I’m going to start this blog with a series of snippets that may, at first, appear to be unrelated. Of course, they may still appear to be unrelated when we finish, but we will see what we will see.

Do you remember the "Dead Parrot" sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus—the part where the customer, played by John Cleese, says "I'm sorry, I have a cold"? You can view this scene on YouTube. Meanwhile, here’s a breakdown of that part of the sketch:

         Customer (Cleese):            "Ello, I wish to register a complaint."
         Pet Shop Owner (Palin): (Not responding)
         Customer (Cleese):            "Ello, Miss?"
         Pet Shop Owner (Palin): "What do you mean, 'miss'?"
         Customer (Cleese):            "I'm sorry, I have a cold."

Many moons ago, I had a cold. My ears were blocked. I was walking down a sidewalk in Southsea, England. When I reached a side road, not hearing any noisy automobiles (this was long before modern electric vehicles arrived on the scene), and forgetting that my hearing was impaired, I strode boldly forth into the road without first looking behind me, and I was nearly run over by a very irate motorist. If nothing else, this gave me a glimpse (well, the audible equivalent thereof) of what it must be like to live in a world without sound.

I watch more than my fair share of science fiction films, many of which involve an apocalypse in one form or another. In several of these movies we see someone sporting a pair of headphones, listening to music, unaware of the grunting, groaning zombies approaching, causing me to mentally scream, “LOOK BEHIND YOU!” I know this may sound silly, but—possibly as a result of all this—I typically don’t wear headphones when I’m “out-and-about” because I wish to remain “situationally aware.”

A few years ago, I read an article about an Italian company that was creating a product to help the visually impaired. Paradoxically, this involved a pair of glasses. Well, a set of frames without lenses, with a teeny-tiny camera mounted on the side. This camera communicated with a computer module the size of a pack of playing cards that resided in the owner’s pocket. The module was running an artificial intelligence (AI) app that could identify objects and generate spoken descriptions of what it was seeing along the lines of: “There is a lamppost ten feet front of you,” “You are approaching a curb,” “Your friend John is waving at you,” “What appears to be a rabid dog is about to bite you,” and things of this ilk.

One thing about being visually impaired is that you need to rely on your other senses, the main one being your hearing, which means the last thing you want to do is cover your ears with headphones. Thus, the Italian team’s solution employed bone conduction technology mounted in the glasses frame, thereby leaving the user’s ears free.

Instead of using traditional speakers that push sound waves through the air into the ear canal, bone conduction headphones use transducers that vibrate against the cheekbones. These vibrations travel through the bones of the skull, bypassing the eardrum and middle ear, and directly stimulating the cochlea (inner ear).

Bone conduction headphones are often referred to as "open-ear" headphones because they don't cover or plug the ears. They can be more comfortable than traditional headphones or earbuds, especially for extended use. And their open-ear design allows users to remain aware of their surroundings, making them a good option for activities like running, cycling, swimming, or surviving a zombie apocalypse (and you thought I couldn’t tie all this together—shame on you!).

I must admit that I’ve often wondered just how good the sound would be using these little scamps. Also, would you feel the vibrations as a tickly buzz on your cheek? Well, I now have the answers to both these questions: (1) they sound great and (2) no, you don’t feel a thing.

The source of my newfound knowledge is that just a couple of days ago at the time of this writing, the guys and gals at H2O Audio gifted me with a pair of their TRI 2 Multi-Sport Waterproof Bone Conduction Headphones (I opted for the black version because they make me look slimmer).

The folks at H2O audio kept on waffling on about how these headphones were a gamechanger for athletes, including runners, bikers, and swimmers (because the headphones are IPX8 rated, meaning they are 100% waterproof) which suggests they didn’t really know who they were talking to and my total lack of athletic prowess.

For some reason, however, they neglected to note their headphones’ utility in a zombie apocalypse situation. Happily, for them, I’m here to cover all the bases.

For the past few days, I’ve been trying these headphones out in a variety of situations. To be honest, they are so light that you barely notice you’re wearing them, so I’ve rarely taken them off. Just yesterday evening, for example, my wife (Gigi the Gorgeous) was planting flowers, and I was helping her by not actually doing anything (thereby not messing anything up).

Doing nothing is one of the things I do best. I was there for moral support, and I was myself supported by my TRI 2 headphones, which let me enjoy my favorite music while still being about to hear and immediately respond to any of Gigi’s utterances.

There are multiple ways to use these little beauties. For example, you can pair them with your smartphone or tablet, and then stream content (music, podcasts, audio books, radio shows) from the preferred app on your source device.

Alternatively, since TRI 2 headphones contain their own MP3 player, you can use the supplied USB cable to copy audio content from your PC into the headset, after which you can play that content from the headset’s internal memory, which is useful because most people’s smartphones won’t work too well under water (should you wish to wear these headphones while swimming).

“But what about the sound?” I hear you cry. I’m glad you asked. All I can say is that the sound quality genuinely surprised me. Remembering that I’m not an audiophile (although I bet that I could play one on TV), the bass is as deep and rich as you could hope for, while the treble remains crisp and clear. Also, the stereo separation is fantastic, just the saying of which reminds me that I want to listen to The Dark Side of the Moon and The Dub Side of the Moon on these little rascals.

There’s also a free H2O Audio app (for both Apple and Android) that allows you to manage your music, update your software, create folders, add songs to your Playlist+ and more.

Plus, there’s also a charging case (sold separately) that is similar to the case that comes with the headphones, but that also includes an external charging port and an internal battery and charging connection that provides a 2X recharge capability, which means you can be recharging your headphones while you are “on the go.”

In conclusion, if I were in a position to give “Cool Beans Awards,” then these little beauties would be first in line to receive one. What about you? Have you tried bone conduction headphones yourself? If so, what did you think?