Bluetooth audio glasses are essentially a form of wireless open headphones that allow you to hear the outside world while listening to audio streamed from your smartphone and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. The category hasn’t taken off as fast as some people thought it might, but there are a growing number of audio glasses available and more on the way, with companies like Bose, a leader in the category, already on the second generation of its audio sunglasses. Amazon’s Echo Frames are also on their second generation.
A host of other companies, including several no-name Chinese manufacturers, have also released audio glasses. Some are geared toward everyday use, allowing you to stealthily listen to audio on the go, while others are designed for runners and bikers who want to leave their ears open to the world for safety reasons.
The truth is that most audio eyewear doesn’t sound great. In fact, many audio glasses and sunglasses sound downright mediocre or even bad, particularly those that use bone-conduction technology instead of traditional audio drivers. Bass performance can sometimes be an issue.
That said, if you listen to more spoken-word audio — whether that’s podcasts, audiobooks or talk radio — audio glasses are fine since they’re strongest in the midrange, where vocals live. And most of the audio glasses on this list work well for making phone calls. Some feature beam-forming microphones and bone-conduction technology.
Aside from audio quality, the other important factor is the glasses’ design. There’s a lot of variation there as well, with some models fitting better and looking more stylish than others.
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It should be noted that you can add prescription lenses to most audio sunglasses, and it’s easy to send your glasses to an online replacement lens site. However, that adds to the overall cost, since replacement lenses generally cost around $100 to $200, depending on the type of lens you choose.
While I’m only recommending a few models at this point, I’ll update this list as new ones are released. More should be coming with improvements.
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