Run and Be Open with AfterShokz TrekzTitanium: Product Review

Disclaimer: As a SweatPink Ambassador, I received a set of AfterShokz TrekzTitanium headphones from AfterShokz in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are, of course, my own.

As a music lover and runner, I have been intrigued by the AfterShokz TrekzTitanium headphones. I was super skeptical and had a lot of questions about them. How could headphones that use bone conduction for sound even work? Would the music sound "tinny"? Then there was the whole wireless Bluetooth thing. I've heard people complaining about their Bluetooth headphones--connection issues seem to be the biggest complaint. That, and the buds falling out of their ears made me think twice about giving up the cords.

Over the years, I've had ongoing issues with earbuds and so-called sport headphones. The biggest issue? Even when the earbuds claim to be sweatproof, they are not sweatproof. I believe that I am the sweatiest person on the planet. I just threw yet another pair of earbuds in the garbage because I sweated them to death. I consider myself lucky if I get 6 months out of a pair of earbuds. I'm also pretty picky about sound quality--I really am all about that bass--and so many earbuds sound so tinny. There's nothing worse than my rock and roll sounding like it's playing on an AM radio from the 1970s. Not that I know anything about that.  Finally, there's that whole cord thing--the cords fray, my flailing arms pull the buds out of my ears, they tangle into knots...

Naturally, when I was offered the chance to try the AfterShokz TrekzTitanium, you know I jumped at it. I do have one pair of corded earbuds that I love, so the bar was set pretty high for these!

I received the TrekzTitanium after sending them my size. There's a measuring device on the ordering page, but basically, if you measure at least 8 1/2 inches between your ears, you order the regular size. I thought I had a small head, but according to the measurements, I ordered a regular headset. There is a mini size too. With four colors to choose from, I selected the pink, but they are really more black with pink accents.

Winning: the packaging was easy to open! No plastic casing to slice through. Loved it!

Set-up was a breeze and the instruction booklet was easy to follow. When I powered up the headphones, Audrey, your hostess, provided prompts. Prior to running with them, I charged the headphones using the USB cord that came in the box. The next day I took them for their maiden voyage.

It was the perfect day to test the TrekzTitaniums. It was hot, it was humid, and I was super sweaty. I expected a few "ewwws" out of Audrey, or at least a complaint that she was getting soaked but the conditions didn't seem to affect the TrekzTitaniums at all. The manufacturer claims that they are sweat resistant IP55 certified. I did notice a few "hiccups" in some of the songs. I found out on a future run that those hiccups were due to Bluetooth connection issues.

What really surprised me was the sound quality. The headphones use what AfterShokz calls "Premium Pitch+". I'm not quite sure what that means but to me it meant that my music sounded great! Most importantly, the bass was strong. There is an equalizer so I can customize the sound, but I haven't played with that feature yet. I could also hear ambient noise, like cars and birds, but it wasn't distracting. Safety-wise, this is a good thing.

The AfterShokz sit on top of my ears with a band that extends around the back of my head to the other ear. They are so lightweight that I don't even notice them--no more so than I would a pair of earbuds. Even after the sweatfest that is summer running, the TrekzTitanium stayed in place.

I only had 2 issues I had with the TrekzTitanium. If I don't have the band seated on my ears just so, when I turn my head, the sound goes away in one ear. That's probably because the earpiece moves away from my ear.  I wonder if I should have ordered the mini size. But once I get them settled into the right place, that problem goes away.

The band doesn't fit snuggly on my head, but they don't bounce at all.

The other issue was the rarely occasional dropped connection. I took the TrekzTitanium on a 10 mile run and around mile 8, I heard a beeping noise and then silence. I stopped to see what happened. As I did that, Audrey said "connection found" and I restarted my music. I don't know if that was due to sweat or what but I sure wouldn't want to be figuring out my music in the middle of a race! Fortunately, that has only happened to me once.

Battery life is reported to be 6 hours. As long as I remember to charge them, that should be plenty of time for a marathon. Charge time is really fast.

The verdict? I am completely sold on the TrekzTitanum. I'm looking forward to many happy miles with these! Curious how they'll work in the cold...

Purchase these through SweatPink and you'll receive a free stainless steel water bottle! Use the code SWEAT at checkout.

Have you tried the TrekzTitanium? What was your experience? Do you use bluetooth earbuds?

Because I want to share my love for these, I'm linking this post with Tunes Tuesdays aka Janelle, Kim, and Steff; Tuesdays on the Run aka Marcia, Erika, and Patti; Coaches Corner aka Debbie, Susie, Rachel, and Lora; and Wild Workout Wednesdays aka Annemarie, Nicole, and Jen!