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

[ajreynol]

Hey guys, this is a long thread, so let me just ask the simple question (apologies for what has probably been asked numerous times before): What are the current top 3 recommendations for IN-EAR BT headphones?
 
My brother is interested in a pair for when he's at the gym, but we aren't sure what's good and what isn't. Budget is < $200. 
 
Any insight will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[TheOracle]

Audio Technica DSR9BT arrived from Audiocubes late last week. Been putting it through it's paces over the last 3 days.
 
Really hate to jump the gun on these, but initial impressions aren't good. Maybe I'm coming from totally different sound signatures (Focal Elear and Empire Ears Zeus Adel), but the DSR9BT sounds like a muddy, distant mess. Bass is very bloated. Mids are distant and hollow sounding. Treble is splashy. Soundstage is a bit compressed.
 
I'm hoping it will open up over the new week or so with some burn in. It's comfortable enough and pairs well with various sources without losing signal (walked two rooms down without an issue). Would be a shame, especially given the price, for the sound to be such a disappointment.
 
One thing I can say with absolute confidence is that it does not appreciate poorly recorded music...at all...makes it completely unlistenable.

 

[Peddler]

Hey guys, thi

s is a long thread, so let me just ask the simple question (apologies for what has probably been asked numerous times before): What are the current top 3 recommendations for IN-EAR BT headphones?

My brother is interested in a pair for when he's at the gym, but we aren't sure what's good and what isn't. Budget is < $200. 

Any insight will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

I absolutely love the 1More iBFree (but only when used iwth triple flange Etymotic tips). They are only 50 quid or so and sound phenomenal - the closest I've yet come to getting a wireless pair of Etymotic ER4P or perhaps the Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10's.

 

[1wyseman]

  Hey guys, this is a long thread, so let me just ask the simple question (apologies for what has probably been asked numerous times before): What are the current top 3 recommendations for IN-EAR BT headphones?
 
My brother is interested in a pair for when he's at the gym, but we aren't sure what's good and what isn't. Budget is < $200. 
 
Any insight will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 
http://www.head-fi.org/newsearch?advanced=1&action=disp&search=Bluetooth+iem&titleonly=0&byuser=&output=posts&replycompare=gt&numupdates=&sdate=0&newer=1&sort=relevance&order=descending&Search=SEARCH&Search=SEARCH
 
http://www.head-fi.org/newsearch?search=iem
 

Search Results for “iem”

103,375
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[ajreynol]

I absolutely love the 1More iBFree (but only when used iwth triple flange Etymotic tips). They are only 50 quid or so and sound phenomenal - the closest I've yet come to getting a wireless pair of Etymotic ER4P or perhaps the Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10's.

 
TYVM! I'll put them on my list to keep an eye out for. If anyone else has had a good experience with some wireless BT IEM's, I'll appreciate the tips.
 

   
http://www.head-fi.org/newsearch?advanced=1&action=disp&search=Bluetooth+iem&titleonly=0&byuser=&output=posts&replycompare=gt&numupdates=&sdate=0&newer=1&sort=relevance&order=descending&Search=SEARCH&Search=SEARCH
 
http://www.head-fi.org/newsearch?search=iem
 

Search Results for “iem”

103,375
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Unfortunately, these results are muddied by countless threads about ear inserts, corded IEMs and so on. The question was not about IEM tips, molded IEM options, IEM audio quality, replacement cables and all the other stuff that 99.9% of IEM discussions end up being about. As a consequence, searching for results like that end up being useless. That's why I'm here in this thread. 
 
So again, if anyone has any recommendations based on personal experience that I can pass on, that would be far more helpful than trying to sift through an array of junk threads and conversations that went nowhere. 

 

[329161]

Audio Technica DSR9BT arrived from Audiocubes late last week. Been putting it through it's paces over the last 3 days.

Really hate to jump the gun on these, but initial impressions aren't good. Maybe I'm coming from totally different sound signatures (Focal Elear and Empire Ears Zeus Adel), but the DSR9BT sounds like a muddy, distant mess. Bass is very bloated. Mids are distant and hollow sounding. Treble is splashy. Soundstage is a bit compressed.

I'm hoping it will open up over the new week or so with some burn in. It's comfortable enough and pairs well with various sources without losing signal (walked two rooms down without an issue). Would be a shame, especially given the price, for the sound to be such a disappointment.

One thing I can say with absolute confidence is that it does not appreciate poorly recorded music...at all...makes it completely unlistenable.

Was pretty keen on these. Will wait for more reviews I guess

 

[TheOracle]

Was pretty keen on these. Will wait for more reviews I guess

 
Oh, definitely.
 
My assumption regarding being used to a different sound signature was partly correct. Been listening exclusively to DSR9BT since my last post. These sound so much different to the signature I am used to. I prefer things on the less bassy side and love treble, and these are quite bassy and rolled off in the treble. At first, the bass seems to drown everything out. After the last few days of acclimating, it's not as bad as I thought. Still, a far cry from what I was hoping for, but I'm sure others will think it hits the spot.
 
In it's favor, not once have I heard the sound cut out. I tried from 4 different sources (Sony WM1A, Sony X2, Onkyo DP-X1 and Huawei Mate 8) and no issues whatsoever. Didn't put a tape measure to it, but the range is pretty good.

 

[1wyseman]

   
TYVM! I'll put them on my list to keep an eye out for. If anyone else has had a good experience with some wireless BT IEM's, I'll appreciate the tips.
 
 
Unfortunately, these results are muddied by countless threads about ear inserts, corded IEMs and so on. The question was not about IEM tips, molded IEM options, IEM audio quality, replacement cables and all the other stuff that 99.9% of IEM discussions end up being about. As a consequence, searching for results like that end up being useless. That's why I'm here in this thread. 
 
So again, if anyone has any recommendations based on personal experience that I can pass on, that would be far more helpful than trying to sift through an array of junk threads and conversations that went nowhere. 

 
If that's the direction everyone wants to go, then that is the end of this thread as we know it.

 

[329161]

Audio Technica DSR9BT arrived from Audiocubes late last week. Been putting it through it's paces over the last 3 days.

Really hate to jump the gun on these, but initial impressions aren't good. Maybe I'm coming from totally different sound signatures (Focal Elear and Empire Ears Zeus Adel), but the DSR9BT sounds like a muddy, distant mess. Bass is very bloated. Mids are distant and hollow sounding. Treble is splashy. Soundstage is a bit compressed.

I'm hoping it will open up over the new week or so with some burn in. It's comfortable enough and pairs well with various sources without losing signal (walked two rooms down without an issue). Would be a shame, especially given the price, for the sound to be such a disappointment.

One thing I can say with absolute confidence is that it does not appreciate poorly recorded music...at all...makes it completely unlistenable.

The Focal Elear is an open can, and the DSR9bt , being closed , will probably sound bassier and more congested because of this. But you probably already know this hey?

 

[TheOracle]

The Focal Elear is an open can, and the DSR9bt , being closed , will probably sound bassier and more congested because of this. But you probably already know this hey?

 
 
Generally that is the case, but not always.
 
In direct comparison to the closed Final Audio Hope VI, the DSR9BT is still bassier, more congested and has far less treble (Hope VI's treble is even better than Elear and wider soundstage, too).
 
Of course, being bluetooth, you can't expect it to sound as good as a wired can. I'm trying to take that into account as well. As I said, this particular sound signature is not my favorite. If I extend my listening session, I can enjoy it more.
 
It still is highly unforgiving of poor recordings. Case in point, Drain STH "Horror Wrestling". Not the best recorded album in the world. On the DSR9BT, it is a molten mess of bass, muffled vocals and barely audible treble. Switch to the Zeus, the separation and clarity enables me to hear all the elements in fairly coherent fashion. Not so with the AT.

 

[Ling Vu]

Hi, its been a while and is there anybody still with the WS99BT? The price has gone down a bit recently and I am tempted to get it, can anybody compare it to the likes of the P7 wireless or the H7? Cheers, Ling.

 

[Techfixation]

Hi guys,

Just thought I'd post an update with my experimentation fitting the Brainwavz sheepskin pads to the B&W P7's.

I've had the pads a couple of weeks now but I've been in the middle of moving house so haven't had much opportunity to test them out.

I ordered both the flat and angled pair to see which worked best.

They fit pretty well and don't look too out of place despite their larger size, I will however be making some further adjustments to them to get them to fit even better and create a better seal. Unfortunately I ended up tearing one of the flat pads along the seam by being a bit heavy handed pulling it off the frame! This has meant that I'll need to send them back for a replacement before making some modifications which will involved punching a few holes in them.

The general build quality is very good and the sheepskin leather looks high quality.

They are very comfortable and fully encapsulate the ear meaning they can be worn for long periods without any discomfort.

The sound profile doesn't change too much although they do lose a tiny bit of bass impact and the volume is reduced slightly. On the plus side the soundstage does open up a touch more and the hiss is dramatically reduced due to the ear being further from the driver.

I didn't notice much difference between the flat and the angled pair, although the angled pair did lose a touch more bass compared to the flat pair. The flat pair also look better and more stock than the angled pair and I also found them more comfortable, so the angled pair will be going back for a refund.

I'm hoping that once I further modify the flat pair and get a better seal on them that they might regain a bit of the lost bass, although this was only a minimal to begin with! I'll need to punch 4 holes in each pad so that I can pull the pads tight over the frame and have the holes and magnets on the frame visible for fitting. I probably use double sided sticky tape to secure them on tightly.

If you read my post before you'll know that I ended up using the pads from the wired P7's to modify and that they are a slightly different design which help seal the cable port. I may try glueing a section of plastic to the modified frame so they resemble the wireless pads and perhaps this may also improve the bass??

I'll let you know how I go once I receive the replacement pads back!

 

[Sonic Defender]

  Hi, its been a while and is there anybody still with the WS99BT? The price has gone down a bit recently and I am tempted to get it, can anybody compare it to the likes of the P7 wireless or the H7? Cheers, Ling.

I owned all three, but I'm going by audio memory only at this point. The WS99BT I remember as being slightly drier and a little more clinical by way of comparison, but still a very nice headphone. I sold my WS99BT to my brother so they are still kicking around, but I haven't heard them in a long time. If you can buy them and return them say with Amazon they are well worth trying. If you want a richer, more musical presentation, either the H7 or P7 will be solid choices, as will the ONKYO H500BT.

 

[audio123]

  Hey guys, this is a long thread, so let me just ask the simple question (apologies for what has probably been asked numerous times before): What are the current top 3 recommendations for IN-EAR BT headphones?
 
My brother is interested in a pair for when he's at the gym, but we aren't sure what's good and what isn't. Budget is < $200. 
 
Any insight will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/692833600/jaap-the-next-generation-of-truly-wireless-earphon/description
 
wireless iem

 

[Ling Vu]

  I owned all three, but I'm going by audio memory only at this point. The WS99BT I remember as being slightly drier and a little more clinical by way of comparison, but still a very nice headphone. I sold my WS99BT to my brother so they are still kicking around, but I haven't heard them in a long time. If you can buy them and return them say with Amazon they are well worth trying. If you want a richer, more musical presentation, either the H7 or P7 will be solid choices, as will the ONKYO H500BT.

 
Thank you very much, sorry for the late reply. I have auditioned both the H7 and P7 for quite many times, both are very nice with the P7 being a little bit bolder and one of the nicest bass among wireless cans; owned the H500BT for several days before return it, it was nice but lacks of refinement and they are not over the ears. 
 
I just tried two of the most expensive wireless cans out there which are Beoplay H9 and the DSR9BT and decided to grab the H9. On one hand, the DSR9BT while streaming from my LG V20 with aptxHD really shines with its revealing capabilities (24 bit wireless claimed by AT), I did compare it directly with iPhone streaming (AAC codec) and could really here some difference in details and layering but of course not night and day; they also can go really loud and punchy compare to the H9.
 
On the other hand, its higher price (499 quids vs 449 of the H9 here in the UK) but lower quality materials (mostly plastic for exterior vs lamb skin and metal of the H9, maybe to decrease the weight, the pair is already quite bold and heavy with plastic) and the lack of ANC made me choose the Beo pair. Moreover, while the H9 falls a bit short to the DSR9BT, to me it sounds better than the H7, significantly, regarding clarity and sound imaging, bass goes deeper though not as loud and finally, the ANC really works.
 
It will be the best of both world if I can buy both anyway lol