If you want to get comprehensive coverage of tech and gadgets then subscribe to Theaustralian newspaper which still has one of the best Technology sections after 35 years. <snip> The best wireless headphones, besides AirPods Five totally wireless headphones stood out. Clockwise from top left, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless, which did well across the board; the Beats Powerbeats Pro, the best overall option; the Master and Dynamic MW07, which excels on sound quality; Apple’s AirPods, the comfiest pair; and the Samsung Galaxy Buds, which offer Samsung phone owners super-simple connections and handy extra features. Picture: The Wall Street Journal 5:19PM MAY 13, 2019 A good pair of headphones is one of modern life’s most useful accessories. They drown out the din of the open office and the commotion of everyday life — and tell others to leave you alone. They pipe in all the podcasts and audiobooks the internet can deliver. And they help turn your Spotify account into an always-on soundtrack to your entire life. If you just want headphones for listening to music, look into a pair of noise-cancelling cans. But for a broader array of everyday purposes (and yes, a little music as well), there’s the new kind of completely wireless headphones, with two separate buds you put into your ears and nary a cable in sight. You likely know them as AirPods, but this world is big enough for more than just AirPods. These buds are designed to be worn for hours at a time, and are concerned less with audio fidelity than with making sure Siri, Google Assistant or whatever virtual helper you use is always within earshot. Now that we communicate through Instagram stories and FaceTime chats, these earbuds also help keep your listening private. These “truly” (or “totally”) wireless headphones, as they’re often called, do more than play music. They bring the internet into your ears. Apple’s $249 buds are the most popular, even though they look like you’ve got toothbrush heads sticking out of your ears. Over the past few months, I’ve tested more than a dozen other pairs, including a few I like even more. I’ve also discovered that with the right pair of headphones, I can accomplish all sorts of simple tasks without ever looking at my phone — and then go straight back to jamming to Taylor Swift. My new favourite computer is the one in my ears. Try this on for size The earbuds I’ve been testing range in price from $159 (Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Neo) to $549 (Master & Dynamic’s MW07), but they have most things in common. They all have two separate buds connected wirelessly to your phone and to each other. When you’re wearing your buds, you can tap to change songs or access Siri. Their batteries typically last between four and five hours. When you’re not using them, the buds go back in a battery case, which provides a few extra charges. Truly wireless headphones come in virtually every shape and size. Test before you buy to see how they work in your ears, and try all the available silicone or foam tips to see what feels best. Truly wirelesse basic categories of wireless earbuds, which I’ve taken the liberty of naming: • Danglers: The AirPod-style headphones that rest on your ears rather than wedging into them. • Crammers: Ones with tips made of foam or silicone that you actually shove into your ear canals. • Hangers: Ones that drape a support over the top of your ear to keep everything in place. All three have their uses: The Danglers tend to be most comfortable, the Crammers tend to sound best, and the Hangers tend to be most secure when you’re running or jumping around. The most important feature of a headphone is the way it fits, and everyone’s ears are slightly different. You ought to put on a pair of earbuds before you buy it, to make sure the fit is right — or at least check the return policy. Many of the pairs I tested also come with several sizes of tips. Try every tip in the box to see what feels best: I found the smallest size nearly always felt best, because apparently I am Opposite Dumbo and have teeny-tiny ears. Once in your ear, a pair of wireless earbuds needs to do three things well: Sound good. Headphones are still for music, after all. There isn’t much sound-quality variance among the models I tested — they mostly range from “pretty bad” to “kinda OK.” With the Crammer style buds, putting the tip into your ear creates a seal that can make things sound better and deeper, and block out other sounds. I particularly liked the sound of the $130 Tivoli Go Fonico and those pricey Master & Dynamics. They can’t match up to larger, more powerful over-ear headphones, but they piped through cleaner, more dynamic audio than my other test subjects. Hear you talk. Siri and Google Assistant are no good if they can’t hear you, right? Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing part of my tests. No pair of headphones I tested could transmit my words with as much fidelity as holding my phone to my face. A number of them — the $239 Plantronics BackBeat Fit 3100, the $249 Earin M-2 and even the great-sounding Tivoli buds — were basically unusable for phone calls or chatting with Siri. Even the iPhone’s in-the-box wired headphones were better. Which passed the “good enough” test? Samsung’s $249 Galaxy Buds, the $299 Bose SoundSport Free and the $489 Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless all delivered solid noise-cancellation, and voices came through loud and clear(ish). Apple’s AirPods and the company’s new $349 Beats Powerbeats Pro also sound good, but picked up more background noise than some others. Work easily. You shouldn’t have to spend an hour getting your music going. This is where Apple really shines. Both the AirPods and the Powerbeats Pro are remarkably easy to pair to any other Apple device — and when you’ve connected your headphones the first time, they’re automatically paired to your other Apple devices. Even on Android phones, they seem to connect more seamlessly than most, and the feature that pauses your music whenever you take your headphones out works great on any phone. Samsung’s Galaxy Buds are the closest Android analog, but nobody matches Apple here. Apple now makes two wireless earbud options: AirPods, and the new Beats Powerbeats Pro. Overall, the Powerbeats Pro is my favourite pair of the bunch; they sound good and connect easily, and the Hanger style keeps the buds securely on my ears. They’re one of the more expensive options, though. Plus, the case is so stupidly large it’s like carrying a hockey puck in my pocket. Which I don’t ordinarily do. Samsung’s Galaxy Buds also offered a nice mix of easy connection, especially for Galaxy phone owners, and impressive audio and microphone quality. The Galaxy Buds and Powerbeats also will pair well with other Android phones such as Google’s Pixels, but without frills — they just work like any other Bluetooth headphones. If spending more than $100 on a pair of headphones seems crazy to you (which I totally understand), the Soundcore Liberty Neo pair look and sound better than their $60 price. Just be prepared for an older MicroUSB charger and shorter battery life (about three hours). And yes, silly as they look, Apple’s AirPods are still pretty great. There’s still a lot of work to do before ear-computers work everywhere for everyone — for one thing, they need a way to connect to those aeroplane TV screens. But simply by taking away the wires, headphones become something you can wear all the time. Just please, I beg you, take your headphones off before you try to talk to me. Don’t make me shout over Siri. The Wall Street Journal <snip>
