How bone conduction works
Headphones that sit outside your ear — how open-ear listening works and what it feels like.
Bone-conduction headphones rest on the cheekbone area just in front of your ears. Nothing goes inside the ear canal — your ears stay open, so you can hear the world around you while you listen.
How the sound reaches you
Instead of pushing air like a normal speaker, the headphones send gentle vibrations through the cheekbone area. Those vibrations reach your inner ear directly, and your brain hears them as sound.
What it feels like
Most people describe it as sound that seems to come from inside the head rather than from a speaker. Because your ears are uncovered, you can still hear the doorbell, traffic and conversation — which many people find safer and more comfortable outdoors.