So you’ve decided it’s time you ditch the wires and go wireless with your headphones. You’ve probably researched and discovered that not all cordless headphones are created equal.
However, the more you investigate it, the more perplexed you become. This is especially true when you hear about other wireless headphones options outside Bluetooth, such as broadcast, infrared, and Kleer. You’re now faced with the decision: which should I choose?
The main distinction is how the headphones are connected to the media player. Wireless headphones can employ radio signals, infrared, internal storage, or KleerNet to send audio signals, whereas Wireless headphones use brief radio waves.
You’re probably aware of how headphones work: they use a cable to amplify and transform the audio signal from a media player (such as your phone or laptop) into the lovely sound you hear.
Wireless headphones eliminate the need for a wire by sending sound via low-powered radio waves. This procedure necessitates the use of two devices: a transmitter (such as your smartphone) and a receiver (such as your computer)
RF headphones
RF headphones use a particular radio wave frequency to transmit sound. As a result, for RF headphones to work, they usually require a specific dongle/transmitter. This isn’t as simple as Wireless headphones built into nearly every current device.
On the other hand, RF headphones can broadcast through buildings and solid matter (unlike most Bluetooth devices). Hence signal loss is nearly non-existent. In addition, RF headphones require little audio compression, which indicates two things:
RF headphones generally incorporate audio settings such as sound system and bass boost to increase content immersion. Specific RF headsets & transmitters can support audio sharing, so RF earphones are ideal for group sound experiences such as silent discos and watching TV with pals.
IR headphones
A dock station that interfaces to the audio stream are usually included with IR headphones. However, unlike RF earphones, IR transmitters provide the sound wave to the headphones via light-emitting diodes (LEDs) rather than radio waves.
IR headphones require a line-of-sight (LOS) contact between the transmitter and your earphones because they employ lightwave. However, they have a decreased chance of interfering with the other wireless devices, which can degrade sound quality.
While specific infrared headphone versions are still available, their popularity is fading. One of the most appealing features of Bluetooth earphones is the ability to move away from the source of audio. Unfortunately, the short-range of IR prevents this.
