True Wireless (TWS) headphones are becoming more and more popular. It is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the headphone market. The prices start at under 50 dollars and end with premium models and prices that exceed 400$. We will advise you on how to choose the right wireless headphones.
Before getting into the different sections of the article, first we will share some questions which you might ask yourself when you want to buy wireless headphone. If you have decided to buy true wireless headphones, carefully consider:
- How much do you want to spend on headphones?
- What will you use them for, and what do you want from them?
- Are you going to be on the go with the headphones? Will you need a lot of endurance?
- Are they your only headphones, or are they just a supplement to others?
- Do you care about call quality, though, right? Are they primarily for music?
- Do you only have them to go to school or work, or will you play sports with them?
True Wireless headphones come in many varieties, and it’s not always possible to find the perfect headphones for every situation. Sometimes it’s even better to buy two more affordable models instead of one very expensive one: for instance, a larger, robust pair of headphones for sports and a small, sleek pair with active noise cancellation for around town.
Determining your requirements will help choose from a huge range of headphones that will not disappoint you.
Design and size: earphones or earbuds
You will be wearing the headphones in your ears for several hours every day. That is why they must be comfortable and practical. If headphones are too big, they may be very uncomfortable to wear; they will fall out of your ears if they’re too small.
The first thing you need to do is choose the right type of headphones. Two basic types exist:
- Open headphones, called earphones.
- Closed headphones, so-called earbuds.
Open-back headphones do not press into the ear with silicone earpieces and have no extra support. So, they tend to be more comfortable. The headphones are hooked into the earlobe and hold their weight. However, this compromises their stability during fast movements, making them unsuitable for sports. Poor noise isolation is another feature. You’ll appreciate this if you want to hear your surroundings. But if you want silence, avoid the open design.
The benefit of a closed design (earphones) is usually greater stability in the ear and better isolation. Manufacturers always include several sizes of earpieces in the package, allowing you to choose the most suitable. Simply inserting the headphones into the ear canal passively suppresses ambient noise, often with the added feature of active noise cancellation (ANC). However, “sticking” something directly in your ear may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
If you’re going to use the headphones at the gym or while running, choose sports models with a back or hook to keep them in your ear during dynamic movements. Some models have detachable hooks, and there are plenty to choose from.
Athletic headphones are usually inserted into the ear canal. Still, they have intentionally weaker environmental isolation, so you don’t get hit by something while running outdoors.
Brand and price
The choice of price range and brand is important. If you go for headphones from a reputable manufacturer, you are more likely to be satisfied, given the huge competition. With unbranded and inexpensive models, you’re more likely to get it wrong.
The following applies to the basic orientation:
- Inexpensive class, up to $50. Choose further; however, you know that you can not make headphones cheaper today. Therefore, the features correspond to that in this class.
- Economic class, from $50 to $100. They try to offer a reasonable compromise between low price and quality.
- Medium and upper class, from $100 to $200. Well-featured, good sounding headphones or older top-of-the-line models.
- Premium class, from $200 upwards. Earphones for the discerning, new high-end models.
Wonders do not exist. Inexpensive headphones sound worse than more expensive ones. A high-quality chip costs something, the battery, the electronics, the quality of the materials – that’s where headphones differ.
However, the cheap models can be helpful in first try out whether True Wireless headphones suit you. You can use them even if you listen to talking books or music, where quality doesn’t matter. Don’t expect too much from them, though.
Normal listeners don’t necessarily need to spend money on audiophile headphones. Still, it is a good idea to choose a model from a brand you trust. For manufacturers that offer multiple product lines in different price ranges and have been making audio products for years, you can be sure that you’re choosing quality headphones that offer better sound and longer life.
That said, earphones that cost five grand don’t sound five times better or are five times more durable than headphones that cost a grand. You aren’t just paying more for sound quality or active noise cancellation. You’re also paying more for comfort or battery life. The better models also tend to offer an app to customize features and controls.
If you purchase a too cheap product and then find that it doesn’t offer the quality you expect, you will have wasted your money. So, pick a reasonable balance between brand and affordable price.
In addition to the tempting new products, check out the older models from the most popular brands. Often you can get great headphones for half the original price and sometimes even less. Two years later, Premium models may be morally obsolete. However, they are still better technically and sound-wise than the new models in the lower price range.
The battery life and recharging
The battery life is crucial in fully wireless headphones. It cannot be influenced by anything other than your choice when buying them. The manufacturers usually do not specify the battery capacity but rather the battery life in hours. In the case of TWS headphones, battery life is given on a single charge; add the hours provided by the rechargeable sleeve. Example: 7 h + 21 h = 28 hours total.
When battery life is mentioned, it is mostly about music playback. The battery life usually drops further for phone calls; some manufacturers also specify this time. But be careful with headphones with ANC, where some state the battery life without active noise cancellation. Thus, it will be a bit shorter as well.
Typically battery life on a single charge (i.e. without case):
- Up to 4 hours: This is a basic requirement, but you better avoid such headphones since you will only work with them for two hours.
- 4 to 8 hours: An adequate standard for normal use
- 8 to 20 hours: For those who want to keep the headphones in their ears all the time
Also, this case has a built-in rechargeable battery that charges the headphones when they are used. The headphones can be fully charged once and ten times in others. However, the more charges possible, the larger and bulkier the case. Casings are always charged with a cable, today mostly with USB-C; some models also offer wireless charging.
The ideal pair of TWS headphones should have a battery life of at least 4-5 hours and have a case that allows the device to be fully charged at least three times. Long working hours (7 hours or more) are advantageous for those who travel a lot. This is because, during normal use in the city, the headphones are kept in the bag during the day, and then you have to constantly recharge them until they are full again.
And even for headphones with a long battery life of over 10 hours, the real value is one or two hours less or even more. It depends, among other things, on the volume of reproduction. Also, batteries in headphones are not replaceable, so battery life has decreased over the years. Particularly in cheap models, the decrease can be surprisingly fast.
Controls and functions
Completely wireless headphones are controlled by buttons or touch gestures. But fashionable touch controls may not be everyone’s cup of tea. During sports, it is not uncommon for the touch controls to be inaccurate and either not trigger the function or accidentally change tracks by simply adjusting the position of the earpiece. As a result, some higher-end models allow the touch controls to be turned off completely.
Earphones with physical buttons give you more control. However, pressure against the ear required to press the button and the audible click are uncomfortable for everyone.
Then again, you should know that you often don’t need the controls directly on the headphones. You play the track through your phone, choose the volume on your phone, and adjust the headphone functions through the control app. Often, once you put the headphones on, you don’t even need to touch them.
Completely wireless headphones can offer additional functions and features that may or may not prove useful. Those are the most important ones.
- Active Noise Canceling (ANC): Headphones actively reduce ambient noise from entering your ears
- Waterproof: decreases the risk of rain or sweat damaging the headphones. This feature is especially useful for sports models.
- Detachment sensor: if the headphones are removed from the ear, the music playback is automatically interrupted
- Support for voice assistants on the phone
Select the features that are important to you. Unless you plan to use your headphones in the shower or while exercising, you shouldn’t look for the headphones with the best water resistance. The sound quality will be more critical.
Active noise cancellation pays off
Noise cancellation (ANC) was still an expensive premium feature just a few years ago. ANC in closed headphones (earplugs) can now be found even in economy class. It is simply not as effective here as in more expensive models.
Practically, it allows ANC to reduce the volume. With headphones in your ears, you can hear almost silence, so you don’t have to drown out the ambient noise with music. This is particularly useful when you’re traveling on public transportation. ANC thus protects your hearing while reducing noise fatigue.
Complete isolation from ambient noise isn’t always welcome, however. Therefore, most active noise-cancelling headphones have a function for listening to the surrounding environment. You’ll then be able to hear what the people around you are saying without taking off your headphones.
More premium models often offer ANC and ambient noise in multiple stages. Certain headphones can even turn off ANC, pause the music, and automatically start ambient noise when talking. When you are done, headphones turn on ANC and start playing.
Premium headphones detect whether you’re sitting, walking, running, or in traffic and adjust the volume accordingly. Or, on the map, set up areas with different behaviors.
The ambient noise cancellation is always slightly lower with small TWS headphones than with large headset models. The earbuds do not cover the ear area, and the sound is also transmitted through the bones.
Audio quality, calling and codecs
And finally, most importantly, great headphones should have a full, well-balanced sound. They must not lack bass, but at the same time, the sound must not be too bloated so that voices sound clear. So, listen not only to well-known songs that you know how they should sound, but test the voice alone without music.
Thankfully, the increasing popularity of podcasts has forced manufacturers to be wary of the unnatural bass emphasis that used to be common. Particularly in cheaper models, voices drone annoyingly and tediously in this case.
Sound TWS headphones use at least Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity. As for the codecs on which the sound quality depends, a combination of SBC and AAC is sufficient for normal use.
SBC codec is the basis; it can be found everywhere. AAC is another standard that both iOS and Android smartphones support. AptX codec and its variants are more commonly used for connecting to a computer. Sony’s LDAC codec, already supported by current Android smartphones, offers the highest quality and is popular among demanding listeners.
Gamers should opt for headphones with aptX LL or aptX Adaptive codec, with lower latency. For movies and TV shows, you do not have to worry about audio delays; the playback apps take them into account and correct them. However, this is not the case for online games, and classic wired headphones will probably always be the best solution for gaming.
Which audio codecs are there?
- SBC – basic codec, which all Bluetooth headphones have.
- AAC – higher quality codec that most headphones support as well.
- LDAC – highest quality codec with the highest bitrate, can do hi-res audio, has a bitrate of up to 990 kbps
- aptX – older higher quality codec, mainly used on computers
- aptX HD – an older codec with a higher bitrate up to 576 kbps
- aptX LL – the older codec that reduces audio delay
- aptX Adaptive – latest version handles variable bit rates from 280 to 420 kbps and also has lower latency
Look for the multipoint feature if you want to connect your headphones to multiple devices at once, such as a laptop and a smartphone. Some better headphones with multipoint may not have this feature enabled out of the box; however, you won’t be able to use the LDAC codec.
Also, if you’re going to use the headphones to make phone calls, pay attention to the quality of the microphone. The headset may sound wonderful, but it isn’t good if your call partner can’t understand you. Expensive models have more microphones, can isolate your voice from ambient noise better and often cope with disturbing wind.
