Still have a long way to go
I would like to let you all know in a short time I will be doing a wireless over ear headphone sound review channel yet to be named on YouTube. It will focus on wireless headphones $200 and under. I will record sound playback using Scenes Lifelike VR binaurals. I find Audiophile headphones are great but I absolutely hate being restricted by wires and I wonāt buy $200 + wireless cans based on reviews where they say āthey sound greatā. If any of you want to try a bargain great sounding pair I would urge you to get a pair of Taotronics BH-22ās for $70 from Amazon, I own a set of Bose QC35ās and for the money The bass is quite a bit better than the Bose, noise canceling is very good and they sound great wired. A few other pairs have decent sound MEE Airfi Matrix2ās(need to be modded with Brainwave HM5 pads for more bass response) and Ghostek Cannonās 1st open back wireless but have a cheap plastic build -$80. When I listen to wired I generally use Phillips SHP9500S and over my lifetime i have pissed away over 25K on sound and Iām all done with that. I hope this helps you all.
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Its great having people like you to take time give their honest impressions of equipment so that people like me have some idea of things to try or buy.
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Iām with you, generic. My Sonyās are great on the plane and when Iām exploring jazz while my significant other is watching tv. They hold their charge for a long time and have excellent noise cancelling.
These canāt compare to a pro rig with reference level sources, but for the day to day, theyāre worth the money.
Maybe we need an official thread for these.
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I think that currently, Wireless is a nice feature but not true HI-fi, but that being said technology moves fast, and if you look at the Mobius with built in DAC/amp in the headphone itself, from a HI-Fi companyā¦I canāt imagine we will be waiting much longer before we start seeing Hi-Fi stickers on wireless headphones from our favorite Hi-Fi brands (Senn, Audeze, HE, etc).
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I think wireless headphones have and serve a purpous. If I want to listen to high quality music then yea I stay home with my more expensive headphones, but if im on the go im definitely using wireless. excellent sound quality for what it is.
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I agree with you. I use my Sony MDR-1000x when I am doing yard work (noise canceling is great when mowing the lawn) or when I am on the go/traveling for work. They definitely have a place in the audio world and thats walking around in the real world. Not at a desk.
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Anybody have anything to say about the AKG N60NC phones? Iām still exploring wireless/active noise cancellation models. Iāve found that with iPhone, I need something that supports AAC for best sound. Sennheiser and JBL support only aptX.
This seems now to be a secondary quest. This site makes me too curious about stuff I donāt have.
Looks like the B&W PX also has AAC and aptX. And will do WIRED with active noise cancellation which is a plus. If you know about the B&W PX, comments welcome.
@andrew, if this should be somewhere else, please feel free to move it.
I know the PX, I hate the PX, comfort and sound wise. Have a slightly larger head or high hair then you will have to expand the headband which creates a clamping vice pressure. The cups are not comfortable and are backed by plastic, really annoying.
You cant connect to two devices at once, No user replaceable battery, the sound is too cup-ish to me. like almost as if you put a cup over your ear and then put a driver at the end of it. Yea the sound stage is super large but it sounds tinny and almost lifeless.
I returned it, I couldnāt take it. Plus you MUST have power to the headphones in order to use the wire or else you are out of luck.
Most of my gripes arenāt sound, but lets be honest, you buy a wireless device for on the go. Comfort and other amenities matter in this sense.
Hope I helped you make a better purchase decision, and as always, this is very subjective so I suggest use a 30 day return policy.
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Thank you. No user replaceable battery and the fact that you need it for wired sound is not auspicious.
WOWā¦ this was a great discussion. I had a bad experience with first generation wireless headphones and am extremely reluctant to get back into it now. Will just wait and Iāll just wrangle with the wires/cords.
Looking at growth trends, where the technology is going, and the inherent benefits of ācutting the chordā there is no doubt wireless (and truly wireless) are the future - even with true audiophile platformsā¦ Walking around portable audio events, even custom IEM focused companies are now including wireless devices on their product roadmaps, just waiting for the audio tech to catch-up to their specifications. The audio is getting better and betterā¦ When do I use? Whenever I am moving! If Iām not moving, Iāll plug inā¦
Wireless earphones: love the Sennheiser HD1sā¦ Truly wireless: really like the B&O E8s and new IconX earphones.
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Try the TaoTronics or MPOW Bluetooth receivers / transmitters from Amazon. The TaoTronics BT4.1 has AptX LL as well, I think. I own the MPOW, and the sound quality is superb.
If convenience is more important to you than fidelity, then go for it. One day wireless may do both, but thatās a long way off!
Very high quality wireless audio is here today but it generally requires a separate Bluetooth Amp/DAC (with its own battery). Iām astounded by the performance of my FiiO Q5 ā it connects to any source whereby the headphones inherit Bluetooth functionality. Itās the size of a smartphone and has standard 3.5mm or balanced output.
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I voted no. My concern would be incurring an additional health hazard from the broadcasted radio waves to the headphones. Just like the cellular phone, the closer (and longer) you hold the phone to your head, the higher your exposure to radio waves.
I quite like the look of the FiiO Q5. Iāve had the E12a Montblanc for a year or so and like it. The Q5 is packed with features though itās only downside is the price. I know you get loads for your money but itās competing with other great products in this price range. Still nice though.
-Paul-
After a lot of shopping, the Q5 clicked as soon as I understood its full feature set. The problem is that it looks exactly like other portable Amp/DACs. The convenience of (quality) Bluetooth is well worth the price to me.
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Yes you certainly get a great feature set. IMO FiiO have always given good value. If I needed such a setup it would certainly be on my shortlist.
FiiO seems to have upped their game with their latest round of updates. IMHO the cheaper FiiO products are a great way to get a foothold into portable Ampās/Dacās.
-Paul-
I have a pair of Shure se535ās on the Shure BT cable. Not a very noticeable degrade in SQ and nothing beats the convenience of no dangling wires. I also have a pair of Opportunity PM-3s plugged into an EarStudio BT unit. Pretty similar reaction. The cordless feature more than makes up for the slight SQ difference.
When BT 5.0 comes out and devices are finally released on it, I think wireless will be a much better alternative to wired, especially with range and connection quality.