The Buying Guide of Bluetooth Headphones 2023
Oct 20,2023 | David
This short buying guide will help you make your choice based on your needs and the equipment you already have. Whether you're looking for the best Bluetooth headphones, or want to understand the technical aspects, our buying guide is here to fulfill those goals.
What are Bluetooth Headphones?
Wireless Bluetooth Headphone or Bluetooth True Wireless refers to the recently sensational technology. These wireless headphones respond carefully and revolutionary ergonomic design, which makes the listening fun double. They are comfortable for the ears and provide complete freedom of movement and excellent sound quality in use. Bluetooth is a wireless technology used to power Bluetooth Headphones, so the Headphones use this technology to connect. Bluetooth is a short-range wireless communication standard, which uses radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band.
How to choose Bluetooth headphones?
We present you 6 important tips you need to know when buying a Bluetooth headphone.
1. Choose at least 6 hours of battery life:
For a use without annoyance, the battery life is also a key criterion in the choice of its Bluetooth-enabled headphones. Without drums, no music. Aim for a minimum autonomy of 6 hours for a good comfort of use. Some products may have a box that contains a charging system.
With a full charge, most wireless headphones last between 5 and 8 hours. As you can see, this is an important criterion to take into account to avoid having to charge the headphones regularly.
2. The comfort of wearing headphones:
These devices can sometimes fall off if you don't think about choosing headphones for your ears that fit perfectly.Please note that there are three different types of Bluetooth headphones: "In-ear", "Semi-in-ear", "Open-ear"
Generally speaking, both "in-ear" and "semi-in-ear" Bluetooth headphones need to be plugged into the ear. The advantage is that the sound can be sealed in the ear, so it is not easy to leak the sound and the sound quality is good, the disadvantage is that because of the need to plug into the ear, long-term wearing will be easier to make the ear feel uncomfortable or even painful, and some models will make you have a more serious "auscultation effect".
The "open-ear" Bluetooth headset is a common bone conduction Bluetooth headset, which is a headset that sounds through the vibration of the bone, and the bone transmits the sound source vibration directly to the inner ear, so as to hear the sound. Ordinary headphones, on the other hand, transmit air vibrations from the ear to the eardrum, where they are recognized as sound and heard by the ear. As the name suggests, the "open ear" does not need to be plugged into the ear, and the advantage is that it is not easy to wear your ear for a long time, and will not harm the eardrum. In addition, it enables you to hear surrounding sounds while using for increased safety. The disadvantage is that due to this open design and working principle, the sound quality is worse than that of ordinary noise-cancelling headphones, and it is more likely to leak.
Another key point in your choice is the weight of the headphones. Weight is an important criterion not to feel embarrassed and to offer better support at the level of the ear. It is therefore important for mobile use. The ideal weight for Bluetooth earbuds is less than 20 grams. With a lighter weight, your ears will thank you. In addition, we find that they adapt better to the ear.
For headphones weighing between 20 and 40 grams, they are comfortable to listen to and fit well in your ears. However, weight may be felt after prolonged use.Finally, we do not recommend buying Bluetooth headphones weighing more than 50 grams.
3. Stability of connection:
Bluetooth is the primary connection mode for wireless devices.There are different versions of the Bluetooth protocols used,try to choose a Bluetooth headset with Bluetooth v5.0 or above
4. The sound characteristics of the headphones:
Establishing in detail the sound characteristics of the headphones would be tedious and boring as the offers are different and numerous. However, you are advised to consult the specifications table detailing the hardware capabilities. So you will benefit from necessary and useful lighting.
Be aware that the audio decoder of the iOS system is AAC, and the Android system is aptX.If the mobile phone model is adapted to the codec, the sound quality of the headphones can naturally be improved.
5.Sound insulation effect:
Active noise cancellation is a technology that helps reduce surrounding noise. This process will have the merit of isolating you from external noises such as noise in public transport for example.
However it is essential for safety reasons that you can capture external sounds when walking or running!Therefore,it is advisable to choose headphones that include Transparency Mode or bone conduction Bluetooth headphone with "open-ear”design to hear what is happening around you and interact with the world around you.
6. Usage scenario:
If you are an office worker, then buy noise-reducing headphones, which can reduce noise interference when commuting and working; If you are a little friend who loves to play games, you must choose a headset with reduced delay, which is suitable for immersive game playing; If you are a small partner who loves sports, then bone conduction headphones are very suitable for you and make you have a pleasant sports experience.
Excellent Bluetooth headphone recommendation:
5. Marshall Minor III
Minor III headphones have a sense of design. For example, the shell of the earbud cavity is made of frosted material, which can ensure the stability of the earbuds when wearing and increase friction. The grain on the handle of the earbud and the gold shell with microphone hole at the bottom also make it look different. Minor III headphones are semi-in-ear, and the micro-oval sound hole has little restriction on the shape of the ear canal, which is very ergonomic.
In terms of specifications, Marshall's earbud adopts a 12mm custom tuning drive unit, and has a built-in Bluetooth 5.2 chip, which supports APTX audio decoding, and can provide strong bass, smooth mid-range and crisp treble performance, and ensure a stable connection between the earphone and the mobile device.
Earbud can last for 5 hours, and the portable charging box can be charged extra, so you can plug earbuds into the housing to get extra power when needed.Earbuds use intuitive touch control, which can be used to control music and calls.
Please note that if the size of earbuds does not match the size of your ears, you may not get the correct sound quality or call performance.
4. Sennheiser CX 350BT
Sennheiser CX 350BT is a lightweight wire connecting the left and right earphones, which is designed in an integrated way. Even if two heavy items, wire control with microphone and battery box, are attached to it, the whole CX 350BT machine only weighs 12g, and it also solves the stethoscope effect of wired headphones.
However, it should be noted that before using CX 350BT, it is necessary to select a suitable earphone cover. After the earphone is put into the ear, it will not cause serious foreign body sensation, and it can achieve an excellent experience of non-inductive wearing. On the contrary, you may not get good sound quality and comfortable wearing feeling.
In addition, CX350BT uses the Sennheiser Smart Control App of Sennheiser's own high-end wireless headset, which means that users can not only adjust the sound effect, but also update the firmware in the app to improve the headset experience at any time.
In Bluetooth wireless fidelity, apart from the common SBC, AAC and aptX, it also supports aptX Low Latency, which is a protocol technology that can reduce the delay and ensure the fast transmission of audio signals. This agreement supported by CX 350BT is very suitable for people who attend classes at home, work at home, and even play games for a long time.
Its battery life is long, the headset can last for 10 hours, and it supports USB-C fast charging. Interact with music, calls and voice assistants through four-button control, and support Siri and Google Assistant.
3. OnePlus Buds Bluetooth headphone
The headphone is equipped with a 13.4mm large moving coil unit, which lays the foundation for good sound quality in hardware. Turning on the game mode can reduce the delay, and there is almost no obvious delay within 100 ms.
The waterproof grade of headphones is IPX4, and there is no problem in daily sweat prevention; It has small functions such as automatic detection of ear automatic play/pause. In addition, it also supports fast charging.
The control on the equipment is very limited, and there is no equalizer; The ear handle is too thick, and the impression is not very good, which can be further improved. Gesture control is limited and the user experience is not very good.
Its expressive force in sound quality is a little beyond expectations, but there are still some flaws in the experience and wearing.
2. Bose 700
Bose 700 wireless noise-canceling headphones adopt a new generation of Bose noise-canceling technology, which improves the irregular noise and sonic boom phenomenon that are common in general noise-canceling headphones; Support "0-10" 11-level controllable noise reduction, so that we can adjust the contact with the surrounding environment more freely and comfortably.
It also adopt Bose's unique dynamic EQ sound quality technology, which can be optimized for different volumes, avoid the enhancement effect of bass, voice and treble that is easy to make people tired, and restore a clear, natural and balanced sound quality experience.
It supports touch control, and you only need to move your finger on the earphone to control music and noise quickly. For example, you can adjust the volume by sliding your finger up and down in the touch area of the right earmuff, and you can switch tracks by sliding left and right, which is very intelligent.
The disadvantage is that it weighs 245g, which will easily cause ear discomfort when worn for a long time and its compatibility with glasses is not enough.
1. Wissonly Hi Runnner Bone Conduction Bluetooth Headphone
The last one recommended is the most cost-effective and practical Bluetooth headphone--Hi Runner.It is perfect for use while exercising, but it is equally suitable for daily life.
The Wissonly Hi Runner integral frame is made of adjustable aviation-grade titanium steel material, which can adapt to different sizes of head circumference and ensure stable wearing. The surface of headphones is made of high-tech hypoallergenic silicone material, chemical free which avoids allergies, the overall touch of the headphone is as silky as baby skin, avoiding long-term wearing will feel uncomfortable. And it is very lightweight, less than 30g,which will not make the ears feel tired when worn it for a long time.
Although the name of Wissonly Hi Runner is Hi Runner, it also has an IPX8 waterproof rating higher than the industry standard, which allows it to work normally during swimming and diving, which is a great advantage of it.It is also equipped with 32G built-in storage, which can store 5000 songs, and supports two working modes of Bluetooth and MP3. In the scene of underwater sports or without a mobile phone, you can completely use it as a Bluetooth MP3 player.
Its performance is very powerful, equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 chip, which makes the connection more stable.Its battery life is very strong, it can be used continuously for 10 hours, and it supports magnetic fast charging. It makes up for the disadvantage of Bluetooth headphone.
Because Hi Runner adopts an open-ear design, and its special working principle, the sound quality is not as good as that of noise-reducing headphones.However, Wissonly Hi Runner's design is completely unappealing, which reduces the damage to the eardrum and protects the ear to the maximum extent, and it can keep the ear canal clean and hygienic. This is a healthy and hygienic earphone. Its open-ear design also allows you to easily hear the sound of cars and traffic lights in outdoor sports scenes such as running and walking, making you safer when using.In addition, Wissonly has made great efforts in improving sound quality. They have subverted the traditional sound quality scheme and adopted a large wireframing vibration unit to improve the effective vibration area through structural optimization, so that the sound has a good performance in both treble and bass.
In terms of price, it only costs 99.99 US dollars, which has a high cost performance!
Conclusion:
There is no perfect earphone, only the one that suits you best.Each Bluetooth headphone has its own characteristics. Only when you choose according to your own needs can you choose the Bluetooth headphone that suits you best.
If you don't use headphones frequently, but have some requirements for sound quality, then I suggest you try Marshall Minor III.
If you have high noise reduction ability of Bluetooth headset, you need to use it for hands-free calls frequently, and the budget is sufficient, Bose 700 is worth your consideration.
If you are a person who loves to play games and have requirements for low latency and sound effects, you can consider OnePlus Buds and Sennheiser CX 350BT.
If you like sports, also want to use headphones in your daily life.And have requirements on cost performance and performance, then it is strongly recommended that you buy Wissonly Hi Runner Bone Conduction Bluetooth headphone.