Buying guide: 6 factors to know before buying wireless headphones

Types

Bluetooth is the most popular type of wireless headphone, with a range of about 32 feet, the device is quite energy efficient.

The other choice is a headphone that can be connected through a USB-C headphone dongle, this gets a little tricky if you're trying to charge your phone at the same time.

Infrared and Radiofrequency are also technologies that are still in use for wireless headphones. Although Infrared requires line of sight connection between the headphone and the transmitter.

Radio frequency is also quite powerful with a range of about 150 feet. It has a signal that can pass through walls, the only drawback is that it is prone to interference.

 

The codec

The sound quality you can expect to get out of your Bluetooth headphones depends on what audio codec you use. The codec is a piece of software that encodes the audio at one end and decodes it at the other.

SBC

Although the earlier versions produced a harsh, digital sound because it was compressed heavily, the introduction of the advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP) improved the quality a lot.

aptX

At a bitrate of 352Kbps with lower latency, most Android devices of the past year make use of this codec. This uses compressed audio.

aptX HD

This is a step up from the standard aptX, although compressed, it streams at a much higher bitrate of 576Kbps. It also has much lower latency.

AAC

AAC is an enhanced variation of the SBC. Although it has a lower bitrate, the efficiencies in the codec make it comparable to aptX, if not better. Using AAC-compatible headphones with an AAC source like Apple Music also reduces the degradation in sound quality.

Latency

Latency is the short delay between the audio signal being sent and when you're able to hear it.

Battery Life

Bluetooth headphones have rechargeable batteries. If the headphones you use are over-ear Bluetooth headphones, there is space for a large battery, which can be charged via a USB cable. You can expect 25 to 30 hours of battery life.

Bluetooth earbuds have a much shorter battery life clocking in at around 8 hours. Wireless earbuds usually have a special charging case.

Pairing

The W1 chip in Apple's headphones reduces pairing to a three-second process. Open the case and tap on the onscreen prompt and you're good to go.

Android 6.0 and above has a similar quick system called Fast Pair.

Remote Controls

The basic controls are built into one of the earpieces. This may be in the form of buttons or touch sensors or a button to activate voice controls.

Air pods work with Siri and the headphones produced by Bose and Sony work in the same way with Google Assistant.

Form Factor and Size

The three standard styles are over-ear, on-ear and in-ear. The first two look and function the same as their wired counterparts, but the latter, in-ear is quite different. Most of the earbuds that are released now are connected by a cable that goes around the neck. Most models lack wires altogether.