You may already have heard of bone-conduction headphones, whereby vibrations transmit sound to your brain through the bones of your inner ear; but what about cartilage headphones? That's the novel method of sonic transmission used by Audio-Technica's latest set of sport-ready headphones, the ATH-CC500BT2. This set of cartilage-conductor headphones is claimed to deliver "high-quality audio" without the discomfort of tips or buds burrowing into your ear canal.
As the name suggests, cartilage conduction uses your ear's cartilage to transmit sound, with the new CC500BT2 utilising the same on-ear, one-unit neckband design that you'll find on the likes of the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 running headphones. Such a configuration, says its maker, brings enhanced security and comfort while allowing for more environmental awareness than most in-ear rivals can muster.
