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

[Sound Eq]

I really wish someone can review  the parrot zik 2 and tell us how they compare to the backbeats and MK2 as I really like the technology behind the zik2

 

[Giogio]

I have just ordered them.
But I will not be able to do a side by side because the Plantronics are already back.
And the MK2, for those I have to wait that they are available here.

 

[Prolificaudio]

Get the sony 950bt man they have the craziest bass I have ever heard. Its like strapping two subs on your head.

 

[david8613]

Plantronics backbeat pro = , just wow!

 

[Giogio]

  Get the sony 950bt man they have the craziest bass I have ever heard. Its like strapping two subs on your head.

also ordered.
If they are so good I will keep them as second pair for home.
Fidelio outdoor, Sony indoor.
I have the Harman Kardon now which I wanted to keep because I got them extremely cheap.
But they do not give anything more than the Fidelio (actually a bit less) in sound, just some extra comfort being around the ear.
Which made me realize it can be good to have a second pair at home.
But in that case, I think it must be something different, like this XB by Sony.
 
 
Congratulation for the Backbeat Pro, David 8613!
Let us know your impressions!

 

[david8613]

These plantronics backbeat pro are pretty awesome! I posted my thoughts of them in a comparo with my favorites the logitech ue 9000 in the high end bluetooth thread.

 

[OPTiK]

 
I do not think that Poweramp has nothing to do with Aptx. THat is a codec used by the phone. The music player cannot bypass it.
I think that, very simply, Dmitry, the programmer of Neutron, did a very good job. Sometimes things are so simple. Better programmer, better program.
 
Anyway, in which review did you read about Neutron? Just curious, it could be mine
 
I do not know how high is the hiss of the S1+ but, almost all BT Headphones have it.
A guy in the thread for the Sony MDR-XB950BT just explained that it is a lack of "negative feedback" (do not ask me what that is) due to the fact that they use less current in the amp to make the battery last longer.
So, the Plantronics has it to a bit. No wonder its battery last 24 hours. But it is not bothering. I did not feel as loud. Then probably it also depend from how fast it turns off when music stops.
The Fidelio have it too.
The Beats have it very strong.
The Bose have it a bit.
The Harman Kardon a bit.
And so on.....
 
If you buy from Amazon.com you could consider the Harman Kardon. they are illegally cheap now and they sound in my opinion third best after Fidelio and Backbeats but with more bass than Backbeats.
So, it depends on what you look for and what you listen to.
If you tell me, I can tell you which one could be better for you.
 
Cheers

 
Not sure where I heard about the different music player, been reading too many reviews lately lol. I'm looking for a BT headset that I can use to listen to music and movies/tv. I'm moving and won't be able to bring my home theater system with me so I need something to hold me over. I be using my Surface Pro 3 as my primary system so BT seems the most appealing since wires will get annoying after awhile. Any suggestions? My top choice right now is the Backbeat Pro, though the Sony 950BT looks interesting too (sadly Amazon is out of stock).

 

[david8613]

I think you might be better served with the plantronics backbeat pro or the sony mdr1r bt mk2 haven't heard the sonys yet, because this type headset would be good with more genres of music, the sony MDRXB950BT are very very bass heavy and not very open, designed for dubstep, edm type music so imo won't be that great for movies.

 

[Giogio]

These plantronics backbeat pro are pretty awesome! I posted my thoughts of them in a comparo with my favorites the logitech ue 9000 in the high end bluetooth thread.

Can you please post it here too?
This thread is for comparison of BT Headphones.
I have ordered the UE9000 myself, and the XB950 too, so I will be able to compare them, but the idea of this thread is also that more and more people give not only feedbacks on single headphones but also and actually more importantly comparisons.
You can just copy and paste from the other thread
 

   
Not sure where I heard about the different music player, been reading too many reviews lately lol. I'm looking for a BT headset that I can use to listen to music and movies/tv. I'm moving and won't be able to bring my home theater system with me so I need something to hold me over. I be using my Surface Pro 3 as my primary system so BT seems the most appealing since wires will get annoying after awhile. Any suggestions? My top choice right now is the Backbeat Pro, though the Sony 950BT looks interesting too (sadly Amazon is out of stock).

Well, the Surface Pro 3 has got no Aptx, right?
Will you use some Aptx Dongle?
If you will, then I suggest you the Plantronics as David said, or the Fidelio M2BT (but if you live in the US, they are not available there yet).
Without Aptx in this moment I can only suggest the Plantronics. I have to investigate more on how the Fidelio sound without Aptx.
 
I also agree with David about the Sony MDR-1RBTMK2. The old not MK2 were not excellent enough but still good.
But the MK2 are receiving lot of love.
And generally (apart for what David says of the XB) these MDR have all a very good soundstage.
 
I will test the XB soon and let you know.
Personally I think that soundstage is yes important for movies, but the warmth and the power of the bass is more important to me, special for some movies.
The Fidelio beat the Plantronics on this. Even if they lose on soundstage.
So for the same reason I think the XB could be good. I'll se.

 

[david8613]

I'm really liking these backbeats alot, I was running some flac files using nuetron, and you know with back beats I can tell a difference in sound quality! They kind of expose more detail, when I ran the ue 9000 I could not tell the difference, I'm thinking the ue 9000 might be running some type of dsp, to make them sound so good. Pretty cool... here is my my thoughts on the backbeat pro against the ue 9000, this might change as I'm burning them in.

I'm no audio expert by a long shot but I know what I like. For a long time I have been using the logitech ue 9000, I'm actually on my third pair. I kept trying to upgrade and failed each time,. The innerfidelty review was spot on, I just love those headphones so much. I just received the plantronics backbeat pro yesterday., they sound really good out of the box, they have a very clear energetic sound were the ue 9000 are more laid back, warmer sound. The backbeats bass is very, very good, she can go low no problem and sound strong, the ue 9000 can also go low easily and shows slightly more strength, and muscularity in this department. Mids are right up front and very clear on the backbeats. They are alot faster more energitec here compared to the ue 9000. The ue 9000 mids are more laid back but also sound very good, different flavor I guess. The treble is were these cans are very different, the backbeats have very good, very detailed highs, but to my ears are a slightly sharp/bright sounding, were the ue 9000 treble are nicely rolled off, and warmer, less bright but still very nice treble. They just don't have the same level of detail that the backbeats show in the highs which I like. When I say the highs sound sharp its mostly when the volume is higher or the track has alot of that treble frequency. Due to the treble difference I think I can wear the ue 9000 longer easily with less fatigue. I'm doing a burn in now, so I'm hoping the highs will soften up some. The sound stage is excellent, nice, wide and layered on both the ue 9000 and the backbeats, this is what was sorely missing on the sony MDRXB950BT when I had them, they sounded very closed in to me, I didn't like that. Controls are very easy and intuitive on the backbeat, the ue 9000 tiny buttons are harder to use. All the features work great on the backbeat, although the ue 9000 open mic feature sounds better, and louder compared to the backbeat that sounded a little low volume wise, I wonder if I can fix that with the plantronics updater software. The backbeats are heavier than the ue 9000 on the scale, but in your hands and on your head the backbeats felt alot lighter for some weird reason, maybe because the ue 9000 has more metal, denser plastic. Both are very comfortable and fit well but I prefer the ue 9000 oval shaped cans better than backbeats round cans they just feel better on my ears, the backbeats pads are noticeably softer and very nice on my ears. I noticed the ue 9000 block outside noise passively better because they have zero vents, the backbeats have small vents all around the cups so i can hear outside noises easily even someone speaking to me is clear. When turned on with music this was a none issue so its just an observation. Having vents they should leak noise but the backbeats do not. The ue 9000 also seal very well in this respect. Noise cancellation works great on both units when turned on, backbeat might be slightly better. The backbeats bluetooth range is about the same as the ue 9000 maybe even slightly shorter, I expected it to be alot longer but nope it is not! I think the ue 9000 signal passes through walls better it seems. This is the first head phone besides the ue 9000 that I really liked, I will be happier if I can get the treble to calm down a little we will see after some more burn in time. Overall I really like the backbeats alot, I think plantronics have a winner here, 2 thumbs up for sure! If you do buy these make sure you visit the plantronics Web site and download the updater, the firmware on my set was an older version, with the newer one improving sound quality and some other things. I hope in the future plantronics can provide different sound profiles through the updater, it would be a cool feature to have just like my gaming headset. The devices I use are samsung galaxy note 3 and samsung galaxy note 12.2 with neutron app and flac files or the milk music app. No equalizer were used, I don't like using them, they change the sound to much for me.

 

[n00b2]

@Giogio Good thread this. The other thread is getting way too big. Surprised to see the AKG K845BT so low on your recommendations. During my testing they were easily the best sounding bluetooth headphones for all but high quality flac files. Felt the Sony MDR1RBT MKII was better for those (should definitely test out this model). Could definitely feel the difference with aptx there. What did you feel about them to rate them so low?

 

[Giogio]

I'm really liking these backbeats alot,

Thank you for the comparison!
 

  @Giogio Good thread this. The other thread is getting way too big. Surprised to see the AKG K845BT so low on your recommendations. During my testing they were easily the best sounding bluetooth headphones for all but high quality flac files. Felt the Sony MDR1RBT MKII was better for those (should definitely test out this model). Could definitely feel the difference with aptx there. What did you feel about them to rate them so low?

Hi, well, I wrote a review on them, you can have a look.
 
They are way too neutral (apart for the fact that they tend to boost highs a bit).
I make a difference between balanced and neutral sound.
I like balanced sound but NOT neutral sound.
Headphones are like actors. They must not have too much ego (or people see too much the actor and not enough the role) but they must have a personality.
Neutrality is for monitors, to produce music. I do not want neutrality when I listen to music.
I want the headphones to be able to bring the emotions of the music to me.
With the Akg, I had to imagine the emotions. It was boring.
This is what I did not like. They are not lively.
They also have very few bass and this does not improve with EQ (I was surprised, it was the only Headphones which did not improve at all with EQ).
I did not notice any particular superiority in SQ or detail than the Plantronics backbeat Pro, which have more punch and warmth, are balanced enough, but are not boring.
 
The Fidelio M2BT has clearly less soundstage, and maybe (difficult to say when reaching these high levels) a tiny bit less detail, but they have such a wonderful warmth and rumble in the bass, very nice presence in the mids, good highs...
When I listen music with them I just feel more emotions. I just WANT to use them, they excite me.
 
May I ask you which other BT Headphones did you try?
 
I cannot try the MK2. Not available in EU.
They, and the Pendulumic, are the only two I miss.
In this moment I am auditioning the ones I was missing, Parrot Zik 2, Supertooth Freedom, Sennheiser MM550X, Sony MDR-XB950BT, and UE9000.
 
I will have to take a break then, not only because I will not have any more Headphones to test, but because I have no more holidays and lot to do.

 

[hnke]

Hi all, I have decided to end my lurking on head-fi and finally sign up after reading this thread.

I am currently testing all kinds of bt headphones as well, after deciding to go a bit more into the higher end of headphone land. I have kept my trusty Koss Porta-Pro with me for quite some time as well as Sennheiser IEMs, which I loved.
Amazon hates me as well now. I have on my desk right now: The Fidelo M2 and the Bose QuietComfort 25 (I know, no BT but I wanted to test the ANC and the fit).
The Sony MDR-1BT and MDR-10BT are on order, as well as the Plantronics (after reading this thread I had to order them!). They should arrive in just a few days. I love Amazon Prime...

Now they all will be the most expensive headphones I have owned until now. And to add to that: I did not plan on buying BT headphones at all until I wore the Fidelo M2s and walked into my kitchen with my laptop in my room and then answering a call from my cell-phone, which was in the other room as well. I was in love!

I love the stock sound of the Fidelo M2s. I am not currently messing with EQs or anything else. FLAC files from my laptop running Arch Linux via VLC (Any good player like foobar for linux?).
I was really impressed with how far BT sound came since I last tested BT cans some years ago.
BUT I have one huge caveat: I wear glasses and have a fairly large head. And after just an hour of wearing them, the Fidelos hurt

The Bose I love for the comfort. They must be some of the most comfortable headphones I have ever tried! The ANC is awesome, but not a requirement for me. As I said I ordered them, just to try out.
When the ANC is turned off they sound terrible. The sound is muffled and dull. They need a battery to be enjoyed. The Fidelos sound great also when connected via wire, which is a huge plus!

Give me a pair of BT headphones with the sound of the Fidelo M2s and the comfort of the Bose QC25 and I would gladly buy them. Maybe the Sony or the Plantronic will full-fill my dream? I will post once I have received them.

Thanks to Giogio for starting this thread that made me sign up here

---
edit: changed Sennheiser to Bose.

 

[Giogio]

Ahaha, you're welcome to the Family of BT Headphonobsession.
I should be preparing me for the next exams and I am instead comparing headphones...
 
M2BT, so you are in EU?
 
I think you meant Bose QuietComfort, not Sennheiser.
 
Well, the Bose Soundlink On-Ear sound very good and also have Multipoint as the Fidelio.
They do not reach the sound of the Fidelio, unfortunately... Their beass is not as vibrant and warm, their highs not as clear, and they are less "Spacey".
They anyway manage to have a very good warmth and presence in the vocals while keeping a fresh sound signature.
I like them. They are in this moment for me third in my list after Fidelio and Plantronics.
 
The Plantronics are have also Multipoint, a good ANC, and few more things.
I have no idea how they can be comfortable for somebody with Glasses.
But well, good point. Let us know!
And, if you write down a list of all BT Headphones you've tried I will add that to the first post and so people with Glasses can ask you about the comfort

 

[Yappadappadu]

Good read, this thread.
Still have the Samsung Level Over, but will send them back to Amazon soon.
Simply too big and the bass is lacking. Really appreciated the rock solid bluetooth connection though (no skipping and no audio delay).
 
Ordered the Plantronics Backbeat, but don't know if I'll like the design and how big they are. Love the look of the Sony headphones.
 
Quote:

David, as for the MK2 -- it was definitely a decent phone, but the Plantronics is far superior in terms of both controls and sound.  Comfort is about the same for both (again, for me not so good because of my ears, but for someone with smaller ears or less sensitive ones both might be fine).  Of all the phones I sent back the two I was most reluctant to let go were the Samsung and the Plantronics, but for different reasons (I loved the fit of the Samsung and the way the controls worked, but hated the sound, and the Plantronics I loved the sound and controls but hated the fit.  If only there were a way to "Frankenstein" the two phones together <bg>.).  The MK2 might have a touch more bass than the Plantronics but it was not a dramatic difference.  I can't imagine ordering the Sony if the Plantronics works for you -- and I can't imagine a scenerio where it wouldn't work for you but the Sony would.

 
Oh, finally someone with an iPhone who tried the MK2! I have an iPhone 6 myself. Could you help me out here?
 
I really liked the old Sony MDR-1RBT. Very comfortable and light and the bass is punchier than the Samsung Level Over, but my problem was sound skipping/stuttering, usually at the beginning of many tracks I listened to. There are amazon reviews that confirm those problems. It's a problem exclusive to iPhone/iPad devices.
 
So my question is if you can confirm that you had no such issues with the MDR-1RBT MK2 when playing music wirelessly through your iPhone 6 Plus. And how was the audio delay?
Did you by chance ever try the old 1RBT as well?
 
@Giogio:
Probably have missed it, but what did you not like about the Sony MDR-1RBT?