Top 5 Bluetooth Headphones

With Summer almost here, a lot of people are coming into the store in order to find Bluetooth headphones. Music lovers want something they can take on a train, to the beach, or to workout in. Cables and amps will always give you the pinnacle of audio quality, but running around with your open-back headphones and a DAC is a recipe for disaster. Let’s take a look at some of my favorites in each category to find out which headphones are going to be right for you!

Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $200 – Sony ULT Wear

Sony’s most impressive quality in my opinion has been it’s noise cancellation and companion app. When I heard that Sony was releasing a budget friendly option, I was excited but skeptical. These didn’t disappoint at all, with great bass extension and noise cancellation. They’re incredibly lightweight and comfortable to wear on the go. The sound quality is very good, but they can get muddy if you turn on the ULT (bass boost) setting on while listening to certain kinds of music. Nevertheless, these are incredibly clear and rich sounding. For $200, I’ve never heard this heavy of a bass sound in bluetooth headphones.

Best Bass Boosted Headphones – Focal Bathys

Focal’s attention to detail and comfort are second to none in the field. Everyone of their products feels luxurious but also delivers great sound quality. The Bathys doesn’t necessarily have the loudest bass out of the box, but with the companion EQ I was able to get them to sound clean with the low frequencies all the way up. If you decide to plug them into the 3.5mm connection and turn on the internal-DAC mode, you’ll be getting the same bass as more power-hungry wired headphones. The bass on the Focal sounds great to me even when attenuating the low-end to obnoxiously high levels. Add this to the fact that they have an impressive soundstage and beautifully tuned mids. This makes the Bathys one of the best options in the field. An honorable mention goes to Sony WH-1000XM5, which has some really loud bass, but it didn’t attenuate as high as the Focal.

Best ANC Headphones – Sony WH-1000XM5

Sony’s Q1NE chip responsible for handling noise-cancelling in the XM5 does the best job out of any for blocking outside sounds. Like the ULT, these are also incredibly lightweight and comfortable. To me, this makes them perfect for traveling or working out. When testing these, I walked through Midtown Manhattan at 2 PM. The only thing that was able to get through the ANC were sirens and horns. Many retailers have them up for $328, and this ANC beats a lot of the other options for $1000+. These are going to ‘thud’ in the way bassheads want. A companion EQ allows users to pull the frequencies they may be looking for from this great pair of cans.

Best Bluetooth Headphone Battery Life – Sennheiser Momentum 4

At 60 hours of continuous battery life, it’s really hard finding an option that’s going to give you a better longevity. Most users are only going to have to charge their headphones 1 to 2 times a week. With only 2 hours for a full charge and 5 minute quick charge for 4 hours of playtime, battery life is not going to be a problem when considering these headphones. Some pleasant mids and highs in the sound signature are also a plus for these headphones. You can pick these up at most retailers for $299, making them one of the best values for the money in this list.

Best Audio Quality – Dali IO-12

It was really difficult making a selection for best audio quality. I have to say that the IO-12 is consistently impressive in most sonic fields. The soundstage is both wide and holographic while the signature tuning brings a beautiful amount of bass and treble information. Tracks seem to come alive with crisp clarity, while staying resoundingly warm. These are absolutely a higher end item that has a significant price-tag ($1300). At the same time, the price to quality ratio is still worth it in my mind considering how nice they sound. I have to give an honorable mention to the Mark Levinson No. 5909, which leans a little brighter than warmer. Although another great option, the IO12 has such an expansive soundstage that it makes it hard to beat.

Get all of the and much much more @ Audio46