High Quality and Great Looking Inexpensive Headphones (Wireless)?
#1
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High Quality and Great Looking Inexpensive Headphones (Wireless)?
By inexpensive, I am not talking about low quality 5-30 dollars headphones. However, I do want the price to be far below $150.
I will be using it mainly for listening to music at home, but I would also like to use it for sport situations.
I want it to be very comfortable; I hate ear clips because they tend to be painful, but I am open to the idea of a painless ear clips. I want to be able to hear outside while other people cannot hear what I am listening to. Wireless would be ideal for me.
I do not want ginormous headphones, but I do want headphones larger than ear buds.
Are there any headphones beside Bose (which tends to be overly hyped and over priced)?
I will be using it mainly for listening to music at home, but I would also like to use it for sport situations.
I want it to be very comfortable; I hate ear clips because they tend to be painful, but I am open to the idea of a painless ear clips. I want to be able to hear outside while other people cannot hear what I am listening to. Wireless would be ideal for me.
I do not want ginormous headphones, but I do want headphones larger than ear buds.
Are there any headphones beside Bose (which tends to be overly hyped and over priced)?
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Aznman, high quality + inexpensive is a tough compromise, but I believe the Kinivo BTH240 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones ($25) may fit what you're looking for. These are popular in the fitness/bodybuilding community, as they're reasonably priced and get the job done. I tried them out and personally wasn't a fan, as I'm accustomed to the fit of IEMs/earbuds, but they are highly praised by others and have 4/5 stars on Amazon out of ~2000 reviews.
I personally use JayBird BlueBuds X Earbuds ($140) and while they're pricey, they've served me very well, as I use them for the gym, biking, etc. They were designed specifically for the active lifestyle person, and they beat buying $10 headphones every 4 months. Sound quality is amazing.
Last edited by jfLip; 07-07-14 at 03:44 PM.
#3
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Aznman, high quality + inexpensive is a tough compromise, but I believe the Kinivo BTH240 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones ($25) may fit what you're looking for. These are popular in the fitness/bodybuilding community, as they're reasonably priced and get the job done. I tried them out and personally wasn't a fan, as I'm accustomed to the fit of IEMs/earbuds, but they are highly praised by others and have 4/5 stars on Amazon out of ~2000 reviews.
I personally use JayBird BlueBuds X Earbuds ($140) and while they're pricey, they've served me very well, as I use them for the gym, biking, etc. They were designed specifically for the active lifestyle person, and they beat buying $10 headphones every 4 months. Sound quality is amazing.
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I use Plantronics BackBeat GO 2 wireless ear buds. They claim up to 4.5 hours of listen time but I can get 2.5 hours before the low battery warning happens and then I can get maybe another 45 mins sometimes an hour of of them before they shut off. However, the charge fairly fast, even from a portable pack like my Mophie which is light enough I can take on my rides and charge during a long break. Otherwise they last the entirety of a 22 mile no-drop ride with 5 regroups and my to/from time and the time I am waiting for the ride to start.
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Hi,
I'm a bit of an audiophile and I've tried lots of blue tooth headphones.
The best but for me by far has been the Motorola S11-HD
Baby had them on offer the last time i was in the US.
Rich sound, deep bass and last about 4 hours.
I'm a bit of an audiophile and I've tried lots of blue tooth headphones.
The best but for me by far has been the Motorola S11-HD
Baby had them on offer the last time i was in the US.
Rich sound, deep bass and last about 4 hours.
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I have those Kinivo BT240's. I love them. Sound is not audiophile quality, and that's fine, as I don't need that. It allows some ambient sound in, which I prefer. I don't want my headphones to seal sound out entirely.
I use these headphones nearly every day, and I only have to charge them once every two weeks or so.
The ergonomics are very good, too. They usually sit on my neck all day. I can put them on with one hand, one ear at a time. When I ride in traffic, I put one ear on and leave the other off. It works for turn by turn directions.
I use these headphones nearly every day, and I only have to charge them once every two weeks or so.
The ergonomics are very good, too. They usually sit on my neck all day. I can put them on with one hand, one ear at a time. When I ride in traffic, I put one ear on and leave the other off. It works for turn by turn directions.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
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I assume by $150 headphones, the OP is referring to the JayBird BlueBuds X's.
I personally also tried to find cheaper bluetooth headphones, but the Plantronics model wouldn't stay in my ear (and the sound quality was less even), another pair I tried wouldn't hold up, etc. Finally I just bought the Jaybird's and they've worked great. They have the best sound quality, the most durable, the best fit, and they've just straight up worked the best.
I used the Plantronics BackBeat 903+ for working out at the gym - they were very comfortable, the sound quality was good enough, but they're not good for like, biking, because they don't totally seal in your ear.
I tried the Plantronics BackBeat GO 2 - they wouldn't stay in my ears. They had really good high range, but a nearly complete lack of bass, also wasn't fond of that.
I personally also tried to find cheaper bluetooth headphones, but the Plantronics model wouldn't stay in my ear (and the sound quality was less even), another pair I tried wouldn't hold up, etc. Finally I just bought the Jaybird's and they've worked great. They have the best sound quality, the most durable, the best fit, and they've just straight up worked the best.
I used the Plantronics BackBeat 903+ for working out at the gym - they were very comfortable, the sound quality was good enough, but they're not good for like, biking, because they don't totally seal in your ear.
I tried the Plantronics BackBeat GO 2 - they wouldn't stay in my ears. They had really good high range, but a nearly complete lack of bass, also wasn't fond of that.
#10
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I'd take a different path. For sports, I like the Aftershockz Bluez headphones. They transmit the audio through bone conduction and leave your ears open. You have great situational awareness and the sound is decent.
j.
j.
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I've been using an Avantree pair for several months. Sound quality is okay, better than most earbuds I've tried but nothing compared to a high end wired home pair. Ambient noise gets through well enough for jogging and cycling...not so much for carrying on a conversation, but I can always hear cars behind me and usually bicycles too. Batteries last several hours, guessing 7ish...I usually charge them once a week, twice if short-charging.
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I like Sennheisers. At work I have a pair of HD202s. They're < $25 and sound surprisingly good.
If you're looking for something compact, Koss PortaPros are quite good in the $40 range.
The HD280s are very nice in the $80 range.
If I'm going to go over that price (and I do plan to soon) what's on my wish list is BeyerDynamic DT770 32 ohm. They're $170 so are outside your stated range, but I thought I'd mention them. AKG and Sennheiser also have good contenders in that price range.
When riding (listening to audiobooks/podcasts) I also use the LG Tone bluetooth headsets (using the right earbud only).
If you're looking for something compact, Koss PortaPros are quite good in the $40 range.
The HD280s are very nice in the $80 range.
If I'm going to go over that price (and I do plan to soon) what's on my wish list is BeyerDynamic DT770 32 ohm. They're $170 so are outside your stated range, but I thought I'd mention them. AKG and Sennheiser also have good contenders in that price range.
When riding (listening to audiobooks/podcasts) I also use the LG Tone bluetooth headsets (using the right earbud only).
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