Photo (left to right): Mark Williams, official coach of Standard Chartered KL Marathon; Deric Seah, sales director of DISTEXPRESS; Ken Chen, chief technical officer of AfterShokz International; Daisy Cong, director of sales of AfterShokz International; and Bryan Chin, editor in chief of Masses Malaysia.
Crowdfunding darling AfterShokz (Facebook) partnered with local distributor DISTEXPRESS (Facebook) to launch the former’s Trekz Titanium bone-conducting, open-ear headphones on May 12th, 2016, at The Marathon Shop in Lot 10, Kuala Lumpur. Fulfillment of the AfterShokz Trekz Titanium headphones across Malaysia took place at end of May as promised by DISTEXPRESS’ sales director Deric Seah and his team. It goes on sale now with an official price tag of RM499. Trekz Titanium comes in three colors: Ivy (green/black), Ocean (blue/black), and Slate (gray/black).
DISTEXPRESS was founded in Singapore, and AfterShokz picked the company as its strategic distribution partner due to DISTEXPRESS’ 18-year track record in marketing and distributing products including Apple accessories, plus other fitness and lifestyle solutions.
Bone conduction and AfterShokz
Bone conduction headphones technology has been around as early as the 1970s. However, the technology that AfterShokz used specifically, is said to be initially developed by Voxtech back in 2001 for military special operations and law enforcement. Since then, some commercial companies have adopted the technology into their own headphones. These companies include Abco Tech, Damson Audio, Marsboy, Vsport, and even Panasonic, but at this point it seems that AfterShokz has the most mindshare among end users and is one of the more popular brands when it comes to bone conduction headphones.
AfterShokz is a relatively new company based in East Syracuse, New York, founded five years ago in 2011. Its latest 60-day Indiegogo campaign for this very product was 1007% funded on October 16th, 2015, for an impressive US$694,321.
The military and law enforcement adopted the technology due its practical application — the bone conduction audio vibrates the cheekbones, delivering the audio directly to the inner ears (cochlea), bypassing the eardrums completely. Without earbuds plugging into the ear canals or huge ear cups covering both ears entirely, the ears are freed up, allowing users to remain alert and aware of ambient sounds, while continuing to hear remote communication through the headphones.
Bruce Borenstein, president and chief executive officer of AfterShokz explained that this technology used in their headphones is not just for the sake of novelty. Though not fighting wars or fighting crimes, end users of AfterShokz headphones can free up their ears to be alert of their surroundings; very important for safety reasons especially when used during cycling in the city or even while running in a park. He goes on to claim that they’re the first U.S. manufacturer to harness the bone conduction technology and built it into consumer-friendly (and wallet-friendly) headphones that benefits various types of users including teenagers, fitness buffs, frequent travelers, plus even hearing- and sight-impaired people. This is particularly important for the last-two user groups. Imagine if you’re blind and you rely on accessibility features on your smartphone. With bone conduction, you can hear what’s being displayed on your phone while still be able aware of your surroundings. A similar freedom applies if you’re hearing-impaired. You can continue to use your hearing aid while simultaneously enjoying audio from AfterShokz.
Click to view slideshow.Trekz Titanium features
AfterShokz designed its Trekz Titanium with aims to ensure the best level of awareness and comfort, without compromising on audio quality. The awareness portion is already been taken care of by design, due to its bone conduction nature covered earlier. AfterShokz calls the design OpenFit.
For comfort, the company put in a few improvements that it has learned from its earlier headphones. Trekz Titanium has a titanium frame that’s chosen for its strength, flexibility, and durability. The outer layer is coated with materials to repel sweat, and the headphones itself is IP55-certified to be dust-protected and water-resistant. Another important component for comfort is its wireless Bluetooth 4.1 connection, freeing up the need for a cable. The battery could last up to six hours, and it can be recharged from 0% to 100% in 1.5 hours. AfterShokz claims that a 15-minute charge is enough for a regular workout session.
Now, let’s talk about the audio quality. Trekz Titanium uses the company’s PremiumPitch+ Sound technology that incorporates a bunch of its patented technology, to deliver audio with wide dynamic range and powerful bass. Bone conduction audio had a bad reputation due to its tendency for “sound leakage” and weak bass, but the company claims it uses its trademarked (and I’m sure patented) LeakSlayer slats to reduce audio leakage and to ensure that the audio is directed inwards to your cheekbones and and not so much outwards to bother the people around you, who’re not in the least bit interested in your music tastes. That said, the sound leakage or sound bleed is still present, and is noticeably higher than regular on-ear headphones, though not as loud as those open-back over-ear cans.
Sound leakage notwithstanding, AfterShokz Trekz Titanium packs in other bells and whistles to make it a decent pair of headphones. It has noise-canceling microphones — one on each side — to help in suppressing ambient noise, and in effect, enhancing voice calls and music. It comes with voice prompts called ‘Audrey Says’, which will guide you through the pairing process, as well as inform you of its power level, playback status, and call status. You can even enhance or reduce the bass (basic EQ) directly using the volume buttons on the Trekz Titanium, without having to take out the phone. Here are the rest of the specifications:
- Speaker type: Bone conduction transducers
- Frequency response: 20 Hz ~ 20 KHz
- Sensitivity: 100 dB ± 3 dB
- Microphone: -40 dB ± 3 dB
- Bluetooth version: v4.1
- Compatible profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP
- Wireless range: 33 ft (10 m)
- Battery: Rechargeable lithium ion
- Continuous play: 6 hours
- Standby time: 10 days
- Charge in: 1.5 hours
- Weight: 1.27 oz (36 g)
Where to get one?
Now that it’s already widely available in Malaysia, you can easily get one in the Klang Valley by visiting The Marathon Shop at Lot 10 and Sunway Pyramid, Mac Studio at Low Yat Plaza and Jaya Shopping Mall, Jackal & Christy at Publika, or Vivid Telecommunications at Sunway Pyramid. The Marathon Shop is also selling the Trekz Titanium online, but only the Ivy-color model is available it seems. It is better to visit these physical stores for they have demo units for you try before you buy, considering it is a fairly new technology and you might not like exactly how it sounds like (it tickles your cheekbones a bit).
You can also get the Trekz Titanium at Connect Store and Machines; the latter of which even has outlets outside of the Klang Valley, but these stores probably don’t have demo units. In addition to these outlets, DISTEXPRESS also has resellers in Penang, Johor Bahru, Miri, Bintulu, and Tawau.
Otherwise, you can also purchase a pair directly from AfterShokz Malaysia by contacting the team on their Facebook Page, and they’ll courier it out to you. By the way, AfterShokz Malaysia is also selling its Activity Belt for RM69, which is essentially a sports belt with an elastic pouch to store your phone, keys, and cash, while you run.
And finally, as long as you purchase the AfterShokz Trekz Titanium through official channels in Malaysia and register the device online, you’ll still be eligible for its two-year warranty.
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