Decent behind-the-neck open on-ear Headphones for Cycling

[Florianro]

Hello,
Do you know any decent on-ear headphones for cycling? I wear them under the helmet. I hate in-ear and need open ones since I must still hear the traffic... Bluetooth and waterproof would be good as well.
Right now I own a pair of "Kamtron" headphones. They look similar to "Cootree Wireless Headphones". But I thought there might be headphones with a better sound quality...

thanks,
Florian

 

[Helicopter]

I have a pair of Koss KSC25s and a pair of KSC35 wireless for cycling. Both are good as they don't interfere with helmet and you can still hear cars and stuff. The 25 are more comfortable with soft meatus clips, but the 35 are wireless. Pick your poison.

 

[Florianro]

I gonna try the 35... Thanks!

 

[mononoaware]

Does anybody remember these?
(Sony MDR-G42LP)

And I specifically remember them being referred to as “street style” which made you think they were even cooler looking.

I remember they had lots of Bass too, probably boosted uncontrolled Bass, but more quantity than you would expect.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

Aftershokz are ok ish.
completely open ear (they are bone conduction) which means you hear the traffic. For me this is more important than the sound quality (which is not great)

 

[kipman725]

I also have the Kamtron bluetooth headphones, I find them acceptable for the application. To be honest they are much better than any older wired design I have tried and will be far better than bone conduction headphones. Perhaps try some EQ?

 

[Florianro]

I tried bone headphones, they didnt work. Soundlevel far to low.
Which eq can you recommend for android? Can i measure the eq settings somehow or is it more "gut feeling"?

 

[kipman725]

you would need one of those artificial heads ( https://www.minidsp.com/products/acoustic-measurement/ears-headphone-jig ) to measure the headphones. Foobar has a basic EQ included but as I haven't tried any EQ I can't offer any specific recommendations.

 

[Sonny1]

Aftershokz are ok ish.
completely open ear (they are bone conduction) which means you hear the traffic. For me this is more important than the sound quality (which is not great)

Thanks! I was just looking at these today. I have several BT headphones but they are not suitable for cycling because they isolate sound too much and are unsafe. I’m willing to trade sound quality for the ability to hear cars, cyclists and pedestrians.

 

[Florianro]

@Sir Sanders Zingmore Are the aftershox loud enough? I have a copy from china which is not loud enough.
Thanks,
Florian

 

[thefsb]

Hello,
Do you know any decent on-ear headphones for cycling? I wear them under the helmet. I hate in-ear and need open ones since I must still hear the traffic... Bluetooth and waterproof would be good as well.

I tried bone headphones, they didnt work. Soundlevel far to low.

Curious set of requirements: Over-ear, high SPL, high SQ, able to hear traffic.

At first I thought you'll be moving slowly in a quiet environment because there will otherwise be a high level of noise so that high SQ won't be appreciable. But you also mentioned listening to traffic.

How about one of the clip models from Koss has a few other models that might work for you. https://koss.com/products/bt221i-bluetooth-ear-clips

Please be careful. Maintaining situational awareness is very important. The higher the music level, the more environmental signals are masked and they might convey significant information.

 

[thefsb]

@Sir Sanders Zingmore Are the aftershox loud enough? I have a copy from china which is not loud enough.
Thanks,
Florian

I use Aftershox Trekz Air a lot, nearly every day. It's a well designed product and seems robust and water resistant.

But only for spoken word. I haven't tried cycling. The wind noise when cycling is very high and I can't imagine them working well for it despite that they are marketed to cyclists.

The SQ isn't much good for music, but for audiobooks and podcasts its fine. And they can't play loud. I can't hear much if environmental noise is high, e.g. if a garbage truck is driving by.

Its the only thing I've tried that leaves me feeling comfortable that my situational awareness is intack. If I feel that, for example, somebody says something nearby but out of sight and I can't hear it, that makes me uncomfortable. Partly this is because my dogs are somewhat reactive and I want to be aware of things before they are. But even so, walking around the city without being able to properly hear is uncomfortable for me. Clearly this is a personal thing. Plenty people wear closed over-ear phones in the city.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

@Sir Sanders Zingmore Are the aftershox loud enough? I have a copy from china which is not loud enough.
Thanks,
Florian

I only use mine for running and they are plenty loud enough.
I can’t comment about cycling from personal experience but I did buy mine after a work colleague who cycles, recommended them.

 

[KingRolo]

Have you tried cats ears https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Ears-Cla...ocphy=9031933&hvtargid=pla-569943316531&psc=1

 

[Sonny1]

Have you tried cats ears https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Ears-Cla...ocphy=9031933&hvtargid=pla-569943316531&psc=1

I like the thick version because they make me look like 70’s Elvis on the bike. They are cheap, I’ll have to give them a try. Looking dumb has never slowed me down.

 

[AudioSQ]

I always get a lot of wind noise with headphones. Maybe I just haven't tried the right ones. I also talk a lot while riding so a blue tooth speaker in the water bottle cage works better for me.

But more importantly were are the photos of the bikes? Mines not very exciting and truthfully I've barely ridden it as I've been struggling with a knee issue for a while. Scott Addict 20

 

[Sonny1]

I always get a lot of wind noise with headphones. Maybe I just haven't tried the right ones. I also talk a lot while riding so a blue tooth speaker in the water bottle cage works better for me.

But more importantly were are the photos of the bikes? Mines not very exciting and truthfully I've barely ridden it as I've been struggling with a knee issue for a while. Scott Addict 20

View attachment 149455

Nice bike! Mine is a bit dusty because I’ve been riding on a limestone trail near my house. Will post pictures later but it’s not nearly as pretty as your bike! Good luck with the knee.

 

[AudioSQ]

That's right after I bought it. Mine is currently hanging in the garage and is covered in dust.. sawdust from sanding speakers.

I've never been a huge fan of the colorway, it makes me think business casual. It just had all the features I wanted and I got a great deal because it had a paint chip on it behind the crank. I think it's been a year since I've even gone for a ride. I need to sign up for an MS 150 for some motivation. I've certainly thought of selling it to buy more audio gear.

 

[fungd]

I cycle 20-40 miles a week with Aftershokz Aeropex headphones. I mainly listen to podcasts, make phone calls, but I occasionally listen to music. From an audiophile perspective, the sound quality for music isn't good, but I personally find it tolerable. Keep in mind, having your ears open means that you can hear traffic, emergency vehicles, other cyclists ("On your left!"), etc, so it's well worth the compromised audio quality IMHO. And in several states, it's illegal to wear headphones covering both ears.

The other thing to keep in mind is that it's a whole lot like listening to the car radio with the windows down. High velocity drowns out the sound, and road noise covers the low end/bass. When cycling down a hill at 30-40 miles an hour, I just put it all on pause.

If anyone is wondering what the differences are between the high and low end Aftershokz headphones, I owned the Titanium before upgrading to the Aeropex. At first, I thought that although the Aeropex sounded better, there wasn't a huge difference. After awhile, I realized that I could hear my podcasts clearer when riding at higher speeds or in windy conditions.

One last data point: bought a pair of bone conduction headphones off of Amazon for my son; these seem like knockoffs. I haven't tried them, but he reports that his friends can't hear him when he tries to talk on the phone. +1 for Aftershokz.

 

[KingRolo]

I like the thick version because they make me look like 70’s Elvis on the bike. They are cheap, I’ll have to give them a try. Looking dumb has never slowed me down.

Never slowed Eddy down!!