Many types of earphones are on the market today, from wired earphones to modern Bluetooth headsets.
Due to many available brands and headset models, many people are still unsure how to choose and buy a suitable model.
Although there are many such brands and models, there are still poor quality and fake earphones mixed in.
Below I will share the experience and knowledge of choosing a wireless earbud. I am sure the knowledge that I provide will be helpful to you in choosing your earphones.
What are wireless earphones? Why should you buy one?
The idea of wireless earphones, Bluetooth headsets, or True Wireless earphones, has progressively emerged over the past several years and is now a new trend in the mobile sector.
The vigorous development of smartphones creates favorable conditions for wireless earphones to develop in an explosive direction. According to Counterpoint Research’s statistics, about 310 million wireless earphones will be shipped in 2022, despite the effects of the pandemic on users’ pockets on a global scale.
Wireless earphones (also known as Bluetooth headsets) are a line of ear-worn music devices that use a mechanism to connect to a signal source (smartphone, tablet, laptop) via Bluetooth instead of via a connection cable like a standard headset.
Bluetooth headset is another name for a wireless headset that does not use wires but uses audio signals through Bluetooth.
With wireless earphones, users do not need to connect the headset wire to the phone, do not worry about the wire being tangled or broken as before.
Manufacturers have improved the current line of Bluetooth headsets with improved audio latency and a more extended internal battery.
Therefore, the choice of wireless earphones is highly suitable for people who often travel a lot or want the convenience of using earphones.
In this product line, Bluetooth will become the only bridge to exchange data information received/transmitted by listening to music, audio experience, and supporting conversation.
Most 2022 wireless headsets use Bluetooth 5.0 or later connection to ensure signal transmission without interference, maintain interaction within a radius of 20 meters and save more energy.
The point that makes wireless earphones more and more popular in 2022 is the compactness and flexibility when not subject to the limitation of connection cables.
The interaction via Bluetooth ultimately reduces the user’s troubles, such as cable tangles and cable breaks, directly affecting the user experience and preservation process.
Besides that, brands like Apple or Samsung have built a flexible interaction mechanism when users connect the headset to intelligent devices of the same brand, thereby attracting millions of customers to buy products in the same ecosystem as a producer.
If iPhone / iPad users tend to buy AirPods, those who own Samsung phones often choose Galaxy Buds instead of other product lines on the market.
New generation Bluetooth technology and charging box mechanism have overcome the problem of latency and battery on previous wireless earphones.
Now, the 2022 Bluetooth headset is showing many outstanding advantages over the traditional product line. However, it would be best to choose because wireless earphones have specific criteria carefully.
What to consider when buying wireless earphones.
- Determine user needs
- The right design
- Connectivity technology and compatibility
- Sound quality
- Battery life
- Additional features of wireless earphones
- Pay attention to connection technology.
- Don’t ignore the noise resistance.
- Conversational ability
1. Determine user needs
The first factor in choosing the right wireless headset is determining the user’s needs.
Before buying a headset, you should determine your needs to see if you are suitable for a Bluetooth headset.
Bluetooth headsets are helpful for those who value mobility, especially in corporate environments. However, the price of wireless earphones is relatively high, and sometimes the sound quality is affected by external environmental factors.
Next, you need to consider choosing one-ear or both-ear earphones. You can choose one-sided earphones when you want to listen to the people around you with one ear and the people on the other line simultaneously, and choose to buy two-sided earphones if you’re going to feel the sound of your favorite music. prefer a fuller conversation.
- You should choose the compact True Wireless earphones for entertainment needs such as watching movies and listening to music.
- Individuals who use wireless earphones for exercise and vigorous activity should choose the Neckband line of earphones that are less sweaty and slippery.
- Those who want to use a wireless headset for pure gaming should choose a Bluetooth headset to limit noise and maximize focus.
- One-sided Bluetooth headset will be suitable for users for continuous conversations, such as technology drivers, long-distance drivers, or car users.
2. The right design
Wireless headsets have Over-ear (ear-cup), In-ear (in-ear), and Earbuds designs. Depending on the type of design has different advantages and disadvantages.
The Over-ear line of earphones is probably the most comfortable headset design, reducing pressure on the ears. Over-ear earphones are equipped with breathable ear cushions to avoid causing ear heat and ear pain.
In-ear earphones and Earbuds are used by putting them inside the ear, have average sound insulation, and if worn for an extended period, might become unpleasant. However, this line of earphones is usually much more compact and lighter than Over-ear.
Over-ear wireless earphones
The over-ear Bluetooth headset product line is highly suitable for those who demand high sound quality. You can easily recognize an over-ear headset thanks to the headband that wraps around your head and the thick padding that covers your ears.
This is how to design earphones chosen by music listeners and makers, thanks to the convergence of the best features for sharp, attractive sound. The ear cushions form a natural soundproof effect.
Meanwhile, the significant drivers on both sides create enough space for effective speaker placement and noise cancellation technology.
The bass, treble, and mid bands on over-ear earphones will be reproduced most realistically of all designs. The most typical representative of over-ear earphones is Apple’s, AirPods Max.
However, using over-ear wireless earphones, you have to accept the relatively bulky size. Although most are designed to be foldable, you will need a backpack or bag when you want to carry this product line.
On-ear wireless earphones
On-ear wireless earphones have a similar design to over-ear earphones. However, the side drivers and ear cushions are designed to be smaller, thereby helping to reduce the overall size slightly compared to the over-ear. The on-ear ear cushions will not cover the whole thing but only rest on our earlobes.
This is a contraindicated line of earphones for those whose ears are too thin or sensitive because the elasticity of the headband will constantly press on our ears.
But if you have normal earlobes or don’t feel uncomfortable because of this, on-ear earphones will be a better balance between mobility and audio experience.
Beats is a famous brand with popular Bluetooth on-ear earphones such as Beats Solo Matte, Beats Solo Pro, or Beats EP.
Wireless earbuds
Most earbuds often score points on the small mechanism. Instead of focusing on sound quality, manufacturers aim to create the most portable music device when choosing earbuds design.
At this time, the driver will be fully reduced to installation in the ear cavity, avoiding entanglement when we exercise.
When not in use, most wireless earbuds on the market use a charging box model; depending on your needs, the charging box can recharge energy wirelessly or use a connection cable.
The product that started the trend of Bluetooth earbuds is the 1st generation AirPods with the famous white charging box.
Currently, Apple is maintaining on the market AirPods 2 products with many improvements in battery and interoperability. This is a best-selling device and revived the True Wireless industry, creating a fierce race in the current Bluetooth headset segment.
In-ear wireless earphones
Still keeping the compactness of the earbuds, the wireless in-ear earphones (also known as wireless earbuds) are equipped with a silicone button to go deeper into the ear canal, creating a more realistic and natural soundproofing effect.
Manufacturers often choose the in-ear design to create wireless earphones with good sound quality and still be neat. If combined with ANC active noise cancellation, the audio experience that this product line brings will be superior to that of earbuds.
AirPods Pro, Galaxy Buds Pro, and Beats Studio Buds are good examples of wireless in-ear earphones. All of these products have impressive sales and represent the competition between Apple and Samsung in the market of True Wireless earphones.
Neckband Wireless earphones
If you love wireless earphones and exercise regularly, you must have owned a pair of Bluetooth earphones with a neckband (Neckband). This is the optimal product line for listening to music, running, or exercising simultaneously.
In recent years, the development of wireless earphones with charging cases has made the Neckband product line less visible.
However, some brands still choose this design as a solution to produce earphones cheap wireless listening.
Clip-on wireless earphones
Appearing from the beginning of the wireless headset era, Bluetooth headsets with clip-on earphones are often used for communication and calling purposes rather than entertainment.
The ear clasp, which has just one side rather than two like later versions, makes this product line unique.
Clip-on wireless earphones are removed because of their bulkiness; the device’s weight will squeeze on the ear and can make the wearer uncomfortable when experiencing it for a long time.
3. Connectivity technology and compatibility
Before buying a Bluetooth headset, you should find out if the headset you want to buy is compatible with the phone or device you are using.
Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as phones and headsets, often link or pair automatically when they are close. This feature on the phone allows users to listen to music or talk on the phone without wires.
Wireless connection technologies include three common types of technology: Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth 5.0, and Bluetooth 5.2.
With Bluetooth 4.2 connection technology, the first wireless connection technology, the connection ability is not high, and the connection is relatively stable.
Wireless headsets often use Bluetooth 5.0 technology and have a stable connection and low latency.
The last and latest technology at the moment is Bluetooth 5.2 with no delay, saving power, and being able to connect any device.
The key to flexibility and compactness in wireless earphones comes from Bluetooth interactive connection technology. Therefore, if you want your device to work well, you should pay attention to the Bluetooth technology that the product is equipped with.
In 2022, you should prioritize product lines using Bluetooth 5.0 or Bluetooth 5.2 because of their ability to transmit signals reliably, avoid interference in a wide range, and help your earphones save battery significantly compared to Bluetooth 4.2. With the new Bluetooth technology, you will quickly move within 20 meters from where the signal source is located, which is perfect for those who often listen to music while exercising or doing other jobs.
I’m ditching my AirPods Pros – Sony WF-1000XM4 Wireless Earbuds. šš
4. Sound quality
With previous wireless earphones, the sound quality is worse than wired earphones. But today’s advanced technologies, Bluetooth headsets, have improved wireless signal transmission (Bluetooth aptX technology).
In addition, the Bluetooth headset is also equipped with other technologies that make the sound clearer and more realistic, so users can safely choose and use it.
Sometimes, earphones using Bluetooth technology are often said to produce worse sound than wired ears.
However, thanks to recent technologies, Bluetooth headsets have improved sound quality through wireless signals, such as Bluetooth aptX technology, which gives users incredibly, authentic sound.
In addition, you should choose earphones with Bluetooth 5.0 technology or higher because 4.0 technology has relatively low latency.
Choosing Mono or Stereo earphones will directly affect your audio experience during use. Mono sound is a single channel sound that will sound from one way, and Stereo (surround sound) will bring the background as you hear from many different sources.
If you are careful in evaluating sound quality, you should prefer product lines with Stereo sound when buying wireless earphones. The experience that these devices bring will be much more realistic, vivid, and multi-dimensional.
Two types of sound quality are built into Bluetooth headsets: Mono sound, the single-channel sound coming from one direction, and Stereo, which sounds from many different sources.
Stereo Bluetooth headsets will provide a better experience, show high volume, and are also equipped with compelling call and noise cancellation functions.
What is Mono Sound?
Mono sound is also known as the sound emitted from a single sound source. Therefore, when mono talks, listeners often feel that the sound they hear is emitted from a focal point in space.
Besides, this will be more pronounced when you play Mono sound and use two or more speakers. Many families have chosen to connect Samsung TVs to external speakers with Mono sound to increase entertainment. So you can understand that Mono sound is a type of sound only emitted from a single location.
Features of Mono sound
Many people love the mono sound because of the sound characteristics it emits. Currently, audio devices combined with mono have one thing in common: they are only emitted from one source and focus on the direction you want to hear. If you don’t want the sound to fill the whole space, using mono is a great choice.
What is stereo sound?
What is stereo sound is also a question many people are interested in. Stereo (or can be called Stereophonic) is a type of sound commonly used on CDs, radio shows, movies, TV series, and even online music downloads.
Therefore, the concept of Stereo is understood that sound will be produced from two or more sound sources, and they work together.
These sounds will contribute to the most vivid and realistic representation of what the listener wants to aim for.
Distinguishing characteristics of standard stereo sound
Stereo process: The main point of this type of sound is the division into two different channels. So the audio the listener gets is an eclectic sound, so some elements are moved to the left channel, and the rest will inevitably be transferred to the right.
The unique thing about this type of sound is that the listener will feel the position of the instruments in the symphony orchestra.
Stereo sound limits: Although this line of sound was trendy and loved in the 50s and 60s of the last century, it was still defined by limitations.
In addition, some recordings have appeared of the “ping-pong” phenomenon. Because when combining, the player emphasizes the difference between the left and proper channels without paying attention to the virtual channel in the middle.
Moreover, although the stereo sound has been recreated to be more realistic, it still can’t be perfect. Therefore, many people wonder what stereo speakers are that make them feel like everything they hear is in front of them and almost lack authentic natural sound.
5. Battery life
When buying wireless earphones, you need to pay extra attention to the battery life when using them to avoid interruptions when working or playing. Rechargeable batteries will help you save more money when you use them.
Products with a battery life of 8-10 hours, some product lines are equipped with convenient, fast charging technology.
Like all battery-powered electronic devices, wireless earphones will be disabled if you use their power. At such times, no matter how modern the product is, it becomes useless. Before making a purchase decision, you must thoroughly research wireless earphones’ battery life.
Along with that, the charging technology that wireless earphones possess is also a factor of interest. If you are a follower of wireless earphones with an on-ear or over-ear design, you must accept charging via cable and can only charge when near a power source.
Sincere advice is to choose Bluetooth headsets that use earbuds or in-ear in-ear designs with petite sizes because although the battery life is not too long, these device lines are often equipped with charging boxes.
An excellent illustration of this is the AirPods Pro, whose charging case has enough power to power the earphones continuously for 24 hours.
6. Additional features of wireless earphones
Some wireless earphones are equipped with water resistance, a voice assistant, a vocal mic, independent use of one side, and volume up and down a touch.
These additional features bring users convenience when using. But please carefully refer to the necessary or unnecessary features before buying!
7. Pay attention to connection technology.
The key to flexibility and compactness in wireless earphones comes from Bluetooth interactive connection technology. Therefore, if you want your device to work well, you should pay attention to the Bluetooth technology that the product is equipped with.
In 2022, you should prioritize product lines using Bluetooth 5.0 or Bluetooth 5.2 because of their ability to transmit signals reliably, avoid interference in a wide range, and help your earphones save battery significantly.
Compared to Bluetooth 4.2, With the new Bluetooth technology, you will quickly move within 20 meters from where the signal source is located, which is perfect for those who often listen to music while exercising or doing other jobs.
8. Don’t ignore the noise resistance.
A good noise-canceling headset will bring you into a private listening space even when present in crowded places. Noise-canceling technology is a criterion to pay attention to when choosing wireless earphones and earphones.
The noise canceling of earphones is quite an essential factor. Good Bluetooth headsets will help you eliminate environmental noises to ensure call quality without increasing the volume too much, affecting hearing.
To increase the noise-canceling experience, manufacturers often use one of the designs, such as in-ear in-ear or over-ear over-ear, to prevent noise from entering the user’s ear cavity.
In addition, if your budget allows, please pay attention to the product lines with integrated active noise cancellation (ANC) because this technology will help a lot in suppressing environmental sounds.
Currently, wireless earphones with ANC are no longer as expensive as before; for just under 4 million VND, you can become the owner of some active noise-canceling wireless earphones from famous brands such as Samsung Galaxy Buds2 or Beats Studio Buds.
9. Conversational ability
Bluetooth headsets can help you listen to your phone and listen to music while jogging, driving, or doing other tasks. You should choose products with modern Bluetooth technology such as Bluetooth 5.0 to ensure better conversation quality or a better sound experience.
Why should you take care of your earphones?
- Cost savings
- Limit the entry of bacteria
- Safe hearing protection from harmful environmental factors
- Increase earphone life
Care instructions for your wireless earphones
- Use the correct voltage to charge the input.
- Do not charge overnight.
- Regularly clean the charging pin contacts.
- Clean regularly, dry, and then put in the charging box
- Use an extra case to protect the charging box.
- Enable location if available (to avoid loss)
1. Use the correct voltage to charge the input.
Bluetooth headsets have a relatively low-rated current, usually no more than 5V-1A. Besides, these earphones also have a battery capacity of about 500-1000mAh, which generally only takes about 2-3 hours to charge fully.
Moreover, today the headset also has a built-in fast charging feature; just 5 minutes of plugging in the charger can be used for the next 1 hour. Therefore, users must use the correct voltage to preserve the headset better.
2. Do not charge overnight.
Unlike phones, most Bluetooth headsets do not have a built-in circuit that automatically disconnects the power when the battery is full.
Therefore, manufacturers recommend that users do not charge overnight; it is best to stop charging for 2 hours after the battery is full.
If you let the overnight charge happen continuously, it will most likely short-circuit, leading to a battery bottle or worse, a fire or explosion.
3. Regularly clean the charging pin contacts.
After a period of use, the contact point of the charging pin will be prone to dirt and bacteria, creating black stains.
In addition to being unsightly, these stains prevent you from inserting the charger or plugging it in without the battery, which many people continue to mistakenly believe to be a problem with the headset or dock. It is essential that when you find the contact point dirty, you should immediately wipe it with a wet tissue.
4. Clean regularly, dry, and then put in the charging box
When using earphones, the earphones will inevitably get dirty, but you can rest assured because just using a wet tissue and a little detergent can solve this problem immediately.
You should turn off the headset’s power when cleaning to avoid short-circuiting. In addition, to be safe, you should also wait for the headset to dry entirely before placing it back on the dock.
Some types of earphones use silicone material in the button part; after a period of use, it is easy to get dirty and causes mold.
Therefore, you should pay special attention to the button when cleaning to ensure safety and hygiene when using it.
5. Use an extra case to protect the charging box.
Similar to phones, Bluetooth headsets should also be protected by a case. Most high-end headsets such as Airpods, Jabra, and Sony will often sell leather cases and cases for users.
Numerous lovely and distinctive case designs with various textures are available nowadays to offer consumers. However, lower-priced models will rarely have a carrying case.
6. Enable location if available (to avoid loss)
There will be built-in GPS or Bluetooth positioning for high-end True wireless earphones so you can quickly locate them.
To use this feature, you need to download the app corresponding to your headsets, such as Bose Connect, Jabra Sound+, or Sennheiser Smart control.
Some best pro wireless earbuds I can recommend for you.
ImageĀ | NameĀ | Price Link |
TOZO T6 True Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth earphones Touch Control with Wireless | On Amazon, you can see the price right here. | |
Soundcore by Anker Life P3 Noise Cancelling Earbuds | On Amazon, you can see the price right here. | |
Sony WF-1000XM4 Industry Leading Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbud earphones with Alexa Built-inĀ Ā | On Amazon, you can see the price right here. |
Final thought
The 2022 wireless headsets have been invested more heavily to increase fashion, convenience, and sound quality.
But with that comes many difficulties when choosing because the current market is too rich in designs and features.
For that same reason, I’m here to share my experiences and knowledge in selecting wireless earbuds.
I am sure the knowledge I have provided above will be helpful to you, from which you can easily choose a wireless earbud that is right for you.
Hopefully, in addition to the information I provide, you will also gain knowledge in the use and maintenance of wireless earphones.
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