These are the best Bluetooth headphones you can buy

31.12.2015 23:00

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.No more cables. It's a simple hook, and it's one that has convinced millions to jump on the Bluetooth headphone bandwagon.

This is a curious case. On the one hand, just about any Bluetooth headphone sounds worse than a cabled counterpart. Sending noise through the air forces it to lose depth, clarity, punch, volume, or any other fancy term you’d find on the back of a headphone’s box. They aren’t as simple to setup and use. They give you another device to recharge. And on average, they’re much more expensive than their wired equivalents. If you care about sound quality above all else, you should still save your cash and buy a wired in-ear, on-ear, or over-ear pair.

Different people have different priorities, though, and good wireless headphones are very accommodating to anyone on the go. Being able to move around and enjoy some music without having to hold your phone at all times sounds like a simple pleasure, but it has a freeing, futuristic feeling that’s difficult to express until you experience it. They usually aren’t any worse-looking or less comfortable either. And because the demand for Bluetooth headphones has skyrocketed over the years, the audio tech behind them has rapidly improved. They haven’t caught up completely, but for non-enthusiasts, the difference is more negligible than ever.

As always, though, some Bluetooth headphones are better than others. So as we’ve done many times before, we scoured the web and performed our own hands-on testing to find those chosen few. We prioritized sound quality, design, and overall value in making our picks, but took category-specific things like battery life and special features into account as well. Since there’ll never be one perfect pair for everyone, we tried peppering in a mix of models from different price ranges. Per usual, we also gave them a BI Rating.

This is the most exciting headphone category at the moment, with new innovations and new contenders hitting the market every month. We’ll be sure to update our picks as things roll along, but for now, here are our favorite Bluetooth headphones you can buy today, from the budget to the premium.

Update (11/25/15): We've tested a number of new Bluetooth headphones since this guide was first published, and we'll have a refreshed list soon. While we stand by our picks below, we can say right now that we're going to remove the Pendulumic Stance S1+, and add the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless and Phiaton BT 100 NC (which we've previously reviewed) as part of the update.

Kinivo BTH240
$24.99

BI Rating: 8/10

AmazonThe Kinivo BTH240 is far from a premium performer, but of the seemingly endless supply of Bluetooth headsets available in the $20 to $30 range, it’s the most well-rounded. Its bass has at least some presence to it, which is more than most other headphones in this market can say, and its highs and mids are surprisingly clear and balanced. It isn’t going to give you much kick or detail, naturally, but the sound profile here surpasses the price tag. If you just want to get wireless sound to your head without actively being aggravated, it’s fine. And again, it’s $25.

That price means the BTH240’s plastic, behind-the-neck-style build isn’t the sturdiest or best-looking headphone around, but it’s light and largely comfortable. It comes with a few basic playback controls built into its earcup, it can take phone calls, and it can fold up compactly for an on-ear headphone. It gets about 8 to 10 hours of battery life, too, which is pretty decent for the price. If money’s your main concern, or if you’re in the market for some cheap beater cans, these will do the job.

Pros:

Super affordable
Decent sound for the money
Folds up neatly

Cons:

Distorts when pushed
Feels as cheap as its price
Not a looker

Creative Sound Blaster Jam
$39.01

BI Rating: 7/10

AmazonIf you want better audio quality than the Kinivos but can only spare a little more cash, go with the Creative Sound Blaster Jam. It’s the best sounding Bluetooth headphone we could find for less than $50; its strong bass, clear mids, and general detail would have it fit in with Bluetooth headsets twice as expensive. It wouldn’t be the best in that range — things can get harsh with more complex recordings, and an included "bass boost" option doesn’t bring any real advantages — but it’s at least in the vicinity. That’s great for half the price.

As far as build quality goes, the Sound Blaster Jam is a compromise. It looks boring, to be frank, with a black, all-plastic build that isn’t exactly sturdy either. It also has those Koss PortaPro-style foam earpads, which leak a good chunk of sound when you turn up the volume. At the same time, those cheapish materials are extremely lightweight, and that makes the Jam comfortable for extended listening sessions. There’s a handful of basic built-in controls, too, which work fine, and the battery gets about 10 hours on a charge. What’s here is limited, but it all works.

Tastes will vary, but if we’re buying a cheap Bluetooth headset, we’d rather one that sacrifices style instead of sound quality. The Sound Blaster Jam wrings enough out of the latter to make its lack of the former more bearable.

Pros:

Inexpensive
Full, mostly clear sound for the money
Super lightweight

Cons:

Not good-looking
Leaks a good amount of noise
Can get harsh-sounding with more complex music

Jabra Move Wireless
$69.99

BI Rating: 9/10

AmazonNow we get to the heavier hitters. We’ve praised it before, but the Jabra Move Wireless is one of the best pure values on the Bluetooth headphone market. It’s (relatively) affordable at $80 — and these days it often falls lower than that — but that price tag belies just how enjoyable its sound is.

It has a lively, bass-forward profile that makes most modern music very fun. The low-end stays tight and distortion-free, and it can bring the thunder when a track calls for it, but at the same time it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the mix. Treble is smooth and clear, and while the mids can sometimes feel a little too recessed, they’re crisp and present enough to keep things balanced. It’s a clearly sculpted sound, so it’s not for audio purists, but it’s consistently rich and enjoyable.

The Move’s design is almost as praiseworthy. It’s lightweight and soft on the ears, and while it doesn’t use any premium materials, it feels well-constructed. It’d be nice if it folded up, but that’s splitting hairs. It has a pleasing, minimalist look that’s devoid of any showy logos, and it comes in a handful of solid colors. Its battery isn’t a concern either, typically lasting about 10 hours on a charge. And as inconsequential as it may sound, the fact that it uses a toggle to turn on and off is much more convenient than blindly holding a button down the way you do on most other headsets.

We’ve seen some user reviews with build-quality concerns, but when everything’s working there really aren’t any obvious deal breakers here. With its subtle style and a sound that outperforms its accessible price, the Move Wireless is just a good buy.

Pros:

Lively sound with great bass
Good-looking
Great value

Cons:

Mids occasionally get lost in the mix
No inline controls on included cable
Occasional blips in Bluetooth connection

Sol Republic Shadow Wireless
$99.99

BI Rating: 8/10

AmazonSince in-ear headphones are sonically handicapped even with a cable — and since we already have a dedicated guide to Bluetooth exercise headphones — we aren’t highlighting many wireless ones here. We wouldn’t recommend paying too much for Bluetooth ‘buds even if we did, but if you’re dead set on the in-ear form factor, look to the Sol Republic Shadow Wireless. It gives you genuinely enjoyable sound and good comfort at a reasonable price.

This is another one of those neckband-style headsets a la LG’s Tone series, so it’s inherently goofy looking, but its thin, black-and-silver design is more stylish than most of its peers. Its neckband is made of a soft and highly flexible rubberized plastic that’s easy to wear for hours, and it has the usual playback and volume controls built in. Its earbuds don’t retract into the band itself, so they’ll always be dangling around your face, but they do fit snugly once they’re in. Sol Republic puts four sets of tips into the box by default, as well as a generous lifetime replacement guarantee. Its battery life is decent, at about 7-8 hours.

Sound wise, the Shadow Wireless is like a more refined version of the Sol Republic Jax, a popular pair of in-ears that go hard on the bass. The Shadow Wireless is just as focused on those lows, and they are strong. Bass is present everywhere you turn, and with stuff like EDM or hip-hop, it’s monstrous. We mean that in a good way: Much like the Jabras, this kind of aggressive signature has a way of making music come to life. It never distorts, and its highs are pleasingly bright as well. It’s too bass-centric to be true to any given song — and it’s still a pair of Bluetooth in-ears, so it loses its way on more complex tracks — but it’s very good at what it’s going for. It’s a good time headphone, and a solid value.

Pros:

Fun, aggressive sound
Flexible build
Comes with infinite eartips

Cons:

Bass-heavy signature isn’t for everyone
Neither is neckband-style design
Doesn’t come with a carrying case

Plantronics Backbeat Sense
$197.69

BI Rating: 9/10

AmazonPlantronics has made its business selling Bluetooth headwear, and while it’s had some success with headphones like the full-size Backbeat Pro and exercise-focused Backbeat Fit, its new on-ear model, the Backbeat Sense, is its best effort yet. It’s admirably light and thoroughly comfortable, with memory foam earpads that hug your head like a tiny pair of pillows. A self-adjusting headband keeps its fit secure, and the whole thing’s nice to look at, too.

There’s a handy set of features here as well. For one, the Sense can, um, sense whenever you put it on or off, then pause and resume your music accordingly. (The Backbeat Pro and Parrot Zik can do this as well, but it’s still neat.) It can be connected to two different devices at once, then let you switch between them as needed. Its assortment of playback controls are easy to manage, and its battery life is great, at around 18 hours of juice. The Sense is also clear and convenient for taking calls, which you might expect from a company that specializes in Bluetooth headsets.

This thoughtful design would go to waste if the Sense’s audio quality wasn’t up to snuff, but thankfully that’s not the case. The sound here is full and clear, with a pleasant, more natural-sounding profile than something like the bass-centric Jabras. It does a good job of separating the various parts of a given track, and it tends to work well across musical genres. The low-end is tight, but not particularly big, and it could stand to emphasize the mids a bit more, but generally speaking it comes off like something that could cost more than it does. If you’d like a step up in the on-ear range, or just something that’s super comfortable, the Sense is your pick.

Pros:

Light, compact, and very comfortable
Clear, pleasant sound
Solid for making calls

Cons:

Not for bassheads

Pendulumic Stance S1+
$198

BI Rating: 7/10

AmazonYou may not be familiar with Pendulumic, but the Stance S1+ is the young company’s second stab at bringing audiophile-grade quality to a wireless headphone. (It’s a slightly enhanced version of its first headphone, the Stance S1.) While it doesn’t quite reach that summit, it gets close enough to be worth recommending — especially since it costs half as much as some of the headphones it’s sonically competing with.

It doesn’t catch enough detail to totally please purists, and its bass can get a little too loose, but for a moderately priced Bluetooth headphone the Stance sounds great. It has a balanced, even-handed signature that feels neutral and full at the same time. It puts the tiniest amount of emphasis on the highs and lows to give everything a little more kick, but for the most part it sounds flatter than most other Bluetooth cans in this range. It gets good volume too.

In researching the Stance S1+ we noticed some concerns over its sound taking a nosedive when you hook the headphone up to a cable. More specifically, The Wirecutter called them “a complete mess” in that case. We agree that there’s a dip in quality once you put them into passive mode — mainly because its treble can feel harsher — but we didn’t find it to be as dramatic. While we wish it was better, we feel that way about a lot of Bluetooth cans in this range.

The Stance S1+ isn’t as obviously stylish as something like the Backbeat Sense, but we like its brown-green, steampunk-inspired looks. It feels sturdy enough, and while it’s a bit heavy, its plush earpads sit comfortably around the ear. It has a couple unique hooks beyond that: First, it uses a little knob to control volume, playback, and calls all at once, and after some practice that feels more natural than reaching for five buttons crowded on one earpad. Second, it gets a superb 30 hours of battery life per charge, and that can be expanded with a backup unit that runs on AAA batteries.

It could be better at isolating outside noise, however, and the array of switches it has for changing listening modes and battery sources can be confusing at first. Still, this is a comfortable, not-ugly headphone that gets in the neighborhood of audiophile performance and isn’t terribly expensive. That’s a recipe for success.

Pros:

Full, balanced sound
Superb battery life
Convenient control knob

Cons:

Bass response can feel loose
Sound quality dips when wired
Don’t isolate much noise

Beats Studio Wireless
$249.95

BI Rating: 7/10

AmazonYes, we know, it’s Beats. The world’s most popular headphone brand is known more in enthusiast circles for overpricing blown-out cans and chasing profits than using its power for good. There’s been a shift in recent years, however, and lo and behold, Dr. Dre and the gang made a genuine winner in the Beats Studio Wireless. And now that it’s two years old and over $100 cheaper, it’s actually kind of an okay deal.

Well, it is depending on how much value you place in having that little 'b' on the side of your face, but either way, the Studio Wireless does a little bit of everything, and does most of it well. The Beats aesthetic is what it is at this point, so you’ll either love it or loathe it. We think this looks fashionable for a mainstream headphone. Yes, the build is mostly plastic, which shouldn’t exist on headphone that once retailed for $380, but it’s smooth feeling and well-constructed for what it is. It makes up for it by folding up nicely, and creating a tight, yet cushy seal around your ears. Its tap-based controls are fine, and its 10- or 11-hour battery is, too.

There are some quirks to note: The Studio Wireless is technically a noise-cancelling headphone, but that tech doesn’t work all that well. It helps a little, but it’s certainly nowhere close to what you get from a Bose QuietComfort 25. The real problem is that you can’t turn it off — you can choose a less intense version of it, but we’d prefer a little more flexibility. Similarly, the headphone can be used with a cable, but doing that doesn’t shut down its battery. In other words, there’s no passive mode, so when the headphone dies, so does your music. These aren’t unforgivable offenses, but they shouldn’t be here.

As you’d expect from a Beats headphone, the Studio Wireless emphasizes the lows. They’re intense when they have to be, but they stay tight throughout, and they don’t stop the highs and mids from being crisp and clear. The treble, in particular, is good and sparkly. The bass is still boosted to the point where nothing ever sounds truly natural, but it’s not unbearable the way past Beats were. It’s an exciting listen more than a messy one. (It also gets incredibly loud, if you feel like prematurely losing your hearing.) It’s still a bit pricey, but if you’re a basshead in search of a higher-end wireless headphone, Beats can actually accommodate you here.

Pros:

Powerful, big bass sound
Comfortable
Can get compact

Cons:

Beats sound and style not for everyone
Can’t be used in passive mode
Can’t turn off noise isolation

Bowers and Wilkins P5 Wireless
$399.99

BI Rating: 8/10

AmazonWe’ll wrap things up with a couple of picks for those with money to burn. For an on-ear option, we like the Bowers and Wilkins P5 Wireless. That’s shouldn’t be surprise, since it’s a wireless version of the P5 Series 2, which we praised in our guide to on-ear headphones. This version costs a pretty penny extra, but gives you the same blend of high-end style and powerful performance.

Just like its wired cousins, the P5 Wireless is gorgeous, with a minimalist, retro-style design made of metal and soft black leather. It only has a handful of built-in controls, but they’re cleverly tucked away on an earcup and don’t take away from the premium aesthetic. You can feel its quality once it’s on your head, too, as that leather sits gently around the skull, yet keeps a clamp that’s always just tight enough. (It can get a bit sweaty on warmer days, though.) Its battery gets a serviceable 14 or so hours of juice per charge, and it also works passively, though its included cable doesn’t come with inline controls. We've seen spordic reports of it having connectivity issues, but our experience was always smooth.

The P5 Wireless’ sound is just as upper-class. It has a full profile with deep, articulate bass, crisp mids, and clear highs. It doesn’t distort, it doesn’t blow out the bass, and it doesn’t have too much sibilance in the treble. It boosts the lows a bit, but not overwhelmingly so. The whole thing feels clean, accurate, and balanced throughout, and it sounds nearly as good wirelessly as it does hooked in. It’s simply better than what conventional wisdom says about Bluetooth headphones.

Is that worth $400 to you, especially when you can get a wired equivalent for $130 less? Maybe not. But if money is no object, the P5 Wireless feel like they’re worth the price of admission.

Pros:

Clean, full sound
Swanky, retro-looking design

Cons:

Expensive
Only pairs with one device at a time, and doesn’t remember past pairings
No inline controls on cable

Sony MDR-1ABT
$398

BI Rating: 8/10

AmazonFor a premium full-size model, we’ll direct you to the Sony MDR-1ABT. It’s the wireless version of the Japanese firm’s MDR-1A, which we enjoyed in testing for our over-ear guide but decided to forego in favor of its higher-end sibling, the MDR-Z7. In any case, this Bluetooth model doesn’t lose the series’ proclivity for extreme comfort, smooth sound, and refined, modern looks.

We really can’t praise the comfort part enough: With its big, plush leathery earpads and smooth, lightweight build, this thing just feels sublime on your head. It’s largely plastic — and yes, we just knocked the Beats for this a second ago — but it hardly feels cheap, and the set of touch controls baked into its earcup are easy to use. They also get close to 30 hours of battery life, which is just stellar.

The MDR-1ABT’s sound is smooth and balanced, with great detail and a spacious soundstage for a closed-back, Bluetooth headphone. It can reach down for a healthy chunk of bass, but on the whole it’s a natural-sounding profile, with rich mids and highs. (Though those mids can get slightly pushed back in the mix on more active songs.) It’s another fun listen, but in a more pleasant, relaxing way than some of the bass monsters above. It’s competing in a crowded market, but the MDR-1ABT is a difficult headphone to dislike.

Pros: