Bluetooth Earbuds

[Digerati]

Hi folks! New to Cycling Forums, but not new to forums.

Let me start by saying, PLEASE - this is not about bike safety and the perils of listening to music while riding. I understand all that.

I live in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area next to the Missouri River where there are 100s of miles of bike trails, most of which sit on top of levees. I don't ride on streets - just established bike trails where there is no motorized traffic.

That out of the way - after snagging and ripping out the wires on my second pair of earbuds, I started looking into Bluetooth earbuds. Specifically, the HiveTech Bluetooth. For noise cancelling, $30 seems quite reasonable. The "user reviews" are generally great - but none are by cyclists - so here I am

I am also looking at the MPOW Swift Bluetooth but they don't claim to be noise cancelling and they seem to suffer from limited battery run time.

Does anyone have any experience with these, and if so, what do you think about them?

And/or does anyone have any experience with other Bluetooth earbuds - and would you recommend them? Any suggestions welcomed.

FTR, I don't want over-the-ear because I always where a helmet. I have also looked at the JayBirds. The JayBird BlueBuds X are beyond what I want to spend. The JayBird Freedom or Freedom Sprints would have to be worth the extra money - but I am willing if worth double the HiveTechs or MPOWs.

One of features I like about these (and similar sets) is short cables that cannot get snagged by my rear brake assembly. :angry: These will be only for music - not talking/cell phone use so a built in mic is unnecessary.

I do appreciate and desire audiophile quality - but hey! These are earbuds, not $5000 studio quality home theater speaker "systems". So good sound, minimal wind noise, and short cables is what I am really after - and comfort too.

TIA.

 

[MotownBikeBoy]

Hi - I haven't tried the two you link to, I have a pair of the JB Freedom and they are good quality sound. Personally though I hate the cords, even short ones that connect two earpieces so I use a single-ear Bluetooth like a Plantronics Voyager Legend or a cheaper Samsung one. 90% of the time I just use a Bluetooth speaker though.

 

[MotownBikeBoy]

Hi - I haven't tried the two you link to, I have a pair of the JB Freedom and they are good quality sound. Personally though I hate the cords, even short ones that connect two earpieces so I use a single-ear Bluetooth like a Plantronics Voyager Legend or a cheaper Samsung one. 90% of the time I just use a Bluetooth speaker though.

 

[Digerati]

Thanks for your reply. I thought about a single-ear - mostly for safety. But again, if I ever ride on a road, it is for the 1/2 mile to the nearby bike trail head, and for that, I never have my buds in because I don't want to get hit by a texting driver.

Plus, I want stereo and I want to minimize wind noise.

 

[sbatz72]

I think this is one of the best inventions of technology ever brought to the general public. I really like the bluetooth technology and think that earbuds with bluetooth technology are a great idea.

 

[Digerati]

I think this is one of the best inventions of technology ever brought to the general public. I really like the bluetooth technology and think that earbuds with bluetooth technology are a great idea.

Thanks for this but there are many BT earbuds out there, some good, some not so good. Did you have a particular model in mind?

 

[Volnix]

Cordless ones are supposed to have bad quality sound (bad digital kind of thing).

Then again earbuds are kinda bad to begin with in terms of sound quality.

And then are the battery issues for both devices.

Might be fine for Skrillex. But not for Iron Maiden.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpFVRqWc2pg

 

[Digerati]

Cordless ones are supposed to have bad quality sound (bad digital kind of thing).

That depends on how much you are willing to spend. The limits in audio frequencies in terms of fidelity are no problem for wireless. There are wireless audiophile quality speaker systems for serious home theater systems, for example. When you are in the gigahertz range for the RF, is it no problem squeezing 20Hz to 20KHz on top it.

So the problem comes in quality of the drivers (little speakers). I want good quality but I don't need audiophile quality while riding my bike.

 

[Volnix]

Why not a nice speaker box on the handlebar? Safety? Aero? Ashamed of blasting Mahler from the Moscow Philharmonic on the cycle path?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNM1xZkgz_A

 

[Digerati]

No, I am actually looking for some serious suggestions.

 

[Volnix]

You know... It's probably not hard to DIY a nice pair of speakers or even headphones. Try Maplin for parts. The cable might end up a bit thicker but it would be repairable.

Most of headphones I had failed at the cable connections so that's a plus for wireless, but I'm pretty sure that the sound quality would be the same with a 3 Euro pair of wired buds... and they are that wireless anyway, most of them have a wire connecting the two buds. The rest of the cable you can just have behind your back into the back pocket jersey.

I also ride with buds (don't tell on me ) and when the buds fall of (it happens some times if the helmet strap doesn't hold them) its easier to pick them up with the cable...

I once managed to have a bud stuck between the rear wheel and the frame but that's another story.

Have you checked what brands like Harman, AKG, etc have to offer in wireless?

Btw, not that it means much but the nicest pair of buds I had was a pair of Nokia hands-free ones. Probably just out of luck.

 

[Digerati]

You know... It's probably not hard to DIY a nice pair of speakers or even headphones.

I don't get it. I don't want speakers on my handlebars. That's just silly. And I already said I don't want over-the-ear headphones because I wear a helmet.

I asked for serious suggestions based on actual experience with BT headphones. I am going to assume you are trying to be helpful, but actually, you're not.

If you don't have any real experience with any specific BT headphones, please don't waste your time with any further responses. Thank you.

 

[Volnix]

Oh oh... Newb got angry.

Checking Maplin for earbud parts not serious enough for you???

Just go and buy a pair already, they are not that many there anyway and its just 4 sets of specs that you have to compare!

BT earbuds HAVE cables! Most of them at least. You need some kind of support to hold them to your ears!

Unless you get some of these independent ones and duct tape them to your ears, which is veeery serious and not all silly.

 

[Volnix]

...and BT-W (see what I did there? ) what are ya wearin'?

I'm only wearing my wired earbuds, my monocle, holding my smartphone between my cycling butt cheeks, sipping cognac and listening to Aqua :*

Want me to turn Bluetooth on to join the party?

My password is My_Ass_Crack_Broadcasts_Aqua_At_256KBS_87

♡♡♡


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwwIjdrDg9A

 

[Digerati]

Ah, I get it now. You are just ate up with yourself and love to hear yourself speak.

You're not here to help, you are here just to amuse yourself. Well, at least one person is amused.

If you had bothered to look, I live in Nebraska USA. Maplin is a UK company. Beyond that, buying parts hardly answers my questions.

So since you are just a clown, and a lousy one at that because you clearly are not funny, I take nothing you say as serious and will give you all the attention you deserve from this point forward.

If anyone else has any personal experience with BT earbuds, I would welcome your comments.

 

[Volnix]

Oh man some of you one hit troll wonders are kinda fun sometimes.

BT earbuds!!! Coz an extra cable makes all the difference when you are carrying the device on you!

Want some back straps to slam an amp on your back too? Just make sure its not ANT+ only!

I'm slowly slipping in something less comfortable... A pink rat fur robe with surround wireless speakers hidden in special pockets and walk in a provocative manner whilst playing Celine Dion broadcasted in FM from my hand made amp...

 

[gavinfree]

As far as Bluetooth earbuds are concerned, the LG Ton Pro and Ultra headsets are great options, even for cycling. The Sol Republic Shadow Wireless earbuds are the best $100 I've ever spent, though they aren't designed for exercise activities, so they could fall of your ears and neck if you're not careful. I'd recommend spending more than $50 on Bluetooth earbuds. Anything under that price will be nothing but junk.

 

[Digerati]

Thanks gavinfree. I have noticed quite a few that boast they cannot fall out of your ears - even talking about locking in your ears. That does not seem comfortable to me, even though they boast comfort too. But those seem to cater to athletes - people who are running and bouncing around. I ride a road bike so bouncing around is not something I do much of, or intend on doing,

The Sol Republic Shadow Wireless earbuds are the best $100 I've ever spent

Best $100 in terms of what? Sound quality? And do you wear them while riding your bike? They are wired, however, not BT, right?