Wireless headphones are becoming the defacto standard for portable audio gear. There is no question about it. As cables lose their appeal, it's important to understand what kind of wireless headphone you would need. 


But first, let's look at how wireless headphones came about and how they evolved.

Background
In the past few years, wired headphones have been gradually losing their cables. Manufacturers have long been grappling with the questions on how to lose the wires while maintaining sound quality. Not just a decent sound but the sound profile that one would expect when listening through a cabled version. 

Wireless headphones - B&O BeoPlay H7

More than a decade ago, Bluetooth technology was developed. The first versions where primitive and standards were being established. Bluetooth 2.0 came about and by end-2005, the first products started supporting the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) transfer standard. This determined that high quality audio could be streamed from one Bluetooth device to another. With A2DP, it mandated that the SBC codec that supports up to a relatively decent 345 kbps data rate be used.

Wireless headphones - Bose Soundsport Wireless

Nokia came up with the HS-12W in 2006 and it really took a while (like about 5 years) for everyone to warm up. The audio manufacturers while initially slow, began to embrace A2DP. If you look at the top manufacturers by dollar sales in 2016, Bose joined in 2010, Beats in 2011 while Jaybird already embraced Bluetooth with its first product (JB100 Freedom) in 2007. And in mid-2016, we have now come to a point where Bluetooth headphones accounted for 54% of US sales in the category, beating non-Bluetooth for the first time.

Wireless headphones - Jaybird X2 Wireless

Why Buy Wireless Headphones?
Probably the most significant injection to boost the need for wireless headphones is Apple's landmark decision to remove the headphone jack from its iPhone. Yes, the iPhone 7 did away with the 3.5mm jack in 2016. And since Apple commands the biggest global smartphone marketshare of Q4 2016 (17.8%), we have come to a point where probably all major headphone manufacturers acknowledge that it is absolutely vital to churn out wireless headphones lest they stare at an abyss of sales in the coming years. Apple has the tendency to set trends (for example, removal of the floppy drive / CD drive) where the industry has grudgingly followed and the 3.5mm jack is no different.

Do you miss that 3.5mm jack?

How to Buy Wireless Headphones
And now we come to the point of the article. This is where we look at how to buy a pair of wireless headphones. After reviewing a ton of headphones over the past years, it is not so simplistic to say X headphone is the best, Y headphone is the worst. Such a frivolous assessment would be an insult to manufacturers who have put in effort to develop and position their headphones.

When every manufacturer floods you with different products and concepts, it complicates the buying process a little bit. With that, we look at certain considerations when assessing what pair of wireless headphones to get.

1. Types
There are loads of wireless headphone categories. Let's break them down:

i. Over-ear headphones:
Characteristics - Ear cushions fit around your ear
Example(s) - Master & Dynamic MW60, Sony MDR-1ABT

Over-ear headphones - Master & Dynamic MW60

ii. On-ear headphones 
Characteristics - Ear cushions sit on your ear
Example(s) - B&O BeoPlay H8, Beats Solo2 Wireless

On-ear headphones - B&O BeoPlay H8

iii. Neckband headphones 
Characteristics - Buds that sit around your neck collar
Example(s) - LG TONE series

iv. Sports in-ears 
Characteristics - Buds that are tuned for workouts and usually sweat-proof
Example(s) - UA Headphones, Jaybird Freedom

Sports wireless - UA Headphones, Sony NW413, LG TONE Active, Jaybird X2, Beats Powerbeats2

v. In-ears 
Characteristics - Buds for everyday use
Example(s) - Plantronics BackBeat GO 3, Klipsch R6 In-Ear Bluetooth

In-ear headphones - Plantronics BackBeat GO 3

vi. Truly wireless 
Characteristics - Just two buds. Absolutely cord-free
Example(s) - Samsung Gear IconX, Erato Apollo 7 

Truly wireless headphones - Samsung Gear IconX

2. Sound Quality
You want headphones that sound good. And yet, it may not be a primary consideration if you are a fashionista. If you are an audiophile, you may swear by cables but the truth is that top manufacturers are now pushing quality wireless headphone products consistently. Take a look at Sony or Klipsch. Sony even created their own LDAC codec that supposedly ups the ante on sound quality. Outside of Sony, the most common high quality codec used is aptX that promises CD-quality type audio. Manufacturers like Jaybird and Beats are quite content without aptX as they contend that users audio needs are sufficiently met for different reasons. For example, Jaybird is usually used for workouts so pristine sound quality is obviously not the priority when there are already so many environmental sounds. 

LDAC headphones - Sony MDR-1ABT

3. Fit
This is absolutely crucial if you want earphones for working out. You really don't want them slipping out of your ears while you're in the zone, sweating it out in the gym. It may surprise you but just because a manufacturer shows pictures of people jogging in the earphones, it does not necessarily mean they have a good fit. We reviewed quite a few wireless sports audio products. My experience is that Bose and certain Jaybirds have got this spot on. For those that don't, consider adding Comply Foam tips which can help greatly. Even with headphones that you put over-ear or on-ear, you will need to consider - how much clamping force is there on your ears (even more so if you wear glasses)? 

Read - Wireless Sports Audio series

Wireless sports headphones - Jaybird X3 Wireless

4. Battery Life
All headphones last for different durations. Headphones generally have a bigger profile and can accommodate bigger batteries and hence last longer. The average is about 20 hours. For sports earphones, we're looking at a range of 4 to 10 hours where the average is around 8 hours. Neckband headphones are around 10 hours. Our recommendation? Well, the obvious is to get one that lasts as long as possible.

Wireless headphones - Klipsch R6 In-Ear Bluetooth

5. Style
The priority of someone who may want a headphone as an accessory and why not? Beats in itself is single handedly eating up the headphone marketshare with its branding and making sure that it sells truckloads of it 'cos they/ are used by top tier athletes. Even celebrities lap them up, likely 'cos Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine are passing truckloads to them. Superficial factor? Maybe. A factor to consider? Certainly.

Wireless headphones - Beats Solo3 Wireless

6. Weight
You don't want a pair of headphones to weigh you down. On the contrary. When you listen for extended durations, you want comfort for your ears (and head). How much pressure is there exerted by the headband on your head? You may not notice straight away so you will likely need to try headphones for periods of 10 minutes or more to fully appreciate if there be some discomfort. If you can't wait, do check the specs. Headphones in excess of 300 grams may cause discomfort but again, it depends on how a manufacturer handles the weight distribution.

Wireless headphones - Sennheiser PXC 550

7. Noise Canceling
If you travel loads, active noise canceling (ANC) headphones are they way to go. We previously reviewed and compared 3 noise-canceling in-ears. Common questions arose. Was there a switch to power the ANC? What about the noise canceling intensity? It can differ quite a bit depending on the tuning of each ANC headphone so it's recommended to try each of them in a noisy environment. If you want to go a step further, you can even control how much ambient sound you want to let into your listening experience. This is great for safety reasons eg. crossing the road. 

Read - Noise Canceling Immersion series

Active noise canceling (ANC) headphones - Bose QC35

Summary
To cut the long story short, let's recap the 7 points that determine what you would look at when buying a wireless pair of headphones:

1. Headphone type
2. Sound quality
3. Fit
4. Battery life
5. Style
6. Weight
7. Noise canceling

All that said, it's actually recommended you assess what are your priorities when purchasing a pair of headphones / earphones. It may be one or two of the above factors but it certainly cannot be all of them. And there some really good choices at your disposal.

Everyone's considerations are different and knowing what you want will really make a big difference in your headphone experience.

Feel free to drop me a note should you need any help!

We took a first look at the B&O BeoPlay H5 earlier this month to see what made these earbuds so special. These are B&O Play's very first wireless in-ears. They will go for SGD 379 from 31 July 2016 in Singapore. And yes, we got our paws on a review unit. Let's check these out.

Credit - B&O Play

Pros (+): Stylish design; Good treble clarity; Secure magnetic latching; Hassle-free charging; Useful Beoplay app.
Cons (-): Short battery life; Lack of voice prompts; Fit could be improved.
Unboxing
There are 2 color variants - Dusty Rose and Black. 
Guess what unit we received :)

Nope, we did not receive the Black one.  Credit - B&O Play

The packaging is typical B&O Play - a squarish and very sturdily built grey box that takes some effort in popping open.

With the top lid off, the BeoPlay H5 buds lie on a solid foam layer with 2 tabs at each side.

Pulling away this layer, you get access to the nicely wrapped up cables from both the earbuds and the charge cube (you'll find out the reason for the name shortly). And then, there's a thin cardboard with a tab that invites us to pull it up.

We spill out the packaging contents for a stock take:

• B&O BeoPlay H5 earbuds
• Charge cube and cable
• 4 x Silicon buds (XS /S /M /L)
• 3 x Comply Foam Sport with SweatGuard buds (S /M /L)
• 3 x Cable clips
• Carrying pouch
• User Guide

Design
The B&O BeoPlay H5 immediately catches your eye with its cable. That's right. It's made of a material commonly found in shoes (braided textile apparently) and it's a pleasant change from the computer-like cables most folks are accustomed for portable audio gear.

Once around your neck, you can actually magnetically latch the left and right buds together to power off the H5 and have a little more assurance that the earphones don't come off when walking. 

The helluva good looking Jakob Wagner-designed buds weigh 18g, comparable to other wireless Bluetooth earphones in the market like the Bose SoundSport Wireless (22g) and Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 (19g).

The carrying pouch is similar to the BeoPlay H3 ANC's where there's an inner layer within for cable / extra bud storage. It ain't sturdy but it does its job in protecting the buds from scratches.

Features
The BeoPlay H5 is supposedly splash and dust resistant. We tested it by flicking some water and it works just fine. Just don't submerge them. For the record, we're currently doing a Wireless Sports Audio series of articles and it was tempting to include the BeoPlay H5 to benchmark. However the positioning of the B&O gravitates it more toward a lifestyle product, given the materials used, accessories thrown in and general fit.

The in-line remote lies on the left side and is meant for playback control. Play / take calls and volume buttons are standard. Skipping to a previous track is still a triple press, though we feel it could be simplified to holding the volume button instead. 

Design-wise, it looks similar to the BeoPlay H3 ANC's but that's where similarities end. It's actually larger in size. The underside is contoured and has a rubberised texture with 3 contact points for easy control when on-the-go.

Pairing over Bluetooth (featuring the latest v4.2) is straightforward. Hold the Play button to initiate pairing (blue LED flashing), select the BeoPlay H5 from your source device and it's done once you see a white LED on the bud. Pairing is to a single device at any one time.

While there are acknowledgement sounds, voice prompts are non-existent. A tad surprising as it's a little hard to tell what is your pairing status or battery life based on LED color and you'd likely have to refer to the user guide. 

For power, you will need the charge cube to lug around. It's a little inconvenient if you're on the move where a common micro-USB cable for other products usually suffices. The good part is you just need to magnetically dock the buds onto the cube to initiate charging. It's hassle-free 'cos there's no need to remove a flap to plug a cable.

The Beoplay app, that runs on iOS (v8 upwards) and Android (v5.0 upwards) supports the earbuds. To highlight what it can do, there's name and color change settings. 

The good stuff includes:

• Firmware updates - the product was at v5.0.0 and there was a prompt to update it to 'improve performance'. I duly proceeded though I couldn't really tell the diff in experience.
• Tone adjustment - otherwise read as EQ settings though it's a pleasantly simple user interface. Just touch the quadrant to choose from an assortment of names such as Warm, Excited, Relaxed and Bright. You can even pinch-zoom to add a spatial effect.

Performance
Let's talk about the different eartip experiences first. 

1. Silicon tips (M-size)
The tips provide an agreeable level of bass vs treble control. The fit is reasonably tight such that it will stay in the ear and ambient noise is partially blocked off...you can still hear but a lesser degree of traffic and chatter. 

4 x Silicon tips (Left) and 3 x Comply Foam Sport tips (Right)

2. Comply Foam Sport tips with SweatGuard (Sx-200)
(To understand Comply Foam tips and the different types available, do read our Comply Foam article.) 
Interestingly, the bass level and ear fit dropped a notch from the silicon buds. We had some good experiences with Comply Foam using the Jaybird X2 Wireless and LG TONE Active previously. As such, it was a surprising to find that the Sport tips did not really lodge within the ear. S and L sizes were also tested with similar results. When walking around, I could hear ambient sound quite well. 

Fit and noise isolation-wise, it was a tad surprising that the silicon buds seemed more effective. The fit in both cases is not at the jogging level purpose as I had to readjust the buds in every now and then. 

I was trying to figure out possible reasons for the nature of the fit. 

• First, I tried evaluating the BeoPlay H5 and H3 ANC together since both are using Size 200 Comply Foam tips. The earbud size and weight is definitely higher on the H5, due to the Bluetooth / battery module, which could add to the tug on the eartips.

H5 on Left and H3 ANC on Right

• Second, as the H5 is an under-ears model, it's worthwhile noting that other Bluetooth wireless buds provide an additional fin (Jaybird X2) or clip (Beats Powerbeats2) or other means (nullUA Headphones) to lock the buds in place.

All that said, you'd really have to try them on for size 'cos the experience varies from person to person. One hack we tried is to insert a pair of Comply Foam Isolation buds (sold separately) and it worked wonders in terms of fit and noise isolation and providing warmer bass. 

For sound quality, the H5 leverages on the aptX codec that promises CD-quality sound. We had mentioned bass and treble were agreeable. With silicon tips, Coldplay's Adventure of a Lifetime is vibrant and engaging with Chris Martin's vocals coming through clearly. Those who prefer a deeper bass emphasis can try the handy Beoplay app for Tone adjustment. 

Credit - B&O Play

For microphonics (or cable rustle), there are 3 cable clips provided. B&O doesn't really prescribe how you should apply this so it's most logical to place one on. Once applied, if adjusted correctly, the microphonics can be reduced to a point where only turning your head left and right would result in minor sounds.

Both 50mAh (100mAh in total) Lithium-Ion batteries last 5 hours on a full charge of 2 hours through the charge cube. No issues with the charge time but we're already hitting 8 hours on some like the UA Headphones and Jaybird X2. The LED on the cube flashes orange when charging and displays green when powered up.

Overall
The BeoPlay H5 is an audio device where Bang & Olufsen appears to have put emphasis on a simple user experience. The magnetic latch for charging / power off and Beoplay app are well thought out. No doubt the fit and voice prompts could be improved but this is negligible point for fashionistas who'd want a pair of stylish in-ears to be seen with.

30 Jun - Bang & Olufsen have come up with their first Bluetooth in-ears offering, the BeoPlay H5 (and about time too). Let's check out what this offers.

What's the Big Deal?

1. First Bluetooth In-Ears
Bang & Olufsen have dabbled with wireless technology quite a few times already (think BeoPlay H7 / H8) and this is one of the first in the market that runs on Bluetooth 4.2. Their very first in-ears unit weights a relatively light 18g and comes in Dusty Rose and Black color variants. The aptX codec is supported and it's compatible with the BeoPlay app. Oh, and the buds magnetically latch on to each other. Ain't that great?

2. Durability
The earphone housing is supposed to be made of textured rubber and polymer, which supposedly makes it splash and dust resistant (No IPX rating we're aware of as yet). The cord is made of braided textile too. We'll have to see how all this withstands the elements.

3. Comply Foam
B&O has been pretty receptive to Comply Foam tips and they're utilizing these again. We've tried them on both the BeoPlay H3 ANC and Jaybird X2 Wireless and the fit is great. This time round, they are using the Sport tips with SweatGuard variants where there's a layer to prevent sweat from seeping in.


4. Charging Cube
Unlike other wireless in-ears that use a micro-USB cable to charge, this uses a cube. You click them in place magnetically and after a 2 hour charge, it dishes out (a rather average) 5 hours of playback.


Price
The B&O BeoPlay H5 goes for USD 249 / GBP 199. We're currently checking on the Singapore pricing. 
Availability
The BeoPlay H5 are available in US / UK as of today. For SG availability, do stay tuned for updates.

Update (4 Jul 2016)
This will be available in Singapore at SGD 379 from 31 July 2016 at Bang & Olufsen Grand Hyatt, Apple Premium Resellers, Challenger, Newstead and various other retailers.

Update (20 Jul 2016)
We got our hands on a unit. Check out our thorough review of the B&O BeoPlay H5!