AfterShokz Aeropex vs Etymotic ER4 (2016)

The AfterShokz Aeropex is a great Earphone for its $159 asking price.

The Etymotic ER4XR, however, while a reasonable product for $198, doesn't stack up against its competitors quite as well. If you're considering Earphones in the $250 range, you might want to check out some better options.

The AfterShokz Aeropex has managed to do great in various roundups conducted by reviewers from highly trusted sources that perform objective in-depth testing, like CNET, SoundGuys, Rtings, and Wirecutter (NYTimes) - it was dubbed "Best bone-conduction headphones" by CNET, "Best Bone Conduction" by SoundGuys, and "Best Wireless Earbuds For Running Outdoors" by Rtings. Any product that's held in such high regard by some of the most reliable sources should be considered by everyone who's looking for a Earphone at this price.

Returning to the Etymotic ER4XR, PCmag, a source that's known for its high-quality in-depth testing, has great things to say about it. In fact, it was named its "Best for Sound Professionals" in its "The Best Wired Headphones for 2021" roundup, which is quite a feat.

We analyzed all of the review data that we could find on these two Earphones. First, we examined sources that tested and scored both of these products - Rtings favored the Etymotic ER4XR over the AfterShokz Aeropex, whereas reviewers at Digitaltrends haven't shown a preference for either.

Then we took a look at which sources liked them the most - we found that the AfterShokz Aeropex was best received by Android Central - it gave it a score of 9, whereas the Etymotic ER4XR got its highest score of 10 from reviewers at PCmag.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Earphones on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Earphones being 7.3 out of 10, whereas the AfterShokz Aeropex and Etymotic ER4XR managed averages of 7.7 and 8.5 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct AfterShokz Aeropex vs. Etymotic ER4XR comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.