Gadget Daddy: Finally, headphones aren’t an excuse for not hearing mom - The Ledger

Bone-conduction headphones were designed for adults. But now, they are also available for the smaller heads of children.

About eight years ago, I wrote a column about headphones that didn't use earbuds to channel the sound into the ear canal. Aftershokz was the brand, and it worked through what is called "bone conduction."

Instead of earbuds, the Aftershokz used pads with small speakers in them. The pads are about the size of a quarter, and they fit a bit in front of the ears. The two ear pads were connected by a stiff plastic-like wire that ran behind the user's neck, while the ear pads rested so the jaw bone picked up the sound.

And, as the old song goes, "The neck bone's connected to the jaw bone; the jaw bone's connected to the head bone..." Let there be music.

The advantage, of course, is that joggers, walkers and bicyclists can now listen to music without having surrounding noises blocked by earbuds.

By 2012, when I was writing about the subject, people not being aware of their surroundings had become a bad problem: "The January issue of Injury Prevention had the results of a six-year study of serious injuries sustained by pedestrians while listening to headphones. Injuries more than tripled during the study’s period from January 2004 to mid 2011."

These bone-conduction headphones were designed for adults. A child's head was too small for the adult-size headphones to press firmly enough against the side of the head. But now, they are also available for the smaller heads of children.

One such is myFirst Bone Conduction Wireless Headphones from Oaxis. They sell for about $80, with a wired version listing for about half that price. The wire connects the headphones with an MP3 player or similar device. This column concentrates on the wireless version.

The headphones weigh just under one ounce. It is about four inches from ear-to-ear when not in use. The wireless headset can be separated by about 40 feet before losing contact with its wireless Bluetooth audio source. Charging the battery to full power takes about two hours and provides about five hours of play.

The headset sounds good. It can even improve hearing for those with impairment, depending on what the impairment. Meanwhile, those nearby may hear a faint sound, if that.

The charging setup is pretty unique. Instead of the charging cord fitting into a slot, the cord is magnetically attached for charging with magnets on the headset. The method takes advantage of the like-magnet-poles-repel rule so the unit can't be hooked up backwards. The downside is that if the cord is misplaced, a replacement could be hard to find.

Since younger ears are more sensitive to noise levels, the maximum level setting for the myFirst Bone Connector series is 85 decibels. That is a level established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to be deemed safe for listening for eight-hour work periods.

Summing up: A headset for kids that they can wear, but still hear what's going on around them. Yes, indeed. They can hear their parents now. Whether they'll listen is another matter.

For more information, visit the company's website: www.myfirst.tech.

Lonnie Brown can be reached at LedgerDatabase@aol.com.

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Gadget Daddy: Finally, headphones aren’t an excuse for not hearing mom - The Ledger
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