Huge Comparison of [almost] all the Best Bluetooth Headphones - post your own comparisons here
Jun 8, 2015 at 5:28 AM Post #1,188 of 3,643
@Giogio
In the other thread a poster was talking about the icon wireless headhones. You thought about giving them a go? Never heard of it before but looks interesting.


That was me. I actually canceled my ws99bt order for a bit after i found them. Couldn't find much info on them, except that they dont seem to have aptx. Theres not many reviews on them, but what i could find, coupled with the reviews on the Legacy (the wired version), werent extremely promising. Apparently they couldnt even get the bass boost switch right, boosting several frequencies instead of just the bass. Doesn't exactly instill one with confidence in a $400 set of cans. ANC didnt get great reviews. The final nail in the coffin was an interview i saw with the company owner, who spent the entire ten minutes talking about achieving the style of the headphones, and said absolutely nothing about engineering the sound.



Yeah... I'll pass.




Giogio, I'd like to pick your brain about another topic: I know you ended up keeping the y45bt... I'm assuming you'd recommend them over anything at around $120 price point? I'm looking at getting my wife a pair, somthing smallish and portable.


I also wanted to mention that you never added the S1+ or Momentums to your bass rankings... or was that intentional? You may want to add them in, because for newcomers, it may seem that if you're looking for bassy cans, these two aren't even worthy of consideration.
 
Jun 8, 2015 at 7:07 AM Post #1,189 of 3,643
I am loving... absolutely LOVING... the AKG K845BT I got from giogio.  Their bass is strong and tight without being overpowering, the treble is clear and transparent, they are very comfortable, and they look great in white (at least to me).  Highly recommended.  Also dropped in price on amazon.com to $250.

 
Jun 8, 2015 at 9:04 AM Post #1,190 of 3,643
That was me. I actually canceled my ws99bt order for a bit after i found them. Couldn't find much info on them, except that they dont seem to have aptx. Theres not many reviews on them, but what i could find, coupled with the reviews on the Legacy (the wired version), werent extremely promising. Apparently they couldnt even get the bass boost switch right, boosting several frequencies instead of just the bass. Doesn't exactly instill one with confidence in a $400 set of cans. ANC didnt get great reviews. The final nail in the coffin was an interview i saw with the company owner, who spent the entire ten minutes talking about achieving the style of the headphones, and said absolutely nothing about engineering the sound.



Yeah... I'll pass.

 
Ah yes that was you. Yes when something is so in your face when it comes to style I always suspect its not going to sound great and is designed for a particular market that prefers looks over sound/comfort. The Amazon reviews were pretty damning really. Complaints all over about the bass boost and the ANC. I do wonder how they "manage" reviews on their website given every single headphones they have has glowing 5 star average ratings...
 
Jun 8, 2015 at 10:14 PM Post #1,191 of 3,643
Giogio, I'd like to pick your brain about another topic: I know you ended up keeping the y45bt... I'm assuming you'd recommend them over anything at around $120 price point? I'm looking at getting my wife a pair, somthing smallish and portable.


I also wanted to mention that you never added the S1+ or Momentums to your bass rankings... or was that intentional? You may want to add them in, because for newcomers, it may seem that if you're looking for bassy cans, these two aren't even worthy of consideration.

The S1 has got no business in the Best Bassy list.
The Momentum, well, I would not consider them "bassy", but they do perform better in the bass than the S1, yeah, i should put them there :)
 
I consider the Y45 without any possible doubt a really amazing headphone for the price.
It is anyway a bit boosted in the low region. So I would not suggest them over ANYTHING around that price.
Although I did not try them yet, I suppose the Jabra Move would be a good pick for those looking for something more neutral in the lows.
But, I am not aware of any other headphone which is more portable than that, cost as much or less or a bit more, and sound as good as the Y45.
If anybody finds one, I want to know it.
:)
 
Jun 8, 2015 at 11:08 PM Post #1,192 of 3,643
Awesome! One more question: I'm reading through the WS99 thread in anticipation for my WS99BT's that are on the way. Any idea if the WS99BT's are basically the same soundwise? If so, I'm in for a real treat. The Ws99 got amazing reviews from tons of people, and seem to be a real steal at $125 on Amazon, if anyone's looking for some wired cans.


ETA: Just noticed that Neutron has updated, and it's awesome! I know there are a lot of people hesitant to use EQ, especially parametric EQ. This new update give you a graphical representation of the changes you make, which makes it MUCH easier to understand, even if you've never used any EQ. A big thank you to whoever turned me on to this app, Giogio I think. I love it!
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 7:22 AM Post #1,193 of 3,643
Awesome! One more question: I'm reading through the WS99 thread in anticipation for my WS99BT's that are on the way. Any idea if the WS99BT's are basically the same soundwise? If so, I'm in for a real treat. The Ws99 got amazing reviews from tons of people, and seem to be a real steal at $125 on Amazon, if anyone's looking for some wired cans.


ETA: Just noticed that Neutron has updated, and it's awesome! I know there are a lot of people hesitant to use EQ, especially parametric EQ. This new update give you a graphical representation of the changes you make, which makes it MUCH easier to understand, even if you've never used any EQ. A big thank you to whoever turned me on to this app, Giogio I think. I love it!


Yeah, it must have been me because I talk always of it and write also about it in my first post.
 
No idea how the WS99 sound but I cannot see where is the need to know it.
The only thing you need to know is how the WS99BT sound.
Which is, awesome.
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 9:05 AM Post #1,194 of 3,643
Awesome! One more question: I'm reading through the WS99 thread in anticipation for my WS99BT's that are on the way. Any idea if the WS99BT's are basically the same soundwise? If so, I'm in for a real treat. The Ws99 got amazing reviews from tons of people, and seem to be a real steal at $125 on Amazon, if anyone's looking for some wired cans.

 
There aren't any comparisons between the WS99 and the WS99BT from what I've seen but it is a pretty safe to assume that they will sound similar. Not necessarily the same but close. And both seem to be universally praised as well (from the limited reviews we have of the WS99BT) so you should be in for a treat regardless..
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 1:35 PM Post #1,196 of 3,643
  Going to order the Plantronics Backbeat Pro & Samsung Lever Over, do some compare and contrast.
 
Would love to try the ATH-WS99BT but need the ANC and a return to Japan isn't ideal.


What made you take the Symphony 1 and the Denon AH-GC20 out of the equation?
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 11:24 PM Post #1,198 of 3,643
Hey guys, I'm brand new here, been lurking a while because I've decided to treat myself, take the plunge and drop some cash on my first (and ideally last?) pair of stellar cans.
 
I'm primarily looking for something to aid me in my adventures of dedicated lay-down, mostly THC-assisted, mentally intense listening seshes. I'm mostly into all genres of metal and electronic - old and new technical death metal, melodic death and power metal, black/gothic/folk metal, deathcore, and then all sorts of EDM; trance, complextro and electro, dubstep, DnB etc. So while I like to think I appreciate a ton of bass, realistically I think I'm less of a basshead and more in need of something with a detailed/balanced soundstage, that won't freak out at the crowded mids, and often muddy low end of the clicky kick drums of metal. But that will still provide a decent amount of boomy crazy bass for the more MLG Doritos & Mountain Dew type music like dubstep & deathcore, without compromising the rest of the curve for beautiful flowy synthesizers in trance and black metal.
 
Sorry if that was too much detail lol. Anyway my initial inclination was to get a tried-and-true pair of wired 'phones like Grado's, which I hear are the king for metal and just about any serious listening. But upon playing with my brother's Sony MDRZX750BN, I discovered I absolutely love the freedom of no wires. That would allow me to ditch my meh Klipsch S3 IEMs too and have one solid jack-of-all-trades pair of cans for runs, walking to class and just wandering around the house.
 
This is still foremost about the critical listening seshes though, as well as my budget - the cheaper the better, and I definitely don't want to spend over $200. So here's my question - are there BT headphones that match the sound quality of a good wired pair that don't break the bank? I was thinking if the sound is better on all of these when you add the wire, then that's fine, I don't mind tethering myself when stationary and focused on nothing but the music. Hence why I love the $70 Grado SR60e idea. But I'd be willing to pay more if I could keep the audiophile sound quality while throwing in BT so I can ditch the wire, stand up and go places too with the same headset. 
 
 
I should mention I'm not the strictest audiophile. I can appreciate second-best sound quality if it's still great and keeps the price down. Honestly, maybe I'm just thinking too much and should just pull the trigger on the cheapest option. I've had my eye on the Plantronics Backbeat Pro, it seems like the most well-rounded pair with the best reviews on sound quality; I just get concerned when I see people saying it sacrifices some of the mids for more beefy bass and highs. But again maybe that's a null point if the soundstage is still kickass, especially when you consider the rest of its great features (NFC!!!!) and all-around well-thought-out design and functionality.
 
 
 
EDIT: forgot to mention for these mystical musical excursions I'll probably just be at my computer with FLAC quality source files and whatnot. Which is why I don't mind a wire there, and would rather go for maximum sound quality phones. But the bluetooth will be for walking around on my Android phone, probably with MP3s, so APT-X encoding doesn't matter to me as much.
 
Jun 10, 2015 at 6:34 AM Post #1,199 of 3,643
  Hey guys, I'm brand new here, been lurking a while because I've decided to treat myself, take the plunge and drop some cash on my first (and ideally last?) pair of stellar cans.
 
I'm primarily looking for something to aid me in my adventures of dedicated lay-down, mostly THC-assisted, mentally intense listening seshes. I'm mostly into all genres of metal and electronic - old and new technical death metal, melodic death and power metal, black/gothic/folk metal, deathcore, and then all sorts of EDM; trance, complextro and electro, dubstep, DnB etc. So while I like to think I appreciate a ton of bass, realistically I think I'm less of a basshead and more in need of something with a detailed/balanced soundstage, that won't freak out at the crowded mids, and often muddy low end of the clicky kick drums of metal. But that will still provide a decent amount of boomy crazy bass for the more MLG Doritos & Mountain Dew type music like dubstep & deathcore, without compromising the rest of the curve for beautiful flowy synthesizers in trance and black metal.
 
Sorry if that was too much detail lol. Anyway my initial inclination was to get a tried-and-true pair of wired 'phones like Grado's, which I hear are the king for metal and just about any serious listening. But upon playing with my brother's Sony MDRZX750BN, I discovered I absolutely love the freedom of no wires. That would allow me to ditch my meh Klipsch S3 IEMs too and have one solid jack-of-all-trades pair of cans for runs, walking to class and just wandering around the house.
 
This is still foremost about the critical listening seshes though, as well as my budget - the cheaper the better, and I definitely don't want to spend over $200. So here's my question - are there BT headphones that match the sound quality of a good wired pair that don't break the bank? I was thinking if the sound is better on all of these when you add the wire, then that's fine, I don't mind tethering myself when stationary and focused on nothing but the music. Hence why I love the $70 Grado SR60e idea. But I'd be willing to pay more if I could keep the audiophile sound quality while throwing in BT so I can ditch the wire, stand up and go places too with the same headset. 
 
 
I should mention I'm not the strictest audiophile. I can appreciate second-best sound quality if it's still great and keeps the price down. Honestly, maybe I'm just thinking too much and should just pull the trigger on the cheapest option. I've had my eye on the Plantronics Backbeat Pro, it seems like the most well-rounded pair with the best reviews on sound quality; I just get concerned when I see people saying it sacrifices some of the mids for more beefy bass and highs. But again maybe that's a null point if the soundstage is still kickass, especially when you consider the rest of its great features (NFC!!!!) and all-around well-thought-out design and functionality.
 
 
 
EDIT: forgot to mention for these mystical musical excursions I'll probably just be at my computer with FLAC quality source files and whatnot. Which is why I don't mind a wire there, and would rather go for maximum sound quality phones. But the bluetooth will be for walking around on my Android phone, probably with MP3s, so APT-X encoding doesn't matter to me as much.

 
Short answer: no. You won't get sub $200 BT headphones that will match high quality wired headphones. But it is all relative. Most in that price range will still sound really good, and even better if you aren't used to high end audiophile headphones. The Pendulumic Stance S1+ has generally got really good reviews with a lot of professional reviewers (many who hate bluetooth) really praising the sound quality, though it like the Backbeat has a reduced focus on midrange. Giogio can probably give a better idea of which one is more balanced. The AKG K845BT (If you can push your budget to $250) is probably among the most balanced pair of BT headphones you will find at that range. Its quite high in detail but doesn't have a ton of bass. They may or may not be suitable for EDM or dubstep depending on your bass preferences though. Those are probably the best ones at that price range from all the comments here.
 
Jun 10, 2015 at 9:35 PM Post #1,200 of 3,643
 Hey guys, I'm brand new here, been lurking a while because I've decided to treat myself, take the plunge and drop some cash on my first (and ideally last?) pair of stellar cans.
 
I'm primarily looking for something to aid me in my adventures of dedicated lay-down, mostly THC-assisted, mentally intense listening seshes. I'm mostly into all genres of metal and electronic - old and new technical death metal, melodic death and power metal, black/gothic/folk metal, deathcore, and then all sorts of EDM; trance, complextro and electro, dubstep, DnB etc. So while I like to think I appreciate a ton of bass, realistically I think I'm less of a basshead and more in need of something with a detailed/balanced soundstage, that won't freak out at the crowded mids, and often muddy low end of the clicky kick drums of metal. But that will still provide a decent amount of boomy crazy bass for the more MLG Doritos & Mountain Dew type music like dubstep & deathcore, without compromising the rest of the curve for beautiful flowy synthesizers in trance and black metal.
 
Sorry if that was too much detail lol. Anyway my initial inclination was to get a tried-and-true pair of wired 'phones like Grado's, which I hear are the king for metal and just about any serious listening. But upon playing with my brother's Sony MDRZX750BN, I discovered I absolutely love the freedom of no wires. That would allow me to ditch my meh Klipsch S3 IEMs too and have one solid jack-of-all-trades pair of cans for runs, walking to class and just wandering around the house.
 
This is still foremost about the critical listening seshes though, as well as my budget - the cheaper the better, and I definitely don't want to spend over $200. So here's my question - are there BT headphones that match the sound quality of a good wired pair that don't break the bank? I was thinking if the sound is better on all of these when you add the wire, then that's fine, I don't mind tethering myself when stationary and focused on nothing but the music. Hence why I love the $70 Grado SR60e idea. But I'd be willing to pay more if I could keep the audiophile sound quality while throwing in BT so I can ditch the wire, stand up and go places too with the same headset. 
 
 
I should mention I'm not the strictest audiophile. I can appreciate second-best sound quality if it's still great and keeps the price down. Honestly, maybe I'm just thinking too much and should just pull the trigger on the cheapest option. I've had my eye on the Plantronics Backbeat Pro, it seems like the most well-rounded pair with the best reviews on sound quality; I just get concerned when I see people saying it sacrifices some of the mids for more beefy bass and highs. But again maybe that's a null point if the soundstage is still kickass, especially when you consider the rest of its great features (NFC!!!!) and all-around well-thought-out design and functionality.
 
 
 
EDIT: forgot to mention for these mystical musical excursions I'll probably just be at my computer with FLAC quality source files and whatnot. Which is why I don't mind a wire there, and would rather go for maximum sound quality phones. But the bluetooth will be for walking around on my Android phone, probably with MP3s, so APT-X encoding doesn't matter to me as much.

 
IMO, walking around with an apt x supported android phone playing FLACs and having apt x supported hp , is IMO, a step up in SQ...
 
To my head-fi buddies, I am about 8 days in recovery mode from a hernia repair procedure.. Now, I am trying to get back in the fold. I had my M2s on all the way until they gave me the gas..
biggrin.gif

 
I will be getting the Sony 1ABT, just as soon as it shows its face stateside... 
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top