Smart glasses that have speakers and microphones integrated into them are known as Bluetooth audio glasses. These glasses allow you to take phone calls and listen to music without covering your ears. Additionally, you can communicate with your smartphone’s voice assistant by using their wake-up feature. The majority of devices with Bluetooth capabilities can use them.
The market for Bluetooth safety glasses is booming these days despite still being relatively small. It can be a little chaotic, as new brands are starting to challenge established ones. Along with allowing smaller brands to gain recognition, this competition gives us more options to find higher-quality glasses at lower prices.
Safety glasses with Bluetooth speakers are the main topic of this guide. They can never match your in-ear headphones in terms of sound quality. They leak more audio and have less bass effect. If you haven’t worn these glasses before, you may be let down by the majority of their audio effects the first time you hear the music playing.
The sound leakage issue arises because you often need to have them at least 70% loud in noisy outdoor environments to hear the sound. The tinny sounds coming from your glasses will be audible to people nearby. All audio glasses share these common weaknesses.
However, using them for podcasts audiobooks or phone conversations where the human voice is the primary audio source is more than sufficient if you are okay with the leakage. Bone conduction technology audio glasses, in contrast, might even produce worse sound quality, particularly in the bass department. However, their target audience is entirely distinct. We categorize Bluetooth safety glasses into three types using scenarios: safety sports and daily use. Each one is made with a special design and performance features that are suited to a particular use case.
Commonplace Bluetooth eyewear
Everyday use Bluetooth audio glasses and sunglasses usually have lightweight thin temples that blend in with the background to draw minimum attention. Among the three types, these models tend to have the most stylish options, which makes them the most stylish. Larger batteries and high-end audio systems are more difficult to fit inside because of the interior’s limited space caused by the thin regular arms. Thus, try to be less picky about battery life and sound quality when selecting these kinds of glasses.
Sporty Bluetooth eyewear
Sports Bluetooth glasses are designed for outdoor sports like mountain climbing cycling and running. They are made with outdoor characteristics in mind and typically include polarized sunglasses lenses. Their shapes are usually aerodynamic, with wider temples to minimize wind resistance. This enables the integration of bigger batteries and audio parts. In addition, the microphones have noise cancellation built in to improve the quality of phone calls during high winds. Consequently, these glasses have slightly better overall audio quality than regular-use glasses.
Safety glasses with Bluetooth connectivity
If you need lenses with high-intensity shatter resistance or other protective features, these glasses are made for you. Many of these glasses overlap, so sports safety glasses with Bluetooth might replace some of these because of their complicated fitting requirements. If stringent specifications are required, only safety glasses-specific accessories can provide both protection and audio functionality.
All three will be discussed along with our suggestions. The top Bluetooth audio glasses (as well as accessories) are listed below.
Bose Frames Tempo; the greatest sports-style audio glasses with the best sound quality
An audio-visual pair made especially for athletes is the Bose Frames Tempo. This is the second generation of Bose glasses similar to the Tenor and Soprano but with a few enhancements like volume control and enhanced audio quality. They might appear bulky and heavy at first. However, the way they appear is merely to accommodate Boses extensive background in audio technology. Prescription safety glasses with Bluetooth provide some of the best leakage control and audio quality available in audio eyewear. That originates with:
1. larger speaker units installed inside and
2. where the speaker grilles are located.
They ensure that you are the only one who hears what you listen to because they are positioned in the middle of the arms directly above your ear. But it might take some getting used to wearing such bulky eyewear on your head. With the lenses on Tempo weighs nearly 50g (1. 76 oz) but its balanced design ensures that you won’t feel the weight bearing down on your nose.
However, the thick temples do exert a very tight pressure on your temples. This is quite uncomfortable if you have a large head. For day use eight hours of playback time is more than sufficient, especially if you are only listening sometimes. In certain situations, you can also use them as Bluetooth safety glasses because they are resistant to scratches and shattering.
You might be wondering how well these fit cyclists wearing helmets and how the audio sounds in windy conditions. You can use both road and mountain bike helmets and they both function flawlessly. With the trail-style helmet (where it comes down in the back a little) my older Shokz (Aeropex) kind of presses against it. But there are no problems at all with Bose Frames Tempo. Even when cycling in the wind, the new dual-microphone system produces incredibly clear sound.
Bose Frames Tenor and Soprano: the best option for audio-focused sunglasses
People who like standard styles that they can wear every day seem to be the target market for these audio sunglasses. You won’t attract unwelcome attention when you wear them because they have thinner, less noticeable temples and polarized lenses. Except for the bass tone and loudness, Bose may have reduced the temple size, but the audio quality is essentially unchanged.
Compared to the 16mm drivers in Tenor and Soprano Tempos, two 22mm drivers are noticeably larger. This is what gave Tempo its unexpected bass effect. Tempo also sounds a little louder at around 50% of the maximum sound intensity.
Even with an open ear, you still need to frequently and at different times change the volume. You can simply adjust by swiping on the right arm. Not to mention Tempo has a matte finish but Tenor and Soprano have a smooth plastic finish that makes them easier to swipe.
Note that Tempo charges using the widely used Type-C connector, whereas Tenor and Soprano use a proprietary 6-pin magnetic charging cable. Although the magnetic charging feature is quite convenient, it can be quite inconvenient to always carry an extra cable when you are always on the go.
OhO Bluetooth Sunglasses: The greatest substitutes for safety glasses
OhO first released its audio sunglasses in 2017. The glass’s appearance does not alter significantly over time. They merely made minor adjustments to the sound quality lens material and temple material while gradually updating the Bluetooth version. They are among the most well-liked entry-level sports Bluetooth safety glasses available because they have shown their durability over time.
OhO provides ANSI and FDA-approved UV 400 polarized lenses right out of the box and the wraparound style fits your face comfortably. Thus, in certain situations, they could be used as safety glasses. It appears that OhO forgot to upgrade its battery life. You can hardly get more than four hours of playback even with the most recent version and a full charge takes about 1. 5 hours.
A few years prior, these were still the norms. They don’t formally support prescription lenses. It is possible to get a prescription filled at your neighbourhood optical store because changing the lenses doesn’t require much work. However, if your prescription is more than a moderate one, you may find it challenging to use because of the wrap-around design and the narrow shallow groove for the lenses.
Final words
We base these recommendations on several factors, including battery life design audio quality and price. However, given how quickly this market is expanding, how quickly prices are changing and how quickly new players are entering the market, soon there will be new players challenging the spots on this list.
