Best Cellphone and PC bluetooth headphones 2014

Hi yous, It looks long, but it's actually short, read and win a prize!!

I want headphones that I can use with my cellphone (bluetooth) and also with my PC when I'm gaming.

The headphones desired spec sounds pricy, but actually they're not suppose to be that pricy...

The spec is similar to:

Creative Sound Blaster EVO Zx

http://us.creative.com/p/gaming-headsets/sound-blaster-evo-zx

Minimum spec:

1) OVER THE EAR design - I can barely hear my music on the street with on-ear headphones, and I hate in-ear (plugs) headphones.

2) On headphones buttons to control the music (play/stop, skip track, volume up/down...).

3) Ability to connect and hear sound using 3.5mm cable ORRRR USB cable (that will also charge the headphones while using it).

4) Wall charger to charge while on a trip...

5) Fold-able as possible (and a hardened pouch will be sweet too, but not a must).

6) Replaceable rechargeable battery (Otherwise I will have to throw them away after 3 years and that is very sad and inconsiderate to this planet).

7) Surround sound capability (although I'm not sure if it's a must, maybe the PC's sound chip can do this - even over USB or 3.5mm - or the game itself... I don't know).

8) Good noise-cancelling microphones so I can use them to talk on my cellphone and also use them to talk with my friends VOIP on Skype or a PC game...

The mics can be built-in or fold-able and detachable (my friend is looking for detachable so he can game with only the mic...)

9) Bluetooth MUST HAVEhigh-speed support / EDR and also APTX

http://www.aptx.com/

http://www.aptx.com/category/headphones

10) Latest bluetooth tech (4.0) is preferred.

11) good build quality.

12) I really wish for a max price of 200 USD (US $).

See, It sounds sophisticated but it's actually one of the most reasonable headphone spec in 2014 (even in 2010 actually). The result is a very comfortable headphones that are very useful and can serve you for a long time.

Your prize:

You are now smarter than 5 minutes ago.

Yeah, I think you can research yourself

@PredatorRules:

No dude, don't be like that! I wrote that for the epidemic of ADHD kids out there, who see a post with more than 2 sentences and just buzz off ("ahhh wall of words!!").

What the heck is going down with this world??

Anyway, can you think of a pair of headphones with a better spec? This spec is probably the ultimate headphones, and yet none of the components demand an insane price like what Creative wants on the Evo ZXr (which according to this dude:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLFkt7LIDnE

Are actually not worth the price at all, and I believe him).

If anyone wanted headphones for their cell, and another pair of headphones for their PC, I bet I made them re-think about it.

Now the problem is to find headphones like these, because it seems no one had thought about this specific and logical spec.

Never thought it would be so hard to find something so simple.

(came about the Creative Evo ZX by pure chance and they're not good and also pricy).

In that case, any Audio Technika headphones with simple microphone

@PredatorRules:

"In that case, any Audio Technika headphones with simple microphone"

Can you be more specific, because they have more headphone models than people on this planet, and most of them are not even wireless...

My own search of Audio Technica in the past didn't come up with a match to the spec.

Thanks for the help anyway.

Well you've got a lot of demands for a "minimum" specs, I can suggest you Siberia Elite.

But then again, wireless headset is heavier and have worse specs than cabled ones, also a strong tip: whatever you pick up, make sure you have a 3.5mm cables and not USB (USB headsets are crappy from past experiences)

Here are some headphones that I've already checked,but didn't match the spec:

(most manufactures websites were very unclear and unorganized, so if I missed a feature, it's their problem)

1) Turtle Beach’s Ear Force i30 - - NO

http://www.turtlebeach.com/product-detail/mac-headsets/ear-force-i30/392

Built-in mic, 3.5mm, BT3.0+, Media controls, no APTX..

2) Bose AE2w Bluetooth Headphones - - - NO

http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/wireless_headphones/ae2w_headphones/index.jsp

250$, Multi-point, no APTX.

3) Philips SHB9100 – Discontinued. Replaced by 9150, same but with NFC. - - - NO

http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/cpindex.pl?ctn=SHB9150WT/00&hlt=Link_ProductInformation&mid=Link_ProductInformation&scy=SE&slg=ENG

has 3.5mm, but B.T2.1, on-ear…

4) Creative WP-350 - - - NO

http://asia.creative.com/p/headphones-headsets/wp-350

apt-x, foldable, good controls, on-ear, Can’t change battery, NO 3.5mm! No wall charge.

5) Razer Adaro Wireless Headphones ! - - - NO

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/razer-adaro-wireless/

APTX, BT4.0, media controls, no 3.5mm

6) Sony MDR-10RBT Bluetooth® Headphones - - - NO

http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-10rbt

~280$, carry pouch, over-ear, 3.5mm, built-in mic, APTX according to APTX website. VERY UNCLEAR SONY WEBSITE…

7) Panasonic BTD10: Premium Wireless On Ear Monitor Headphones - - - NO

http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/RP-BTD10-K

200$, on-ear… , APTX, BT3.0, media controls, 3.5mm, built in mic

8) BluedioR+ - - - NO

http://www.bluedio.com/detail-produit.php?ref=567

Chinese yet costs like prestige, 230$, On-ear… APTX, media controls, Fully fold, BT4.0, MicroSD socket.., Surround sound, 3.5mm, maybe can play over USB.

9) Creative Aurvana Gold - - - NO

http://uk.creative.com/p/headphones-headsets/creative-aurvana-gold

Media controls, APTX, 3.5mm but cannot make calls while connected, multipoint, airplane adapter, not clear if it’s over-ear. 300$

10) Creative Hitz WP380 - - - NO

http://uk.creative.com/p/headphones-headsets/creative-hitz-wp380

APTX, multipoint, 3.5mm but cannot make calls while connected, media controls, BT3.0, 120$

11) Sennheiser MM 550-X -- - No

http://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-bluetooth-headset-stereo-mm-550-x-travel#product_data

Over-Ear, APTX, Media controls, BT2.1+EDR, Built-in mic, wall-charger, 3.5mm, pouch, full fold, 500$....

12) Air-Fi Matrix2 AF62 Stereo Bluetooth® Wireless Headphones with Headset Functionality --- between No to Maybe

http://www.meelec.com/product_p/hp-af62-cf-mee.htm

BT4.0, APTX, 3.5mm, media controls, carrying pouch, semi-fold, built-in mic. 150$

More headphones to come...

I'm afraid there are essentially no good bluetooth headphones, and very few good wireless headphones.

@kraken2109:

"I'm afraid there are essentially no good bluetooth headphones, and very few good wireless headphones."

I find it hard to believe. Already people report good sound with APTX, and 12-24 months from now the spec above will be a common thing (although no replaceable battery, the "Planned obsolescence" still rule sadly), but will also feature WIFI-N or better, AAC, multipoint, 3.5mm+remote, and a connection to a touch-watch to see the tracks.

There's a difference between something being possible and something existing.

@PredatorRules:

"Well you've got a lot of demands for a "minimum" specs, I can suggest you Siberia Elite.

But then again, wireless headset is heavier and have worse specs than cabled ones, also a strong tip: whatever you pick up, make sure you have a 3.5mm cables and not USB (USB headsets are crappy from past experiences) "

Can't find a wireless Siberia Elite model, are you sure they have one?

About USB cable sound, it allows you to hear music while charging the battery.

What was in essence crappy in your experience with USB headsets?

Lots of problems (i've tried front and back USB ports - nothing helped) but that might be the sound card that the headset came with (Razer Megalodon)

About the wireless, I thought they were wireless as well, but no apparently the just have one of the best headphones quality 160$

Unless you're willing to go up to 300$ to get Audio Technica gaming headsets XD

Seriously you can go with Logitech G930 for 100$ but I heard their quality aren't that good, another option is Sennheiser Wireless RS series, the 170 is 205$ you can go lower if you have tight budget limit

To send audio over USB you need a DAC and amp at the other end, i.e. at the headphones. To be wireless you need that plus a receiver and battery. This means the headphones are noticeably more expensive, usually worse sound quality since they'll skimp on the DAC and amp (and wireless is always worse than wired) and heavier/less comfortable.

I really don't see the appeal personally since all these extra features take away from the point of good headphones, which is sound quality.

OK, so what you all are saying is "Go wired, and if you must go wireless, then at least don't go bluetooth". Well, in a way I agree. If possible, go wired, it's a proven tech and it's cheaper.

But I want to go mobile, hate the wires, and thought to my self, why BT headphones can't fill the role of gaming headphones for PC, in addition to the role of music headphones for the cellphone (I'm not an audiophile), thus increase comfort and saving money.

I can't see any insurmountable technical problem in producing good sound over RF, even with Bluetooth RF (2.1Mbit - ~200KB - that data rate should be more than enough to relay 320kbps MP3 data). What else do you need? Good micro-sized speakers and all the other stuff to make those speakers work? It's the 21st century, I'm sure they have solved it by now...

People I trust (and they happen to be audiophiles, the poor lads), told me from their own experience that there's good sound with BT headphones (PHILIPS SHB9100, Sony MDR10RBT, Parrot Zik and some other studio BT headphones that come with really strong speakers), even without APTX. It's NOT super amazing sound, but most people probably won't notice.

And about what makes things expansive, the main thing for that on this planet, the physical constant of upping prices is: MARKETING.

And it works 24/7/365 so you'll always feel justified for paying more. That it is logical to pay more in-order to get more.

Look at your cellphone. It has a ton of capabilities, some of these cellphones can really replace a laptop, and yet it costs maybe 400$ (like many "premium*" headphones out there). And 2 years from now it will cost 150-200$, and the store will still have nice profit.

And that's just one example in our world.

*Premium, like the word luxury, is one of the most used words in marketing, when marketing people want to give a sense of prestige to a regular product.

So I'm sure that somewhere out there, are a pair of BT headphones that can fit the role, without shedding 400$ for it.

In your situation I would buy two sets of headphones, one decent wired set for at home use and a second portable wireless set for on the go. I can't imagine wanting to walk around in full sized headphones anyway.

Since I promised, here are the rest of the headphones that I checked and didn't match the spec:

(Sorry for the late post, had troubles with the computer)

Harman Kardon BT - - - NO

http://www.harmankardon.com/estore/hk/us/products/BT/HARKAR-BT_HK_US

3.5mm – with functionality loss when connected, over-ear, semi-fold, media controls, built-in mic, APTX, non-standard USB charger cable (if lost, you’re doomed), carrying case, BT2.1+EDR, 250$

Sony MDR-1R - - - NOOOO

http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-1r

~500$..... No APTX, over-ear, 3.5mm, semi-fold, carry cloth bag, ah **** it, NEXT!!!!!!!!

Nokia Purity Pro by Monster - - - NO

http://www.puritybymonster.com/#page_home

3.5mm with full functionality only on Windows phones, APTX, Full fold, Over-ear, no clear specs at Monster, Built-in mic, BT3.0 (Nokia website), battery cue. ~250$

Parrot Zik - - - NOO

http://www.parrot.com/zik/usa/

3.5mm, media controls (touch), over-ear, the most horrible website I’ve ever seen – WHAT ARE THE SPECS??????

Monster DNA Pro Wireless Headphones - - - Theoretically fits except the awful price..

http://www.monsterproducts.com/headphones/dna/dna-over-ear.asp#128429-00

~450$, Over ear, APTX (and AAC for apple), announced in 1-2014, any yet no data on them at the manufacturers website LOL… But monster claims will be able to play via USB too (with simultaneous charging). At that price still not worth it.

http://www.slashgear.com/monster-dna-pro-wireless-headphones-have-bluetooth-and-active-noise-cancellation-07311922/

Samsung Level Over Headphones - - - NO

http://www.samsung.com/uk/news/local/samsung-launches-level-a-new-series-of-premium-mobile-audio-products

~350$... over ear, APTX, 3.5mm with remote, touch media controls, built-in mic, BT3.0,

TTesports SYBARIS - - - - Who knows?

http://www.ttesports.com/productPage.aspx?p=125&g=ftr#.U5yLKM4W1p0

140$, BT4.0 , APTX, 3.5mm + modular external mic, claims media controls but I can’t see them on the headphone, over-ear, can’t see if it also has built-in mic but almost certainly yes, probably can relay sound over USB but TT doesn't say.

So that's it. Will send mail to TT about the sound over USB and report back to you all.

If yes, than we have a winner of the best overall BT headphone for 2014.

That's your opinion.

BTW the media controls are just power on/off and volume up and down bottons:

But yes, it's pretty nice headset for it's price.

OK, TTesports never answered back, so we can forget about the Sybaris.
NO SOUND OVER USB...

Besides that, 2 remarks about the Sybaris.

1) Apparently they are one of the few headsets that use the lossless type of aptx codec!! Yes:

"AptX lossless support allows for lossless streaming of music, making no compromises in quality – the SYBARIS sounds just as good wired or wireless." From the website...

Weird, because at the video above, the marketing dude basically says that it is actually the lossy codec..

2) The Sybaris website claims Skip track ability with the media controls, same as with the dude in the video, so PredatorRules, if you wondered what happened to the skip track, there you go.

BUT WHO CARES? They don't answer so puck it.

What's the best bluetooth over-ear headphones / headset in June 2014? The one with most features along with the smallest price tag?

Gee, I don't know, they all seem like shit, with a smartphone price tag on top. The closest ones are:

1) Creative Hitz WP380 - 120$

2) Air-Fi Matrix2 AF62 - 150$

3) Harman Kardon BT - 250$

4) Nokia Purity Pro by Monster - 250$

Yeah, Kraken was right, no good bluetooth headphones yet.

I didn't read the whole thread but what about these.

Roccat Kave XTD 5.1

@MdBrOtha04:

The Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 is a nice headset, but does not belong here for the following reason:

It is a wired headset, that is connected to a remote, and the BT part is only in the remote...

If it was a wireless BT headset (with APTX), with a detachable microphone, media controls and so forth, it would have entered the list and might have even won.

I should have stressed it more at the beginning:

THE REQUIRED HEADSET MUST BE WIRELESS. Because I wanted to take it with me on the street, without wires tangling with my hand. This should explain everything to you, about this thread.

Another thing about the finalists, and my final decision:

1) The Creative Hitz WP380 and the Air-Fi Matrix2, are On-ear / practically on-ear headsets, but because I was tired from the research, I didn't notice. Sorry.

2) I pondered between the Nokia purity and the Creative Evo wireless Zx, and because I want to check the virtual surround by myself, I'm buying the Evo. But If gaming is less important to you, or you don't mind using the virtual surround effect of the motherboard, or the in-game program, then go for the Nokia ( or the Matrix2 if you have extremely small ears (children)).

Good luck.

If you're into more of a gamer go with the Creative, if not go with the Nokia.

Bare in mind because they're wireless they'll weight more so if you love to listen to a music for a long time or just game in long sessions or whatever basically sit all day with a headphones - you'll feel uncomfortable with them.

Almost 3 weeks with the Creative Evo Wireless ZX.

1) It feels VERY fragile. I have to treat it like a baby all the time, in fear that one wrong move or touch will brake it.

2) Some parts look quite cheap for this price (118$).

3) The headphones are very slippery; I have to put them at an exact angle to prevent them from falling when I move my head to look down or up.

4) They're not exactly over-ear but not on-ear. Something In the middle. Either that, or they were designed as an over-ear for children. Bottom line, for grown-ups they're uncomfortable on the ears. It hurts a lot on the ears after an hour or so.

5) They have two holes (covered with metal / plastic net) on the right ear-cup, which I guess are the microphones, but when you walk outside and there's some wind, air will enter those holes and will make an extremely annoying sound inside the ear-cup. If you cover the holes, you will lose the ability to talk with the headset. No one will hear you..

6) They sound OK most of the time, but provide too much bass. And if that is not enough, when you push the SBX button, it pumps up the bass... It's like they were design to meet some fashion trend, and not some audio standard. Using the software on PC and cellphone you can change that, but then they sound between OK to crap. On my android, the regular player with its EQ gave mostly the same result so I removed the software to save sys-mem.

7) The virtual surround, in game, is no different in these headphones then in regular 10 year old stereo headphones I have. It's in game software... So any headphones can be used for that purpose (and most mother boards come with sound chips that have the ability to do virtual surround.

8) If all this bad design was not enough, its USB socket demands extreme force to insert the cable. It changed a bit in the last days, but it was like that for 2 weeks since I got them.
At first, I didn't understand why the cable didn't go all the way in, and though, well maybe that's how it is built. But then I realized it doesn't charge, and found out that without huge force, the cable only goes half way and doesn't lock in.

9) This problem with the cable means that many people will connect the headphones to a computer and will not understand why the driver doesn't find the headphones. So check the cable and try not to break the socket. I notified Creative on the problem, they say their engineers will check it.

Bottom line: I wouldn't buy them If I could go back in time.