Wireless MP3 Headphones

There are lots of different wireless mp3 headphones on the market and if you are looking for the first time then you really need to do your due diligence. All mp3 player wireless headphones are not made equal and you will definitely get what you pay for. Although the choice of manufacturers is extensive generally you can say that wireless mp3 headphones fall into two different categories.

One route is to opt for fully enclosed headphones, the other is the ‘in ear’ variety of ear buds, which are much smaller and lightweight in design. Your choice may well depend on what you want the wireless headphones for. If most of your music listening is at home seated in a chair then either will fit the bill but if you are constantly mobile then the earbud variety may well be a more sensible choice.

Earbud wireless headphones fit inside the ear and offer the user greater freedom when jogging, walking or indeed pursuing any sport. However not everyone can get along with earphones and prefer a full blown ear muff headphone design, in this case there are many very light weight systems on the market. Watch out though, some of the low end units have very skimpy head bands and can break with constant use. Some of the important points to look for when selecting wireless mp3 headphones are these:

RF or IR?
Wireless technology uses both radio frequency and infrared transmission to convey the signals form the transmitter plugged into your IPod and the wireless headphones. Clearly since IR depends on line of site as it uses light waves to carry the signal these will not be the best choice for people who wish to be mobile. Choose an RF type of headset and you will be fine.

Noise Cancellation & Noise Isolation
This is a way of preventing unwanted noise around you interfering with your listening pleasure. Nose cancellation will be found in high end wireless headphones and incorporates an electronic sound wave generation to cancel out extraneous noise. While the system works well for constant steady drones, like a washing machine going through its cycle, sudden noises like voices or short interruptions are not handled as effectively. Noise isolation is merely sound deadening insulation to prevent outside sounds entering the earphone.

Transmitter
The transmitter is plugged into your IPod or MP3 player and transmits the signals to your wireless headphones. Often the transmitter will use the battery power from your IPod so take that into account as it will eat into your listening time before the batteries are exhausted. If the transmitter has it own battery pack generally these will outlast the receiver in the headset by around two to one but it varies from each manufacturer.

Receiver
Built into your wireless MP3 headphones it utilizes a battery that can be recharged easily, usually an hour or so is enough for many hours of use. Understand though that many of the wireless MP3 headphones’ available today use batteries that are built in therefore when finally worn out you will have to discard the headphones. If you think that this may be an issue then find a wireless headphone system that uses removable or replaceable batteries.

Sound Quality
The quality of sound that you can expect from wireless MP3 headphones will depend entirely on what you go for. If this is important and we would guess that for most people it is, then discard the low end units. The more you pay generally the better will be the sound quality however there is more to it than that.

Many of the transmitting wireless earbuds use Bluetooth, but there are some high-end earbuds that use a different wireless protocol called Kleer for CD-quality audio. Bluetooth transmits music fairly well, but if you are looking for high-fidelity sound you should choose a Kleer-compatible device.  Unlike Bluetooth stereo wireless headsets Kleer’s patented sub-sampling architecture delivers lossless CD quality digital stereo audio. The system is also claimed to deliver 10 times the battery life over a compatible Bluetooth solution.

Other Uses for Wireless Headphones
Apart from using your wireless MP3 headphones for music there are other uses too. TV is an obvious target, especially if there are others in the same room reading or studying. Dolby surround sound wireless headphones are popular with film buffs too as they recreate the same effects that you get with several strategically placed speakers in a home theatre system. Wireless audio headphones can be connected your stereo hifi system and your computer is an obvious candidate for conversion to wireless listening, particularly if you use Skype a lot. In that case you will want to get a set of headphones complete with microphone.

Well known manufacturers of wireless stereo headphones abound and include some huge names like Sennheiser, JVC and Sony. There are many others that also make excellent headsets Acoustic Research, Motorola, RCA, Bose & Soundstorm are big in this sector and  worth taking a punt at. While not wanting to take anything from any manufacturer their is no doubt that Sennheiser wireless headphones are very well sought after on and around the web today.

If you are buying your first set of wireless MP3 headphones take your time, look at these suppliers, you won’t go far wrong any that you choose.