These durable bone-conduction headphones sound just as good models twice its price

I switched to bone-conducting headphones for exercise because traditional earbuds just can't handle the amount of sweat I produce when running. Since that migration, I haven't ruined a single pair of headphones. Although the sound produced by bone-conducting headphones isn't nearly what you'll hear from traditional earbuds, water resistance and battery life take precedence.

The Raycon bone-conducting headphones succeed in both areas. With a price well below similar headphones I've reviewed over the years (currently on sale for $70 on Raycon's site), these are a surprisingly good bargain.

Also: These headphones solved my biggest issue with listening to music while running

If you've never used a pair of bone-conducting headphones, they can be a bit odd at first. You know you're hearing sound, but it's primarily through the bones in your skull. In fact, if, while wearing bone-conducting headphones, you insert earplugs into your ears (or your elbows… whichever), the sound becomes surprisingly more dominant… and slightly chilling when you realize the sound is being conducted through your bones.

As a result, no bone-conducting headphones can keep up with the sound quality produced by earbuds (even at the same price or less). From my perspective, that's a fine trade-off because the design and water resistance means I don't have to regularly buy new exercise headphones.

So, how do the Raycons stand up to the competition?

The specs

IP68 means they can resist sweat, dust, and rain, but cannot be submerged13-hour battery life on a full charge at 50% volume, while a 10-minute quick charge gives you 1 hour of battery life
60ms ultra-low-latency Bluetooth connections with multipoint connectivity
Steel and rubber headband
Three sound profiles - Bass, Balanced, and Pure Sound

As you can see, there's not an extensive list of specs to be found. I couldn't dig up the driver size or type, frequency response, and so on.

Maybe that's okay, because with bone-conducting headphones, getting too particular about specifications can send you down a rabbit hole that will bear no fruit. In short, the frequency response and driver size of such headphones are probably not worth writing home about anyway.

My experience

As with most Bluetooth devices, connecting the Raycon bone-conducting headphones with my Pixel 9 Pro was a no-brainer. Turn the headphones on, go to Settings > Connected Devices, click "Pair new device," and tap Pair when prompted.

Once the headphones were connected, I fired up Spotify. I'd already been listening to VOCE8's Christmas album, so I continued to see how the headphones handled the delicate voicing. Unsurprisingly, the headphones weren't capable of much width in the soundscape -- voices and instruments sounded pretty much all in the same place.

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At the same time, the sound was as clear as any bone-conducting headphones I've used. The Raycons stand out thanks to their three EQ profiles: Bass, Balanced, and Pure Sound. My ears hear those profiles like this:

Bass -- emphasis on the low endBalanced Sound -- a flat EQ curve
Pure Sound -- emphasis on the high end

You can switch between the profiles by double-pressing the middle button on the right side of the headband. If you're listening to classical, choral music, or podcasts, your best bet is either Balanced or Pure. If you are listening to rock, metal, or pop, go with Pure Sound. Hip Hop and rap are best paired with the Bass profile. Of course, your mileage may vary. I would suggest switching between the sound profiles until you find one that best matches the music you love.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

As with most bone-conducting headphones, the Raycons can only get so loud. That's inherent in the design. To get around that, most bone-conducting headphones ship with a pair of earplugs. The Raycons do not, but any type of earplug will do, and when you insert them, you'll find that you can hear whatever's playing with considerably more clarity. 

Unfortunately, I can't wear earplugs when running outdoors because that defeats one of the purposes of bone-conducting headphones -- to be able to hear ambient sounds and remain safe from traffic or other threats. When using the Raycons on my rower or treadmill, I can insert a pair of earplugs, and all is well. Earplugs are not necessary when using these types of headphones, but if you find the sound hard to hear, you might need them. The Raycons don't have quite the volume as other bone-conducting headphones I've tested, but they certainly aren't the worst.

Also: One of the most immersive speakers I've tested is not made by Sonos or JBL (and it's on sale)

While running, I had trouble finding the right button on the Raycon bone-conducting headphones for skipping songs (the Volume Up button). It's small, and you have to get your thumb in justs the right place before double-pressing, or you could change the sound profile (middle button) or go back (volume down button). It shouldn't, however, take you too much to get used to the locations.

ZDNET's buying advice

It all boils down to this: If you're looking to adopt bone-conducting headphones for your outdoor activities (when hearing ambient sounds or avoiding the destructive nature of sweat against electronic devices) and you don't have the budget for costlier models, the Raycon bone-conducting headphones are a great option. You could pay twice the price for similar headphones, only to find a slight improvement in fidelity.

The Raycon bone-conducting headphones are a steal if you find traditional earbuds cannot stand up to the elements (including your sweat) while exercising.