Suunto’s new headphones finally made me appreciate bone conduction

As a city runner, I never thought too hard about wearing noise-canceling earbuds. I’d dabbled with open-ear buds in the past but mostly ran in well-lit parks where my biggest danger was dodging goose poop. It’s different in the suburbs. Recently, I was nearly pancaked by a Range Rover going at least 10 over the speed limit. I never heard it coming, even though my headphones were in ambient mode.

Which is why I’ve spent the last two months testing the $199 Suunto Wing and $149 Suunto Sonic.

Both the Wing and Sonic are bone conduction headphones — a category that’s long been dominated by Shokz (formerly AfterShokz). The Sonic is the more basic, entry-level device, while the Wing adds a few more flourishes — namely, LED lighting, a portable power bank, and head motion controls. The Wing also has slightly better IP67 water and dust resistance compared to the Sonic’s IP55 rating.

Bone conduction works by sending sound vibrations through your cheekbones instead of traveling through the air and into your ear canal. Some athletes swear by bone conduction because it keeps your ears open, meaning you’ll stay more clued into your surroundings compared to any transparency mode. (As a bonus, it can help people with hearing loss listen to audio.)

I’ve known all that for ages, but I’ll admit — I’ve never cared much for bone conduction in the past. My old AfterShokz headphones weren’t comfortable at all, but the real problem was that I rely on bass-heavy running playlists. And bone conduction? It’s not the best at bass. Even so, almost getting flattened by a speeding Range Rover was as a good reason as any to give bone conduction another go.

On that first point, I was pleasantly surprised that the Sonic and Wing were both comfy to wear. My old AfterShokz headphones had a wraparound neckband that dug into my skin, hurt my smallish ears, and never sat quite right. These headphones also have a wraparound design, but I felt no discomfort. The headphones were stable and secure during my runs and walks. Plus, the part that sits over the ear was thin enough that it didn’t cause issues when wearing glasses or headbands — a problem I’ve had with other open-ear headphones like the chunky Bose Sport Open Earbuds.

Bass still isn’t amazing, but I was stunned at how much better it sounded on the Wing and Sonic compared to my first foray into bone conduction headphones. The rumbly intro on Stray Kids’ “Megaverse” didn’t sound nearly as cool as it would’ve on my Beats Fit Pro, but it was good enough to keep me pumped. After a few weeks, I stopped noticing the difference. (It helps that Suunto offers various sound profiles, including an outside mode that boosts bass a bit.)

But while the audio was better than I expected, these are still bone conduction headphones, which means they’re not great in loud environments. I was hoping these would double as passable everyday, commuter headphones, but unfortunately, listening to audiobooks or podcasts while on a loud subway or walking past honking taxis wasn’t a great experience. I had to crank up the volume, which, in turn, cranked up the vibrations until the front pieces were buzzing on my face. These wouldn’t be the first headphones I reach for if I were to run a race with cheering crowds, either. That’s a bit of a bummer, given that Suunto’s headphones are on the pricier side at $149 and $199. For reference, Shokz’s headphones range from $80–$180.

Price is also partly why, of the two, I reached for the cheaper Sonic more often. Not only is sound quality the same, but I wasn’t sold on the Wing’s extra features. The LED lights are neat, but I felt they were hard to see against my hair. (Plus, I didn’t love the Wing’s gamer Kylo Ren vibes.) As for the Wing’s head motion controls, I could never get them to work reliably. You’re supposed to be able to answer or dismiss calls, as well as skip tracks, by either nodding or shaking your head. Instead, people looked at me funny when I’d run past, furiously shaking my head because I wanted to skip to the next song.