected to the world around you, while actually being in comfort, and not worrying that your expensive AirPods or other earbuds are going to pop out of your ears, fall into the grass or disappear down the drain.
And because they leave the ear canal open, all of the Shokz range alleviates the pressure that can build up with in-ear headphones, keeping you much more comfortable – especially if you’re someone that just find their ears compatible with earbuds of any brand.
So, while bone conduction technology is well known to use vibrations sent through the cheekbones, delivering sound directly to the inner ear and bypassing the eardrum, the new OpenFit headlines use a cutting-edge technology the company calls DirectPitch.
Billed as revolutionising sound transmission by precisely directing sound waves and creating an optimised sound field with varying pressure distribution, Shokz explains its harnesses the principle of sound wave superposition to ensure an enhanced audio experience with precise directionality and immersive sound quality.
In addition, Shokz explains its DirectPitch technology is the newest iteration of its LeakSlayer technology, which actually originated in 2013. Both technologies stem from the company’s relentless pursuit of improved Open-Ear listening, aiming to minimise sound leakage and enhance audio quality.
From a technical standpoint, Shokz notes both DirectPitch and LeakSlayer employ the principle of acoustic phase cancellation, whereby sound waves are intoduced with opposite phases to counteract sound leakage, thus achieving the remarkable effect of antiphase cancellation, which significantly reduces audio leakage, this ensuring immersive and uninterrupted listening.
You can learn more about Shokz’ technologies and milestones here, with its products widely available in Australia through JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, the Shokzwebsite, and other retailers.
