Huge Comparison of [almost] all the Best Bluetooth Headphones - post your own comparisons here

giogio said:

OMG
Did not notice that.
This is just too much, this man has lost his head.
Omg... How can anybody ever possibly mix the beats with those other Cans?

I have just read somebody talking of the Kicker Tubor (a BT Headphone which I think could be interesting for Bassheads, but which I suspect cannot compete with the ATH), and he was comparing them with the Beats and he tols "when you want to understand a headphone never try it alone, always compare it side by side with some reference headphones you know well" and he was making this example that the Beats are well reviewed and lot of people like them, because they never compare them side to side with other ones. And in the moment you compare them, you hear immediately how bad they are.

In my case, after 30 headphones, I kind of know almost immediately what's going on there.
But still so, if the headphone is good enough, after a while of using only that one I get used and it start seeming better, but as soon as I compare it again, the magic is over.
That's probably why in our society there is no poligamy

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Crazy right? I could not understand why those headphones are there with the others. They are nowhere near as phenomenal sound wise as the other headphones. I think it is just pure bias and style causing whoever to put these there ahahah. I see what you mean by getting known to the sound signature and getting used to it but then when comparing to another headphone that destroys it sound wise the beauty is gone. Indeed people who are buying beats are probably not comparing them to a more "proper" actually sound focused headphone over fashion focused and not realizing what more bang for your buck you can get. Like the time i heard the Beats solo 1 drenched in color... My oh my i asked the person who had bought them how do you enjoy such rubbish blaring bass overclouding every detail within the song lol. I just take it as a huge mistake to whoever put these on the list of high end phones and did not realize it lmao.

giogio said:

 
I still have to laugh loud when I read that man claiming that the Beats Studio Wireless is an excellent Headphone, and that the Momentum sounds just a bit better
 

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Hey!  You mean Me?  I resemble that remark! 
 
Here is an interesting puzzle, a least to me.
 
When compared three BT headphones in a rather systematic way at 8 months ago, the Beats Studio 2013 Wireless came out on top:
 
 
 
But when I compared its wired version, the Beats Studio 2013 (wired), to other wired headphones, it came out on the bottom:
 

 
Could this mean that even the best Bluetooth headphones are Much Worse than even modest quality wired headphones?
 
Certainly my Parrot Zik 2.0, an improvement over my Parrot Zik originals compared in the first chart, are significantly poorer at $399 and with an equalization / soundstage app than even my least-expensive wired Grados, the SR60 at $79.  I've not yet done the 10-feature comparison, but I can say that the Grado SR60 surpasses the Parrot Zik 2.0 in transparency, bass pitch perception, high frequency resolution, and a few others.
 
Are ALL BT headphones, even the best, a step down from average wired headphones?  An objective test would be most interesting!

ruthieandjohn said:

  Hey!  You mean Me?  I resemble that remark! 

 

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Ahaha! No, It was now you, I had forgotten about you liking them.
Actually, I know at least another respectable person who makes cartoons and is a quite knowledgeable guy, who liked them.
 
Well. I suppose it is a mystery which I will never be able to solve.
 
You see, I sometimes, according to the situation, the mood, and for example the price (I am harder with something more expensive) am not very diplomatic, because, let's be honest, diplomatic is boring. It is good, and it should be 90% diplomatic, but I need a 10% of "this is ****".
 
I may have said, from time to time, especially to make a contrast to the hyperbolic compliments of other people, that the Beats are ****.
Of course, they are not ****.
But, their general SQ (SQ, soundtage, detail, frequency response) is just "decent" at the best.
Why? Detail, decent. Sound quality, good. Soundstage, null. Frequency response, mediocre.
So, decent.
Explore them with EQ, and you will see that in what they should excel, the bass, they have fatal lacks. Lot of frequencies just are not there. You move the EQ and nothing happens.
They completely lack subbass for example. ZERO. No Rumble, nisba.
So, the extension in the range is limited.
And within their extension, the quality of the frequency rendering is only decent. Why? The bass is dirty, muddy, imprecise, dark. It invades the low mids. The highs are harsh and hard. The mids are shy.
It sounds good, because it is amped a lot, and so it is loud and boosted. It sounds good, because they pushed the gain up.
And you can see it, because the hiss is the STRONGESTE EVER. I did not try ONE SINGLE other BT Headphone which produces a stronger hiss.
They have just cheated...
So, I believe you and your tests.
But for me it is irrelevant that they can do bass pluck or whatever, if they do it with this dirty, muddy dark quality.
I take them, I listen to them, without EQ they make me vomit (working on my diplomacy) with the EQ I say "ok, I could live with that if there were nothing better, but, why does this thing cost so much?".
 
These are the Beats Studio Wireless.
 
AH, I was forgetting: Aptx.
They do not have it.
BUT, and THIS, this really PISS ME OFF, they say that they have it.
Not "pubically"; but a LOT of people were told it by their Support. Me to. I have the Email. i can prove it. WIth name and surname of the girl, date, hour, minute, second.
And you can reat lot of reviews saying they have Aptx.
 
So. Yeah.
To be honest, as I write in my first post at the beginning of the thread, I only test with Aptx devices, so, I have no idea if some of those headphones which with Aptx clearly outperform the Beats, without Aptx are on the same level or less.
 
But, they have no Aptx, and they are just a decent headphone, and they are sold at that price.
It just is too many reasons to hate them. They are arrogant headphones which pretend to be more than they are and with that typical american bullying attitude conquer the market just because they have learned very well that "when you have nothing to say, say it louder".
And people like many little sheep follow the lead. Or the loud.
 
I better stop now

nothing within said:

Crazy right? I could not understand why those headphones are there with the others. They are nowhere near as phenomenal sound wise as the other headphones. I think it is just pure bias and style causing whoever to put these there ahahah. I see what you mean by getting known to the sound signature and getting used to it but then when comparing to another headphone that destroys it sound wise the beauty is gone. Indeed people who are buying beats are probably not comparing them to a more "proper" actually sound focused headphone over fashion focused and not realizing what more bang for your buck you can get. Like the time i heard the Beats solo 1 drenched in color... My oh my i asked the person who had bought them how do you enjoy such rubbish blaring bass overclouding every detail within the song lol. I just take it as a huge mistake to whoever put these on the list of high end phones and did not realize it lmao.

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A lot of people do buy Beats because the like the sound and not just because of a fashion statement. A lot of bassheads love the boomy, muddy bass that the beats provides and they can't stand anything else with less bass or even less going bass. I have a few friends like that. I always know when they have arrived at my house because you can hear their car from a mile away. I refuse to get in their car unless that tone it down somewhat lol. And whenever we go somewhere in my car they EQ the bass to maximum and everything else to minimum and still complain that the sound is crap and there's not enough bass. For these people, even if you have them a far superior set of cans to try alongside the Beats they will still pick the Beats because "the bass is better". These guys also don't seem to care much about sub bass response either as you don't get the boom from sub bass like you do from mid bass so the beats not going down that low doesn't bother them.

That said, I have no idea what the hell Beats are doing on that list. Haven't seen something that out of place in a list in a long time.

giogio said:

Snip: epic Beats hate rant.

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Man you really hate Beats don't you. What did the poor headphones ever do to you. It reminds me of my old Apple hate because of their policies of pretty much forcing you to use everything their way with their propriety products and connectors. Just like Apple Beats have a devoted fan base (though not to the same extent) and no amount of discussion or rampage will convince them otherwise. They have a place in the market for lovers of boomy bass (of which there are loads) and they are so popular now that many people who might have appreciated other more balanced headphones are so used to the Beats that they find everything not to their tastes or lacking in bass.

N00b2, the problem is, the Beats have NOT a good bass.
Compared SIDE BY SIDE with the Fidelio M2BT (actually, in that moment even with the M1BT, a tiny bit less powerful), they have MUCH less impact.
The Fidelio have not only a sublime Sub-bass (almost a clone of the UE9000), but a very clear, natural, warm, round, VIBRANT, punchy bass.
The kick is powerful, and the bassline, you have no idea of how these can sound! When there are some very very deep notes, and the speaker VIBRATES, like the Beats would NEVER do.
I have found many other BT Headphones with same or better (in quality and quantity) bass than the Beats.
Which are generally also much cheaper.
So. The Beats have NOTHING to offer.
The Beats Studio Wireless, I mean.
They have just a muddy bass, period.
Now, tell your friends to order a pair of Audio Technica ATH-WS99BT
And they will see what does SOLID BASS sound like.
For impact and power, and quality in detail, and punch, they are withouth any possible doubt the BEST in my list, by MUCH, MUCH distance with all the other.
The UE and the M2BT have more body in the very deep sub bass. But for the rest (and not only the rest of the bass) the AHT beat them a lot.
And, the incredible thing is, without EQ they sound very balanced, no bass boost.
And they sound wonder in all frequencies.
Of course there will be people who do not like them.
Because tastes are tastes. They for example, are warmer than the BBP. So, those who like a rather brighter signature, will have to eq them.
 
Anyway.
The Beats suck.

n00b2 said:

Man you really hate Beats don't you. What did the poor headphones ever do to you.

It reminds me of my old Apple hate because of their policies of pretty much forcing you to use everything their way with their propriety products

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Not exaclty hate.
I try to put balance. Too many people overrate them.
Somebody must a bit underrate them to put balance back.
And also, as said, the more a mediocre headphone pumps itself to make people believe it is worth more than it really is, the more I wish to cut its legs.
The same I did it with the JBL Synchros bla bla (do not even remember the name) and with the BeoPlayH8.
Did you read my review of them? http://www.head-fi.org/products/bang-olufsen-beoplay-h8
 
So. They deserve it. Because they are a shame, for what they cost.
Really, the H8 are the most expensive BT headphone on the market, and they MUST, imperatively MUST, offer something absolutely EXCELLENT.
But they do NOT.
 
And these are the situations where I lose my temper
Other situations are when the Customer Care fails clamorously, like for the Fidelio M2BT. Inthat case, for example, I have tolerated a series of little technical and design problems very long time, because of how amazing they sound (specially the bass).
But in the moment when the Customer Care turned the back on me, my review in Amazon changed from 4 to 3 stars.
Customer Care must be rated too.
Actually, I must update my review in Head Fi
 
I am temperamental.
Or I would have never started this thread.

giogio said:

N00b2, the problem is, the Beats have NOT a good bass.
Compared SIDE BY SIDE with the Fidelio M2BT (actually, in that moment even with the M1BT, a tiny bit less powerful), they have MUCH less impact.
The Fidelio have not only a sublime Sub-bass (almost a clone of the UE9000), but a very clear, natural, warm, round, VIBRANT, punchy bass.
The kick is powerful, and the bassline, you have no idea of how these can sound! When there are some very very deep notes, and the speaker VIBRATES, like the Beats would NEVER do.
I have found many other BT Headphones with same or better (in quality and quantity) bass than the Beats.
Which are generally also much cheaper.
So. The Beats have NOTHING to offer.
The Beats Studio Wireless, I mean.
They have just a muddy bass, period.
Now, tell your friends to order a pair of Audio Technica ATH-WS99BT
And they will see what does SOLID BASS sound like.
For impact and power, and quality in detail, and punch, they are withouth any possible doubt the BEST in my list, by MUCH, MUCH distance with all the other.
The UE and the M2BT have more body in the very deep sub bass. But for the rest (and not only the rest of the bass) the AHT beat them a lot.
And, the incredible thing is, without EQ they sound very balanced, no bass boost.
And they sound wonder in all frequencies.
Of course there will be people who do not like them.
Because tastes are tastes. They for example, are warmer than the BBP. So, those who like a rather brighter signature, will have to eq them.

Anyway.
The Beats suck.

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I completely agree with you that the Beats are not a good pair of headphones and that their bass is not good. Their bass is just boomy and muddy. It lacks depth and is focused on heavy mid bass. What I am saying is that many people are so used to Beats that they think that is what bass is meant to sound like and anything with deeper, tighter bass sound wrong even if the quantity is stronger. Believe me I have listened to many headphones that have much stronger bass than beats in both quantity and quality. None of them were boomy however and that is what Beats fans like. Beats attacked the market at the right time and have made a lot of people think that is what bass should sound like so many many people associate muddy, boomy bass with good bass and hence "the bass is better".

As for my friends they are a lost cause. I have tried to show then headphones with better quality bass. They still prefer the Beats. I've gone with them to high end audio stores and listened to $200000 speakers and subs like the Paradigm Sub 2. They still prefer their Muteki and others that distort like crazy and drown everything else out. Honestly if you heard what's in some of their cars you would think the Beats are an audiophile system that is seriously lacking in bass.

giogio said:

Not exaclty hate.
I try to put balance. Too many people overrate them.
Somebody must a bit underrate them to put balance back.
And also, as said, the more a mediocre headphone pumps itself to make people believe it is worth more than it really is, the more I wish to cut its legs.
The same I did it with the JBL Synchros bla bla (do not even remember the name) and with the BeoPlayH8.
Did you read my review of them? http://www.head-fi.org/products/bang-olufsen-beoplay-h8

So. They deserve it. Because they are a shame, for what they cost.
Really, the H8 are the most expensive BT headphone on the market, and they MUST, imperatively MUST, offer something absolutely EXCELLENT.
But they do NOT.

And these are the situations where I lose my temper
Other situations are when the Customer Care fails clamorously, like for the Fidelio M2BT. Inthat case, for example, I have tolerated a series of little technical and design problems very long time, because of how amazing they sound (specially the bass).
But in the moment when the Customer Care turned the back on me, my review in Amazon changed from 4 to 3 stars.
Customer Care must be rated too.
Actually, I must update my review in Head Fi

I am temperamental.
Or I would have never started this thread.

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Didn't read the review no since I wasn't looking to purchase them but I will have a look now that you have mentioned it. Doesn't surprise me that the beoplay H8 doesn't sound like it's with the price. It's Bang and Olufsen. Their products are always significantly overpriced for what they offer.

n00b2 said:

I completely agree with you that the Beats are not a good pair of headphones and that their bass is not good. Their bass is just boomy and muddy. It lacks depth and is focused on heavy mid bass. What I am saying is that many people are so used to Beats that they think that is what bass is meant to sound like and anything with deeper, tighter bass sound wrong even if the quantity is stronger. Believe me I have listened to many headphones that have much stronger bass than beats in both quantity and quality. None of them were boomy however and that is what Beats fans like. Beats attacked the market at the right time and have made a lot of people think that is what bass should sound like so many many people associate muddy, boomy bass with good bass and hence "the bass is better".

As for my friends they are a lost cause. I have tried to show then headphones with better quality bass. They still prefer the Beats. I've gone with them to high end audio stores and listened to $200000 speakers and subs like the Paradigm Sub 2. They still prefer their Muteki and others that distort like crazy and drown everything else out. Honestly if you heard what's in some of their cars you would think the Beats are an audiophile system that is seriously lacking in bass.

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Last few posts have been bashing Beats' bass, but is Bangs' bass better? It's bluetooth and best bang for the buck, I believe.
 

I'm not really into how those BBPs' look like. How would you rate Harman Kardon BT microphone/calls? They look quite fancy, and are actually available in Poland. Or from the top of your list, which headphones would you say have really decent quality of calls (outside of BBP)?
 
Is there even a way to get AKG WS99BT with shipping to Europe? I can't find anything outside of some Chinese or Japanese store.

ruthieandjohn said:

Last few posts have been bashing Beats' bass, but is Bangs' bass better? It's bluetooth and best bang for the buck, I believe.

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Looks similar to Beats in many ways but more useful

I could buy one for my neighbors

Yeah, your neighbors were complaining about your noise!

giogio said:

Trying the Pendulumic right now.

I can see why you like them.
But they are not flawless.
The bass is quite powerful but a bit limited in range, and not particularly clean and detailed. And if you boost it it affects the mids and in part also the highs, making them sound less detailed. So, it does not change much the colour, it does not make things dark or muddy, but less detailed, with a sort of vibrato. I suppose because the bass is a bit boomy and the drivers vibrate too much to keep the control of other frequencies when the bass is dominating.
But used without EQ, out of the box, are really excellent headphones. Very balanced. Still not very detailed, and the soundstage is a bit flat, but overall a very good headphone.
And for my head and ears they are extremely comfortable, among the most comfortable I have ever tried. Very light, very gentle albeit firm clamping and extremely soft pads. Really pleasant.

@Techfixation
, I think they can be good for you, because with TV you are not going to be able to boost the bass, and they have more than enough for films, and do not have penetrating highs but rather a warmer to balanced signature which works good on movies. Vocals are well present. Not like in the ATH, but present.
And they are just being distributed now in UK for the first time. Amazon. Try, return if not satisfied.
The hiss is non audible. If you can hear hiss during silence in these headphones, I will be hugely surprised.
Now, when music is being played, there is, in ALL BT headphones, always more hiss, because you are adding the Amp hiss of the Headphone to the hiss of the song, which, unless perfectly mastered and in lossless format, is always there.
I do not know in TV, but I can suppose that the TV itself can produce some hiss (try the headphones with other sources, if you have a BT phone and/or notebook, try them too). The Avantree can add a little bit hiss. The Transmission on the TV can add hiss. So... Forget it. Unless you have a very expensive, digital TV with EQ and audio filtering and bla bla, you will have hiss.

But, as said, you can at least reduce the one of the Amp. And the Stance are, together with the Matrix2 and the BeoPlay H8, excellent.

I still prefer the ATH, they have a tiny little bit more hiss on total music stopped, but somehow less global hiss on music playing. Probably for the way they render hig frequency in music.


Somebody somewhere was complaining that they have a "closed mic", by which you do not hear your your own voice in the speakers when you make a call.
Now, I have 6 headphones at home.
ALL of them are like this. With ALL of them I can NOT hear my voice in the speakers when I make a call.
Not even with the Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H8 (which, being ANC, should offer this function. Infact with the non ANC ones you can easily listen to your voice from outside of the speakers).

So, I would like to ask, could you please tell me if your BT headphone let you hear your voice, amplified, through the mic in the speakers?
You can easily see the difference if you press the mute button on the phone.

Thanks.

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Thanks for this I'm definitely considering the Pendulumic's as they sound like they tick most of the boxes, however Im really not feeling the design!

Have you had chance to test the Fidelio's for hiss yet? They look good and from what you say they sound great too!