Huge Comparison of [almost] all the Best Bluetooth Headphones - post your own comparisons here
Jul 5, 2015 at 8:10 PM Post #1,276 of 3,643
I'm starting to see what everyone means with the size of the BBP. These things are god dang monsters. I've been using them faithfully for stationary listening, but as far as activities such as walking around with them as the bluetooth would lend itself to, it feels like there's a small mammal curled up sleeping on my head. This makes the portability (not quite but) almost a moot point.
 
Aside from that, for my first pair of headphones I'm impressed, but not absolutely blown away with the sound quality. I guess I should've known before, but now I'm definitely thinking it's time to diversify and get a proper audiophile pair. So I've got my eyes on some Grado S60e's or maybe HD5xx's.
 
 
 
Has anyone tried any of the significantly cheaper headphones on Amazon for example? I'm thinking if I invest in a great wired pair for home use or whatever, I can put a little less money into a portable BT set. I've always been a bargain hunter so I wonder how bad, or halfway decent, some of the Sentey, Ausdom etc brands are.
 
Jul 5, 2015 at 10:10 PM Post #1,277 of 3,643
Has anyone tried any of the significantly cheaper headphones on Amazon for example? I'm thinking if I invest in a great wired pair for home use or whatever, I can put a little less money into a portable BT set. I've always been a bargain hunter so I wonder how bad, or halfway decent, some of the Sentey, Ausdom etc brands are.


I'm very happy with my takstar pro80 and hi2050s for the price. There's a pretty active takstar thread on here, so lots of impressions there.
 
Jul 6, 2015 at 6:13 PM Post #1,279 of 3,643
Do you folks have any thoughts on good compact Bluetooth headphones, preferably with active noise-canceling?
 
I'm looking at Sennheiser's MM 450-X, which seem like pretty much exactly what I'm looking for in terms of portability, but I want to consider as many options as possible. I'm also considering the Bose Soundlink On-Ear Bluetooth and Sony's SBH80, but neither has active noise canceling, so unless they somehow do a way better job at passive isolation than the Senns do, I'm leaning away from them.
 
My budget is around $250. 
 
(Also, any thoughts on the 400-X vs. the 450? The 400s are about $100 cheaper on Amazon right now -- anyone have any idea if the 450s are worth the extra?)
 
Jul 7, 2015 at 12:25 AM Post #1,280 of 3,643
I'm very happy with my takstar pro80 and hi2050s for the price. There's a pretty active takstar thread on here, so lots of impressions there.

I actually meant the cheaper BT headphones. I figure since it's such a relatively young market, there's more new models coming on the scene every day. There's probably some that are disproportionately good for their price.
 
Jul 7, 2015 at 6:07 AM Post #1,281 of 3,643
I actually meant the cheaper BT headphones. I figure since it's such a relatively young market, there's more new models coming on the scene every day. There's probably some that are disproportionately good for their price.


Oh, yeah, sorry I misread your post. The cheapest BT ones I've used that actually sound good are the Air-fi Matrix2.
 
Jul 7, 2015 at 9:04 AM Post #1,282 of 3,643
  Do you folks have any thoughts on good compact Bluetooth headphones, preferably with active noise-canceling?
 
I'm looking at Sennheiser's MM 450-X, which seem like pretty much exactly what I'm looking for in terms of portability, but I want to consider as many options as possible. I'm also considering the Bose Soundlink On-Ear Bluetooth and Sony's SBH80, but neither has active noise canceling, so unless they somehow do a way better job at passive isolation than the Senns do, I'm leaning away from them.
 
My budget is around $250. 
 
(Also, any thoughts on the 400-X vs. the 450? The 400s are about $100 cheaper on Amazon right now -- anyone have any idea if the 450s are worth the extra?)

 
I'm actually listen to my MM400-X right now :wink:
 
I have both MM400-X and MM450-X and I just ordered the SBH80 2h ago :)
 
The portability on the Sennheiser's MM4x0-headphones are awesome (they fit in my pocket on my jacket), but the SQ is just OK. The ANC is crappy and the microphone is not good either. Since the ANC on the MM450-X is crappy I would say that it's not worth 100$ extra.
 
The sound of the MM4x0-X headphones are very bright and they have a "hiss"-sound like most wireless-headphones.I have just found one track that sound better on MM4x0-X than on any other headphones that I have heard, and that's "Straylight Run - Hands In The Sky". When he starts screaming around 2min and 50s in the song it sounds really nice with these headphones, it almost sound as good as on my elecotrstatic speakers I have at home :wink: I usually listen to trance, so I would like a litter more bass than these provides.
 
I haven't got my SBH80 yet, but I think and hope they sound better than the MM4x0-X headphones.
 
Why did I buy SBH80?
1. It's small
2. It should sound good
3. It's water resistant
4. Cheap
5. I actually wanted a pair of OwnPhones v2, but since v1 isn't even released yet, I will have to wait another year, so I really needed new headphones and didn't wanted to pay to much for them.
6. The microphone should be good
 
I got sold when I read this post: http://www.head-fi.org/t/752491/sony-sbh80-wireless-to-the-next-level-review/15#post_11711464
Since I have IE80 myself and really love them. The IE800 has a clearer sound and also a much wider soundstage which I wanted. I don't think the SBH80 really have better sound than IE80, but if it's close and also has a wider soundstage and are wireless + water resistant I would be very happy :)
 
The batterylife should be around the same for all of the headphones I mentioned above.
 
I really recommend the MM400-X, that's the headphones I use most of all of my headphones (I have a lot). If you can wait a few days I can write what I think of the SBH80 (you might have to remind me though :wink:).
 
Hope it helped!
 
Jul 8, 2015 at 12:24 AM Post #1,283 of 3,643
I do have sdb80 and the sound is good and comfortable. I received my ath cks77bt yesterday from Japan ebay, and I think it is better, especially for those who care more about bass. I have ath ws99bt, but it is not suitable for outdoor use. Fidelio m2bt is lighter but bluetooth receiving is not good. Both the sony and ath IEM (cks77bt are good alternative for use in the street, and the sound isolation is good enough. Beware that the use of ANC required more electricity and sometimes can be a nuisance when out of juice.
 
Jul 8, 2015 at 6:44 PM Post #1,284 of 3,643
Last few weeks I ordered a bunch of headphones from Amazon to compare, here's my brief impressions:
- August EP650, really decent sound for the price, very comfortable, folding. Nice bass, mids not too clear, microphone was decent. Deal-breaker for me was the hiss and occasional electronic noise (I'm very sensitive to high pitched sounds, other people don't seem to notice or mind)
- Jabra Revo, nice punchy sound, one of the most comfortable on-ears I have tried, very good connectivity (kind of multipoint, does one audio sink and one voice sink), however I found the controls quite annoying (touch works ok, but the play/pause button in the middle is hard to press without doing something else on accident). Very clear voice quality. Doesn't fold as small as the August and I preferred the around-the-ear fit of those. Nice cans, no real failures, but not worth the price IMO. If I wanted something similar and I didn't need folding I would get the Move model instead.
- Koss BT540i, I hadn't seen many reviews of these so I was eager to try them out. Very clear sound, especially mids and highs, but the bass was dissapointing, the build quality felt cheapish, and the ear cups were too shallow for me and they pressed too hard on my head. Upside: comes with a lovely hard case :p
- House of Marley Liberate XLBT, nice looks, sound was ok but nothing to write home about. Earcups don't swivel and the foam cutouts are too small, so it was quite uncomfortable and I didn't try it further. Button layout was confusing too.
- AKG K845, lovely pillowy pads, very comfortable, well rounded sound. Unlike the Y45BT I tried these had no electronic noise or hiss whatsoever. However range was awful, they are very large, and one of the most expensive, definitely not worth the price tag for me.
- Sony MDR-ZX770, fits great, not too heavy, reasonably slim, sweet well-rounded sound, I thought the noise-cancelling was useless until I took a train a few days ago and was converted. Don't expect it to silence someone talking next to you, but it works great for low repetitive sounds. Very good battery life. Cons: noise cancelling always turns on when you turn them on instead of remembering, not multipoint at all. Ear cups don't fold, but they swivel and since they are not as thick as the plantronics I didn't find it too inconvenient to put them in my backpack.
- Philips SHB7250, very light, folds smaller than the House of Marley XLBT, comfortable, controls are quite alright. True multipoint, more finicky than the Backbeat Pro, but it definitely works. Sound is quite pleasant with bass boost on, though it feels a bit artificial when comparing it side-by-side with other higher end cans. It has a bit of hiss but very slight and no electronic noise. I think this is a very good budget choice, and the only truly folding around-the-ear I have tried which I actually like.
 
I still think if they made the Backbeat Pros less massive they would be my perfect bluetooth cans. But for the time being the Sony ZX770 are my choice for sound-portability-and-features balance. The Sony SBH60 still has the best mic I have tried (which still works wired!) so I will keep them for calls. The Philips SHB7250 would be my budget choice for around-the-ear.
 
Jul 9, 2015 at 8:05 AM Post #1,285 of 3,643
  Last few weeks I ordered a bunch of headphones from Amazon to compare, here's my brief impressions:
- August EP650, really decent sound for the price, very comfortable, folding. Nice bass, mids not too clear, microphone was decent. Deal-breaker for me was the hiss and occasional electronic noise (I'm very sensitive to high pitched sounds, other people don't seem to notice or mind)
- Jabra Revo, nice punchy sound, one of the most comfortable on-ears I have tried, very good connectivity (kind of multipoint, does one audio sink and one voice sink), however I found the controls quite annoying (touch works ok, but the play/pause button in the middle is hard to press without doing something else on accident). Very clear voice quality. Doesn't fold as small as the August and I preferred the around-the-ear fit of those. Nice cans, no real failures, but not worth the price IMO. If I wanted something similar and I didn't need folding I would get the Move model instead.
- Koss BT540i, I hadn't seen many reviews of these so I was eager to try them out. Very clear sound, especially mids and highs, but the bass was dissapointing, the build quality felt cheapish, and the ear cups were too shallow for me and they pressed too hard on my head. Upside: comes with a lovely hard case :p
- House of Marley Liberate XLBT, nice looks, sound was ok but nothing to write home about. Earcups don't swivel and the foam cutouts are too small, so it was quite uncomfortable and I didn't try it further. Button layout was confusing too.
- AKG K845, lovely pillowy pads, very comfortable, well rounded sound. Unlike the Y45BT I tried these had no electronic noise or hiss whatsoever. However range was awful, they are very large, and one of the most expensive, definitely not worth the price tag for me.
- Sony MDR-ZX770, fits great, not too heavy, reasonably slim, sweet well-rounded sound, I thought the noise-cancelling was useless until I took a train a few days ago and was converted. Don't expect it to silence someone talking next to you, but it works great for low repetitive sounds. Very good battery life. Cons: noise cancelling always turns on when you turn them on instead of remembering, not multipoint at all. Ear cups don't fold, but they swivel and since they are not as thick as the plantronics I didn't find it too inconvenient to put them in my backpack.
- Philips SHB7250, very light, folds smaller than the House of Marley XLBT, comfortable, controls are quite alright. True multipoint, more finicky than the Backbeat Pro, but it definitely works. Sound is quite pleasant with bass boost on, though it feels a bit artificial when comparing it side-by-side with other higher end cans. It has a bit of hiss but very slight and no electronic noise. I think this is a very good budget choice, and the only truly folding around-the-ear I have tried which I actually like.
 
I still think if they made the Backbeat Pros less massive they would be my perfect bluetooth cans. But for the time being the Sony ZX770 are my choice for sound-portability-and-features balance. The Sony SBH60 still has the best mic I have tried (which still works wired!) so I will keep them for calls. The Philips SHB7250 would be my budget choice for around-the-ear.


I also like the Sony 770BN for their overall sound and functionality. I know they don't do a true multipoint connection, but they can connect to 2 BT devices (according to their help guide):
 
To use a BLUETOOTH music player for listening to music and a BLUETOOTH smartphone for making phone calls, the headset needs to be connected with each device with a BLUETOOTH connection. 


  • Pair the headset with BLUETOOTH devices, respectively. 
  • Make an A2DP BLUETOOTH connection between the headset and the BLUETOOTH music player. 
  • Make an HFP or HSP BLUETOOTH connection between the headset and the BLUETOOTH smartphone or mobile phone.
     
    1. if the smartphone or mobile phone was connected with the headset the last time, an HFP or HSP connection is made automatically when you turn on the headset. At the same time, an A2DP connection may also be made automatically. If this happens, disconnect the headset from the smartphone or mobile phone once using the phone, then connect the devices again by repeating the process from step 2. 



     



In any case besides the overly-large Backbeat Pro design, I found that when the ANC was turned on it affected the bass and low-mids making them sound somewhat muddy. If Plantronics can fix that and the overall size they would have a real winner.
 
Jul 9, 2015 at 5:56 PM Post #1,286 of 3,643
So I got my Plantronics BackBeats Pro today and for the first time listening to them I am blown away. I am coming from Bose QC2, PowerBeats 2, and Astro 50s. Besides the size and as what whsbuss has pointed out about the bass being somewhat muddy when the ANC is turned on, I'm super happy. I guess I will be using these at home and work and the PowerBeats 2 for mobility at the moment. I just ordered UE Booms over Bose Mini 2, my buddy of mines thinks I'm crazy as he's a Beats and Bose fan (I think because of the name brand). I'm happy for stumbling across this forums, being 38 and with 3 boys, I can't be listening to just my friend when there are other options out there and wasting my money. I appreciate everyone's opinions and feedbacks that helps others.
 
Jul 10, 2015 at 1:25 AM Post #1,287 of 3,643
I found myself in Best Buy today, saw their headphones on display and remembered I brought my Backbeat pro's in the car. I grabbed them and tried comparing them with some of the models - I assume every Best Buy has the same few on display, since I'm vacationing in Colorado and they had the same ones as in the BB in Maryland (V-Moda Crossfade M-100, Sennheiser 558, Samsung Momentum M2, and the huge Blue headphones with built-in amp)
 
Surprisingly I found I liked the sound over APTX bluetooth on the BBP's more or less as much as most of the wired models on display. It was all through my phone with 320kbps MP3, so not lossless or anything, and i didn't spend too terribly much time and attention on it. But what struck me was how full & especially clean the bass was on the Backbeat's compared to everything else. Sure the rest of the details in the mids & highs are one thing, but in terms of pure sonic enjoyment, it seems to me Plantronics really nailed the aspects of the sound that make the most difference. Quickly switching between the BBP and the other pairs of wired headphones, the main thing i noticed was that the full-bodied bass just made the BBP's sound so much more preferable to even, say, the more balanced but less vibrant profile of the 558's, and it was even on par with the low-end of the ($350!) Blue headphones in amplified mode.
 
Whether it was the thump of bass drums in rock music or the sea of sub-bass in some of my electronic music, the Backbeat's held their own, and given the price gap, re-solidified my confidence in the purchase of these bluetooth beauties.
 
I really like when electronics companies put thought into every aspect of their product, and come up with something that balances every part of the user experience resulting in a piece of hardware that the user will enjoy thoroughly despite any few minor niggling lesser points that may look disappointing on paper, but end up not mattering in the grand scheme of things once you actually try it out. That's definitely the impression I got today with the Backbeat pro. So I guess, good job, Plantronics - for the price, I really don't know if you could get any better headphones for the money, and considering the wireless freedom. Now if only they could make these damn things smaller, that's still the ONLY thing that bugs me about it. But I think comparing it to the more expensive options today has pretty much dissolved any buyer's remorse I had about wanting to get a "better" wired pair. These are without a doubt the most solid option I could've hoped for in my first pair of higher-end headphones.
 
Jul 10, 2015 at 6:58 AM Post #1,288 of 3,643
  I found myself in Best Buy today, saw their headphones on display and remembered I brought my Backbeat pro's in the car. I grabbed them and tried comparing them with some of the models - I assume every Best Buy has the same few on display, since I'm vacationing in Colorado and they had the same ones as in the BB in Maryland (V-Moda Crossfade M-100, Sennheiser 558, Samsung Momentum M2, and the huge Blue headphones with built-in amp)
 
Surprisingly I found I liked the sound over APTX bluetooth on the BBP's more or less as much as most of the wired models on display. It was all through my phone with 320kbps MP3, so not lossless or anything, and i didn't spend too terribly much time and attention on it. But what struck me was how full & especially clean the bass was on the Backbeat's compared to everything else. Sure the rest of the details in the mids & highs are one thing, but in terms of pure sonic enjoyment, it seems to me Plantronics really nailed the aspects of the sound that make the most difference. Quickly switching between the BBP and the other pairs of wired headphones, the main thing i noticed was that the full-bodied bass just made the BBP's sound so much more preferable to even, say, the more balanced but less vibrant profile of the 558's, and it was even on par with the low-end of the ($350!) Blue headphones in amplified mode.
 
Whether it was the thump of bass drums in rock music or the sea of sub-bass in some of my electronic music, the Backbeat's held their own, and given the price gap, re-solidified my confidence in the purchase of these bluetooth beauties.
 
I really like when electronics companies put thought into every aspect of their product, and come up with something that balances every part of the user experience resulting in a piece of hardware that the user will enjoy thoroughly despite any few minor niggling lesser points that may look disappointing on paper, but end up not mattering in the grand scheme of things once you actually try it out. That's definitely the impression I got today with the Backbeat pro. So I guess, good job, Plantronics - for the price, I really don't know if you could get any better headphones for the money, and considering the wireless freedom. Now if only they could make these damn things smaller, that's still the ONLY thing that bugs me about it. But I think comparing it to the more expensive options today has pretty much dissolved any buyer's remorse I had about wanting to get a "better" wired pair. These are without a doubt the most solid option I could've hoped for in my first pair of higher-end headphones.


APTX is definitely a better listening experience at least for me. Using the Sony 770BNs some of the same tracks I hear on my iPhone sound better, more rich on my Mac in APTX mode.
 
Jul 10, 2015 at 12:32 PM Post #1,289 of 3,643
Well, I ended up ordering 4 different sets to compare (actually 6, but two of them I didn't even bother trying because they were just too big for my needs, even folded up). I got the Sennheiser MM 400-X and 450-X, Bose Soundlink Bluetooth, and the Sony SBH80s. I ended up not really trying the MM 400-Xs because I was quite impressed with the noise canceling on the 450s -- it beat my Audio Technica ATH-ANC7s. 
 
In terms of overall sound quality -- and again I'm no audiophile so take this with a grain of salt -- I felt the Bose set was the best, followed surprisingly closely by the SBH80s, and the MM 450-Xs brought up the rear (although still quite good). Then I brought all three down to the subway to compare their isolation. Unfortunately but unsurprisingly the Bose set lost pretty badly there. That was an important consideration for me, so that pretty much ruled them out despite their great sound. I was really shocked, though, by how good the SBH80s were at isolation -- significantly better than the Senns despite lacking active noise cancelling. They did at least as good a job as the Senns with ANC on in removing low, continuous sound, and way better at the irregular, clattering-type noise of the subway. 
 
I'm still deciding between the SBH80s and the Senns; despite what I wrote above, I'm leaning towards the Senns right now mainly because I'm concerned about durability. The Senns came with a nice, compact case; the SBH80s didn't, and I'm not even sure how I would transport them safely since they're pretty awkward in shape and size. The wires to each earbud also seem flimsy, and it just seems way too likely that one ear will crap out before too long, especially given my past experiences with earbuds and IEMs. 
 
Jul 10, 2015 at 1:39 PM Post #1,290 of 3,643
Well today I stopped in the Apple store at the mall. Just had to re-listen to the Beats studio wireless (of which I had back at christmas but returned b/c for me they were overpriced.) Comparing them to the Sony 770BN and they just have more energy...... they are a bit more comfortable as well. I'm no bass-head nor an audiophile but listening to my Apple Music library on them was just "better".
 
And here's the kicker..... Staples has them on sale for just $249.95 which is $130 off retail. Now for THAT PRICE for me its a no brainer. The beats are just $20 additional over the Sony's I got at Best Buy. So I ordered the Matte Black set which should arrive by Wednesday. As most of us here agree, its what sounds best for the individual. No headphone is without faults but for me the Studio Wireless 2.0 allow me to be immersed in my music.
 

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