Best Wireless Bluetooth Headphones – designer headsets with the best sound reproduction

Samuel J Tan Entertainment, Headphones, Home & Kitchen 0

Apart from the excellent sound quality a decent pair of headphones will provide you, it is very much a personal device; a reflection of your personality and a sort of fashion statement.

It is what we like to call here at Colour My Living, the lifestyle gadget choice… you know they sound good, you have tried them out at the shops but at the end of the day, it all comes down to how good it feels wearing them.

Table of Contents

What is Out There

As with its wired counterpart, you can basically ground the wireless headsets out there in the market into three different categories, depending on its profile.

In-ear headphones
On-ear headphones
Over-ear headphones

In-ear Headphones

This is the smallest, lightest and most discreet of the three groups. But, unlike the wired in-ear headphones, wireless in-ear headphones are usually linked either with a short cable or with a neck band and are slightly bigger. You may find some with a clip-on unit that serves as the Bluetooth receiver and controls, otherwise, these would be built into the ear buds themselves.

In-ear headphones are great for when you need to move around quickly, say in the gym, on a bicycle, jogging or running. They typically come with ear canal seals or rubber rings of varying sizes so your can use one that fits your ear perfectly. Once you have the right fit, they stay in your ear when in use, plugged-in, keeping as much ambiance noise out as possible and doesn’t fall out easily.

Previous generation in-ear headphones are simply ear buds that rest in your outer ear, but these new generation headphones with its rubber seals are true in-ear headphones that plugs the entrance of your ear canal, keeping the sound in.

On-ear Headphones

These have foams and padding that bulks up the headphone and let it sit comfortably on your ears applying just the right amount of pressure and keeping the sound in. Some on ear headphones use memory-foams and deluxe soft cushions that provides a natural comfort fit and isolate the sound at the same time.

While it is most definitely bigger than in-ear headphones, on-ear headphones represent a sort of middle ground between the full size over-ear headphones and the lightweight and small in-ear headphones. Typical wireless on-ear headphones have on/off switch, volume controls, tracks, answer buttons as well as microphone, batteries and charging ports built into them.

Over-ear Headphones

This is the biggest (and bulkiest) of the three designs, and as the name describes it, it goes over the entire ear and sits around it enveloping your ears in sound. They are sometimes known as studio headphones. Given its size, manufacturers are able to incorporate larger speakers that produce the best quality sound with no compromises.

It won’t be as portable as the on-ear or in-ear variant but we have seen these becoming trendy with those whom are out and about and its use is not just restricted to the home (or listening studio). As with the on-ear design, there on/off switch, volume controls, tracks, answer buttons as well as microphone, batteries and charging ports built into them.

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We will only be comparing on-ear and over-ear designs as we believe that there is no substitute when it comes to providing great quality sound. This is not to say that there are no good in-ear headphones but we will leave this for another post.

Bose ® SoundLink Around-Ear AE2w Bluetooth Headphones – over ear
SOL REPUBLIC Tracks Air Wireless On-Ear Headphones – 4 colour options, on ear
Bose ® SoundLink On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones Black or White – on ear
Sony MDR-HW700DS 9.1 Channel Surround Sound Digital Wireless Headphones – over ear
Jabra REVO Wireless Stereo Headphones – on ear colours: black, white or grey
Sony MDR10RBT Wireless Headphones with V3.0 Bluetooth and NFC – on ear
Philips M2BTBK Fidelio Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with NFC – on ear
Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Wireless Over-Ear Headphones – over ear
JBL Synchros 400BT High-Performance Wireless On-Ear Bluetooth Stereo Headphones with NFC – on ear
Philips SHB9150 White Wireless Bluetooth Over-the-Head Stereo Headphone with Superior Bass & Optimum Clarity – on ear

Others

JBL Synchros E40BT Black High-Performance Wireless On-Ear Bluetooth Stereo Headphones – on ear
House of Marley EM-FH041-SD Liberate XL BT Bluetooth Wireless Headphones – on ear
Sennheiser MM 550-X Wireless Bluetooth Travel Headphones – over ear
B&O BeoPlay H8 Premium Wireless Headphones with Active Noise Cancellation – on ear

Now for a closer look

Bose ® SoundLink Around-Ear AE2w Bluetooth Headphones – over ear

What You Need To Know

over ear design, around ear fit with high quality sound
connect wirelessly over Bluetooth to tablets, smartphones and other Bluetooth devices
support two simultaneous connections and switch easily between calls and music
battery life: 7 hours of listening with rechargeable Li-Ion battery
colour option(s): black

SOL REPUBLIC Tracks Air Wireless On-Ear Headphones with NFC – on ear

What You Need To Know

on ear design Bluetooth wireless headset
EasyPair technology with NFC (Near Field Communication), noise isolating, A2 Sound Engine and Sonicsoft Speaker Pads
Capable of pairing with up to 2 devices at the same time
Battery Life: 15 hours of listening with rechargeable Li-Ion battery – GOOD BATTERY LIFE
Colour option(s): 4 available in Gun Metal, Electric Blue, Ice White or Vivid Red

Bose ® SoundLink On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones – on ear

What You Need To Know

on ear design with exceptional performance for wireless headphones
lightweight and comfortable for all day listening
Bluetooth controls on headphones for music and calls
Battery life: 15 hours of listening with rechargeable Li-Ion battery – GOOD BATTERY LIFE
Colour options(s): available in black or white

Sony MDR-HW700DS 9.1 Channel Surround Sound Digital Wireless Headphones – over ear

What You Need To Know

Over ear design with pressure relieving ear pads for snug and comfortable fit, 50mm neodymium drivers offering 9.1 channel Surround Sound with 4K compatibility for immersive cinematic experience
Base unit supports BRAVIA sync, Audio Return Channel, 3 HDMI Inputs, 4K pass-through and digital sound modes (Cinema, Game and Voice)
Wireless RF (NOT BLUETOOTH) headphones capable of reproducing sound in the 5-25000 frequency range, wide frequency response
Delivers virtual 9.1 channel surround sound with effect modes, 4K pass-through via HDMI connection on the transmitter
Battery Life: 12 hours of listening with rechargeable Li-Ion battery
Colour option(s): Black only

Jabra REVO Wireless Stereo Headphones – on ear

What You Need To Know

On ear design with wireless stereo sound (A2DP) and remote control (AVRCP)
Foldable design with Turntable Touch Control for calls and music
Battery Life: 12 hours of listening/talk time with rechargeable Li-Ion battery
Colour option(s): 4 available; Black, White, Gray or Black+Gold

Sony MDR10RBT Wireless Headphones with V3.0 Bluetooth and NFC – over ear

What You Need To Know

over ear design developed in collaboration with The Script using 40mm neodymium drivers
Wireless Bluetooth v3.0 with NFC (Near Field Communication) for ease or pairing and streaming. Cables included for charging and direct connection.
Capable of reproducing a wide frequency sound range from 5Hz to 40kHz, high resolution audio
Battery Life: 17 hours of listening/talk time with rechargeable Li-Ion battery – BEST BATTERY LIFE
Colour option(s): Black only

Philips M2BTBK Fidelio Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with NFC – on ear

What You Need To Know

On ear design with deluxe memory foam cushion to acoustically sealed to keep sound details in and noise out.
Optimised 40mm neodymium drivers for pure authentic sound
Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC connectivity compatible with AAC, APT-X and SBC with audio cable for direct connection
Earshell buttons to control music and calls.
Battery Life: 10 hours of music/talk time with rechargeable batteries
Colour option(s): Black only

Beats by Dr. Dre Studio 2.0 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones – over ear

Beats By Dr Dre Studio Wireless Over Ear Headphones

What You Need To Know

Over ear design with soft ear cups, the wireless version of the iconic Beats by Dr. Dre headphones
Bluetooth wireless with built-in mic and controls on the ear cup for calls and music
Dual-mode Adaptive Noice Cancelling technology for balanced or complete noise cancellation
Battery Life: 12 hours over Bluetooth and up to 20 hours when plugged in directly. Helpful battery fuel gauge built-in.
Colour option(s): Matte Black, Black, Blue, Pink, Red, Titanium, White

JBL Synchros S400BT High-Performance Wireless On-Ear Bluetooth Stereo Headphones – on ear

What You Need To Know

On ear JBL Professional Audio Sound with PureBass Performance and aptX encoding using 40mm driver producing the audio range of 20Hz – 20kHz.
Built-in microphone with echo cancellation
Bluetooth 3.0 wireless connectivity with innovative touch sensor controls (music controls and calls) and NFC technology.
Integrated LED lighting system follows the touch of your finger at each adjustment.
Battery Life: 15 hours of music playback, 20 hours of pure telephony – GOOD BATTERY LIFE
Colour option(s): Black/blue or White/blue.

Philips SHB9150 Wireless Bluetooth Over-the-Head Stereo Headphone with Superior Bass & Optimum Clarity – on ear

What You Need To Know

On ear design using deluxe memory foam for natural comfort fit
Digtal enhancement delivering superior quality sound with superior bass from high performance drivers
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR supports with NFC for ease of pairing. Can be connected directly with supplied 3.5 mm plug and cable.
Smart controls for music and calls
Colour option(s): black or white