H2O Audio Tri Run Workout Headphones Review: A Little Underwhelming

What you can hear is delivered through technology that’s been around for some time now. Bone conduction works by firing sound vibrations up your cheekbones and towards your inner ear. There’s no companion app or EQ modes, so what you get out of the box is what you’re stuck with. The sound quality is fine. It’s not terrible, but it’s also not going to blow your socks off.

It’s best to accept that with bone conduction you’re not going to get the same sound quality as you would from a similarly-priced set of in-ear or on-ear headphones. Instead, the aim is to let you listen to music or podcasts while letting in ambient noise from the world around you, whether that’s traffic or your boss trying to pull you into a conversation at the office.

The Tri Run is a couple of levels below the best bone-conduction sound. The bass is muddy and underpowered, and the treble performance is grainy. On the other hand, they’re well suited for calls and listening to voices on podcasts or audiobooks. If you want more from a pair of open headphones, you’ll need something that uses air conduction instead.

Photograph: Michael Sawh

If you stick to using them indoors, you’ll get the most likable profile. Head outside and the struggles start to show. One day, I was running up and down a path on a long stretch of a busy highway. That meant being hit with wind and a constant stream of speeding cars. My running playlists quickly lost the battle to be heard over the combination of wind and car noise.

I had to turn the Tri Run up to near the maximum volume, which does unfortunately introduce some bone-conduction tickle. That’s when the vibrations that send sound up your cheekbones become more noticeable and tickle the sides of your face. It’s not as fun as it sounds.