Best Audiophile Bluetooth headphones Topic

[metasharp]

Hello,

I thought it'd be nice to a a summary of the available products and information we have or lack.
I didn't mention below headphones that are most certainly not qualified to be the best. If I forgot anything, please mention it.

Model (candidates for best)	Price (2nd hand)	Audio Science Review	Other Technical Reviews	Comment / Other links
Apple Airpods Max	629€	Amirm 2021-08-08	Rtings 2021-09-17
Bower & Wilkins P7	(200€)	Topic	Rtings 2016-08-08
Bower & Wilkins PX7 / Carbon	269€		Rtings 2019-11-01
Bower & Wilkins PX7S2	429€
Bower & Wilkins PX8 / 007	699€ / 799€	Topic
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95	899€
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX	499€
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal	499€		Rtings 2021-05-04
Beyerdynamic Amiron / Copper	555€ / 699€		Rtings 2020-03-09
Bose NC700	275€	Amirm 2021-07-01	Rtings 2021-10-29	Best microphone?
Bose QuietComfort 35 II	350€	Amirm 2021-02-21	Rtings 2020-11-26
Bose QuietComfort 45	275€	Topic	Rtings 2021-11-11
Focal Bathys	799€	Topic
Hifiman Ananda-BT	789€		Rtings 2020-09-03
Hifiman HE-R9 Bluemini	849€
Mark Levinson N°5909	999€	Amirm 2022-06-27
Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless	249€	Topic	Rtings 2019-10-21
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless	430€		Rtings 2022-10-07
Sony WH-1000XM3	(200€)		Rtings 2020-11-13
Sony WH-1000XM4	330€	Amirm 2021-01-26	Rtings 2022-11-01
Sony WH-1000XM5	400€		Rtings 2022-06-17	Best noise cancellation

I'll update the thread given provided links or the ones I find.
Any comment or link is welcome.

 

[staticV3]

Sony WH-1000XM5 | Best noise cancellation

neither rtings' nor 0dB' measurements agree:

 

[Vacceo]

It would be interesting to add the Bluetooth headphone adapters.

 

[r042wal]

I did not know words like 'Blue Tooth' and 'Noise Cancelling' could be in the same sentence as 'Audiophile' or anyone serious about their quality of their music

 

[metasharp]

Interesting, I'd update the topic but I don't have the edit button anymore.
I'll created a new topic with updated content from your comments from time to time.

 

[staticV3]

I did not know words like 'Blue Tooth' and 'Noise Cancelling' could be in the same sentence as 'Audiophile' or anyone serious about their quality of their music

ANC increases SNR which in turn increases audio fidelity.

 

[metasharp]

My B&W PX7 don't suffer in terms of sound quality from activating ANC.
But those aren't HiFi since they have too much bass.
However we could still collectively identify the best models out there given the BT encoding and ANC constraints it puts on.
For sure one would be better than others.

 

[r042wal]

ANC increases SNR which in turn increases audio fidelity.

Outside yes if that's your thing, but in my livingroom where my gear is, I can't buy into that line of thought. Sorry.

 

[AdamG]

Interesting, I'd update the topic but I don't have the edit button anymore.
I'll created a new topic with updated content from your comments from time to time.

If you become a Donor at any level you get unlimited editing of posts. Without the Donor hidden bonus you get 24hrs to edit posts. In my opinion the unlimited time to edit is worth the entry price. Just FYI.

 

[usersky]

I did not know words like 'Blue Tooth' and 'Noise Cancelling' could be in the same sentence as 'Audiophile' or anyone serious about their quality of their music

I totally think some bt/nc headpones can and do beat some horror-show "high end" ultraexpensive failures. You should try with a bit of on open mind. Perhaps a Hifiman Deva (pro) with BT module? You'd be surprised.

 

[metasharp]

I read the Hifiman BT module being horrible and having a lot of of/off signal issues.

 

[usersky]

I read the Hifiman BT module being horrible and having a lot of of/off signal issues.

Not my experience (Samsung, LG phones, DEVA non-pro module, LDAC) . The only evident downside compared to other BT implementation is shorter battery life (but than can be explained by larger curent required by the planar HP).

 

[metasharp]

I'm talking about the

HIFIMAN BLUEMINI R2R Bluetooth-module​

 

[usersky]

I'm talking about the

HIFIMAN BLUEMINI R2R Bluetooth-module​

This is the one I succesfully used for more than a year now:

 

[metasharp]

Just listened to Focal Bathys at Paris Audio Video Show 2022 today... Wow. I really need to listen to 5909 and PX8 as well to decide which is the best to my ears.

 

[poxymoron]

Shure Aonic 50 are worthy of a place on that list.

 

[metasharp]

Headphones reviews links :

Apple Airpods Max Review - Best Sounding ANC Headphones?

The Apple Airpods Max were recently released at $550. How does the Apple Airpods Max fare? Does it continue the high bar set by the Airpods Pro?

headphones.com

Bowers and Wilkins PX8 - Official Thread

This is the place to discuss all things to do with the B&W PX8. We were able to get one in to do some measurements and testing. Bowers and Wilkins PX8 frequency response measurements done on the GRAS 43AG upright fixture with RA0402 coupler and KB5000 pinna. There seem to be two...

forum.headphones.com

Focal Bathys - First Impressions & measurements

Check out Resolve's first impression of the Focal Bathys - the company's first step into the active noise cancelling headphone space. Is it audiophile approved?

headphones.com

Sony WH-1000XM4 Review - How Does It Sound?

The Sony WH-1000XM4 is a brand new ANC headphone that boasts some of the best noise cancelling tech. Find out more in our review!

headphones.com

Sony WH-1000XM5 Review - Improvement, but is it Enough for 2022?

Chrono reviews and share shis experience with the Sony WH-1000XM5. How does the latest entry to Sony's 1000-series stack up to the popular XM4 and other ANCs?

headphones.com

 

[oleg87]

I did not know words like 'Blue Tooth' and 'Noise Cancelling' could be in the same sentence as 'Audiophile' or anyone serious about their quality of their music

As long as BT only supports lossy audio, ok sure, but why not noise cancelling (aside from audiophile-OCD "my bits are being altered" concerns, which seems like a rather odd concern at the transducer level)? Even in a pretty quiet home environment (good) ANC usually lowers the noise floor. I think an ANC headphone that sounded great and supported non-lossy connections would be a pretty terrific audiophile product.

 

[Jimmy]

I agree with the Aonic 50, soundwise it's one of the best available BT headphones, in my opinion still not as good as a decent open back, for example, but good for what it is.

I'm curious about the upcoming Audeze Maxwell, more of a gaming headset than a portable device, but it has great autonomy (80 hours), and seemingly new planar drivers, so it may be a good choice if weight and portability are not key factors.

 

[metasharp]

This topic is closed, please continue here : https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ophile-bluetooth-headphones-2022-12-09.39874/