Bluetooth headphones, once again

Some time ago I wrote some thoughts on bluetooth headphones for phones.

I've gained a bit more experience since so I think it's time for an update.

I actually use several bluetooth headphones and/or hands free-sets;

- Ancient Jabra BT620s. Old (one might say "ancient", technology-wise) but still work nicely. These I use mostly in office when I am anticipating a long call or when I want to use both hands when in phone.
On minus side, they're fairly large yet they offer almost no external noise reduction, so I can't really use them when biking, lawn mowing or anything. The worst part of them is stupidly bright flashing blue light that apparently can't be turned off. Since that makes me feel like I'm having big flashing "look at me!" sign on my head, I very rarely use them in public. They do look a bit stupid even without the light, but then again, I am not a fan of this kind of "on the ear" headphone design anyway.
Battery life is pretty good, I don't think I've even ran out, but then again, due to the appreance issues I don't really use them that much.

-Car 1 handsfree (2011 model, factory option Blaupunkt radio). This actually works damn well. Only problem is annoyingly loud "connect"/"disconnect" sounds when getting in or out of the car, but that is just minor issue for otherwise well working system. Damn steering wheel in that car has more issues than the bluetooth setup! (fortunately it's just radio/phone buttons on steering wheel sometimes refuse to work until car has been power cycled, and not main functions of steering wheel)

-Car 2 handsfree (Pioneer aftermarket set.)  For phone use it's okay, main shortcoming being mostly the microphone that doesn't seem to be very sensitive. When trying to listen audio (podcasts, music etc - non-phone usage) from phone sometimes doesn't come through, and only way to fix this is to power cycle entire car (turning just radio off with power button isn't enough). Kinda weird that hands free doesn't seem to be affected by this issue.

-Previously mentioned Procaster BT-01 unit. In general it works quite well, and the main issue I have with it is that when the "battery empty" indication sounds, there really is maybe a minute left, making that warning pretty much useless. Since I'm primarily using them along with hearing protectors when doing noisy work, I'm seriously considering next hearing protectors to be ones with built-in bluetooth.

-Philips SHB5900 earbuds. In essence, earbuds connected by wire (that goes behind your neck) that has control and battery bulges in it. For what should be quality brand these are real disappointment. Battery/control pods are large and heavy enough so that they get caught on shirt collar, or pull earbuds off just with their weight so I have to be constantly re-seating the buds in my ears (granted, this happens more or less with all earbuds so my ears might not be best for them).
The bluetooth connectivity is pretty bad too. For some reason whenever I look directly left the audio completely drops out. Looking right isn't an issue. Where the phone is (right pocket, left pocket, backbag) doesn't seem to matter. Pretty annoying when biking.


Now, in general, the battery usage is the main issue. Smaller units (BT-01 and SHB5900) have some 4 hours battery life, some units even less. Depending on your usage that might not even last a full day (I certainly run out of battery way too often when doing some light work outside.)  While charging is relatively fast, it's still annoying if you have to do it constantly. Not that many people listen anything for entire day but some certainly do. And if you forget to charge the battery, next time you might have maybe hour left. This has happened to me many times, especially with BT-01, due to its longer nominal (possibly 6-ish hours) life. "I used it for just two hours, no need to charge" .. except that I didn't charge it last time either, and now there's less than hour left.

The second issue is actual connectivity. Philips is supposed to be one of the better brands but in this regard it sucks with audio constantly being interrupted momentarily. BT-01 seems to have somewhat better radio but even it staggers occasionally. Jabra - surprisingly, considering its age - seems to be best in this regard, I have only very rarely noticed any breaks in audio.
Car units don't seem to have this problem (maybe because phone and radio don't really move related to each other so link is more stable).


Then there is the audio quality with all kinds of codec combinations which I can pretty much ignore. When using these I'm pretty much never in situation that could be described "quiet listening" so slight degradation in audio quality is absolutely no issue. And I'm listening mostly podcasts and such anyway where quality loss isn't that noticeable.

On plus side, lack of wire is a good thing, especially when working. Until you run out of battery. Sometimes several times a day.

All in all, my verdict:
If you are what I'd call a serious listener (or even audiophile), there is no usable wireless headphone set. Quality loss and interruptions in audio are absolute no no.

For a physical worker - get rid of wires, now, and get a headphone set with big battery. Lack of wires that just get on your way is definite improvement.

For light use - occasional listening - wireless earphones are okay, but then there is the issue of keeping them charged. Forget once and suddenly you can't listen anything the next time. Depending on your habits the trade-off might be worth the risk.

And just to poke at this specific beehive;

Should you get a device that lacks headphone plug? That's easy: absolutely not. I feel that the cost introduced by headphone batteries, connectivity issues and audio quality is far too great for losing option of using any commonly available wired set. Wireless as an option is great. As an only option? Just no. (and no, converters/dongles in this context only add one fragile extra component to the mix. Connectors are already the weakest link (both proverbially and literally) and you want to add two more to the chain? Come on now.)