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Bluetooth Headset for jogging

L

llmercll

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
1,369
Hello!

I recently purchased a bluetooth headset...

http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTH220-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headphone/dp/B005LKB0IU/ref=pd_cp_cps_1

and I love it, but it's far too small for my head =/

So now I'm looking at other options and considering this, which allows me to plug in any 3.5 headphones

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Ericsson-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headset/dp/B003DQ1DCM/ref=pd_cp_cps_0

What do you guys think, does it get any better for the price? The reliability issues mentioned are a little unsettling.

thanks!
 
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I've had my eye on that SE receiver for a while... MEElec makes one for roughly the same price but it's not as tiny or as fancy (no LCD etc). If you need the mic capabilities, caller ID, or volume/track controls I'd give it a shot... The MEElectronics unit has controls and a mic but that's it, and it's larger. That SE has decent reviews overall and the only big negatives I remember are typical SE crap like non-standard charging cable, etc.

If you don't need any of the extra fluff, I've had this Miccus receiver for over a year and it's rock solid... It's gone up in price by a few bucks and it is more expensive than the SE unit, which kinda makes no sense given how plain it is (doesn't even have a clip, tho it definitely has a much larger battery), but I highly recommend it.

For portable use the SE unit makes more sense tho... I'm a big fan of these BT receivers, I've used the Miccus w/headphones when traveling so I don't need to have 'em plugged into my phone, mostly I use it to stream music from my phone to portable speakers, docks, and whatnot. I've even used it around the house at times, BT audio is obviously compressed but it's still fine for background music or outdoor use and stuff.
 
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Thanks for the reply, I'll give em a shot =)

You mentioned BT audio was compressed, I was a little curious about this myself. Will using BT noticeably degrade audio quality?
 
I play music on my car on a daily basis over BT, no complaints, a heck of a lot more convenient than plugging into the aux in every single time I get into the car. I notice a little less oomph on the low end if I'm really looking for it but I can't even attribute that directly to the BT compression (tho it's probable), I just EQ'd to compensate a bit on the head unit itself and it sounds just right to me.
 
JayBird Sportsband Bluetooth - Wireless , $89 or less online and sound pretty damn good for Bluetooth. As far as sound quality goes , its Bluetooth. It was never really made for this application. Its slower than shit transfer speeds (1Mbps is considered very good for Bluetooth) and latency can be an issue. Bluetooth was made for quick and dirty ad-hoc but has since been made into another animal.

For the money , you get what you get.
 
That's why I'm against paying for headphones integrated with BT functionality... There's a reason most of them are made by companies that don't traditionally make audio gear imo. More often than not you're overpaying for average headphones, at best (tho there are exceptions*), and they're permanently tied to the interface...

I like being able to step down to a wire when I want, or when the batteries run down. BT functionality itself isn't worth more than $30-40, as evidenced by all the receivers in that price range.

*MEElec recently came out with a pair of on-ear headphones that are probably not as overpriced for what they as some I've seen, tho they're still somewhat overpriced... AF-something, I forget the number, it's basically $30 HT-21s with a trendier shell and BT/controls (for $80). They're definitely not for sportswear but I mention them because I do like the fact that they can be plugged in and used over a regular 3.5mm jack if desired.
 
From what I've read, bluetooth doesn't suffer any quality loss because it's digital. But Impulse, in your first post you mentioned BT audio is compressed and implied there was quality loss (unless I misunderstood =p)

I'd be pleasantly surprised if my headphones sounded the same via bluetooth, I always thought there was a slight tradeoff =)

I went ahead and ordered the Sony receiver and some "cans" from monoprice. I read some great things about their earbuds on head-fi

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10823&cs_id=1082303&p_id=8320&seq=1&format=2

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10823&cs_id=1082302&p_id=8323&seq=1&format=2

I also bought an asus Xonar soundcard for $16, as I'm currently using onboard audio.

I know my thread has strayed from the original topic, but it seems I've been turned into an audiophile!!
 
Heh, that's how it starts, I'm sure you've heard Head Fi's motto already so I'll spare you... As far as BT, just because it's digital doesn't mean there isn't some compression at work, there is in fact, and different devices may use more or less of it from what I've read (that'd be up to your phone, mp3 player or whatever's transmitting).

The BT spec has a whole bunch of alternatives and different profiles for different uses... My iPod touch for instance has never recognized my car's track controls because Apple decided not to implement the proper profile (i haven't updated it to the latest version of iOS to see if they've fixed it). That's just Apple being Apple tho, my two Android phones and even my 5 yr old Sony Ericson dumb phone all worked fine.

Whether the compression's gonna bother you depends on your ears, gear, and environment. Like I said, I think it's fine for portable or even in-car use... I wouldn't use BT at say, my desktop. Sometimes there's also some latency with BT transmission which can be awful for games or even video, altho my sister uses a Miccus BT transmitter to send audio from the TV to a pair of BT headphones and hasn't noticed it, so YMMV.
 
I can say that if you've used quality gear before and you step down to some kind of bluetooth wireless headphone then you will notice a pretty large drop in quality. There are very , VERY few wireless headphones (using 2.4-2.8ghz or 5ghz) that can actually achieve what a simple pair of wires can. Even then there are trade offs like bulk (large batteries) and it can greatly depend on your home environment so these are ideal conditions where you are stationary and not heavily influenced by outside sources compared to jogging somewhere around town. Even if bluetooth is implemented well enough through a revision , it still wasn't made for the uses that its being used for today.

Bluetooth audio is a trade off , since its not something you'll be using for hours on end and only for short work outs then there isn't much to worry about. But don't expect you can find a bluetooth wireless headphone that will have near wired sound quality , they just don't exist yet.
 
Well I ended up with two BT receivers, the Sony MW600 and the Samsung HS3000. I did notice loss of audio quality in the form of "noise" or "garbage" in the quieter parts of some songs, but for the most part sound fantastic. It happens with both receivers, so I blame either the phone or BT tech in general. I would never listen to BT music at my desk for this reason, though.

The IEM's I used were the monoprice 8320's, which sound better than all my current earbuds or IEM's, some of which cost $20. It's amazing how well I can hear each instrument and sound separately! I also got some monoprice 8323's, which seem to have the same clarity as the IEM's, but with much fuller bass. I'm assuming their size allows for this =)

It's a pleasure listening to them through my computer, and I haven't even installed my sound card!!

The audiophillia is kicking in again though, and I can't stand my current speakers now. It sounds like what I imagine mud getting shoved down my ear canal would be like, haha

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121014

I want the crispness (separation? clarity?) that my IEM's provide (at least to some degree), so have been looking at some, one again, paycheck friendly speakers. Right now I'm thinking of either

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-B1000...88KY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1334449247&sr=8-4

http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProMe...2VUO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334449290&sr=8-2

I know I won't get truly "good" sound without spending $300+, but living paycheck to paycheck restricts my budget =/

thanks for all the help so far, and reading all my newbness! =)
 
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If you're looking to spend like $200 or under I'd look at the Swan M10, M-Audio AV40, Samson MediaOne 3a or 4a, Audioengine A2 (if desk space is a concern, otherwise the other larger pairs are better imo), M-Audio BX5, or a set of passive speakers like those Sony and a discrete receiver... At which point you have a lot of options (just need some desk place to stash a small T-amp or receiver). You'll probably get lots more recommendations with a new thread focused on that.

Any of those 2.0 powered sets will sound clearer and more accurate than any 2.1 PC speakers imo, the bass may not shake your rafters but it's there and won't overpower. I think I listed them by price, cheapest to priciest.
 
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Thanks impulse you've been a great help, I'll go ahead and open a new thread. There just seems to be so many of them already.

and they all seem to turn into a "get headphones" thread, haha
 
Hah, well, you get a lot more for your money with headphones... The Samsons I have are similar to the MediaOne's (they're a discontinued model that also had a dock) and I'm pretty happy with them, not as larger as something like the BX5 or Swan M200 but still pretty full sounding... Plus they've held up well, unlike the AV40 which seem to have various QC issues at the amp level. Hell my Samsons even survived a bachelor party at a beach house. :p Edit: added a couple recommendations above.
 
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