Not everyone wants to wear earplugs when listening to music on the train or on the walk. Some people simply find it inconvenient to have something that goes into the ear canal. Others think that the significantly larger elements give a much better sound for the money. But you still want the headphones to fit in your bag, and no one can handle wires anymore. Then wireless “street headphones” are perfect for the purpose.
Last year we tested headphones in the mid-price range, which give a really good sound without them being very expensive. But not everyone wants to spend thousands of dollars, or one may be afraid that they will break or be stolen. Therefore, this year we go down in the budget class, where we stay in the area of 500-1000 kroner. You still get the benefits of format and freedom.
What do you not get?
Most of the headphones in the test only support “SBC”, which is the default code for audio over Bluetooth. Better sound quality like AAC is more unusual, and none of them support the even better aptX format.
You can not expect any special features either. Whether it’s noise reduction to make the trip more comfortable, or location tracking that is becoming more common among the more expensive headphones.
It also results in none of them having any smartphone app. There you can otherwise update the software in the headphones. But above all, one should have access to the equalizer to adjust the sound.
The battery life in the test is on average 20 hours, which is no longer so impressive. More expensive headphones now last up to 30 hours, thanks to more power-efficient circuits.
Most of the headphones use micro-USB charging, an old standard that has been replaced by USB-C in modern mobile phones. This means not only that you must have two different chargers, but also that the headphones cannot be quickly charged.
If there are compromises that feel reasonable, this is the test for you.