Four Types of Wireless Headphones - How to Choose?
By: RY Enterprises
Submitted: 2010-02-28 13:11:22 | Word Count: 547
It used to be that if you wanted wireless headphones you had to pay a lot of money to get gigantic devices with crappy sound quality. Fortunately that is no longer the case and though you still have to pay good money for the top quality headphones there are some budget options and most people will not be able to tell the difference between the two.
Wireless headphones for TV are different from wireless headphones for telephones and office, or from the ones used to listen to music. So the first step you need to take is sit down and decide what you want your headphones for.
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Equally important is the price and quality. As a rule of thumb the greater the quality the greater the price. You need to find a medium balance - are you a true sound fanatic that is willing to spend a small fortune to get the best sound quality possible or can you get by with average quality at a great price?
There are four types of wireless headphones, each with its advantages and flaws.
Bluetooth headphones are the newcomers. They offer a great trade between quality and price but they can only be used in devices that are prepared to handle them. Most mobile devices nowadays are, but many radios and TVs are not. If you are considering buying a bluetooth headphone first make sure that the devices you plan using it with have this technology.
Infrared (IR) headphones, on the other hand, come equipped with a transmitter that can be attached to any audio device. The transmitter will send the information to the headphones, but infrared can't handle the full spectrum of sound and thus is not fit for music but only for TV. Obviously, sound fanatics cannot use this technology.
UHF headphones are much better for music than IR headphones. They can have a large range and also use a transmitter. They can be used by anyone who wants to listen to music with wireless headphones but cannot pay for a RF headphone and whose equipment does not handle bluetooth.
Radio frequency (RF) headphones are based on one of the oldest wireless technologies around, but also the best. RF can cross ceilings and walls and has an amazing range. Furthermore, it carries the full spectrum and its quality is mind blowing - better than most wired headphones! Of course all this comes with a price - they are the most expensive headphones on the market and you should only buy them if you are a real audiophile.
Now that you know about each type of headphone take the answers to the three questions I posed. In case you forgot, they are: how will you use the headphones, what quality do you want, and what price are you willing to pay.
With these answers you can select one of the four classes of wireless headphones. Then all you need to do is go price hunting for the best deals or for the headphones with the best extra features, such as audio control, or incorporated microphone.
