Huge Comparison of [almost] all the Best Bluetooth Headphones - post your own comparisons here
May 9, 2017 at 6:20 AM Post #3,242 of 3,643
Hi, thanks for the input. I have been trying a lot of different headphones lately, but most of them have been really uncomfortable on my head, like the headband was pressing down on my skull.

I am looking for a pair of BT headphones with BT 4.1, atp-x and that are comfortable to wear. It would be preferable if they were sturdy and foldable/collapsible as I plan to pack them in my backback. And the Avantree just fits that, I'm mostly having 2nd thoughts as its a no-name brand, and the sound profile might be the best. Hence the question.
If I may add my 2p worth on this...

I was also looking for a 'reasonable' BT set of cans, and this more than fitted my price range, so I also took a punt. The look and feel was good out of the box, and felt worth more than the £65 I paid. However that was where the good feelz stopped! I was able to sync them to my iPhone without issue, and the sound was good, but as soon as I put my phone in my pocket (jacket or trouser) the Bluetooth dropped in and out. Holding my phone made it ok again, but completely unpractical. Another reason that I'd given these a go was the ability to pair with multiple devices and flick between the two. I use my laptop for work a lot, so listen to music and take calls/meetings via my computer also, so this was a big plus, especially with the built in mic...however I was never able to get them to work. They would pair OK with the laptop, but I could never select them for audio, or the mic wouldn't recognise. My tech guys had a go at resolving it for 2 days but no joy.

After around a week of use and frustration, I was pushed over the edge by a random low battery warning that would come and go during use. The alleged 40hr run time, was either severely over estimated or at fault. Switching them off and on again would solve the problem, but it would reappear even after a top up charge to check they were good.

I returned them yesterday, so am back on the hunt.

If any of you have a suggestion based on my criteria above I would love to hear it! I am not an audiophile, but have an eclectic mix of music, so enjoy cans that can cope with most things whilst providing some good bass. I currently use AKG451's, which I am happy with, but am not stuck with on/over ear as a preference yet - just not in ear. I am selling some Decibullz Bluetooth in ear monitors if anyone is interested :wink:
 
May 20, 2017 at 7:05 AM Post #3,244 of 3,643
I recently bought two headphones, namely the AKG K845BT and the Onkyo h500bt, mostly based on reviews on Head-Fi and comments found in this very thread.
I just would like to share my experience in the hope this might be helpful to other readers/buyers.
The comparison I made is just between the above-mentioned headphones. I choose the Onkyo because of AAC-support over bluetooth as I am an iPhone-user. The AKG I bought because they are over-ear and received at time of release very good reviews.
The AKG's are so much better as well wired, as over bluetooth. The wired connection was tested with an Audio-gd NFB-11 using foorbar2K (lossless Flac and High Resolution Flac) and iTunes (ALAC lossless) through an USB-connection and an optical connection via AirportExpress. I mostly listen to Jazz, Classical, Folk/Country and the "better" Rock. I found the Onkyo's dull, diffuse, missing detail, no tight bass. The AKG's do NOT support AAC over bluetooth. But even using the SBC codec over Bluetooth playing from my iPhone, the AKG's sounded so much better, almost as good as wired with my iPhone.
What did I learn from this experience? The codec support over Bluetooth (SBC/MP3/AAC/APTX/APTX-HD, ...) is not the main feature making a good wireless headphone. In order of importance it is the driver, built-in amp, built-in DAC and used audio codec comes last. IMO!!!
I was very much dissappointed in the Onkyo's. The more because there are quite a lot of people in this thread that glorified its sound qualities. But the AKG's were entirely in another league IMHO. So I returned the Onkyo's and am considering to buy an extra set of the AKG's for my son.
 
May 20, 2017 at 8:16 AM Post #3,245 of 3,643
Your experience with the AKG K845 BT matches those of Giorgio, the founder of this thread. There is a white pair (mine) for sale in the classified forum. Here.
 
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May 20, 2017 at 8:23 AM Post #3,246 of 3,643
Update of my former post. I could not find a quality wireless headphone at a reasonable price so I just ordered a second AKG K845BT for € 105. A real steal for a superior headphone!!!
 
May 20, 2017 at 8:36 AM Post #3,247 of 3,643
Thanks for the offer Ruthie but for 105 eur I bought second chance (only damaged packaging) AKG's with 2 year warranty as from purchase date. I often listen in wired mode, and from my experience these sound even more wonderfull wired. When they are no longer available through retail I am sure a lot of people will be queing to "take" them from you.
 
May 26, 2017 at 6:28 AM Post #3,248 of 3,643
As I have explained in the P7 wireless tjread. Recently got these, absolitely love them! The SQ is amazing. Absolutely zero distortion regardless of volume, the bass is awesome, it can go hard! If there's detail in the rrcordong, the P7W pick it out and present it to you. They sound spacious to my ears, guitars sound awesome through them. One of my favourite aspects is how vocals sound through these. Battery is solid! Build quality is first rate.

I pair these with the mojo and the SQ that can be achieved is absolutely stunning to my ears. They sound awesome as is and that's over bluetooth, mojo takes it up another level.

I pretty much feel that to justify spending more money and purchase what would be considered an upgrade in sound quality, I would have to lump a serious amount of money into truly high end, such as Elear etc.

P7 wireless are legit guys, superb headphones all round and shine with anything I put through them, hip hop rap, damce/trance, acoustic, rock etc
 
Jul 1, 2017 at 12:33 PM Post #3,249 of 3,643
So I'm currently trying to decide between B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H8 Wireless On-Ear Headphone and Onkyo H500BTW. Price isn't really a factor (if I have to hard-limit it, it would be <$500), what I want to focus on is the sound quality (as well as on-ear, comfort, wireless capability). On-ear preference stems mostly from aesthetic & comfort (I don't like my ears getting so hot)

Usage would be in the office and during my commute. May be used at home as well. So pretty much everywhere!

Look-wise, I prefer the onkyo, especially in white (I'm not sure if it's the best idea though because I assume they'll probably get dirty overtime). I really dig the way the headband is designed.
Functionality-wise, of course I prefer the beoplay because it has ANC.

A con of onkyo is that it's a pain to find (for the white). I will have to buy from a ebay seller directly from japan for the white ones.

I haven't seen any direct comparison of these so anyone with some input would be greatly appreciated. I also would not mind further headphone recommendations. Anything with good sound quality is appreciated. In terms of design, you probably noticed that I prefer cans that have a sort of two layer stacked cake shape.
 
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Jul 1, 2017 at 2:14 PM Post #3,250 of 3,643
So I'm currently trying to decide between B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H8 Wireless On-Ear Headphone and Onkyo H500BTW. Price isn't really a factor (if I have to hard-limit it, it would be <$500), what I want to focus on is the sound quality (as well as on-ear, comfort, wireless capability). On-ear preference stems mostly from aesthetic & comfort (I don't like my ears getting so hot)

Usage would be in the office and during my commute. May be used at home as well. So pretty much everywhere!

Look-wise, I prefer the onkyo, especially in white (I'm not sure if it's the best idea though because I assume they'll probably get dirty overtime). I really dig the way the headband is designed.
Functionality-wise, of course I prefer the beoplay because it has ANC.

A con of onkyo is that it's a pain to find (for the white). I will have to buy from a ebay seller directly from japan for the white ones.

I haven't seen any direct comparison of these so anyone with some input would be greatly appreciated. I also would not mind further headphone recommendations. Anything with good sound quality is appreciated. In terms of design, you probably noticed that I prefer cans that have a sort of two layer stacked cake shape.
Both headphones sound very good with a very nice bass response. Imo the Onkyo's are the better sounding of the two with more balanced mids and highs, and although the bass has a similar quantity to the H8's it of a better quality without eating into the mids.

The ANC on the H8's introduce a significant amount of white noise and the sound signature is different between having it switched on or off. I actually prefer the signature with it switched on as there is more bass and a lovely richness to them which is lost when switching it off, it's a more balanced sound with it off but the highs become a tad too much and the signature becomes a bit too flat for my liking.

The build quality of the H8's is about the best you'll get and although the Onkyo's are still pretty well put together and have a lovely understated design they just can't compete with the H8's!

Comfort wise they're both pretty comfortable for On Ear's but I'd definitely give it to the Onkyo's which feel quite a bit lighter and have a much more comfortable headband. The padding on the H8's headband isn't very soft at all and creates quite a bit of pressure on the top of the head with prolonged use!

The Bluetooth connection on the Onkyo's is also much better with a better range and a more stable connection. I found that I got quite a lot of audio dropouts with the H8's and although this was probably due to interference in my flat the Onkyo's didn't suffer the same problems under the same conditions.

The H8's are also much quieter than the Onkyo's, trying to use the H8's to watch a movie on my Google tablet they were no where near loud enough at max volume and pretty much unusable!

If you want to stick to the same Over Ear design then the Philips Fidelio m2bt's sound pretty amazing with a similar look but they do suffer with interference, however if your not planning to listen to them at any great distance and your not surrounded by lots of wireless signals you might be OK?

If you don't mind the Over Ear design of the B&W P7 wireless you won't find much better in terms of Bluetooth audio quality! They are very similar to the Onkyo's but with slightly better bass and a larger soundstage, they also have a rock solid connection.

All 3 headphones have a lovely bass response and a similar richness that makes vocals sound great! Imo the Fidelio's actually sound the best with the deepest, tightest bass and a great soundstage considering their size but I just couldn't rely on their connection!

My advise would be to order all 3 on Amazon and try them back to back, then return the ones you don't want with Amazon's no fuss returns policy!
 
Jul 1, 2017 at 2:20 PM Post #3,251 of 3,643
Just noticed you said you'd have to order the Onkyo's from Japan! If you can get them at the right price they'd definitely be worth the punt, and even if you decided they weren't for you I'm sure someone on here might buy them off you as they're quite popular....at least to those who have heard of them!
 
Jul 1, 2017 at 3:23 PM Post #3,252 of 3,643
Just noticed you said you'd have to order the Onkyo's from Japan! If you can get them at the right price they'd definitely be worth the punt, and even if you decided they weren't for you I'm sure someone on here might buy them off you as they're quite popular....at least to those who have heard of them!
Hey, thanks for such a detailed response. I won't be paying for these myself. My company offers a new headphone every 2 years so cost isn't really a big factor for me.

Does the over the ear B&W P7 get hot at all? I expect to use these headsets for 2-3 hrs at a time so comfort is pretty important. Not a big fan of the design, however.

Edit: Also, I do think interference is a concern so fidelio wouldn't make the cut.
 
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Jul 2, 2017 at 12:59 AM Post #3,253 of 3,643
Hey, thanks for such a detailed response. I won't be paying for these myself. My company offers a new headphone every 2 years so cost isn't really a big factor for me.

Does the over the ear B&W P7 get hot at all? I expect to use these headsets for 2-3 hrs at a time so comfort is pretty important. Not a big fan of the design, however.
Yes the P7W gets hot, I owned one as well as the H500BT. I love both sound signatures. There has been one person recently who posted not liking the H500BT and that is unfortunate, but it happens and if you can try for yourself I would consider them. The P7W is better sounding, but not by that much I thought and certainly the H500BT is far more portable and not as hot. That is why I sold the P7W, with summer and spring they were hot to wear when out where the H500BT was not as bad at all.

For the poster who didn't like the H500BT much and preferred the AKG845BT, I'll get to compare them head to head as my buddy is buying the AKG and I still have my H500BT. I'll be interested to hear the AKG. Recently I was gifted an AKG 550 which was okay, nothing special so I'm curious to hear the 845 which I have been curious about for a while now.
 
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Jul 2, 2017 at 1:43 AM Post #3,254 of 3,643
Yes the P7W gets hot, I owned one as well as the H500BT. I love both sound signatures. There has been one person recently who posted not liking the H500BT and that is unfortunate, but it happens and if you can try for yourself I would consider them. The P7W is better sounding, but not by that much I thought and certainly the H500BT is far more portable and not as hot. That is why I sold the P7W, with summer and spring they were hot to wear when out where the H500BT was not as bad at all.

For the poster who didn't like the H500BT much and preferred the AKG845BT, I'll get to compare them head to head as my buddy is buying the AKG and I still have my H500BT. I'll be interested to hear the AKG. Recently I was gifted an AKG 550 which was okay, nothing special so I'm curious to hear the 845 which I have been curious about for a while now.
Any thoughts on the beoplay h8?
 
Jul 2, 2017 at 5:12 AM Post #3,255 of 3,643
Hey, thanks for such a detailed response. I won't be paying for these myself. My company offers a new headphone every 2 years so cost isn't really a big factor for me.

Does the over the ear B&W P7 get hot at all? I expect to use these headsets for 2-3 hrs at a time so comfort is pretty important. Not a big fan of the design, however.

Edit: Also, I do think interference is a concern so fidelio wouldn't make the cut.
As Sonic says the P7's would definitely get hotter although I've never really experienced it with our UK climate!

What I would mention is that the P7's took some time to get comfortable and even now they're far from perfect. I found they needed to be stretched over a box for several nights as they were too tight fitting, and this comes from someone with a relatively small head! They seem to be getting more comfortable over time but I'm sure you'd find the Onkyo's more comfortable? Of course comfort is an entirely subjective thing and many people have found the P7's more than comfortable enough so you'll never truly know without trying them yourself.

If interference really is an issue it would be even more reason to pick the Onkyo's over the H8's. The H8's are known for not having a very stable connection, apparently they tried to fix this with a firmware update but I haven't been able to try them after the update and I've still heard of people having issues!

Judging by what it sounds like you after I'd still highly recommend the Onkyo's over the H8's and even the P7's, I don't think I've ever been so surprised by the sound of a pair of headphones considering their price and the fact that they were relatively unknown when I first bought them!
 

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