Disclaimer: I received AfterShokz Xtrainerz bone conduction headphones to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews.
I’ve been using AfterShokz Trekz Air bone conduction headphones for a while, and I have nothing but good things to say about them. My biggest concern when running outside alone is safety, and I love that I have the ability to listen to music while still being able to hear sounds around me. I had gotten away from listening to music on my runs, and having the ability to listen to music while also listening to my surroundings has made a world of difference to me.
Now that I am back on the music train, I was excited for the chance to test out the AfterShokz Xtrainerz. While the AfterShokz Trekz Airs are water resistant and sweat proof, the Xtrainerz are fully waterproof up to 2 meters of water. Though I’m not a strong swimmer (I can barely swim to save my life), I am a work in progress! Last summer I finished a sprint triathlon. I absolutely loved it and I can’t wait to do another. With a backyard pool to ‘train’ in this past summer, being able to listen to music as I dog paddled my way through my laps was a welcome distraction from the monotony of swimming back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And even though pool season is officially over in the midwest, I travel a ton and almost always have access to an indoor pool, so I’ve been able to put these headphones to good use in recent months.
How, you may ask, is it possible to listen to music while under the water? Well, the Xtrainerz have a built-in MP3 player! To be clear, these headphones are not bluetooth compatible. Instead, they carry 4GB of storage space and can hold up to 1200 songs. Several years ago I took every music CD we owned (literally several hundred, if not more) and uploaded them to my computer, so I had plenty of favorites, old and new, to choose from. The Xtrainerz can be fully charged in two hours, and have an eight-hour battery life. Not that I’ll be in the water for for that long…but they are perfect for most any triathlon distance and while I’ll stick to the sprints for now, it’s good to know these can carry me through all three legs on a single charge.
Like other AfterShokz products, the Xtrainerz use bone conduction technology to deliver incredible sound, both in and out of the water. With their open-ear design and lightweight fit, I barely notice I am wearing them. While some people might prefer the ability to connect by bluetooth to their phone, I actually like the fact that these don’t. My phone’s battery life has been terrible lately, so having the ability to listen to music without draining my phone battery is especially appreciated on my long runs and during distance races. My phone battery died well before I finished my last marathon, which was such a nuisance since I couldn’t contact my husband at the finish and was unable to take photos after the race.
Another good feature of having my music stored directly on my headphones is that during rainy races like the Chicago Half Marathon last month, I don’t have to worry about my phone getting soaked and damaged in the rain. If you read my post about that race, you know it was an absolute slog fest and I was soaked to the bone by the time I finished. I happily left my phone turned off, wrapped in a plastic freezer bag during the race but was still able to listen to music using my Xtrainerz. The music was such a nice distraction from the weather and I’m sure it helped push me along to the finish.
I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to test out this product, and I’m sure I will be using them for a long time. They provide excellent sound quality, have a long battery life, and are versatile enough to use for all of my cross training activities.
Interested in trying AfterShokz Xtrainerz? Check out the AfterShokz website for more information and for a limited time, get $50 off the Endurance Bundle using code BRBUNDLE! Do you already own AfterShokz bone conduction headphones? I would love to hear what you think!
Check out more reviews by some of my fellow BibRave Pros: Michael, Ken, Christine, Kelly, Mer, Corey, Jessica, Chris, and Lisa!
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On Sunday, November 3rd, I will be running the New York City Marathon as a charity fundraiser for Team in Training, an organization that helps The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) support cutting-edge research projects in the most promising areas of cancer research. If you’d like to contribute to my fundraising efforts, you can still do so by clicking on the link below. Any donation, big or small, will help and is greatly appreciated!
Click here or on the picture to get to my fundraising page!
I love my Aftershokz as well. How cool that they keep making new products that are even better. the waterproof option is fabulous
They have such great sound. With your pool you would love the Xtrainerz for swimming! And as I said, I love that they are waterproof now that it seems the rain is following me on my races!
Interesting! I never thought about wearing headphones under water, but I do like the idea of being able to keep the phone away during the rain. That being said, I rarely run with music anymore.
It’s so cool to hear the music under water. And such clear sound!
Okay, you just sold me on these! I had no idea they stored music on them! Is it pretty easy to upload (download?) your musicto them?
Super easy! You basically just connect them to your computer with the USB and drag and drop!
I didn’t know that these would also work for swimming – that’s such a huge benefit. I also love the 8 hour battery life.
During the Chicago Marathon, my headphones died at mile 22 – I wanted to scream! I’ve had them for a few years, and they were fully charged and supposed to last 8 hours, so I have no clue what happened.
I’m such a slowpoke, my everything’s battery tends to die or threaten to die before I finish my marathons, so these are the perfect solution. I’m sure my phone will be beyond dead by the time I finish NY – and I keep it on when I’m running so my husband can track me better using the Find my iPhone app. Bummer about your headphones in Chicago. That’s a long time to be without music – especially around miles 20-22 which are kind of a dead zone!
4 GB of storage space is a lot of workouts…looks interesting…
That’s a ton of storage space! It’s nice to be able to add such a wide variety of music to them.