Creative Announces the Outlier Free Pro Bone-conduction Headphones

[btarunr]

Creative Technology today launched Creative Outlier Free Pro, its latest wireless bone conduction headphones equipped with all the features desired by pro-level sporting enthusiasts who love a soundtrack. Built to be tough yet comfortable in fit, unstoppable in the heaviest of rains and even underwater, indefatigable battery life and without the need for a device to play music, the Outlier Free Pro is simply at the top of its game.

Thanks to bone conduction technology, where sound waves are transmitted into the inner ears through vibrations from transducers on the user's cheekbones, the benefits of open-ear listening are realized. With a much-heightened level of environmental awareness, users can enjoy a safer listening experience as compared to in-ear or over-ear headphones - joggers and cyclists can make their way down busy streets with ease; gym buddies can chat effortlessly during workouts. Additionally, for leisure activities such as the use of mobile karaoke apps, users can enjoy the better experience of singing while hearing themselves naturally.



The Outlier Free Pro stands out even more with its 8 GB (stores 2,000 MP3 songs) built-in music player (also compatible with FLAC, WAV and APE file formats); it enables users to enjoy their favorite tunes without the need to carry their mobile phones. Thanks to its IPX8 rating (the highest waterproof rating for water immersion), swimmers can even swim underwater in the pool.

Trail runners and hikers who love to go the distance would always have their soundtrack on, as the Outlier Free Pro offers up to 10 hours of battery life per charge (10 minutes of quick-charging provides 2 hours of playtime).

The Outlier Free Pro is also an excellent all-rounder as a daily go-to headphone, offering multipoint connectivity with Bluetooth 5.3, delivering robust connections for up to 2 Bluetooth devices at a time. There is also a low-latency mode to minimize audio-visual lag for movie-watching; users have the added convenience with a built-in microphone for calls, and Siri / Google Assistant support. Lightweight silicone and titanium memory alloy are used to construct the Outlier Free Pro, translating to all-day comfort and fit.

With the launch price of S$149, the Outlier Free Pro presents great value which is hard to beat for its comprehensive features set.

For more information, visit the product page.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Space Lynx]

it sends sound waves to go through the bone on side of my head, and not through ears. wtf.

 

[Scrizz]

it sends sound waves to go through the bone on side of my head, and not through ears. wtf.

Bone conduction headphones have been out for a long time. They are great if you want to keep your ears open for situational awareness, etc.
The sound is good enough for audiobooks etc.

 

[Space Lynx]

Bone conduction headphones have been out for a long time. They are great if you want to keep your ears open for situational awareness, etc.
The sound is good enough for audiobooks etc.

so this isn't for music?

 

[Scrizz]

so this isn't for music?

You can definitely use it for music. Just don't expect to be blow away by the sound quality.
I will say I have not tried the specific set mentioned in the OP. I was speaking in general about bone conduction headphones.

 

[Space Lynx]

I wonder if there have ever been any studies done on the effect of bone conduction sound like this and ringing of the years.

From what I understand, ringing of the ears occurs when the little hair like things at the microscopic level in your inner ear sort of fall over or get dis-configured due to too much volume overwhelming them (sound waves air, I am not being very technical here sorry)... and I can't help but think bounding something through bone structure itself and it reaches the inner ear... probably not the greatest idea, but it would be interesting to learn about the science behind this and if any studies have been done on the effects of health

I sometimes wonder similarly if magnetic energy from planar headphones could be dangerous if worn too long? probably not, but interesting to think about

 

[Jun]

Looks almost the same as AfterShokz headphones. I had one and it was great for running. You can actually get better sound if you plug your ears while using it but that defeats the purpose of those headphones.

 

[swirl09]

Looks almost the same as AfterShokz headphones. I had one and it was great for running. You can actually get better sound if you plug your ears while using it but that defeats the purpose of those headphones.

I really thought it was them, I had to do a double take lol

I have a pair of AfterShokz, which I got because I was having ear irritability and didnt want to use air pods while that was going on. They are pretty good. Like air pods arent exactly a gold standard, but they do the job for stuff like walks or if you are watching tv/doing gym and people are asleep. I would rate this as just a sliver below air pods for sound. I actually like them for what they do, my only complaint is the band is a little big and position is absolutely key with these things, a few mm in the wrong direction and it sounds like ear buds dangling/about to drop out of ur ear.

 

[Yrd]

Looks almost the same as AfterShokz headphones. I had one and it was great for running. You can actually get better sound if you plug your ears while using it but that defeats the purpose of those headphones.

They have plugs for concerts, that have small holes that allow some sound in. I believe there are varrying levels of the hole available. Might be able to find an acceptable plug for the purpose.

You can definitely use it for music. Just don't expect to be blow away by the sound quality.
I will say I have not tried the specific set mentioned in the OP. I was speaking in general about bone conduction headphones.

Is it very tin-y sounding? I imagine it's like those things that make a piece of paper a speaker.

 

[Bayfront Benny]

I used swimp3's (brand name) for music. I was getting ear infections swimming and needed to use plugs. Swimming over long periods needs something to keep you interested. Bone conduction is definitely useful under these conditions. I was also considering giving some to my father in law as he was loosing his hearing and spending $5000 on hearing aids (never got to try this but who knows - maybe it could benefit someone like this as well).

 

[zlobby]

I sometimes wonder similarly if magnetic energy from planar headphones could be dangerous if worn too long? probably not, but interesting to think about

If that was true then MRI would scramble your ears for good with their up to 6T fields.

 

[Space Lynx]

If that was true then MRI would scramble your ears for good with their up to 6T fields.

good point, ha, I guess nothing to worry about.

 

[LocutusH]

I used swimp3's (brand name) for music. I was getting ear infections swimming and needed to use plugs. Swimming over long periods needs something to keep you interested. Bone conduction is definitely useful under these conditions. I was also considering giving some to my father in law as he was loosing his hearing and spending $5000 on hearing aids (never got to try this but who knows - maybe it could benefit someone like this as well).

That depends. If its a cochlear deficiency, it might help. But i am also deaf on one side, because of nerve damage, and it doesnt help with that.
Aside of this, i had the openrun pro from shokz, and the sound quality was absolutely terrible. Like an old transistor radio. So me and bone conduction didnt get friends.