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Erlangen (dpa / tmn): Headphone cables can be annoying. Either you take a headset out of your ear with the cord, inadvertently unplugging the plug from the smartphone jack, or sooner or later you will have to live with loose contact noise. But salvation has been there for a long time: true wireless headphones.
Here, the Bluetooth radio replaces all cables, really all of them. And wireless technology is not a coincidence: “According to our research, the market is developing very strongly towards true wireless technology,” says Felix Fleischmann, who heads the Mobile Audio Rendering group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS ). True wireless connection always means in-ear. These headphones are used as earplugs.
Test before buying
Even these mini headphones now offer more than just stereo music playback. In luxury class models, there are often microphones and processors for active noise suppression that suppress annoying noises on the train, on the plane or on the street.
What should potential buyers pay attention to? In addition to technical factors such as battery life and sound, the fit of the headphones is crucial. “What fits one person may feel bad about another person, comparative tests can hardly anticipate that,” says Hartmut Gieselmann of the specialist magazine “c’t”. That is why each customer has to test the comfort of the headphones individually.
Adjustment affects sound
Many manufacturers supply different ear cushions, but especially with in-ear headphones, the customer often only has to test multiple headphones and swap them out at the dealer, says Gieselmann. However, this generates a large amount of e-waste, because retailers cannot simply resell used models for hygiene reasons.
But it’s no use: Buyers should definitely test whether the headphones fit well, advises Felix Fleischmann. Because the seat significantly influences the sound. It is crucial that there are no leaks, that is, that there are no acoustic leaks. The plugs should seal the ear canal completely, otherwise the lower frequencies will drop. The headphones sound fast treble or metallic.
But there are also big differences in sound. Product tests generally mention whether a model emphasizes bass or treble. “A strong emphasis on bass is very much in vogue,” says Hartmut Gieselmann. However, this covers details when playing music.
Check battery life
Even if the quality of consumer headphones has improved significantly in recent years: Gieselmann believes that many suppliers simply stick their bulk Asian products on their labels. “You can find better quality with manufacturers who have their own development department for sound transducers.”
Another factor in making a purchase decision is the battery life. Gieselmann explains that it is often not so bad anymore. True wireless headphones are charged via a USB cable or in the included carrying case with built-in battery.
As a price range for good true wireless models, Gieselmann specifies between 150 and 300 euros for the approximate orientation. Basically, prices for the wireless headphone category started at around 50 euros.
Fairly high latency
Buyers should note that active noise canceling models are generally much more expensive than normal true wireless headphones. Gieselmann especially recommends frequent travelers to take a suppressed model. However, the technology generally produces a slight noise and a fairly strong sense of isolation. Some people find both uncomfortable.
“However, a general problem with Bluetooth headsets is high transmission delay,” says Hartmut Gieselman. Latency is usually over 200 milliseconds, making the wireless headphones unsuitable for music production. But even when watching videos, this can affect synchronicity.
