AfterShokz Aeropex vs AfterShokz Trekz Air: Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones

Aftershokz is a brand that was founded in 2011 and has been selling boneconducting headphones for several years. For me, Aeropex is my first long contact with technology. If you are not familiar with how it works, then a brief description: Bone conduction headphones are not placed directly in or on the ear, but rather the transmitting surface rests next to the ear. This is because the sound is not transmitted through the air, but through the bones, which transmit the sound. This also bypasses the eardrum.

The advantage of bone conduction headphones is that your ear remains completely open. So you perceive the environment as if you weren’t using headphones at all. This is, of course, a great z. B. when running or cycling if you want to perceive the traffic. However, the technology also has some disadvantages that affect the sound quality. 

The AfterShokz Aeropex vs AfterShokz Trekz Air. These are wireless Bluetooth headphones with bone conduction technology. These headphones currently cost under 160 USD.

AfterShokz Aeropex	AfterShokz Trekz Air
Improved waterproof rating	Comfortable & stable fit
Slimmer, lighter design	Perfect answering and making of calls
Better battery life	Flexible And Lightweight
Not adjustable	Short Battery Life
Weak bass response	Sound quality is lacking

Specification

	AfterShokz Aeropex	AfterShokz Trekz Air
$	CHECK PRICE	CHECK PRICE
Model	Aeropex	Trekz Air
Weight	0.917 ounces	1.12 ounces
Dimension	5.31 x 3.69 x 6.65 inches	5.35 x 2.56 x 6.57 inches
Type	Over Ear	Over Ear
Foldable	No	No
Colors	Blue, Black, Grey, Red	Green, Grey, Red
Audio Codecs	SBC	SBC
Frequency Response	20 Hz to 20 KHz	10-20,000 Hz
Impedance	8.5 ohm	11.4 ohm
Sensitivity	105.0 db	<100
ANC	Dual noise-canceling	No
Waterproof	IP67	IP55
Detachable	No	No
Controls	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 4.2
	A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP	A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
Battery	145.0 mAh	183.0 mAh
Battery Life	N/A	6.0 h
Charging Port	USB	USB

Design & Comfort

AfterShokz Aeropex- In the scope of delivery of the headphones, you will find the headphones themselves, surprisingly two charging cables and one earplugs-like earplug as well as a bag. The headphones is made of a slippery rubber that reminded me of a jellyfish – it feels rather ugly but serves its purpose. Of course, there is also a manual that introduces you to the controls of the headphones.

Unfortunately, the headphones are loaded with a proprietary connector. There are two open contacts on the right handset to which the enclosed cable docks magnetically. So you should keep the latter well. Perhaps that is why Aftershokz prefers to include two copies. The earbuds themselves are flexible enough to fit snugly on the ear but rigid enough not to slip. 

What quickly annoyed me personally: The small LED, which shows the charging status and the operation, is attached a bit inconveniently on the side, so you might overlook it – especially when you pair it for the first time. Otherwise, there is nothing to complain about in terms of the quality of the headphones. A coating ensures that the feel is correct and that the Aeropex does not collect dirt so easily.

AfterShokz Trekz Air- The headphones are incredibly light and weigh just 31 grams. I find the wearing comfort very comfortable, primarily because of the deficient weight. The headphones fit well with me. The width of my head, from ear to ear, is about 14-15 cm. In the photo, the bracket is not on the back of the head. But it can be turned upwards; then it is also on the back of the head.

The headphones look very ornamental but have metal in the bracket. The housing is IP55 protected and therefore sweat-resistant and also suitable for sports. The headphone bracket is covered with colored, soft rubber, and there are two microphones on the front of the left earphone. There is a test recording with it at the top, towards the end, in the video.

On the inside of the earphones, we see an oval area in the middle with an elevation. Here the headphones will be on the bone afterwards. The headphones held my head well, even when I ran around a bit. How well it holds depends on the width of your head.

Audio Quality

Unfortunately, there are significant reductions in sound when you compare them to traditional in-ear headphones. If I had to describe the sound of the Aeropex, I would compare it to a mid-range smartphone speaker lying on the table. So it has more of a kitchen radio flair. Especially the bass is weak, so the Aeropex is not recommended for people who mainly listen to rhythm-based music such as club music, hip-hop, trip-hop, or electronica. In general, the sound is very pointed and treble-heavy.

As a rule, vocals sound set apart from the rest, but bass and drums lack force. At least there is an excellent stereo separation, which I heard pretty well when I ran. For audiophiles, the Aeropex are generally simply nothing. The compromises in terms of sound are too immense for that. Other advantages offset these disadvantages. So I was always able to perceive my surroundings perfectly while running. It feels more like walking with a radio in your pocket.

This can also be pleasant if you like to run with someone and both want to listen to some music on the side – go with the Aeropex. Then you chat lively and have the music as background. By the way, I wouldn’t say I like the placement of the volume buttons, which you have to tap from below while wearing. On the one hand, you move the headphones slightly; on the other hand, the side surface would be easier to reach.

First of all, an essential piece of information so that there are no misunderstandings. These are the first headphones of this type of transmission that I have ever had in my hands, so I have no reference experience yet. The Trekz Air are special headphones because they transmit the sound via the bones next to the ear. It fits, as you can see in the pictures. The sound oscillations or vibrations are not passed on through the eardrum; but instead, they reach the auditory organ via the surrounding bone. This results in a different sound than standard headphones.

If you are looking for the best sound or an audiophile, this model is not for you. It is a unique model, with unique advantages and of course there are also disadvantages. I’ll go into the details now.

First of all, the inner surface of the headphones vibrates slightly—the louder the headphones and the more bass the sound has, the stronger the vibrations. The sound can still be heard when you take off the headphones. Of course, then no longer as loud and without bass. If I remove the contact or lift the headphones slightly, then the bass is practically gone. That was a couple of observations at the beginning. I will now assess the sound as usual and put on my earplugs again later.

I would describe the maximum volume as moderate volume (slightly more). If you like to hear super loud, you can’t do it like that here. Always remember not to damage your ears by listening at too high a volume. I’ve tested everything at different volume levels. With bone conduction, we need more volume to reach the same volume as standard headphones. In noisy environments, people tend to turn up the volume on the headphones.

Connectivity

 

Aftershokz likes it candid because there is no companion app for Aeropex. Different ear tips are also not required due to their technology. Incidentally, depending on the sensitivity, bone conduction can lead to dizziness in rare cases. Fortunately, I didn’t have any such problems myself. The fit of the Aftershokz Aeropex was excellent even when I was jogging: Nothing slipped, and there was no feeling of pressure. Nevertheless, I had to get used to the headphones’ placement of their transmission surface next to the ear.

Compared to the previous models, Aftershokz claims to have achieved less noticeable vibrations and better adaptation of the sound (Premium Pitch 2.0+) for the bone-conducting technology. In addition, the sound should not “seep” outwards. I can confirm the latter because I explicitly tested it with a buddy at a higher volume: Your counterpart or sitting partner doesn’t notice anything of your music.

To connect the headphones to the mobile phone, you need to activate pairing mode. To do this, we press and hold the plus button until the LED starts to flash alternately red and blue. In the Bluetooth settings of the smartphone, we now select Trekz Air. Done, everything is connected.

There is a large and easily accessible multifunction button on the left outside of the headphones. A simple press pauses or continues the music. If we press them twice in quick succession, a song is skipped forward. However, if we press and hold it for about 2 seconds, the smartphone’s voice assistant opens, in my case, the Google voice assistant.

The headphones also emit advisory tones. When the connection is established, you will hear, for example, “conneted” and when switching off “Power off”.

But there is also a plus and a minus button. This can be used to control the volume first. The plus button is also the power button. If we press and hold these two buttons at the same time, the bass changes. The best way to hear the difference is to close your ears. In my opinion, the effect is only minimal (bass). You can also use your equalizer without any problems. We’ll get to the sound in a moment. The three buttons can also be used to manage calls, and there are a few other functions. 

Battery Life

It should be mentioned that the battery life information came up well in my test; I always listened to music at a moderate volume and chose a rather colorful mixture of rock, pop, electronica and songwriter sounds. Telephone calls sounded “ok” but did not come close to the in-ear models from Honor, Jabra and Co. that I recently tested. The focus here is simply on wearing the headphones openly during sports.

The Trekz Air has a 183 mAh battery installed. The protective flap can open to charge the headphones, and then the headphones are connected to the power via the micro-USB port underneath. As soon as the current flows, the LED to the left of the connection lights up red. After approx. 2 hours, the battery is fully charged, and the LED changes color from red to blue. The maximum playing time is approx. 6 hours, and the headphones are Bluetooth 4.2.

Conclusion!

The Aftershokz Aeropex are comfortably fitting bone conduction headphones that are also convincing in terms of quality. As far as the sound is concerned, you should set your expectations moderately because traditional headphones are superior. The sound of the Aeropex is more reminiscent of cheap Bluetooth speakers and tends to be undifferentiated and without a strong bass foundation.

For this, you get headphones with which you can perceive your surroundings perfectly at any time, which makes the Aftershokz Areopex very attractive for sport. The seat was perfect for me and always firm when jogging. There was no feeling of pressure or other problems, so I appreciated the ergonomics.

So the question is, what are you planning to do with these headphones: Aeropex are an excellent solution for sports, even when accompanied. Those who value the sound above all will be unhappy with this model. In this respect, the Aeropex are not a comprehensive solution for sport and everyday life, but rather a second device, especially for training, in my opinion.

The Trekz Air are special Bluetooth headphones in which the sound is transported over the bones, and we can altogether leave our ears free. The model is therefore suitable for people who do not want or cannot close their ears. There are various use cases for this. If you move, for example, in places where you have to or want to perceive the environment, this is possible. It also increases security because we can still hear the ambient noise.

The Trekz Air may also be an exciting model for people with a hearing aid that they do not want to take out. I have already discussed what precisely the sound looks like. Speech is good, but with music, you can’t compare the sound with standard headphones. These are two different transmission technologies! If you’re looking for headphones that let your ears bare, then, in my opinion, the model is worth a look.