Headphone Reviews

Summary
There are a heck of a lot of Bluetooth headphones out there and this survey is not much more than a sampling to indicate where this category performs. My take? Headphones of all kinds have gotten quite a bit better over the last five years and Bluetooth headphones have kept up the pace. But, they still lag behind in sound quality relative to their passively wired brethren. Bluetooth itself is now a pretty damned good audio transport, but all that electronics and batteries shoved into the ear capsules makes it tough on the designers. My guess is they'll keep working on the acoustics and BT headphones will continue to get better.

Much of my motive for this article was to refresh the Bluetooth headsets on the "Wall of Fame", and, yes-sir-ree, I'm going to do a bit of that. Currently on the WoF are: Parrot Zik (original); Sony MDR-1RBT; Phiaton Chord MS530; and Jaybird Sportsband.

The old Zik is off and the new Zik 2.0 will go on. This thing is just too cool to resist. Sound is decent but the looks and features are just out of this world. Yep, they're expensive, and yep, they have a limited life with the non-replaceable pads, but there's a category of folks out there with money and a penchant for style, and those folks will dig the new Zik 2.0.

The Sony MDR-1RBT will come off the wall. It's sound quality just wasn't up to snuff relative to the other headphone in the survey. But their comfort and good looks, along with "okay" sound quality, allow me to continue to think it will be satisfying for some.

The Phiaton will remain on the WoF. It is a bit pricy for an on-ear headphone, but after a year now it remains a "go to" headset for me. It's just a terribly convenient design.

The Jaybird will come off the Wall in a burst of feathers as the MEElectronics Air-Fi Matrix2 AF62 hits it with authority. These are simply an outstanding value, if you've been reluctant to cut the cord, these are the cans that should push you over the edge.

Also making the "Wall of Fame" as a great basshead Bluetooth headphone will be the Scosche RH1060. If you were thinking about the Beats Studio, I'd suggest these as a good alternative.