Seeking Bluetooth Headphones recommendations

By Misty Dawn, 8 May, 2023

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

I am currently looking for a pair of bluetooth headphones (NOT earbuds, as I have never been able to fit any I’ve tried into my ears and they block out critical environmental sounds!) that have 5.0 bluetooth and are quickly and easily able to switch between paired audio sources (preferably 3 of them: my iPhone, the Envision glasses and my PC). I also need a quality microphone on them or, if I can’t get that, no mic at all so that recording goes to my iPhone mic. I also need extremely long battery life.

I have great difficulty with any headphone where it surrounds the ear as, when I walk, I feel ear pressure and hear thumping in the headphones. I would need something that rests completely on top of the ear or near or behind the ear.

I also need something that allows me to hear what is around me.

I have thought about getting bone-conducting headphones, but I have a mild hearing loss and I have heard that these have a very low volume. (The mild hearing loss is why I like to use headphones when listening to any audio source.

Any help finding that perfect bluetooth headphone that matches my above specifications would be much appreciated.

Options

Comments

By Andy Lane on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

SoundPEATS RunFree Lite Open Ear Headphones Bluetooth 5.3, Sports Earphones with Mic, 16.2mm Driver Air Conduction Headset, 17 Hours Playtime, Multipoint for Running,Driving They were £34.99 discounted to £27.99 until Thursday. I found out about them on this site. They pair to 2 devices very well apparently, they are completely open so you can hear whats around you and it may be a feature you’d like with your hearing loss, they run a hearing test where you press a button when you hear various tones then they customise the EQ for your hearing. I can’t comment on how accessible the app is though. They seem to do everything you want and are unbelievably inexpensive considering the features and how much people seem to like them. I hope that helps but I’ll update tomorrow when mine arrive if you’d like?

By Andy Lane on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

The headphones above have Bluetooth 5.3. Some other options are AirPods Max but they are crazy heavy and probably going to be updated soon. They are also crazy money. Sony WF 1000 X M5 which are incredible headphones and don’t bounce too much even though they are over ear cans. They are so lightweight and sound incredible. Still expensive though. Beats Fit pro which I believe fit around the ears and I believe have transparency mode so you can hear whats outside. I think you are going to struggle to find headphones that can pair to more than 2 devices simultaneously. I’ve never seen that feature. Bone conduction might be an option but they aren’t great. The sound quality is very compromised and for anything more than spoken voice they give you a tingling feeling on the side of your face. Might be worth a go though as if your hearing loss is only mildly impaired I think they’d be loud enough for you to hear. I’m really excited to try the ones above though. They are so inexpensive you could have 1 set just for your glasses and the other set for your other devices.

By Misty Dawn on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

Yes, I would very much appreciate an update once you have them, particularly regarding the accessibility of pairing and switching between devices.

Also, I am in the US, so I hope they are available here as well.

Would you happen to have a direct link to purchase them here in the US? It would be best if it was an Amazon link as I have Prime, but, if they’re not on there, whatever website would be fine.

By Andy Lane on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

SoundPEATS Air Conduction Headphones, RunFree Lite Open-Ear Sports Bluetooth V5.3 Headphones with Bass Boost and 17 Hours, Sweatproof Ultralight Headset for Running, Workouts, Comfortable Fit, USB-C https://a.co/d/5IER7X1 If not, you can just do a search on amazon. They are currently $29.99 down from $39.99. I’ll update tomorrow.

By Misty Dawn on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

Thanks. Link worked and I’ve saved the page.

My only concern now is the “base boost”. I’m the type that likes natural balance in sound, so I’m wondering if there is a way to turn that feature off acccessibly…?

By Andy Lane on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

I’m guessing there very much will be considering the personal EQ settings based on your hearing test results that the app performs. My guess is they say bass boost because having a speaker hung near your ear canal wouldn’t normally be a very good way of hearing bass and they are just trying to assure you they have taken that into consideration. That seems likely to me. Realistically you aren’t going to get huge bass from a completely open setup with a 16mm driver pointed in the direction of your ear canal.

By Andy Lane on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

I’d recommend the Sony’s. They cost 10 times as much and the transparency isn’t great although the noise cancelling is probably the best on any headphones. The sound is beautifully balanced and natural. They aren’t really what you’re looking for though I don’t think. They are over ear cans. I have a feeling these soundpeats are going to be pretty good especially for the money.

By Andy Lane on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

In summary they are great for the money. In more detail, They do everything you want I think. They are pretty comfortable, a very similar design to bone conduction except the drivers sit over your ear holes instead of in front of your ears so your ears are slightly covered but you can still hear everything around you great. The sound quality is ok, not anywhere near as good as earbuds or over ear but quite a bit better than bone conduction. They handle 2 connections perfectly. Like really really well, my iPad stops talking and within 2 seconds my iPhone is connected. You don’t even need to lock one to use the other, they are just both connected and the headphones play whichever one is making sound or if they both are, it stays on the one you are currently on until that goes quiet then it moves to the other thats still making sound. They aren’t luxurious in any way but they are very inexpensive. The materials are fine certainly for the money. I wouldn’t be disappointed if they cost $50 so less than $30 seems very reasonable. Basically they aren’t the best headphones for sound they aren’t the most comfy, they aren’t the best at anything really but they may be exactly what you’re looking for because they do a similar thing to bone conduction but better. They are pretty loud, not much bass and not much treble but for spoken word they have a great frequency response. They don’t sound bad for music just not great. They sound like what they are which is speaker drivers suspended over your ear holes. Honestly I don’t know if you’ll love them. They may be perfect for you. I’m sorry I can’t get really excited but I prefer airpod pro 2’s and these just aren’t as good as that but they are almost 1/10th of the cost. They aren’t as good as my Sony’s but they are almost 1/15th the cost. They probably are better than my air bone conduction, they definitely handle connection better, have a better battery and sound better. I’d say give them a go. They aren’t expensive, you can always send them back and they may be just what you’re looking for. I’d say still being able to hear whats around you while having reasonable sound is a pretty good deal for $27. Oh the 4 microphones do a pretty good job. Among the better Bluetooth headset mics. Battery is 17 hours.

By Samanthia Farthing on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

I also just got a pair of the SOUNDPEATS, and the gamer mode on them makes the experience when using VoiceOver practically lag free. It’s better than any other headphones or earbuds I’ve tried other than AirPods. It’s even better than the Beats Flex, which have apples chip in them.
The lag with other bluetooth headphones, as slight as it may be, absolutely drives me crazy, so I was delighted to get a lag free experience for so little cost.

By Julian on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

So far I haven't found a way to adjust or disable what I believe is an over aggressive power saver. This causes the first syllable or 2 to get cut off after a few seconds of inactivity, which is terrible when using VO. This is especially irksome when using a GPS app to report approaching intersections. If this can't be fixed it may be a deal breaker for me.

By David Lai on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

I've been using the Sony WH-CH720N and have been enjoying it very much. It can be used with Bluetooth as well as wired with a 3.5MM headphone jack. The noise canceling is good for my purposes, and the sound tuning is well-balanced. It's very light weight, only less than half a pound of weight on your head (192 grams to be exact). If you're interested, you should take a look at it.

By Misty Dawn on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

Anyone else having the issue of the first bit of audio being cut off?

If this is a thing, it could be a deal-breaker for me as well.

By Andy Lane on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

Just going by the comment above. I’ll try it later on, using their app requires signing up which I’m not that happy about but I’ll give it a go as long as you’re seriously looking at buying them and would like to know. The audio cutoff issue isn’t huge even without gaming mode. It does happen but probably about the same as AirPods Pro.

By Julian on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

You don't need their app, just press the power button 3 times to toggle gaming mode on or off. So far, it doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference, the first part of speech is still being cut off.

By sockhopsinger on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 23:15

It is true that some speech gets cut off, Unfortunately, I have found this is the case with much more expensive headphones as well. It seems that the only way to determine which ones will cut off your speech is to roll the dice and then hope for the best when ordering headphones.