Wireless Headphones - Worth it?
Audition planning the nano wireless headphone accessory kit. Plus rumors daily about the next iPod having BlueTooth for wireless audio.
Big question remains. What is it worth to cut the wire? The Audition kit, based on Aura's LibertyLink chip will cost about $99 (tops).
Bluetooth in the iPod won't be free- the additional battery requirements making most of the cost. The headphone will probably have to sell for some price under $100.
I assume that both implementations (Audition kit, built in BT) will offer a good listening experience.
So again I ask, is wireless freedom worth it?
Big question remains. What is it worth to cut the wire? The Audition kit, based on Aura's LibertyLink chip will cost about $99 (tops).
Bluetooth in the iPod won't be free- the additional battery requirements making most of the cost. The headphone will probably have to sell for some price under $100.
I assume that both implementations (Audition kit, built in BT) will offer a good listening experience.
So again I ask, is wireless freedom worth it?
Comments
If you are the type that thinks iTunes downloads are a good deal and have acceptable quality, you will love a high quality wireless solution.
If you are the type that still buys CD's and loads them into iTunes in Lossless mode, then I strongly advise against wireless of any kind.
No one (with a clue) will claim that wireless anything is equal to (let alone better than) wired at this point in time. (I say this working in the wireless industry)
Although I suspect within 24 months that statement may not be true.
Corey
Originally posted by Corey
General rule is that wireless costs you quality...
If you are the type that thinks iTunes downloads are a good deal and have acceptable quality, you will love a high quality wireless solution.
If you are the type that still buys CD's and loads them into iTunes in Lossless mode, then I strongly advise against wireless of any kind.
No one (with a clue) will claim that wireless anything is equal to (let alone better than) wired at this point in time. (I say this working in the wireless industry)
Although I suspect within 24 months that statement may not be true.
Corey
I think wireless is for on-the-go. It's not for living-room listening.
For outdoor listening there is always going to be some background noise from cars, talking, etc.
So I believe that a reasonable listening experience is sellable, especially for exercising or riding public transportation. But I would not tolerate pops and clicks in the stream.
Originally posted by podlife
I think wireless is for on-the-go. It's not for living-room listening.
For outdoor listening there is always going to be some background noise from cars, talking, etc.
So I believe that a reasonable listening experience is sellable, especially for exercising or riding public transportation. But I would not tolerate pops and clicks in the stream.
Agreed. My (attempted) point was that wireless is okay if you are willing to pay the Quality price.
Corey
Originally posted by podlife
Audition planning the nano wireless headphone accessory kit. Plus rumors daily about the next iPod having BlueTooth for wireless audio.
Big question remains. What is it worth to cut the wire? The Audition kit, based on Aura's LibertyLink chip will cost about $99 (tops).
Bluetooth in the iPod won't be free- the additional battery requirements making most of the cost. The headphone will probably have to sell for some price under $100.
I assume that both implementations (Audition kit, built in BT) will offer a good listening experience.
So again I ask, is wireless freedom worth it?
Send us all your bank account info so we can accurately tear apart your budget and decide if wireless is worth it for you. Come on man, these are decisions you should be making if it's strictly about $$.
Originally posted by ipodandimac
Send us all your bank account info so we can accurately tear apart your budget and decide if wireless is worth it for you. Come on man, these are decisions you should be making if it's strictly about $$.
Ha. I've already bought almost every BlueTooth dongle and headphone out there. I'm still trying to find the scheme that works.
I like the wireless experience. But if you did tear into my account you would see I have wasted lots of dough trying to get a good one.
Based on the amount of wireless topics and number of posts on these boards I wonder why Apple would consider a BT enabled iPod?
I am curious to know if I am one of few or one of many looking for wireless headphones.
And I have the same opinion about wireless keyboard and mice.
Originally posted by Robin Hood
Forget it. Wireless headphones are a waste of money. You have to deal with batteries and poor sound quality.
And I have the same opinion about wireless keyboard and mice.
Many people think that wireless means poor audio quality.
BlueTooth products use very good sub-band codecs and they deliver good fidelity. The occasional pop and click is annoying but I assume that if Apple every delivers a good BT feature this problem will be cured.
The Audition product mentioned on another Future Hardware post is not BlueTooth and should be interference free.
Charging another set of batteries is a pain as you point out.
The buds are extremelyl sore after about an hour, plus any slight movement and they fall out. I just can't seem to get them to stay in my ears.
Better to get clip ons, really good for being able to freely move without worrying if your going to knouck your earphnes out.
Also, wireless is rubbish at the moment, far too over priced.
I personally own a nice set of (very light) sennheisers, and I can wear them for hours on end without discomfort. You won't know what you like until you try out several different styles.
Originally posted by benzene
I personally own a nice set of (very light) sennheisers, and I can wear them for hours on end without discomfort. You won't know what you like until you try out several different styles.
I agree with you comfort is a major factor. I have designed a few headphones and the most difficult mechanical task is getting the neckband shape and cup pressure. Sennheiser is one of the best at this.
BTW the LibertyLink tech data says that only a 5gram battery is required in the headphone so I believe it could be quite light.
Originally posted by m_shell
i say no. i mean is the wire that much of a big deal? its just a little wire...
I found this to be surprisingly not the case with my Triports. It could just be that the Triport wire is ridiculously long, but I found that it got underneath the wheels of my office chair a fecking lot.
My $0.02 (non-tax-deductible)
Originally posted by Hujib
Does no one else not like the idea of a bluetooth device attached to the side of their head?! Cell phones are bad enough.
Are you talking about health reasons? You're probably suffering ten times the radiation simply by living on a planet that orbits the sun.
The main problem I had with the wire was that it gets very stiff when cold and then is a pain in the butt to move around. Turn your head to check for cars and the stiff wire would pull the earbud out of your ear rather then flexing and letting you move about.
ive used nothing but the ipod headphones for so long
and i finally went out today and bought me some pro headphones for 100 dollars. i needed it to play my guitar at night but i figured id listen to some music with it today
WOW, what a world of a difference some good headphones will do to your music.
artist's spend millions trying to get the best sound and we trash their music with cheap headphones and sound systems.
sorry for the rant.
quality matters if you are a true music fan.
wireless isn't about quality.