Recommended Bluetooth Headset - List?

[NathalieM]

Hi peeps,

This topic is covered here & there but a bit random on where to find it - while searching for it, several discussion threads come up. If it's ok, I'd like to open this thread as a go-to reference point.

Anyone using a Bluetooth headset, could you please list your preference(s) and your reason? I just checked on Apple website and wondered if it would be a good choice - it's a bit cheaper than others that are discussed: https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/product/MX432LL/A/beats-solo3-wireless-headphones-the-beats-icon-collection-matte-black (note, it's Canadian site but you can switch to your country of choice).

I'd love to hear your feedback!

[Mary Beth]

@NathalieM

great idea!

 

The thing that is important is the size, shape and comfort of the around the ear headphones earcups.  The Sonnet 2 has to fit comfortably inside.

 

My favorite is BOSE QC35 (there are newer BOSE QC models now which others use with Sonnet processors and love).  I love them for sound quality, comfort, battery life, ease of use and the included cable for wired hookup when desired.

[Mary Beth]

Tagging some members who use/have used BT headphones with Sonnets

@Kylie

@Tim

@Lauren

@Jared Charney

@Roy

@John R

@MallaRuth

@Justin

[Lauren]

I also use Bose QC 35. They’re very comfortable.

I don’t have the new MAX battery but I wear the (slightly) longer AudioStream cover all the time and  it barely fits into the cup so I doubt the even longer MAX battery and cover would fit into the headphone cups of this particular brand/model. 

[Alexandra Roberts]

I'm curious as to the benefits of wearing a Bluetooth headset vs. streaming directly to Sonnet or Rondo if anyone can share.

[Tim]

I have three BT headsets and have tried 2 from members. All of which I purchased before getting my CI in January. 

My Jabra headset sits on the ear instead of over the ear and doesn't work at all with the Sonnet 2.  I have a cheap pair of off-name headphones from Amazon that I use outdoors for yardwork.  Don't want to risk the good pair in drizzle or yardwork bumps & dust.  It has a smaller earcup than my Sony's but my Sonnet 2 fits okay with the regular battery and case (rounded smaller one).  My son has a Sony mid-range headset that he likes using.

From an earlier thread there was discussion of earcup size.  That seems like the critical factor.  I tried searching for my spreadsheet where I was trying to start keeping track of some different models but couldn't find it.

The biggest earcup and best of what I have access to is the Sony XM5. It is a direct competitor to the Bose QC series. The earcup sizes were very similar for the two so I think they should work about equally well.

I think my Wife's Beats headphone's earcups were smaller than my Sony (and therefore Bose.) 

I would try to assess before investing.  I think the Airpods Max headphones have bigger earcups than the Sony or Bose but are even more expensive. 

There is also some headset out there with massive earcups but it is more of an audiophile headset with a crazy high price. 

@Alexandra Roberts As to why I use headphones over my Sonnet, there are several use cases/benefits:

• Much better and more reliable BT streaming.  (Works with all BT devices, retains connections reliably).
• As an SSD user, the audio quality is much better making everything more pleasant.
• I can use the high noise cancelling which is great on planes, trains, etc.
• I can use the great built-in microphones for phone calls.  The Sony (and probably Bose) has 8 microphones to do all of kinds of digital signal processing for noise cancellation and audio quality of my voice on calls.  (Our Sonnet 2 has 2 microphones and users of Omni setting are effectively only using one microphone I think!)
• For rehab purposes, I can set the audio balance as 95% to the CI; 5% to my good ear or similar.  Gives "hints" to my CI side for what things should sound like, makes it possible to audiobooks much faster, etc.)
• Great battery life - extends battery life of the Sonnet to not be doing BT streaming.

I could envision some benefits for people with 2 CIs or a CI and a hearing aid such as reducing complexity of connection, time lag, etc. but I can't attest to any of that.

One tip that might help when using the Sonnet under headphones is to use a "bare program" that has Omni mic setting and all smart processing turned off.  (No AI, no TNR, no WNR, etc.  Otherwise the Sonnet 2 may try to overthink or overprocess the unusual setting of being under headphones.

I would not try using my Max battery & case under the Sony XM5.  Doesn't really fit.  Audiostream case doesn't fit well and is pretty much unnecessary. 

In summary, I think the Sony XM5 and Bose QC series are safe bets for good use.  There are likely other good options, maybe some that are ever bigger and would work even better over Sonnet 2's such as the Apple Max but I haven't take a ruler to an Apple store yet. 

Good headphones are expensive but still cheap compared to everything that we are putting into our CI efforts.  At least there are good sales with the holiday season. 

 

 

 

[Mary Beth]

@Alexandra Roberts

For me, there are several benefits of using the BT around the ear headphones over direct streaming with AudioStream while using Sonnet/Sonnet 2 processors.

1) BT headphones connect to ALL BT devices (phone, computer, tablet, etc) and AudioStream only directly connects to phones/ tablets

2) BT headphones have a sidekick mic that picks up our voices for others to hear so they are truly hands free.  AudioStream still requires us to speak into our phone for others to hear us 

3) BT headphones have buttons which allow us to accept a call, pause music, hang up etc all hands free.  AudioStream requires us to still use our phones for those functions

4) BT headphones have noise reduction (although it does not work as efficiently for CI users due to the position of our microphone not being where the headphones target).  AudioStream mixes sound from streaming and our environment at 50/50 mix 

5) BT headphones are extremely reliable.  AudioStream tends to have connectivity issues at unexpected times

6) BT headphones continue to work well and last for many many years.  Many AudioStream users have needed to replace their AudioStreams under warranty (some more than once).

7) Cost.  Bilateral CI users need 2 AudioStreams which end up costing more than double what a top quality around the ear headphone costs

8.  BT headphones can be enjoyed by all members of the household and some allow shared audio streaming so two people using BT headphones can both listen to the same streamed movie.  AudioStream is only for Sonnet/Sonnet2 users and there is no way to share audio with others 

9) BT headphones deliver audio to more set ups: (2 CIs, 1 CI + 1 HA,  1 CI +  a typical hearing ear).  AudioStream only works with Med-El Sonnet/Sonnet2.

10) BT headphones do not impact battery life of the Sonnet/Sonnet2.  AudioStream drains the Sonnet/Sonnet2 battery

11) Some BT headphones come with an optional cable to plug into headphone jacks (for use on planes to access their movie selection),  AudioStream has no cable version.

 

AudioStream has excellent sound quality for phone/tablets and there are many happy AudioStream users.

 

[Mary Beth]

Oh I forgot to mention…. 
 

I do not recommend using over the ear BT headphones with Rondo 3.  For me, it’s impossible to keep them in place correctly as I move around.  For Rondo 3, I recommend flat stereo headbands

I have:

CozyPhones- cabled option to headphone jack

and

CozyBand- BT option (no cables)

 

@Alexandra Roberts

 

[Alexandra Roberts]

@Mary Beth You read my mind on wondering about the Rondo3 and headphones!

I have found streaming directly to my CI (AudioLink and AudioStream) gives me magical clarity versus natural sound. Thus, I was really curious about the reasons for headphone preferences. I might have to try one of the CozyBands/Phones with my Rondos.

[Tim]

By the way, I see Sony WH-1000XM4 is down to a record low price of $228 in the US.  It is very good even though it was superceded by the WH-1000XM5  (or XM5 for short) that I use. 

As to Sony's high end models vs. their equivalent Bose QC series, I'm sure that I would have been equally happy with respect to the CI and use over the Sonnet. 

Subtle distinctions such as comfort, quality of microphones for zoom meeting, effectiveness of noise cancelling, battery life, audio codecs, foldability for transportation are similar but might drive towards one model or another for demanding users.  https://www.soundguys.com/ is a great resource for those wanting to go into great detail.

I wish that headphone companies listed earcup size in their specs.  That is more important to me and probably other Sonnet 2 users than a 10% difference in battery life for headphones.  I also wish that the high end headphones had IP ratings for moisture and dust resistance.

Most of the vendors have some form of a helper app on the phone.  I haven't found one that does a nice job making audio balance (left vs. right) easy to change.

 

 

 

 

[Lauren]

For the comments on hearing aids, for those who are bimodal over the ear headphones aren’t a good fit. Hearing aids will be squealing away as long as the cups are over the mics. Also not recommended for those using Sonnet 2 EAS as the hearing aid component will also be squealing away. I tried it when bimodal and also using EAS and put it away until I went bilateral and was no longer using EAS. No interference (squealing) with just CIs. 

As for my use of headphones, only in situations where I don’t want to drain processor batteries or would want some degree of noise cancelling as AudioStream doesn’t currently have any way of reducing the microphones without trying to make a special map. 

[NathalieM]

Thank you SO much for all these feedback! This is exactly what I was looking for and so helpful!

Now that I'm bilateral, I can see the benefits of having BT headphones whereas all these years of wearing hearing aids, I never saw the point of using it for exactly the reason Lauren mentions.

[Mary Beth]

I actually fell in love with BOSE QC2 way back when I was a HA user because they did not make my HA squeal.  I had gone into a BOSE shop and tested out the headphones with my HA until I found one that did not cause the dreaded squealing.

Everyone’s experience with this will vary.  But I was a happy BOSE QC2 user with my HA and also during the 8 months when I was 1 CI + 1 HA.

If there is anyway for you to test out headphones before purchasing, that may help a lot.

[John R]

@Mary Beth  @NathalieM @Tim

STOP THE PRESS !!

This week I got to use hands on and experience Auracast This technology is going to be a game changer. 
I will be releasing a VLOG on it shortly, (Yes Mary Beth I know its over due, as is my absence from this forum) No Lag, 
BT6 soon (hopefully all new processors moving forward) will be Auracast and the issues of streaming and devices and the dreaded need of so many choices and options will be gone. 

In the Interim I use Audeara as a headphone and I own / tried pretty much all of them. 
The key difference to Audeara is the ability to actually enter your Audiogram into the design. so Left ear to Right ear is Eq'd as per your actual hearing loss or Map. 

all of Mary Beths points above a very accurate the reasons so many people like BOSE is the way they are Equalised in the industry we always joke, "No Highs, No Lows, it must be BOSE" they focus on the main centre of the Audio spectrum not the full dynamics and clarity that you get with fidelity products. 

That narrow window we would refer to as the Speech Banana in our Audiogram. and that is where we (those with Hearing Loss) need it and lack the most.

I suspect that is why Tim would prefer his Sony's. they will have a sweeter high frequency range and are typically more bass heavy. 

Audeara I know are working on a larger cup model for processor friendly applications, the headphones I wore on Tuesday for testing and using Auracast were cleverly "UnBranded" I tried to find out LOL.

Auracast will eventually replace all hearing loops, all streaming devices, it will be built into TV's Computers, the current goal is to have it installed in every International Airport before the end of 2025. All major cinemas etc. 

The HA and CI Manufacturers will not be putting to much more effort into streaming devices in the future as Auracast and BT6 are where things are headed.

My apologies for this really fast and brief response, I have a lot to catch up on, and popped in due to the tag. Please feel free to direct specific questions to me if you wish.
If you all see any need or want to have a group video chat over Google Meet some time soon I can be available to host a call.

Cheers 

JR

 

 

[Mary Beth]

@John R

so great to see you here again.  I have been closely following AuraCast and would love to chat about your experience trialing it.

 

Any chance you can stay up late and join in our January GoogleMeet?  I would put you first on the agenda as soon as the meeting opens.  We have a lot of members already signed up for it.

 

If not, I will do my best to join in a different GoogleMeet that you host at a day/time more convenient for you.

AuraCast will level the playing field between all CI brands on the issue of connectivity and all three brands are in the SIG guiding this development.  I can’t wait!

 

 

[John R]

7 minutes ago, Mary Beth said:

Any chance you can stay up late and join in our January GoogleMeet?  I would put you first on the agenda

@Mary Beth Tag me, add me, and lets do something

[Tim]

@John R Thanks for joining the conversation.  Great to have a real pro and I love your videos/delivery.  I do a lot of videos for class and appreciate how nicely you do your vlogs.  I wish my videos were even half as good. 

Quote

I suspect that is why Tim would prefer his Sony's. they will have a sweeter high frequency range and are typically more bass heavy. 

My days of being picky about that ended over 15 years ago with hearing loss in an ear.  A key tie breaker for me, in part, was the better microphone noise cancelling to use for Zoom meetings during Covid times.  They are both great and it is hair splitting now to tell them apart. 

I had not heard about Audeara before.  Seems like a unique differentiator that it is actively marketed to CI users.  From what you said, perhaps I'll get another pair in a year or two. 

 

[John R]

4 hours ago, Tim said:

perhaps I'll get another pair in a year or two. 

@Tim Good question and topic for Jan 7 😉
If you ever need Video help I have a lot to learn but happy to help with what I know.. Hopefully an episode will pop up before we meet on Jan 7..

Thanks for the support regarding my VLOG its always a work in progress. 

 

[Tim]

I know the topic thread is Bluetooth Headphones but I'm participating as a subject in a CI lab's research study and they sent me an inexpensive pair of wired headphones that they recommend for keeping test conditions similar. The Koss UR20 headphones are interesting for several reasons.

• They have the largest earcup I've seen in person - much bigger than my Sony XM5 or the similar Bose QC headphones. 2.75" in height and 2.25" in width.  My Sony is about 2.4" high and 1.675 wide. 
• It is more flexible/twistable than my other headphones.  A little awkward but usable with my Rondo 3.  
• There are inexpensive replacement earpads available. 
• Long 8' cord and adapter for 1/8" in to 1/4 plug.
• Low price of $20 or $25.

Again, nothing fancy and certainly not Bluetooth. 

I'm sure audiophiles like my younger self would not like it but as a CI user, audio fidelity loss from the headphones pales in comparison to the CI. 

Spent a couple hours using the headphones for zoom and audio testing.