Re: Reliable bluetooth headphones/earpods?

Andy H <thewildrover@icloud.com> wrote:

On 07/07/2024 18:51:03, Chris wrote:

Tyrone <none@none.none> wrote:

On Jul 7, 2024 at 7:33:22 AM EDT, "Chris" <ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:
 

I've been fighting for most of the morning to keep my earpods connected to
my phone for more than 5 minutes - not an exaggeration - and am now
contemplating new ones.
 
Anyone have recommendations of reliable BT - and I mean rock solid
reliability - headphones/earpods? I mostly use them with my iphone while
commuting, travelling and gardening for mostly music, but also on
teams/zoom calls on my mac. I need them to be small and portable.

 
How strange. I have been through a similar rabbit hole myself lately.
 
I think looking at BT5.0> is the way to go.
 
I have a pair of Tribit XFree Go that actually sound OK, and have been
stable once connected. They can be a bit tricky with some connections
thought, and have a habit of locking up.
 
Apparently Sennheisers can be a bit tricky with getting a reliable
connection too.
 

I've never had problems with Sony. I have several over-ear headphones (from
cheap to expensive) and in-ear buds. All work just fine and sound great.
 
None have ever failed. Not to say that Sony headphones are indestructible.
Just reporting my experience.

 
Thanks. Others elsewhere have also mentioned Sony. Added to the shortlist.

 
Yes, the Sony's seem to get quite good reviews (even the CH720 and CH520
at the lower end). Also check out the Anker Soundcore stuff, they get
rave reviews (mostly of the 'bang-for-buck' kind of rating though).
 

The main problem with over-ear headphones is
that the foam pads eventually fall apart. Some can be replaced, some can't.

 
I have an old pair of Grado SR60, pads are readily available for those
(the SR 80 pads also fit, and are reputed to improve sound a bit)
 

Yep. Have some AKGs that I love but one ear has fallen apart. I bought a
pair of Austrian Audio to replace them which are very good, but a bit on
the bright side.

 
I also have the AKG K92, and also find them a little brighter on the
sound (pads also readily available).
 
Seems that there's a lot of choice, but if your looking for a decent
sound above the other features, perhaps also look at the Audio Technica
models, especially the ATH-M50xBT.
 
I really wanted the Grado GW100X, but sadly a bit out of my budget range.
 
I ended up getting a pair of Marshal Major IV, as they were a better fit
with my budget, and seems to tick more boxes on priorities - likewise,
I'm not interested in ANC and fancy stuff, just a decent sound an
reliable connection. They're quite comfy too, and can be connected by
wire if preferred,
 
These sound just fine to me, not far of the Grado SR60s. There is also
the Major V out now too, but I think the difference is minimal for the
cost difference (£139 vs £80).
 
From what I can gather the Audio Technica and the Marshall are the only
two I could find that gave decent sound quality rather than a bunch of
daft features for the money.

All great suggestions, but a bit bulky for my current use case. May have
another look at on/over ears in a while as I'm revisiting my music
listening options.