Audio sunglasses · Explainer · 2026
Bone conduction sunglasses vs open-ear speakers.
There are two ways to put sound into a pair of sunglasses without blocking your ears. One vibrates the bone near your temple; the other plays sound through the air from a small speaker above your ear. OXIVUE uses the second, and this guide says so first, then compares both honestly on leak, bass, comfort, ear-canal freedom and wind.
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What OXIVUE uses, in one line
OXIVUE frames use open-ear directional speakers, not bone-conduction speakers. A small driver in each temple sits just above your ear and aims sound at the ear canal through the air. Nothing vibrates against your skull. If you came here looking specifically for bone conduction, the comparison below explains what you would gain and lose with each, and names one bone conduction frame with figures from its maker’s own page.
How each type works
Bone conduction
A transducer rests against the bone just in front of your ear, at the temple or cheekbone. It vibrates, the vibration travels through your skull to the inner ear, and your brain hears it as sound. Your outer ear and eardrum are skipped. Because the signal has to pass through bone, the transducer needs firm contact with your head, which is why bone conduction frames grip a little more than ordinary sunglasses.
Open-ear (air conduction) speakers
A small speaker in the temple sits above or just in front of the ear opening and plays sound through the air, aimed at the ear canal. This is how most audio sunglasses work, including every OXIVUE frame. Nothing has to press against your head, and you hear sound the normal way, through the eardrum. Some brands call this air conduction to set it apart from bone conduction.
Bone conduction vs open-ear speakers, side by side
This compares the two technologies in general. Individual products vary, so treat each row as the usual pattern rather than a measurement.
| Bone conduction speakers | Open-ear speakers (OXIVUE) | |
|---|---|---|
| How sound reaches you | Vibration through the skull to the inner ear | Through the air into the ear canal |
| Ear canal | Fully open, nothing near the opening | Open, with the speaker just above it |
| Sound leak | Some at high volume | Some at high volume |
| Bass and music | Usually thinner; vibration felt at higher volume | Usually fuller than bone conduction, lighter than sealed earbuds |
| Contact pressure | Needs firm contact at the temple | None needed |
| Feel at volume | A tickle or buzz on the skin | No vibration |
| In strong wind | Wind still reaches the open ear and masks quiet audio | Wind at the ear competes with the speaker and masks quiet audio |
| Hearing safety | Same inner ear; loud volume still carries risk | Same inner ear; loud volume still carries risk |
The five trade-offs that matter
- Sound leak. Neither type is private at high volume, because neither seals your ear. Turn either up in a quiet room or a lift and the person next to you may hear it. At normal listening volume both are fine in most places. If you need real privacy, earbuds are the honest answer; our smart glasses vs earbuds guide covers when each makes sense.
- Bass. Low notes need moving air or a sealed ear to sound full. Bone conduction struggles most here, and pushing the volume to compensate makes the vibration more noticeable. Open-ear speakers do better but are still lighter in bass than earbuds. For podcasts, calls and directions, both are good. For bass-heavy music, neither is ideal.
- Comfort. Bone conduction needs the transducer pressed against your head. Some people never notice; others find the grip or the buzz tiring over a long day. Open-ear speakers do not need contact, so the frame fits like ordinary sunglasses. The OXIVUE M08 weighs about 42 g.
- Ear-canal freedom.This is bone conduction’s clearest win. Nothing sits at or over the ear opening, so you hear the world exactly as you would without glasses. Open-ear speakers also leave the canal open, but the speaker is just above it, so the music and the room arrive by the same route.
- Wind. At speed, wind noise at your ear masks quiet sound with both types, because neither blocks the ear. Bone conduction can be a little easier to hear in wind, since its signal does not travel through the air past your ear, but you still hear the roar. In practice, cyclists and skiers turn the volume up with either. What helps more in wind is a good microphone for calls, which is where the M14 is different.
The M14’s bone-conduction microphone
The OXIVUE M14 is the one frame where bone conduction appears, and it is easy to misread. The M14’s bone-conduction part is a microphone, not a speaker. Its audio spec is an open-ear φ13 driver for listening, plus dual noise-cancelling microphones and a bone-conduction microphone for your voice. The bone-conduction mic picks up speech from the vibration of your head, which helps your voice come through on calls when wind would otherwise drown out an ordinary microphone.
That makes the M14 our pick for cycling and skiing. It is a 52 g wrap-around shield, rated IPX4 against splash and sweat, with an 8 MP Sony IMX219 camera, 1080p 30 fps video with stabilisation, 4 GB of onboard memory and translation in 139 languages through the HeyCyan app. Its battery is rated for 4 hours of listening and 7 hours of calls. The shield is fixed, chosen in four colourways: Nero, Azzurro, Ghiaccio and Tramonto. See the M14.
A bone conduction frame vs OXIVUE
To make the comparison concrete, here is one current bone conduction sunglass, VocalSkull Sports, next to two OXIVUE frames. VocalSkull figures were checked on 2026-10-04 on vocalskull.com; OXIVUE figures come from our product specifications.
| VocalSkull Sports | OXIVUE M08 | OXIVUE M14 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $139–$169 depending on lens (checked 2026-10-04) | $149 | $199 |
| Speakers | Bone conduction | Open-ear directional | Open-ear φ13 driver |
| Microphones | Dual noise-cancelling | Not specified | Dual-mic ENC + bone-conduction mic |
| Camera | None | 8 MP | 8 MP Sony IMX219 · 1080p 30 fps |
| Weight | 40 g including lens | ~42 g | 52 g |
| Battery | 200 mAh · 3–4 h music · 6 h talk | ~300 mAh · 7 h listening · 4 h calls | 300 mAh · 4 h listening · 7 h calls |
| Water rating | IPX5 (not for submersion, per VocalSkull) | Not rated | IPX4 |
| Lenses | Polarized, tint or transition options | Sunglasses, photochromic or clear · no polarization rating published | Fixed shield in four colourways · no polarization rating published |
| Prescription | Offered through custom lenses | No | No |
| Bluetooth | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
Read the table honestly. If you want bone conduction itself or prescription lenses, VocalSkull offers those and OXIVUE does not. VocalSkull also states polarized lens options; OXIVUE publishes no polarization rating. The OXIVUE case is a camera on every frame, open-ear speakers with no vibration, and longer listening time on the M08. Every OXIVUE specification is on the comparison page.
Why the M08 with sun lenses is our default pick
If you want sunglasses that play your music and calls without blocking your ears, and you would like a camera for the view, the OXIVUE M08 at $149 with the full-tint sun lens is where to start. It has open-ear directional audio, an 8 MP camera set into the corner of the frame, a ~42 g TR90 frame, and a ~300 mAh battery rated for 7 hours of listening and 4 hours of calls. It also translates 40+ languages through the free app (you hear the translation, nobody else does). It suits hiking, driving and fishing days. It has no water rating, so keep it out of heavy rain.
If you want the same idea with a water rating, the M02C at $159 is rated IP65, weighs about 41 g, has a Sony 219 sensor with dual stabilisation and answers to the wake word Hey Cyan. For a business look with gold or silver trim, the M08C at $169 uses the same open-ear audio.
How to choose
- Do you need prescription lenses, or stated polarization? OXIVUE offers no prescription lenses and publishes no polarization rating, so look at brands that state both.
- Is having nothing near your ear opening the deciding point? Then choose bone conduction, and accept the vibration and thinner bass.
- Do you want fuller sound with no buzz, plus a camera? Choose open-ear: the M08 at $149 for sun-lens everyday wear, the M02C at $159 for IP65, or the M14 at $199 for cycling and skiing.
For more on audio frames, see our Bluetooth sunglasses and smart audio glasses guides, and the sport guides for cycling and skiing.
US orders usually arrive in 5–9 business days and international orders in 9–14 business days, with free shipping from $99 (see the shipping policy). OXIVUE does not offer refunds, except for an order that arrives damaged in transit, which we replace or refund. Faults after delivery are covered by the 2-year warranty through repair or replacement.
Bottom line
Bone conduction and open-ear speakers both leave your ears open. Bone conduction keeps the ear opening completely clear but buzzes and sounds thinner; open-ear speakers sound fuller and need no grip. OXIVUE uses open-ear speakers on every frame. For audio plus a camera, start with the M08 sunglasses at $149; for cycling and skiing, the M14 at $199 adds a bone-conduction microphone for clearer calls.
Frequently asked questions
Do bone conduction glasses work?
Yes. A bone conduction transducer presses against the bone near your temple or cheek and vibrates; those vibrations travel through the skull to the inner ear, so you hear sound without anything in or over your ear canal. It works well for voice, podcasts and navigation prompts. Music usually sounds thinner than with earbuds, and at higher volume most people feel the vibration as a tickle.
Are OXIVUE sunglasses bone conduction?
No. Every OXIVUE frame, including the M08 at $149, the M02C at $159 and the M14 at $199, plays sound through open-ear directional speakers that sit just above the ear and aim sound at the ear canal through the air. Nothing vibrates against your head. The M14 does have a bone-conduction part, but it is a microphone that picks up your voice for calls, not a speaker.
What are the downsides of bone conduction headphones and glasses?
Four come up most often. You feel the vibration, especially at higher volume. Bass is weaker than with sealed earbuds. The transducer has to press firmly against your head to work, so the fit needs some clamping force. And sound is not perfectly private: at high volume people close to you can hear some of it. Open-ear speakers share the leak and bass limits but do not vibrate or need contact pressure.
Can deaf people hear through bone conduction?
It depends on the type of hearing loss, and an audiologist is the right person to ask. Bone conduction skips the outer and middle ear, so some people with conductive hearing loss hear it better than ordinary headphones. It still relies on the inner ear, so it does not restore hearing where the inner ear or hearing nerve is affected. Consumer audio sunglasses are not hearing aids or medical devices.
Is bone conduction safer for your hearing?
Not automatically. Bone conduction keeps your ear canal open, which helps you hear traffic, but the sound still reaches the same inner ear. Loud volume for long periods carries the same risk whichever route it takes. The same applies to open-ear speakers. Keep the volume moderate, especially in wind, where it is tempting to turn it up.
Which is better for cycling: bone conduction or open-ear speakers?
Both keep your ears open to traffic, which is the main point on a bike. In strong wind, neither type seals out the roar, so you will turn the volume up with either. For a camera and audio sport frame, the OXIVUE M14 at $199 is our cycling and skiing pick: a 52 g wrap shield rated IPX4, open-ear speakers, and a bone-conduction microphone that helps your voice come through on calls in the wind.
Can I get bone conduction sunglasses with prescription lenses?
Some bone conduction brands offer it. VocalSkull, for example, says on its product page that prescription lenses can be added to its Sports frame. OXIVUE frames do not take prescription lenses on any model, so if you need correction to see, that settles it for you.
How fast does OXIVUE ship, and what is the refund policy?
US orders usually arrive in 5–9 business days and international orders in 9–14 business days, with free shipping from $99. OXIVUE does not offer refunds, except for an order that arrives damaged in transit, which we replace or refund. A fault after delivery is covered by the 2-year warranty through repair or replacement.
What these frames won’t do
- No prescription lenses yet, on any model. If you need vision correction all day, these can't replace your glasses.
- No display. Nothing appears in your view; you hear answers and capture photos and video.
- Open-ear speakers leak some sound at high volume and won't block out a loud train or a windy road the way sealed earbuds do.
- Translation, music, calls and the assistant need your phone nearby and connected. Translation pauses after each sentence, and only you hear the translated audio; the other person reads the reply on your phone.
- M08: no published water rating, so keep it out of heavy rain and spray.
- M14: one-piece shield, so the lens can't be swapped for clear or photochromic.
- M14: IPX4 covers splash, spray and rain only, and at 52 g it is heavier than the 41–42 g frames.
- M02C: IP65 resists dust and water jets, not immersion. No swimming, no saltwater.
Check these before you order: see the warranty and refund policy.