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

[1wyseman]

As of right now, I'm leaning towards the Backbeat Pro's and the Sony 950BT.  Both of those headphones are in my price range.  If I opted for the Sony's, I'd do the mods recommended on the 950BT thread.  I don't mind the headphones weight as long as they go around my ears and have plenty of cushion.  I will just use them at home.  I really wish I could compare these headphones side by side.  I'm no audiophile.  I have some Sennheiser HD518's and I honestly cannot tell the difference when they are connected to my macbook air and when I use a Fiio E07k dac/amp.    
 
Any suggestions for me?   Thanks in advance.

 
Can you get both and then return one?
 
I don't know the Sony's; I do like the BBP's. And if weight and looks are not an issue, that is a plus. I like their Sound Quality overall, and they have a lot of extra features--which is either a good thing--or not so much. They are comfortable on my average ears.
 
The best thing to do is test them side-by-side.

 

[Giogio]

    
As of right now, I'm leaning towards the Backbeat Pro's and the Sony 950BT.  Both of those headphones are in my price range.  If I opted for the Sony's, I'd do the mods recommended on the 950BT thread.  I don't mind the headphones weight as long as they go around my ears and have plenty of cushion.

they're both not the largest pads around. If you have big ears they won't fit.
The Sony have deeper pads.
I didn't mod them, so i cannot compare them (modded) with the bbp.
But not modded they cannot compete with the bbp.

What exactly is the benefit of AAC? All of my files are hi-bitrate lossless, and a large number are 24-bit. Is AAC just beneficial for low-bitrate files? Why should I care about AAC? I am thoroughly enjoying my Senns so far.

if you enjoy them you should not care about anything else.
Music must be decoded and re encoded to be sent to the headphones.
Aac (for iOS) and aptx (for android) have a higher bitrate and a different way of compressing music (potentially better, specially for the high frequencies, and for a bit more detail and less latency) respect to the old sbc codec. But the new sbc is much better than the old and the difference with aac/aptx is much less noticeable.
High end headphones generally use the new sbc.
In theory if you stream a lower bitrate mp3 you should not notice any difference between the three codecs, because they all have higher bitrate than that mp3.
Always in theory, with a high bitrate file you may notice the difference.
But finally it's all relative and partly subjective.

 

[RamGuy]

  convince them? You should make a scandal and put the shop upside down if they do not change them! Besides, you can be clever and say that AFTER noticing all these problems you have investigated and discovered that a lot of people complain of the same, and so if they prefer to go for the standard legal way they would have to replace the same model three times before giving you the money back. At that point they will have lost THREE, not one headphone.
Which btw they do not loose anything because it is a complaint under warranty and they give it back to B&O.
And, you do not want money back, you want another headphone (which is even more expensive, I suppose).
Anyway yes, B&O have a good Customer Service. Despite the partial failure of the H8 they are still one of the best Audio Companies in the world. And everybody makes mistakes.
 
I have never said that. Comfort is a subjective thing. And they were not more comfortable to me, because I have small ears and the pads of the BBP are ok for me, and the BBP was more comfortable to me in the headband. But yeah, if your ears don't fit in the BBP and fit in the S1+ (which are not that much bigger) you may feel them more comfortable.
 
Hmmm, sorry, I do not wear glasses, but if I had to guess I would say that each option has pro and cons. The over ear would directly press on the arms of the glasses, the on ear would eventually/maybe press the ear which would/could press on the arms of the glasses.
I am afraid it is again a subjective thing and you would have to try yourself. Better would be not to send back the S1+ and order the BBP and compare the two and then decide which one to keep.
 
The head sensor is an advantage, definitely. Whatever may be the reason why you want to wear them off for a moment, you will be glad that the music stops.
Anyway you can disable this feature any time.
 
9% heavier, are you kidding? If your head will notice it I would be surprised! But I admire your precision.
 
Smaller pads, as said, very relative thing. I never had a problem with them, nor many other people do.
I do indeed prefer large and deep earpads where my ears do not touch ANYTHING. But you do not find that often. And you, may not even want it or care about it.
 
S1+ better battery life? Do you really need more than 24 hrs in a row?
 
If I know my chickens I would guess you took your decision already and are not looking for suggestions but for permission.
I permit you to buy the BBP.

 
 
I'm glad to report that their customer service was great. Went to a different store, and decided to just test out their customer service so I didn't give my proof of purchase / receipt either and they replaced the H8's with the H7 without any questions asked.

 

[8BitKid]

  What exactly is the benefit of AAC?

To elaborate on the above, if your music is all lossless and high bitrate, AAC won't matter if you're using bluetooth headphones. However, if you're using a service like Apple Music which downloads music as AAC, being able to stream from an iOS device to your headphones in the native format of the local file will provide better fidelity. However, if you're using an alternative high bitrate player on iOS (like Vox), it does become less important.
 
FWIW, went to the B&O store in NYC to try the H7's. While I thought the sound was solid, the touch controls were immensely frustrating. I can easily see how annoying this would get when commuting. Personally, I don't understand why high-end headphones in this category don't support high-quality physical controls. My frustrations with touch have led me back to the MW60's, which seem to be the only bluetooth headphones that support:
 
- Apt-X & AAC
- Physical controls
 
I ruled out the Zik 3's (I don't buy their SBC claims and they have touch), the Senn's (don't support AAC), the MDR-1ABT's (touch controls), and the H7's (also have touch controls).
 
Anything I'm forgetting?

 

[yakapo]

   
Can you get both and then return one?
 
I don't know the Sony's; I do like the BBP's. And if weight and looks are not an issue, that is a plus. I like their Sound Quality overall, and they have a lot of extra features--which is either a good thing--or not so much. They are comfortable on my average ears.
 
The best thing to do is test them side-by-side.

 
I'll probably get the bbp.  If I bought the Sony's, I'd probably put off the mods and never get around to it.  

 

[Giogio]

Anything I'm forgetting?

I'm not in the condition of checking each of the headphones in my list now, but there are definitely more headphones which support aptx and aac.
The Plantronics Backbeat Pro and the ATH-WS99BT are for sure two of them.

 

[1wyseman]

I'm not in the condition of checking each of the headphones in my list now, but there are definitely more headphones which support aptx and aac.
The Plantronics Backbeat Pro and the ATH-WS99BT are for sure two of them.

 
I just happen to have a box for the Fidelio M2BT here in front of me...Bluetooth 4.0, HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP. Codec: SBC, AAC, apt-X.
 
(Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! Fidelio, Fidelio, Fidelio! Sorry, just have to slip Fidelio in whenever I get the chance.)

 

[yakapo]

Has anyone found a quality Bluetooth class 1 dongle that supports aptx? 4.0 would be a bonus.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Has anyone found a quality Bluetooth class 1 dongle that supports aptx? 4.0 would be a bonus.

Don't know what "Class 1" means, but I would look at the BTunes dongle, which supports aptx.  Here.

 

[Giogio]

1wyseman, you almost make me wish to buy them again.

Has anyone found a quality Bluetooth class 1 dongle that supports aptx? 4.0 would be a bonus.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/601665/what-are-head-fi-members-views-on-apt-x-lossless-codec-over-bluetooth/150#post_11368324

Don't know what "Class 1" means, but I would look at the BTunes dongle, which supports aptx.  Here.

generally for dongle one means usb.
Class 1 means it reaches 100m range, if both the transmitter and the receiver are class 1.
Most devices are class 2, 10m.

 

[jayhova]

Hi All,
 
I wanted to update on my Philips Fidelio M2BT saga.  I finally received a replacement from Philips and it STILL has a the slight high pitched buzzing while music is playing and for the few seconds after playback stops.  So it looks like thats just the way its gonna be with these cans.  I did read some similar complaints over on the Philips support forum as well so I guess I'm not crazy...  I'm deciding to keep them since I do like the sound characteristics a lot.  I guess that means I'll just have to be like all your crazies and start planning for my next pair!

 

 

[seugirdor]

What bluetooth headphones do you recommend below 80€?
 
http://www.philips.pt/c-p/SHB5500BK_00/auscultadores-sem-fios-bluetooth
http://pt.creative.com/p/headphones-headsets/sound-blaster-jam
http://pioneer-headphones.com/english/outdoor/se-mj561bt.html
 
Other?

 

[orion23rigel]

What bluetooth headphones do you recommend below 80€?

Other?

The only ones I've tried that had decent sound quality in that price range were the Ausdom M05 aka the Meelectronics Air-fi Matrix2.

 

[1wyseman]

  What bluetooth headphones do you recommend below 80€?
 
http://www.philips.pt/c-p/SHB5500BK_00/auscultadores-sem-fios-bluetooth
http://pt.creative.com/p/headphones-headsets/sound-blaster-jam
http://pioneer-headphones.com/english/outdoor/se-mj561bt.html
 
Other?

 
I LOVED the sound of my Logitech H800's ($60--I paid $80 a couple of years ago.) But I think they would be considered to be way too hoaky for many. 6-8 hour battery.
 
Welcome to Head-Fi !!

 

[elektron]

  What bluetooth headphones do you recommend below 80€?
 
http://www.philips.pt/c-p/SHB5500BK_00/auscultadores-sem-fios-bluetooth
http://pt.creative.com/p/headphones-headsets/sound-blaster-jam
http://pioneer-headphones.com/english/outdoor/se-mj561bt.html
 
Other?

 
If you don't mind ear-buds, Sony SBH80 are excellent in terms of sound quality and ergonomics.  You can wear them all day around your neck without them ever becoming a nuisance, then just pop them in when a call comes in or when you want to listen to some music.  This is a clear advantage over any full-sized or even on-ear cans.
 
They also happen to be great exercise headphones, even though Sony doesn't market them for sports use.  While they're splashproof rather than waterproof, I've taken a long shower while listening to them without any issues after reading other similar reports.  This in itself is quite an achievement in my book.
 
While my MDR-1ABT are my go to headphones, especially for hi-res (it's impossible to fully appreciate these without throwing some acoustic jazz or classical hi-res goodness), I'm more then happy with the SBH80 as my out-and-about, exercise, or hot weather headphones.  And the sound quality between these ear-buds and Sony's 'big dog' bluetooth headphones (i.e. MDR-1ABT) is not as drastic as the price difference may suggest.
 
Speaking of the price, because the SBH80 is not a new model, you should be able to find it at a very decent price if you shop around.
 
By the way, while they have AptX and not AAC, my musician friend uses them with an iPhone and loves the sound quality.  He's upgraded from BackBeat Go2's and immediately noticed the fidelity improve by a few notches.
 
The other thing about these ear-buds is that they seem to fit most people's ears really well, which is unusual.  I actually use mine as night time ear plugs and they work better then the proper ear plugs I was using before.