Huge Comparison of [almost] all the Best Bluetooth Headphones - post your own comparisons here
Sep 22, 2017 at 2:50 PM Post #3,301 of 3,643
I'd like to dip my toes into the bluetooth headphone arena. I mainly want a pair for the gym. I currently am using the wired vmoda m100's at the gym. Sounds great, isolates pretty well, but they are a bit heavy, and of course they have a cable.

I know that there are plenty of good, expensive options out there, but I am hoping that I can get started with an inexpensive pair since these will be mainly for the gym. I don't need stellar SQ, but it can't be crap either. Fairly balanced but leaning warmer than brighter works for me. Good non-bloated bass. Nice mids and non-shrill highs. Decent depth to the soundstage (ie somewhat 3D) would be nice.

Anyway, any suggestions under $100 would be appreciated (if they exist). I have been looking at the various Ausdoms out there (all around $50 CAD), and this August EP650 for $58 CAD looks interesting as well:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00F54Y6GU/ref=pe_2331390_254441470_em_1p_0_lm

I would be running them off of my S7 Edge phone (and maybe the Cayin N3 some day).

Being new to bluetooth, I'm not totally sure of what features I should be thinking of. For example, I need to get familiar with Bluetooth 4.x versus AptX versus AptX HD etc. I am also not sure if I want/need noise cancelling, or the ability to also listen wired. New to the game!

Thanks in advance.

edit: I am surprised by how long the August EP650's have been around. Maybe the tech is outdated now. Also reading about the hiss is a bit of a turn off.
 
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Sep 22, 2017 at 6:07 PM Post #3,302 of 3,643
I'd like to dip my toes into the bluetooth headphone arena. I mainly want a pair for the gym. I currently am using the wired vmoda m100's at the gym. Sounds great, isolates pretty well, but they are a bit heavy, and of course they have a cable.

I know that there are plenty of good, expensive options out there, but I am hoping that I can get started with an inexpensive pair since these will be mainly for the gym. I don't need stellar SQ, but it can't be crap either. Fairly balanced but leaning warmer than brighter works for me. Good non-bloated bass. Nice mids and non-shrill highs. Decent depth to the soundstage (ie somewhat 3D) would be nice.

Anyway, any suggestions under $100 would be appreciated (if they exist). I have been looking at the various Ausdoms out there (all around $50 CAD), and this August EP650 for $58 CAD looks interesting as well:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00F54Y6GU/ref=pe_2331390_254441470_em_1p_0_lm

I would be running them off of my S7 Edge phone (and maybe the Cayin N3 some day).

Being new to bluetooth, I'm not totally sure of what features I should be thinking of. For example, I need to get familiar with Bluetooth 4.x versus AptX versus AptX HD etc. I am also not sure if I want/need noise cancelling, or the ability to also listen wired. New to the game!

Thanks in advance.

edit: I am surprised by how long the August EP650's have been around. Maybe the tech is outdated now. Also reading about the hiss is a bit of a turn off.

I've used the Sony MDR-ZX770BT -- and their slightly upgraded ZX770BN, which are identical except they have active noise-cancellation and wired support with a cable -- at the gym for about a year and a half, and they are one of my favorite as far as over-ear bluetooth that can survive my gym use.

  • Stay on my head easily and feel super comfortable.
  • Don't stick out and look silly
  • Withstand my sweat even though they're not rated as "sport" or "sweat-resistant" by any means, but I've had no problems with them so far and I sweat rather a lot.
  • Sound great (aptX and AAC support)
https://www.sony.com/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-zx770bt
 
Sep 22, 2017 at 6:11 PM Post #3,303 of 3,643
I'd like to dip my toes into the bluetooth headphone arena. I mainly want a pair for the gym. I currently am using the wired vmoda m100's at the gym. Sounds great, isolates pretty well, but they are a bit heavy, and of course they have a cable.

I know that there are plenty of good, expensive options out there, but I am hoping that I can get started with an inexpensive pair since these will be mainly for the gym. I don't need stellar SQ, but it can't be crap either. Fairly balanced but leaning warmer than brighter works for me. Good non-bloated bass. Nice mids and non-shrill highs. Decent depth to the soundstage (ie somewhat 3D) would be nice.

Anyway, any suggestions under $100 would be appreciated (if they exist). I have been looking at the various Ausdoms out there (all around $50 CAD), and this August EP650 for $58 CAD looks interesting as well:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00F54Y6GU/ref=pe_2331390_254441470_em_1p_0_lm

I would be running them off of my S7 Edge phone (and maybe the Cayin N3 some day).

Being new to bluetooth, I'm not totally sure of what features I should be thinking of. For example, I need to get familiar with Bluetooth 4.x versus AptX versus AptX HD etc. I am also not sure if I want/need noise cancelling, or the ability to also listen wired. New to the game!

Thanks in advance.

edit: I am surprised by how long the August EP650's have been around. Maybe the tech is outdated now. Also reading about the hiss is a bit of a turn off.

Meant to include this link, since they are hard to find:

https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-2...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CP_Oi-vludYCFYeOaQodeVgGJA
 
Sep 22, 2017 at 8:33 PM Post #3,304 of 3,643
I've used the Sony MDR-ZX770BT -- and their slightly upgraded ZX770BN, which are identical except they have active noise-cancellation and wired support with a cable -- at the gym for about a year and a half, and they are one of my favorite as far as over-ear bluetooth that can survive my gym use.

  • Stay on my head easily and feel super comfortable.
  • Don't stick out and look silly
  • Withstand my sweat even though they're not rated as "sport" or "sweat-resistant" by any means, but I've had no problems with them so far and I sweat rather a lot.
  • Sound great (aptX and AAC support)
https://www.sony.com/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-zx770bt

I have a soft spot for Sony headphones (enjoying the 100aap's at the moment, and love my V7's), so thanks for getting the ZX770BT/BN's on my radar! The BT's are $179CAD on amazon.ca which are more than I was hoping to spend, so I will have to start making some headfi existential decisions (ie do I want to get a really cheap pair initially and most likely feel somewhat disappointed with them, or just buck up now and get something that I will more likely be happy with longer term).

Edit: I found this review of the ZX770BN's
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/poor-man-reviews-sony-mdr-zx770bn.764221/#post-12209564
And this quote:
The Sennheiser Momentum definitely edges out the ZX770BN in more than one category. The thing I noticed with Sony is that they often have this extremely safe sound signature that seems to spread throughout their earphones and headphones (the modern ones at least), with successive models having almost incremental increases in performance. This makes for an almost predictable listening experience...and it makes it obvious that the cheaper headphones are missing something when compared to the more expensive ones. Sennheiser manages to capture a lot of performance with a bolder and yet more refined sound signature while keeping each headphone somewhat unique.

That does kind of resonate, in that I feel that the 100aap's, while sounding very good, do have that "safer, softer" kind of signature. Although I find it enjoyable and non-fatiguing, my ears do get a bit bored with it after a while. So my concern would be that the ZX770BN's exhibit generally the same signature. Thoughts?
 
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Sep 23, 2017 at 4:27 AM Post #3,305 of 3,643
I have a soft spot for Sony headphones (enjoying the 100aap's at the moment, and love my V7's), so thanks for getting the ZX770BT/BN's on my radar! The BT's are $179CAD on amazon.ca which are more than I was hoping to spend, so I will have to start making some headfi existential decisions (ie do I want to get a really cheap pair initially and most likely feel somewhat disappointed with them, or just buck up now and get something that I will more likely be happy with longer term).

Edit: I found this review of the ZX770BN's
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/poor-man-reviews-sony-mdr-zx770bn.764221/#post-12209564
And this quote:


That does kind of resonate, in that I feel that the 100aap's, while sounding very good, do have that "safer, softer" kind of signature. Although I find it enjoyable and non-fatiguing, my ears do get a bit bored with it after a while. So my concern would be that the ZX770BN's exhibit generally the same signature. Thoughts?

I have the original wired Momentum’s, and I do think they are better than the ZX770BN, but it may just be that my ears have adjusted to different sound signatures such that, as long as there isn’t something really off about a particular one, I can enjoy them rather thoroughly.

I listen to music a lot more often at my desks - at home and at work - and typically with my Sennheiser HD 600 or HD 650 or my DT 880 Pro, as I really prefer open headphones, and my ears generally prefer relatively neutral sound signatures, so I suppose “boring” might not faze me and I may be the wrong person to ask if I find the ZX770BT/BN boring... certainly, I don’t find them as good as my open, home headphones but my expectations are different of course and I still find them incredibly clean sounding to my ears.

I’d say the only Bluetooth headphones I have that I find more exciting than the ZX770BT/BN are my Parrot Zik 2, but I don’t wear those to the gym as I found that the one time I did, the heat from my ears caused the glue in the ear pads to separate the leather and expose the foam underneath.

I got them fixed by a friend who had them hand-stitched nicely, so now they are nicely reinforced, but I still don’t take them to the gym as I assume they are a little too fragile for gym use now.
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 6:41 PM Post #3,307 of 3,643
I have the original wired Momentum’s, and I do think they are better than the ZX770BN, but it may just be that my ears have adjusted to different sound signatures such that, as long as there isn’t something really off about a particular one, I can enjoy them rather thoroughly.

I listen to music a lot more often at my desks - at home and at work - and typically with my Sennheiser HD 600 or HD 650 or my DT 880 Pro, as I really prefer open headphones, and my ears generally prefer relatively neutral sound signatures, so I suppose “boring” might not faze me and I may be the wrong person to ask if I find the ZX770BT/BN boring... certainly, I don’t find them as good as my open, home headphones but my expectations are different of course and I still find them incredibly clean sounding to my ears.

I’d say the only Bluetooth headphones I have that I find more exciting than the ZX770BT/BN are my Parrot Zik 2, but I don’t wear those to the gym as I found that the one time I did, the heat from my ears caused the glue in the ear pads to separate the leather and expose the foam underneath.

I got them fixed by a friend who had them hand-stitched nicely, so now they are nicely reinforced, but I still don’t take them to the gym as I assume they are a little too fragile for gym use now.

Thanks for the thoughts - appreciated. I am happy with fairly neutral (although if there is a bit more bass impact, I don't complain), so I don't think that is the issue I have with the 100aap's. Maybe it's more their "softer/mellower" tone that I am referring to. But I bet the 770BT/BN's don't sound the same, so I am going to keep them on my radar for sure. Thanks.
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 6:46 PM Post #3,308 of 3,643

Yes. I like how they look similar to the DT1350's. Hopefully they don't clamp as hard!

The Mimi technology seems similar to the Samsung phone's "Soundalive" feature that basically creates a sound profile based on your hearing (or lack of hearing) and the headphones that you are using. Sounds interesting.

Sadly though, the price tag is a bit of a deal breaker for me.
 
Sep 26, 2017 at 8:48 AM Post #3,309 of 3,643
I just received the Avantree Leaf USB Bluetooth dongle. I paired it with Ausdom M05 Bluetooth headset with APTX on. The dongle is connected to the front panel of the PC as the manual suggested, but I can't get more than 6 meters of range without experiencing dropouts in sound, and I'm talking about a distance without obstacles. In addition to this, when I play music through Foobar, I get a somewhat bassy and distorted sound while on Youtube it's just bassy, but clear, and with a lot of detail. I configured the dongle in Foobar as DirectSound, though I tried it as WASAPI Push/Event with the same results. All the plugins in the DSP manager are off. The funny thing is that when I use a no brand Bluetooth USB dongle, it sounds fine and I can easily get an 8 meter distance with one concrete wall in between before I experience any sound cutoffs. Does anyone has this combo and can compare it to my findings so I know if it's normal or I have an issue with my dongle and I should get it replaced or returned for a refund?
 
Oct 18, 2017 at 11:45 AM Post #3,310 of 3,643
The below is a picture of my "Sportapro (aka Portapro) drivers on Parts Express headband" headphones.

I really like their small footprint when both on ears or around the neck, and how light they are. The SQ is also rather great (especially for a pair of $20 headphones). The isolation is not good which I could live with, but I wouldn't complain with more isolation than they provide.

Are there any bluetooth on-ear headphones like them (that don't sound like crap)?

10016857.jpg
 

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Oct 18, 2017 at 11:58 AM Post #3,311 of 3,643
The below is a picture of my "Sportapro (aka Portapro) drivers on Parts Express headband" headphones.

I really like their small footprint when both on ears or around the neck, and how light they are. The SQ is also rather great (especially for a pair of $20 headphones). The isolation is not good which I could live with, but I wouldn't complain with more isolation than they provide.

Are there any bluetooth on-ear headphones like them (that don't sound like crap)?

I recommend the Sound Blaster Jam. They're very lightweight, and because of that, when I don't need isolation or don't want more refined SQ, they are my goto Bluetooth headphones because they're so extraordinarily light, on-ear, and SQ is really good for the $40 price:

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Ultra-Light-Bluetooth-Headset/dp/B00SA1IAWG/

sbjam.jpg
 
Oct 18, 2017 at 2:05 PM Post #3,312 of 3,643
Oct 18, 2017 at 2:06 PM Post #3,313 of 3,643
Here's my opinion of my top 3 bluetooth headphones:

Audio-Technica DSR9BT: Clean, clear, very good bass response, sound signature from top to bottom is very balanced, nothing is over emphasized, weird cable connection that only allows you to connect to a PC or Mac when you want to listen wired. Good for all types of music, my favorite at the moment
B&W P7 Wireless: Bassy, with good treble to match, mids are slightly recessed, can play very loud, fun, and dynamic. Just as good when wired, probably the best two-way (wired/wireless) headphone out. Good for movies and music were bass is the main emphasis.
B&O H9: Bassy, but musical, good mids and treble, ANC is effective but not the best, ANC doesn't suck the life out of the music, doesn't play loud enough. Could be great but the volume level issue bothers me. Sounds like a different headphone when wired, greater volume range when wired as well. Not sure which I like better between wired or wireless. Good for all music
 
Oct 31, 2017 at 10:00 AM Post #3,314 of 3,643
So a friend wants a BT headphones foR home use because he is making a full wireless rig.

He really likes the sennheiser 4.40 BT but he is concerned about the pads since he has a big head and he wears glasses...

What else can you recommend at this price range?
I want to find him something because he is ready to buy a gaming headset (arctis 7) and I know he will regret it...
 
Oct 31, 2017 at 11:56 AM Post #3,315 of 3,643
Hi guys, I'm interested in getting a pair of BT Headphones, and the Bluedio series seem to fit my budget quite well.
I cant decide between the T4s and the T3+ though. Any thoughts? Or maybe even recommend me other options below $50?
Thank you!
 

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