Wireless Headphones Review – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
This wireless headphone comparison will not include a detailed wireless earphones review. These two things are really different things, and to make matters even more complex, “earphones” has become the general word for anything portable that you hang on your ear, whether it’s in-ear canal or just rests in the outer ear. For that reason, we prefer to stick to the headphones category for now. Although, we will give a brief mention to Sennheiser’s MX500, which gets an amazing rank of 4 ½ stars out of 5 especially considering its price: just 16.00.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program. Headphones, for the purpose of this comparison, will mean Princess Leia ear buns – cushioned speakers that fit over your entire ear, although generally smaller than the buns the Princess Leia was sporting.
Stereo headphones have always been what you invested in when you wanted that full spectrum coming-from-inside-your-head sound. Unfortunately, you had to deal with the wires and restricted movement. The introduction of wireless headphones was met with great enthusiasm for this very reason. All too often, however, this wonderful evolutionary step in headphone technology is at the expense of that quality sound we’ve all come to expect.
Wireless operation is achieved one of two ways: via Bluetooth protocol or by using a 900 Mhz signal. Both types receive the signal from a base unit, which is transmitted to the headphones, so the headphones need to be charged on the base unit before they’re used. The degradation in sound generally comes in the form of static interference, the same as cordless phones, and while wired headphones still deliver superior sound, the trade off isn’t always that bad. For this wireless headphone review, we picked the Logitech FreePulse, the Sony RF and MDR-RF960RK, and the Motorola HT280 Bluetooth wireless for our wireless headphone comparison, which we based on a five star system – five being best.
Of the four, the Sony RF rates the highest with 4 out of 5 stars. They have good separation. The bass is very well balanced and the sound quality overall is bright and clear. These headphones were also comfortable for hours on end – super soft with an adjustable fit. Because they are radio frequency (as opposed to Bluetooth), which is what the RF stands for, they do experience reciprocal interference with other wireless technology in the house, like cordless phones, wi-fi Internet connections, and even cell phones. They are also not the best headphones for gaming, sound-wise. They’re tops for movies and music in surround sound, though, and for audiophiles determined to go wireless regardless, the $250 price tag is worth it.
The Logitech FreePulse wireless using Bluetooth digital technology is a close second at 3 ½ stars. Its patented receiver can be plugged into any 3.5mm stereo jack and its range is just over 30 feet. It’s a simple-to-use plug-and-play headphone. On the down side, the headband, or should I say neckband, isn’t adjustable and can easily get dislodged by a jacket, shirt collar, or towel. The ear-rings can get uncomfortable after a while, too, making the 6 hour playback on a charge somewhat counter-productive. The FreePulse comes in at about $110 for the more budget-minded, but these are definitely not the earphones for audiophiles.
Third place goes to the Sony MDR-RF960RK for having such a ridiculously long and unmemorable model name…not really. They get 3 stars out of 5 and are the least expensive of the four at $100. They are easy to set up and have about a 150-foot range figuring in walls. Battery life per charge is long and they deliver above average sound, although it’s still nothing like the quality of wired headphones. They’re also small enough to pack on a trip even if you’re traveling light. They feature a neat auto shut when you remove them from your head, saving charge consumption and undoubtedly contributing to the long battery life. We would’ve appreciated a better base (this one seems really cheap), digital input, and better placed volume control.
Of the four, the Motorola HT280 Bluetooth stereo headphones came in last with a somewhat pathetic rating of only 2 stars. On the plus side, you can use the same headphones to listen to music and take calls, so you may be able to avoid getting pulled over on the freeway. On the other hand, you’ll look like a Cylon. The set-up for this device is unnecessarily complicated. That means we had to read the manual to figure it out and even then it took way too long. There are some serious comfort issues after about ½ hour and drop-out was a problem. For the price, or should we say, the overprice ($120) leave this one on the shelf.
