2024 Bluetooth Headset Purchase Guide

We often see some people wearing headphones whether they are walking, exercising or watching TV series. Gradually, headphones have become one of the indispensable necessities in our lives.

1. Classification of Bluetooth Headsets

According to the wearing method, they are divided into earplugs, earhook and head-mounted.

Earplugs: The driver goes directly into the ear, the volume is very small, and it is easy to drive. But the anti-interference ability is poor, and the sound quality is difficult to meet high requirements. The cost performance of high-end earplugs is far inferior to that of head-mounted headphones of the corresponding level. It is divided into in-ear and semi-in-ear.

Earhook: The earhook headphones combine the advantages of head-mounted and earplugs. They are easy to carry, comfortable to wear, and have a particularly eye-catching appearance. They once became synonymous with fashionable headphones. The earhook type is divided into open and bone conduction types.

Head-mounted: The wearing method is to directly cross the two ears. The earphone handle can be placed on the top of the head or on the back, as long as it is comfortable. It does not need to be worn in the ear, and the damage to the ear canal and eardrum is minimal.

According to the channel, it is divided into mono, stereo and true wireless.

Mono: Most of them are wireless and compact styles, which can be worn directly on the ear. The main function is to answer and hang up calls. It can control the volume and has dual standby, dual microphones, and beautiful sound technologies.

Stereo: It can only be realized based on the mobile phone supporting the A2DP Bluetooth stereo protocol. It has neck hanging, headset, clip, glasses and other styles. Some stereo Bluetooth headsets also have LCD screens.

True wireless: Using Multiplexlink multi-point wireless interconnection technology, both left and right earplugs can work independently. When you need to transform into dual-channel stereo, turn on the other earplug and it will automatically form when you get close.

2. Advantages and disadvantages of Bluetooth headsets

Advantages

1. Portable and strong function: It has the portability of wireless devices. At the same time, professional Bluetooth headsets have functions such as redial, call retention and rejection, which are more powerful than wired headsets.

2. Free your hands: You can free your hands to do other things, eliminating the constraints of wiring. You can answer the phone while continuing what you are doing.

3. Good for people's health: Keep the phone away from the human body in a handbag or on a table within an acceptable range.

4. Safer driving: The wireless hands-free function can be realized, and it is very convenient to answer calls and listen to music while driving. Disadvantages

1. Long-term wearing will be uncomfortable: Long-term use of headphones to listen to calls or music will cause greater stimulation to the auditory nerves of the eardrum.

2. General wearing stability: In terms of stability and portability, it is not enough to cope with most environments, and many of them have unstable signals.

3. The buttons are small and impractical: There are few buttons. You have to press once to answer the phone while driving. Sometimes the button fails and you can't answer it even if you press it many times.

4. Not suitable for listening to high-quality music: At this stage, the wireless transmission capacity is basically ok, but the sound quality and battery life still have a lot of room for improvement.

3. Four types of Bluetooth headsets, which one is suitable for you?

Head-mounted headphones

Compared to the compact in-ear headphones that Asians prefer, this type of head-mounted headphones has a more rugged European and American style, such as the well-known Beats. Because the headphones are large, they can accommodate larger units, more circuits, and batteries, so in addition to generally good sound quality, these headphones also have many "all-round warriors", such as noise reduction. In short, if you want to buy the most comprehensive Bluetooth headphones in one go, head-mounted headphones are definitely the best choice.

Advantages: Large size, so it can accommodate more functions, and... batteries. If compared with hard indicators such as noise reduction, sound quality, and battery life, it has strong competitiveness.

Disadvantages: Large and heavy, not everyone likes to have their ears covered, especially in summer... you know.

In-ear type

Among in-ear Bluetooth headphones, this type of product is the earliest and most mature at present. In other words, it is the cheapest. The shape of this type of headphones is basically the same, and even the operating logic of the wire control is the same. However, in terms of sound quality and additional functions, different products are still very different, so the price ranges from one or two hundred to nearly a thousand. If you just want a Bluetooth headset, products within 500 yuan can meet your needs. If you want to pursue a famous brand, you also need to choose headphones around 1,000 yuan.

Advantages: The most mature product at present, which can meet the needs of most people.

Disadvantages: The connection between the two ears of some products sometimes rubs your neck. Don’t ask me how I know.

However, more in-ear headphones are currently independent of each other, which is also very convenient to carry. They basically have charging compartments, and the problem of battery life has been solved a lot.

True wireless Bluetooth headset: It consists of two completely independent earplugs, each of which can be put into the ear separately. This design completely gets rid of the shackles of cables, providing users with unprecedented freedom and convenience. Most true wireless Bluetooth headsets are equipped with a long battery life to ensure a long-term use experience.

How does a true wireless Bluetooth headset work?

True Wireless Stereo (TWS) is a truly wireless headset that is completely free from the constraints of wires. It is presented to users in a truly wireless form. Its working principle is ingenious and efficient. First, it establishes a stable connection with the mobile phone, and then the main headset uses advanced wireless transmission technology to quickly and stably pair with the secondary headset. This design allows the left and right channels to be used separately, bringing a freer and more convenient listening experience.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of true wireless Bluetooth headsets?

[Advantages]

(1) Wireless freedom: The biggest advantage of true wireless Bluetooth headsets is that they are completely free from the constraints of wires. Users can move freely anytime and anywhere without being constrained by wires. They are suitable for daily commuting and sports.

(2) Lightweight and portable: Due to their compact design, true wireless Bluetooth headsets are usually lighter and easier to carry than wired headsets. They can be easily put into pockets or bags to enjoy music or answer calls anytime and anywhere.

(3) Comfort and stability: Most true wireless Bluetooth headsets adopt ergonomic design and semi-in-ear design to ensure more comfort when wearing. In-ear headphones have earplugs of different sizes and good stability.

4) Independent control: True wireless Bluetooth headsets usually have independent left and right channels. Users can use one earphone alone or both at the same time. This design allows users to control volume, play/pause and other operations more flexibly.

(5) Noise reduction function: Many true wireless Bluetooth headsets are equipped with noise reduction technology, which can effectively reduce the noise interference of the surrounding environment and improve sound quality and listening experience.

【Disadvantages】

(1) Battery life: Since true wireless Bluetooth headsets are small in size, the battery capacity is also correspondingly small. Therefore, their battery life is usually shorter than that of wired headsets, requiring users to charge them regularly and may need to carry an additional charging box or charger.

(2) Signal stability: Since true wireless Bluetooth headsets need to connect to the device through wireless signals, signal instability or interruption may occur in some cases (such as signal interference, obstacles, etc.).

(3) Easy to lose or damage: Since true wireless Bluetooth earphones are small and light, they are easy to be lost or damaged during carrying or use, especially during outdoor sports or crowded environments.

Bone conduction earphones

A type of earphones that are highly recommended by sports enthusiasts. The wearing method is different from traditional earphones. You don’t need to cover your ears or insert them into your ear canals. Instead, you put them on your head. The sound is transmitted to the auditory nerve through the temporal bone, which produces a sense of hearing. It sounds very dreamy. Therefore, with this type of earphone, you can hear the surrounding environment and the music coming from the earphone at the same time. This dual listening experience is exactly what many sports enthusiasts dream of. For white-collar workers who sit in the office for a long time, it is also a magic tool. In this way, you will never be embarrassed to be immersed in your own world and not hear the call of the leader.

In what scenarios are bone conduction headphones suitable for use

Bone conduction headphones have a special sound transmission principle that is not worn in the ears, so compared to traditional headphones, bone conduction headphones have more usage scenarios, such as outdoor sports scenes. Traditional headphones are not stable and are easy to fall off, while bone conduction headphones rely on the wearing method of open ear hooks to ensure the stability and comfort of wearing, and are not easy to fall off. In addition, bone conduction headphones will not isolate the surrounding sounds when in use, and can communicate with people normally. They can also be used in some office scenes. The most important thing is that the waterproof level of bone conduction headphones is higher than that of traditional headphones. Even if you sweat during exercise, or in swimming scenes, or even diving scenes, you can use them normally. It can be said that the usage scenarios of bone conduction headphones are very wide, covering almost all daily scenes.

What are the advantages of bone conduction headphones

Comfortable to wear:

The open ear hook wearing method of bone conduction headphones does not need to be inserted into the ear canal to wear, but only needs to be gently hung on the ear, which can ensure the comfort of wearing. Even if worn for a long time, there will be no discomfort or swelling of the ear.

Protect hearing:

Benefiting from the special sound transmission principle of bone conduction headphones, bone conduction headphones do not transmit sound through the ear canal and eardrum, which can reduce eardrum pressure and avoid damage to hair cells in the ear canal, thereby reducing hearing loss.

Health and hygiene:

Bone conduction headphones will not block the ear canal when worn, which can keep the ear canal fresh and dry, avoiding the breeding of bacteria in a closed and humid environment, which may lead to other ear diseases such as otitis media and tympanitis.

Scenario diversification:

Compared with traditional headphones, bone conduction headphones have more usage scenarios, such as daily listening to music and watching TV series, sports scenes, swimming scenes, office scenes, and diving scenes, which can all be used normally.

Open headphones

In fact, open headphones include bone conduction and air conduction. Generally speaking, open headphones refer to air conduction, and bone conduction is a separate term. Open-ear headphones are just like their name. They do not need to be worn in the ears. The ears are open. Unlike traditional in-ear or over-ear headphones, they do not need to directly block the ear canal. There is no pressure on the ears when wearing them for a long time. They can also maintain the perception of surrounding sounds when worn outdoors, thereby reducing the risk of certain activities. This type of headphones is usually suitable for a variety of scenarios, such as listening to music, answering calls, exercising or commuting.

Advantages: The biggest feature of open-ear headphones is that they have a more natural sound field and air feeling. They sound looser and can also reduce ear pressure, which is very suitable for long-term comfortable wearing.

Disadvantages: The sound insulation effect is not good. External noise can easily penetrate the headphones and enter the ears. At the same time, the sound played by the headphones will also leak into the surrounding environment. It is not suitable for occasions that require sound insulation or strong privacy.

What kind of people are open-ear headphones suitable for?

① Sports enthusiasts: Suitable for people who like outdoor running, cycling and other sports, because they can keep their ears unobstructed and can also perceive the sounds of the external environment, improving safety.

② Outdoor workers: For people who need to pay attention to the surrounding environment for a long time, such as tour guides and drivers, open-ear headphones allow them to listen to the sound in the headphones without affecting their perception of the surrounding environment.

③ People who are sensitive to their ears: Suitable for people who are prone to discomfort or allergies with traditional headphones, because open headphones do not need to be inserted into the ears, avoiding these problems.

4. Popularization of knowledge related to Bluetooth headphones:

Bluetooth headphone chips:

The transmission effect of headphones is mainly determined by the chip of the headphones. Now Bluetooth headphone chips include but are not limited to: MediaTek, Qualcomm, Realtek, Loda, Hengxuan, Huilian, Jerry, Zhongke Bluexun, and Actions. In addition, MAIGOO editor kindly reminds that Apple and Huawei have self-developed chips.

Since the birth of the first Bluetooth version in 1999, Bluetooth technology has been developed for more than 20 years. From Bluetooth 1.0 to Bluetooth 5.3, the Bluetooth protocol has been continuously upgraded. Compared with previous versions, the latest Bluetooth 5.3 has obvious improvements in transmission rate, stability, security, etc., with stronger functions and more applications. But for users, the most important thing is the consumer experience.

Today's wireless headphones all use Bluetooth chips for signal transmission, and the level of Bluetooth version is directly related to the sound quality of the headphones. Therefore, the choice of Bluetooth chips has become extremely critical. At present, most headphones on the market have adopted Bluetooth 5.1 and above, and some headphones have been upgraded to Bluetooth 5.3, and even the latest version 5.4, which means that their connectivity, anti-interference ability and transmission distance have been significantly improved.

How long is the battery life of headphones?

Battery life determines how long your Bluetooth headphones can be used, which is divided into usage time and standby time. The battery life is actually related to the battery quality and size of the headphones. Most Bluetooth headphones now use polymer lithium batteries because they are small in size, powerful, long in battery life, and have a high usable life.

The battery life of general Bluetooth headsets is more than seven or eight hours. The size of the headset determines the size of the battery hardware that can be installed, and thus determines the length of the battery life. Therefore, the larger the headset, the larger the battery and the longer the battery life. Many open-type and in-ear headphones are also equipped with charging boxes, which greatly improves the battery life.