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Having been an "audiophile" for the last decade, wireless headphones are the best thing that happened to me since the beginning of the journey.

Don't draw them down past 35 - 40
Can you point to exhaustive studies and/or review papers about this? Also to know the actual impact of degradation on daily usage. I mean, all the tips in this thread combined make using batteries less convenient because you'd really have to pay attention vs plug and forget (unless there are devices which take care of this internally i.e. report no more charge when level actually at 35%) to the point I wonder that perhaps just letting degradation happen is maybe the more interesting thing to do. Also depends on the definition of degradation of course. But if it's something like 70% of full capacity after 5 years and batteries are replacable then the choice would be a no-brainer for me.

E..g I have a top brand cordless drill like that, used for over a decade without ever paying attention to levels, only now I'm considering replacing one of the battery packs because it's starting to get annoying. There's just no way the time I would have spent watching levels in use and while charging would ever be able to make up for the convenience of just using the thing at will. I get that this isn't a headphone, but just for illustration about why I'd like to figure out if these tips might be worth it.
 
Can you point to exhaustive studies and/or review papers about this? Also to know the actual impact of degradation on daily usage. I mean, all the tips in this thread combined make using batteries less convenient because you'd really have to pay attention vs plug and forget (unless there are devices which take care of this internally i.e. report no more charge when level actually at 35%) to the point I wonder that perhaps just letting degradation happen is maybe the more interesting thing to do. Also depends on the definition of degradation of course. But if it's something like 70% of full capacity after 5 years and batteries are replacable then the choice would be a no-brainer for me.

E..g I have a top brand cordless drill like that, used for over a decade without ever paying attention to levels, only now I'm considering replacing one of the battery packs because it's starting to get annoying. There's just no way the time I would have spent watching levels in use and while charging would ever be able to make up for the convenience of just using the thing at will. I get that this isn't a headphone, but just for illustration about why I'd like to figure out if these tips might be worth it.

The behavior I referenced is for lithium polymer cells. If your drill is 10 years old it could be NiCd cells which should be fully charged all the time and have a totally different chemistry. Either way, 10 years is pretty good.

I'm not going to back up the concepts I tried to explain. If you need verification, do some homework. You'll find a ton of papers and web sites that all say similar things.
 
The behavior I referenced is for lithium polymer cells. If your drill is 10 years old it could be NiCd cells which should be fully charged all the time and have a totally different chemistry. Either way, 10 years is pretty good.

I'm not going to back up the concepts I tried to explain. If you need verification, do some homework. You'll find a ton of papers and web sites that all say similar things.
I am too lazy to point towards some exhaustive studies, but I agree with respect to lithium batteries, and have seen such evidence from things other than audio. Such as Electric Bikes (Ebikes) for example where they recommend keeping the charge within those ranges.
 
I agree that wireless headphones and ear buds have greatly improved in sound quality and I use them periodically, but I try not to use them too much for safety reasons. I'm not a tin-hat person, but ever look at the safety disclaimer in your cell phone regarding radio frequency exposure? Although radio-frequency radiation from Bluetooth devices may perhaps not be as potentially unsafe as radio frequency from a cell phone, the lack of research regarding safety impacts still gives me pause. The reality is that both cell phones and Bluetooth have been brought to market without advanced research regarding radio frquency health impacts, although this speech by Dr. Devra Davis, Professor of Medicine at the Hebrew University Hadassah, raises some interesting questions.
 
I agree that wireless headphones and ear buds have greatly improved in sound quality and I use them periodically, but I try not to use them too much for safety reasons.

Dya get your daily dose of “science“ factoids from Facebook and doing your own research?
 
I have JBL wireless earbuds that I use for working out in the gyms at hotels. They are fine for that--the ambient noise of whatever dreadmill I'm using masks just about anything I wouldn't like. I don't like how they have to be active to sustain the connection--if I turn off the music for more than five minutes, I have to start all over.

For comfort, though, I hate them. Hate, hate, hate. They are touch-sensitive, and invariably I switch them in some way when trying to get them situation on my ear properly. And to get good bass, I feel like they have to be screwed in about three inches deep. Any deeper and they might find my actual brain. I feel the same about Etymotic ear plugs that I bought for musical performance. So, I reserve the JBLs for hotel gyms, where I can distract myself on a treadmill listening to loud rock and probably ruin my hearing even more. They are not noise-cancelling, but they were a whale of a lot cheaper than Apple thingies, and they are also waterproof, which is a requirement for that use case. But my dislike of in-ear buds isn't just because of these JBL's--the provided wired buds that came with my Apple iphone are also intolerable. Those only sound good when the bud is inserted in the least comfortable way.

At home, my old listening arrangement placed my chair inaccessibly far from my system, and I bought a pair of Sennheiser RD-185 wireless headphones. The base unit has a digital input, which I feed from my Benchmark ADC, which in turn gets its audio from the record bus of my preamp. Since I frequently listen to analog sources, this arrangement puts an excellent signal into the base unit. The sound from these is...okay. They are a bit boomier and looser-sounding in the bass, but they are good enough. These units use a digital communication, but they do not use Bluetooth. The base unit provides a recharging hanger. (I've rearranged my listening space, and now can use wired headphones while sitting in my chair, driven by a JDS labs Atom amp fed from the record bus of my preamp.)

For sitting on planes, I had used super-cheap Sony "noise-cancelling" headphones that weren't that bad for $40, but they were not efficient and the noise cancelling was marginal at best for airplane use. They used a AA cell that had to be replaced about every 47 seconds, and they were, of course, corded. On a recent trip, I had forgotten to put them in my brief case (a byproduct of being out of practice with Covid-caused travel reductions), and at the Houston airport found a deal on a pair of Bose Quiet-Comfort 35's. Yes, I wandered back and forth in the terminal while digging up Amir's review before buying. They were gray instead of black and apparently that wasn't a popular color, but I don't care and it meant the store price (in an airport, no less) was a bit less than the best online discounts I could find. These have been transformative, with excellent noise cancelling and a good sound via Bluetooth from my iphone. I can even listen to quiet classical on the airplane using them. I haven't tested the microphone as of yet, though, so as a two-way device the jury is out for me.

Wireless earbuds with an excellent microphone input would be nice for the online teaching that I do, but they'd have to integrate with my employer's computer, over which I have zero control and no way to add software or drivers, so I continue to use the provided headache-causing Jabra wired USB headset that should be considered employee abuse.

Rick "batteries still good in all the above" Denney
 
Dya get your daily dose of “science“ factoids from Facebook and doing your own research?
As I indicated, Somafunk, the lack of advanced research gives me pause and I provided a link to a speech by a medical professor which underscores that issue. Sorry to see my post elicited an emotional reaction out of you, and a rather bad-mannered reaction at that. One of the attractions inherent to ASR is the more polite demeanor members show to each other, but that is obviously not universally consistent.
 
The Cambridge Audio earbuds arrived. They are not terribly uncomfortable, but not as comfortable as over-ears (as expected). But the sound is really amazing !!
 
Question for ear bud users: Do they become more comfortable over time?
 
I provided a link to a speech by a medical professor which underscores that issue.

You provided a link to an professor who has been discredited for a misleading peer reviewed study carried out by a funded think tank, on closer inspection by the genuine scientific community her study was found to lacking in veracity

I remember reading about her back in 2018 or thereabouts as she gained a lot of publicity with her study, it was discredited then as a poor study and it is still discredited today.

This is not intend as a slight against your post, but in these times of easily accessible disinformation I’m dismayed at how easy it is for ideas and ideology to take hold..
 
Yes, I am on this exact path as well. Just bought the Airpods Max and the latest gen Airpods a few months ago. Both are great and the Airpods Max suprisingly good. Yesterday sold my Bose 700 and placed my Dan Clark Aeon RTs for sale (hint!). Planning to probably sell my Stax L300 Limited as well.
 
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I love my APP, but not for serious listening. Mostly podcasts or music while doing chores.

Unless something changed recently, you don’t get Apple lossless via the pods or max.

I’ve had them go bad on me, Apple sent me new ones with no hassle. The customer service and convenience makes them a winner, but I prefer wired headphones connected to a DAC for critical listening.
 
Question for ear bud users: Do they become more comfortable over time?
Sometimes a tip change can help your ears adapt. But you're out of luck if the problem is the earphone body or nozzle not fitting well with your ear canal and outer ear shape.
 
Well, I have no need to use them for video. With respect to all your points, I think the reduced audio quality because of Bluetooth is likely the biggest offender for me. I was surprised though that these Sony's sound as good as they do. I surely don't perceive the amp as being weak, and don't need the volume turned up anywhere near max. Sound seems dynamic to me. The irreplaceable amp could be problematic, but all headphones have a life span, and who knows whether something else on the headphone would wear out before the amp? Going wired with a separate amp, the amp could likely cost more that the entire package in the Sony 1000XM4. So, I consider them a good value even if an amp going out is a risk. The charging is so easy, I just don't see what the fuss is all about. And while at home, I can leave my tablet plugged in all the time, so the only device I need to charge is the headphones. There are various types of electromagnetic waves around us all the time. My guess is that Sony (and other manufacturers) have to comply with some sort of limits for exposure to radio emission. If it were that big of a problem, I don't think there would be a such thing as these headphones and Bluetooth speakers. Time will tell how the 1000XM4 holds up with regard to the amp and the battery with the potential for failure. But I think there are already a lot of satisfied users with Sony's previous model XM3, and I haven't heard much about amp or battery failures. I think the same will hold true as the years pass since the introduction of the XM4, I think it will hold up fine. The weight may be an issue for some people, but not for me. They don't feel too heavy for me even with the built in amp and battery.
There shouldn't be any latency when watching videos.
 
I find them liberating. Free to roam. No more leash.
The auto pause, when having to temporally remove, is really cool.
ANC tunes out the world (and wife). Privacy. Two way.
Volume control on headphone. Nice.
SQ good enough.
Great in airplane, car, etc.
Battery life great.
What's not to like?
You need to mention the lower noise floor too.
 
I love my APP, but not for serious listening. Mostly podcasts or music while doing chores.

Unless something changed recently, you don’t get Apple lossless via the pods or max.

I’ve had them go bad on me, Apple sent me new ones with no hassle. The customer service and convenience makes them a winner, but I prefer wired headphones connected to a DAC for critical listening.
Have you ever tried a blindtest between say Flac/Apple lossless and MP320/AAC256?
Done properly I think you’d be surprised of your findings:)
I have still to come across anyone who can distinguish between the two…that is without cheating.
Foobar2000 and other such players have an ABX feature. Just remember to use the same track and not two different masters…and of course to volume match the two files beforehand.
 
You need to mention the lower noise floor too.
Aka vastly improved fidelity

People always talk about detail timbre and ignore the one technology that makes detail and timbre vivid and audible without employing the typical HiFi strategy of boosting the treble.

Even at home, at the quietest time of day, anc is hugely impactful. Somehow it's even better when it's already quiet.
 
Aka vastly improved fidelity

People always talk about detail timbre and ignore the one technology that makes detail and timbre vivid and audible without employing the typical HiFi strategy of boosting the treble.

Even at home, at the quietest time of day, anc is hugely impactful. Somehow it's even better when it's already quiet.
Agreed completely. ANC headphones have completely changed my listening experience along with my perception of where good audio quality can be had. You realize just how much ambient noise there is in a modern home, along with the noise coming from the neighborhood or environment. When you not hear it, it's a completely transformative experience. With ANC you are completely at one with the audio. Thus, with no other obstructions, the purity of the sound goes right to your ears. That's the very definition of fidelity! Makes passive models seem positively antiquated at that point.
 
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