Aftershokz Xtrainerz Swimming Headphones with Bone-Conducted Sound - Cool
Summer turned out to be so-so, so for almost a month I went to swim in sea water and bask in the sun. This time, screams like “Hot Corn” were clearly audible to me because the earphones with bone conduction did not block my ears.
And if without jokes, then almost all this month I was swimming in the new from our brand Aftershokz, Xtrainerz - a waterproof player for swimmers. A short story about this is inside.
Short introduction about new products
This year, at least three new gadgets from Aftershokz were to enter the market. Firstly, the lineup of “classic” bone earphones for running and cycling should simply have been updated. Sunglasses were also announced - like a new category of gadgets. And finally, it was expected that other athletes, in particular swimming fans, would also receive their device.
The glasses were issued in the form of test samples, and we talked about them, but so far it seems that both users and the company itself have questions for them, so there is still no Optishokz in mass sales.
The line of “ordinary” headphones has replenished with a new flagship - the Aeropex model, which, despite the high price, is breaking records and has become an absolute hit. This model has received the most attention in the international press and appears regularly in reviews.
And the headphone-player for swimming came out, which will be discussed in this material - the Xtrainerz model.
Why did we choose Xtrainerz instead of Aeropex for writing?
A couple of words, of course, we need to say about the new flagship, and we will do it, however, to date, a lot of articles have been written about Aeropex. The model was the most expected from the point of view of logic: it was time to update the range, improve it, it happened, so the geek publications, of course, took up first of all this copy.
Of the improvements, as usual, sound, leak isolation, construction.
Short
It has become even easier and more convenient. Headphones still have a titanium headband, but if the previous version (Air), for example, inherited the speakers from the Trekz Titanium model, then for the new version it turned out almost the opposite: the main form of the headband came from Air, but the speakers were redone.
Now they are oval. The redesigned form gave an even more comfortable and tight fit on the head. As for comfort, the new radiator gives really even less vibration.
There is practically no external sound leak. This is confirmed by both reviews and personal experience. Personal experience may not always be accurate, because "you never know, but suddenly I'm deaf or the people around me." For example, a quote in Google translation:
It is curious at the same time that. Earlier, compensation for sound leakage was achieved by special holes, from where the antiphase of sound came from: such holes were located at the edges of the speaker. Now, due to improved protection (IP67), there are no holes. In theory, we should have returned to the “rumble” of the first version of Bluez, but this did not happen!
Since it is professionally difficult for me to describe the subtleties of sound, I still have to refer to the sources. In general, the sound is recognized as the best in the lineup.
Engadget writes that “I must warn people who are new to bone conduction headphones. Despite the fact that they sound great, they can not be compared with in-ear headphones or in-ear headphones. ”
Androidcentral says more in depth.
The main event with Aeropex is the improvement in sound quality. Unlike its predecessors, Aeropex distributes bone conduction throughout the pillow resting on your head. As a result, the conductive surface expands significantly. This means that most of your skull absorbs sound and Aeropex can do a little more to provide better quality.
In my weak hearing, I can say that I almost do not distinguish between ordinary and such sounds. Plus there is still such a point that I would like to note.
There was more vibration before, and that's true. And users, for example, were somewhat outraged at Trekz Titanium about this. As a result, in order to reduce vibration in the Air model, there was such a trick: the sound was artificially slightly reduced. First of all, it fit into the concept of security: the headphones are quieter, the surrounding world is better heard. Secondly, without deep processing of iron, this gave less vibration.
Here, the sound became significantly louder and richer, but the vibrations are even less than in models of previous years.
Of the additional important improvements, the IP67 protection standard should be noted once again, which makes these headphones even better protected from moisture, dust, and splashes and are literally “related” to them with the Xtrainerz model ( IP68 ). And we are provided with a smooth transition to a short story about the headphones for the pool.
Aftershokz xtrainerz
To begin with, a couple of thoughts about what it really is and what kind of restriction these headphones impose on the user. Xtrainerz does not have Bluetooth, which seems to be both bad and good. The bad thing is that “they could have reached Aeropex for another 1 IP point” and there would have been no problems. Universal headphones are better than a waterproof player. And before us is essentially a waterproof MP3 player.
That is, you can only listen to downloaded music (4GB). On the other hand, sound quality is now independent of compression codecs, and taking into account the supported formats (MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, FLAC), it seems like a good thing ?!
Water protection
We already wrote about whether the headphones with bone conduction are protected from moisture, and even conducted tests. Then, in 2016, we took the latest news and went to the shower and pool.
In a good way, even though water was not a guarantee at that moment, it could be said that the protection against water of all bone conduction is quite reliable: why should it get wet? The copper plate was decently sealed and dried out quickly.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that IP67 from IP68 is still different. The last index assumes work on a dive lasting more than half an hour and to a depth of more than 1 meter . And then a fair question ...
My experience of swimming, whether it’s a swimming pool, whether it’s a vacation on the sea, is floundering on the surface and maximum lying on the water in a mask where the head is not completely covered with water. Yes, and in September, more than half an hour - you start no, no, and freeze. That is, it seems like Aeropex headphones - would be a great choice for me, but whether Bluetooth will reach the shore is another question ...
One way or another, Xtrainerz is still better prepared for swimming without a smartphone, and for short-term amateur diving, it may also be suitable if the suit allows.
Convenience
The expediency of using headphones while swimming, I will not undertake to discuss. The only thing I can say is that the beach is full of people with players, and probably, if they had the opportunity not to remove the player before swimming, they would use it.
During rest - this is really a very convenient solution. The design is convenient and light, so it reminds of itself only by the fact that you hear music, so only a strange playlist that I got from a previous tester can strain you, for example ...
With masks, glasses such headphones get along perfectly and you do not worry about their presence on your head. The only controversial point was diving, and here are a few words.
Firstly, in Anapa there are not many places on the beaches where you can jump. After one of the tests, now, unfortunately, I have to go to the X-ray: not very deep. Secondly, I’m always a little afraid of a big shove in the sea myself, so maybe the tests will seem to you not entirely convincing, but what happened, it worked out.
There was such a bridge not in shallow depth, so I did not risk downhill.
Jumped "bomb". With a bomb, he knocks the headphones off his head, which is generally logical, probably. Yes, and if we assume, then any other headphones can (and should) knock out ears when jumping from a height.
Offshore was such a protruding plate.
Swam without a tape measure, so by eye, probably plus or minus half a meter into the surface, as it seemed to me - this is equivalent to a side in the pool. If you jump upside down from here, such as a "fish", then the ears will hold the ears and the Xtrainerz will not go anywhere.
Another thing is that we still have headphones for swimming, and not for diving with a “bomb” in unverified places with the risk of breaking our legs.
Small subtotal
Like headphones for swimming, or a player for swimming, or rather, I liked the Xtrainerz. Perhaps the only mistake I made was to take gray headphones to a pebble beach. The rest is an excellent choice, and I am ready to vouch for it.
The sound for my perception is excellent, the memory is abundant, and from the point of view of autonomy everything seemed very worthy. I turned on the headphones at noon and turned it off myself at midnight: in this mode, they work without interruption absolutely 1 time.
That is, if you use them powerfully during training in the pool or just turn them off when they are not needed, then five to six days - they are obliged to stretch. They do not create any extra discomfort that can be critical on the water. Plus, again, open ears!
It’s clear that you don’t need to listen to the environment in water, probably, and under water it is generally not relevant (many people use plugs as well), but here's how to look. My script, for example, “popped up - look around”: banana boats, children ... Yes, and in the pool, it probably makes sense to listen to other swimmers for safety.
That is, "open ears" when swimming on the surface for me were valuable.
External features
Structurally, this is Aeropex. We have the same flexible design with which we have been familiar for several years, but with a new form of speakers.
They stretch and bend superbly. There are few buttons:
Yes, and objectively speaking, the hands are still busy in the water: usually all the settings are somehow done on the shore. The only button that you can quickly use, perhaps, is something like an equalizer. It is conveniently and separately located, as it were, “from the end” of the battery compartment:
It can be felt quite quickly and simply in the water, and with it you can slightly change the sound of the headphones, depending on where you are relative to the water line.
The only radical difference (in both versions) from previous versions is charging cables. The connectors here are different, but to charge the Xtrainerz you generally need to use a special “box”, which of course is included. The connector itself is as follows:
Especially nowhere to leak water, and everything dries up very quickly. The last photo shows sand. Headphones also specially visited the sandy beach to understand what was happening with the dust, etc. Again, I can say that nothing clogged, it was not clogged: it is not difficult to brush them off, and rinsing in the sea is no problem.
A small summary
This year, we probably won’t wait for three new products from Aftershokz, but two of them are already on the market and are already finding their customers very well. Both of them are made in the form of headphones, although the swimming model is an MP3 player, in essence, with the IP68 protection standard, support for many formats and 4 GB of memory.
I can’t call myself direct super-music lover, so as not to part with the headphones, but when there is absolutely nothing to do - in the water - listening to music was a good bonus, therefore, taking Xtrainerz, I think I made a good choice. Despite the “color error”, the headphones both left and returned, I did not lose them either on land or in water.
Yes, in certain cases it is necessary to jump with them carefully, but this seems understandable and cannot be called a drawback, perhaps. I was pleased with the sound, although I cannot rule out that there will be users who, during swimming, want to present some audiophile complaints to the music being played.
The playlist I inherited included compositions of very different fries from pop to international rock music, and in each case the detail was at a very decent level, despite the conditions of reproduction in general.
In comfort, which is important to me in the water, Xtrainerz is completely satisfied: something superfluous on the head except the mask seemed to be distracting or inconvenient, but there were absolutely no negative feelings. Plus, I separately praise them for their autonomy.
As a specialized gadget - they can be recommended, especially since the season when we move to the pools from open water is already in full swing. For those who are interested in buying, we, as usual, prepared a coupon for a 15% discount on the entire assortment: AFT15 until 29/09/19.
You can see the entire current Aftershokz assortment now on a separate site . The coupon is also valid there.
And if without jokes, then almost all this month I was swimming in the new from our brand Aftershokz, Xtrainerz - a waterproof player for swimmers. A short story about this is inside.
Short introduction about new products
This year, at least three new gadgets from Aftershokz were to enter the market. Firstly, the lineup of “classic” bone earphones for running and cycling should simply have been updated. Sunglasses were also announced - like a new category of gadgets. And finally, it was expected that other athletes, in particular swimming fans, would also receive their device.
The glasses were issued in the form of test samples, and we talked about them, but so far it seems that both users and the company itself have questions for them, so there is still no Optishokz in mass sales.
The line of “ordinary” headphones has replenished with a new flagship - the Aeropex model, which, despite the high price, is breaking records and has become an absolute hit. This model has received the most attention in the international press and appears regularly in reviews.
And the headphone-player for swimming came out, which will be discussed in this material - the Xtrainerz model.
Why did we choose Xtrainerz instead of Aeropex for writing?
A couple of words, of course, we need to say about the new flagship, and we will do it, however, to date, a lot of articles have been written about Aeropex. The model was the most expected from the point of view of logic: it was time to update the range, improve it, it happened, so the geek publications, of course, took up first of all this copy.
Of the improvements, as usual, sound, leak isolation, construction.
Short
- What happened to the design
It has become even easier and more convenient. Headphones still have a titanium headband, but if the previous version (Air), for example, inherited the speakers from the Trekz Titanium model, then for the new version it turned out almost the opposite: the main form of the headband came from Air, but the speakers were redone.
Now they are oval. The redesigned form gave an even more comfortable and tight fit on the head. As for comfort, the new radiator gives really even less vibration.
- What happened to the leak
There is practically no external sound leak. This is confirmed by both reviews and personal experience. Personal experience may not always be accurate, because "you never know, but suddenly I'm deaf or the people around me." For example, a quote in Google translation:
On the other hand, the sound leak seems to have been improved. I don’t hear them at an average volume level of three feet, and none of my colleagues in the office commented on my strange musical taste (unless they all talk about it on the secret Slack channel). Verge
It is curious at the same time that. Earlier, compensation for sound leakage was achieved by special holes, from where the antiphase of sound came from: such holes were located at the edges of the speaker. Now, due to improved protection (IP67), there are no holes. In theory, we should have returned to the “rumble” of the first version of Bluez, but this did not happen!
- What happened to the sound
Since it is professionally difficult for me to describe the subtleties of sound, I still have to refer to the sources. In general, the sound is recognized as the best in the lineup.
Engadget writes that “I must warn people who are new to bone conduction headphones. Despite the fact that they sound great, they can not be compared with in-ear headphones or in-ear headphones. ”
Androidcentral says more in depth.
The main event with Aeropex is the improvement in sound quality. Unlike its predecessors, Aeropex distributes bone conduction throughout the pillow resting on your head. As a result, the conductive surface expands significantly. This means that most of your skull absorbs sound and Aeropex can do a little more to provide better quality.
The result is crystal clear highs and midrange, with real bass reaching your ears. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not some kind of bass that my dubstep could find enough to ignite them. This is not a "bass", but unlike other headsets with bone conduction, the bass is not completely crushed or turned into an uncomfortable vibration.
In my weak hearing, I can say that I almost do not distinguish between ordinary and such sounds. Plus there is still such a point that I would like to note.
There was more vibration before, and that's true. And users, for example, were somewhat outraged at Trekz Titanium about this. As a result, in order to reduce vibration in the Air model, there was such a trick: the sound was artificially slightly reduced. First of all, it fit into the concept of security: the headphones are quieter, the surrounding world is better heard. Secondly, without deep processing of iron, this gave less vibration.
Here, the sound became significantly louder and richer, but the vibrations are even less than in models of previous years.
A couple more reviews on the topic:
Of the additional important improvements, the IP67 protection standard should be noted once again, which makes these headphones even better protected from moisture, dust, and splashes and are literally “related” to them with the Xtrainerz model ( IP68 ). And we are provided with a smooth transition to a short story about the headphones for the pool.
Aftershokz xtrainerz
To begin with, a couple of thoughts about what it really is and what kind of restriction these headphones impose on the user. Xtrainerz does not have Bluetooth, which seems to be both bad and good. The bad thing is that “they could have reached Aeropex for another 1 IP point” and there would have been no problems. Universal headphones are better than a waterproof player. And before us is essentially a waterproof MP3 player.
That is, you can only listen to downloaded music (4GB). On the other hand, sound quality is now independent of compression codecs, and taking into account the supported formats (MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, FLAC), it seems like a good thing ?!
Water protection
We already wrote about whether the headphones with bone conduction are protected from moisture, and even conducted tests. Then, in 2016, we took the latest news and went to the shower and pool.
In a good way, even though water was not a guarantee at that moment, it could be said that the protection against water of all bone conduction is quite reliable: why should it get wet? The copper plate was decently sealed and dried out quickly.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that IP67 from IP68 is still different. The last index assumes work on a dive lasting more than half an hour and to a depth of more than 1 meter . And then a fair question ...
My experience of swimming, whether it’s a swimming pool, whether it’s a vacation on the sea, is floundering on the surface and maximum lying on the water in a mask where the head is not completely covered with water. Yes, and in September, more than half an hour - you start no, no, and freeze. That is, it seems like Aeropex headphones - would be a great choice for me, but whether Bluetooth will reach the shore is another question ...
One way or another, Xtrainerz is still better prepared for swimming without a smartphone, and for short-term amateur diving, it may also be suitable if the suit allows.
Convenience
The expediency of using headphones while swimming, I will not undertake to discuss. The only thing I can say is that the beach is full of people with players, and probably, if they had the opportunity not to remove the player before swimming, they would use it.
During rest - this is really a very convenient solution. The design is convenient and light, so it reminds of itself only by the fact that you hear music, so only a strange playlist that I got from a previous tester can strain you, for example ...
With masks, glasses such headphones get along perfectly and you do not worry about their presence on your head. The only controversial point was diving, and here are a few words.
Firstly, in Anapa there are not many places on the beaches where you can jump. After one of the tests, now, unfortunately, I have to go to the X-ray: not very deep. Secondly, I’m always a little afraid of a big shove in the sea myself, so maybe the tests will seem to you not entirely convincing, but what happened, it worked out.
There was such a bridge not in shallow depth, so I did not risk downhill.
Jumped "bomb". With a bomb, he knocks the headphones off his head, which is generally logical, probably. Yes, and if we assume, then any other headphones can (and should) knock out ears when jumping from a height.
Offshore was such a protruding plate.
Swam without a tape measure, so by eye, probably plus or minus half a meter into the surface, as it seemed to me - this is equivalent to a side in the pool. If you jump upside down from here, such as a "fish", then the ears will hold the ears and the Xtrainerz will not go anywhere.
Another thing is that we still have headphones for swimming, and not for diving with a “bomb” in unverified places with the risk of breaking our legs.
Small subtotal
Like headphones for swimming, or a player for swimming, or rather, I liked the Xtrainerz. Perhaps the only mistake I made was to take gray headphones to a pebble beach. The rest is an excellent choice, and I am ready to vouch for it.
The sound for my perception is excellent, the memory is abundant, and from the point of view of autonomy everything seemed very worthy. I turned on the headphones at noon and turned it off myself at midnight: in this mode, they work without interruption absolutely 1 time.
That is, if you use them powerfully during training in the pool or just turn them off when they are not needed, then five to six days - they are obliged to stretch. They do not create any extra discomfort that can be critical on the water. Plus, again, open ears!
It’s clear that you don’t need to listen to the environment in water, probably, and under water it is generally not relevant (many people use plugs as well), but here's how to look. My script, for example, “popped up - look around”: banana boats, children ... Yes, and in the pool, it probably makes sense to listen to other swimmers for safety.
That is, "open ears" when swimming on the surface for me were valuable.
External features
Structurally, this is Aeropex. We have the same flexible design with which we have been familiar for several years, but with a new form of speakers.
They stretch and bend superbly. There are few buttons:
Yes, and objectively speaking, the hands are still busy in the water: usually all the settings are somehow done on the shore. The only button that you can quickly use, perhaps, is something like an equalizer. It is conveniently and separately located, as it were, “from the end” of the battery compartment:
It can be felt quite quickly and simply in the water, and with it you can slightly change the sound of the headphones, depending on where you are relative to the water line.
The only radical difference (in both versions) from previous versions is charging cables. The connectors here are different, but to charge the Xtrainerz you generally need to use a special “box”, which of course is included. The connector itself is as follows:
Especially nowhere to leak water, and everything dries up very quickly. The last photo shows sand. Headphones also specially visited the sandy beach to understand what was happening with the dust, etc. Again, I can say that nothing clogged, it was not clogged: it is not difficult to brush them off, and rinsing in the sea is no problem.
A small summary
This year, we probably won’t wait for three new products from Aftershokz, but two of them are already on the market and are already finding their customers very well. Both of them are made in the form of headphones, although the swimming model is an MP3 player, in essence, with the IP68 protection standard, support for many formats and 4 GB of memory.
I can’t call myself direct super-music lover, so as not to part with the headphones, but when there is absolutely nothing to do - in the water - listening to music was a good bonus, therefore, taking Xtrainerz, I think I made a good choice. Despite the “color error”, the headphones both left and returned, I did not lose them either on land or in water.
Yes, in certain cases it is necessary to jump with them carefully, but this seems understandable and cannot be called a drawback, perhaps. I was pleased with the sound, although I cannot rule out that there will be users who, during swimming, want to present some audiophile complaints to the music being played.
The playlist I inherited included compositions of very different fries from pop to international rock music, and in each case the detail was at a very decent level, despite the conditions of reproduction in general.
In comfort, which is important to me in the water, Xtrainerz is completely satisfied: something superfluous on the head except the mask seemed to be distracting or inconvenient, but there were absolutely no negative feelings. Plus, I separately praise them for their autonomy.
As a specialized gadget - they can be recommended, especially since the season when we move to the pools from open water is already in full swing. For those who are interested in buying, we, as usual, prepared a coupon for a 15% discount on the entire assortment: AFT15 until 29/09/19.
You can see the entire current Aftershokz assortment now on a separate site . The coupon is also valid there.
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