The earphone's connected to the head bone - DIGICare bone conduction headphone [Review]

Bluetooth headphones are pretty common place but these from DIGICare are a bit different because they use bone conduction technology -- as does Google Glass and some hearing aids.

That means instead of sitting in or over your ears they rest on the sides of your head and feed the sound into your inner ear via your skull.

First impressions are that the headset is light and nicely made using a combination of shiny white and matte black plastic. It comes with a hard case and a soft bag so you have a choice of how to protect it when you’re carrying it around. You also get a USB charger cable, some ear plugs and a carabiner-style clip so you can attach it to a belt or backpack when not in use.

There's a built-in microphone for making phone calls, a play/pause button on one side and a call answer/drop button on the other. The on/off switch, volume controls and charging point, with obligatory flimsy cover, are on the headband. Charging up from USB takes a couple of hours then you're ready to go.

It's a simple process to pair with your phone via Bluetooth as there are audible alerts that walk you through the process. You also get a tone when Bluetooth disconnects or goes out of range or when the battery is running low. The light weight means they're comfortable, there’s an adjustable band to adapt to different sized heads, although they’re a bit awkward if you wear glasses.

If you’re not used to bone conduction the listening experience feels slightly weird at first. You can still hear ambient noises -- unless you opt for the ear plugs -- but otherwise it's not unlike using conventional headphones. The bass isn't particularly strong which means these won't please the serious music listener but then I suspect that's not really the intended market here.

Getting the fit right is very important, if you don’t they'll shift slightly as you move around and you'll hear changes in tone as they do so. A little trial and error is necessary to find the right position for optimum listening.

There are a number of advantages to bone conduction technology. Because it bypasses the eardrum it still works even if your hearing isn't perfect and there's less potential to damage your ears with loud music. Plus, because it doesn't block other sounds, there's less potential to damage the rest of you -- by not hearing an approaching truck when you're out cycling or running for example.

If any of these things matter to you then these are well worth considering but if you're a hard core audio fan you'll probably want to look elsewhere.

Our review sample was provided by Geekbuying.com and the headphones cost $69.99. BetaNews readers can get a $15 discount by using coupon code ULNIVVZC at checkout. Code expires on 28 March 2015.