The good thing about cordless headphones is that you do not have to be tied down in a specific place to stream and listen to your favorite TV shows and top choices in music – you are entirely free of the wires that are likely to get tangled and keep you from enjoying mobility.
The opportunity to freely move around was the first consideration that headphone designers and inventors decided should be a priority when working on their revolutionary wireless headsets. For convenience’s sake, you also do not have to turn your audio players on full blast just to hear your favorite music from the next room.
Table of Contents [hide]
- 1 About Headphones: Wired, Cordless, Wireless, Portable
- 2 Key Features
- 3 Specifications and Packages
About Headphones: Wired, Cordless, Wireless, Portable
Cordless or wireless headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers that transmit information (in the form of the audio signal, or music) from a signal source radio or other audio players (iPod, MP3, MP4, etc.).
Headphones can be connected through the conventional wires that may span a considerable length but advancement in technology now offers us cordless or wireless headphones, thus, portable in nature.
Hence, cordless stereo headphones are free from any wire connections but they still have the capacity to receive radio or infrared signal encoded from a radio or an infrared transmission link (made possible through wireless applications like FM, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). Sound technology nowadays has devices and applications that enable powered receiver systems of which a headphone could be a component.
Thus, cordless headphones are considered to be portable devices in the sense that they can be self-contained on their own and can be used through wireless technology. It is for this reason that they are especially useful for media communications.
Even though most of the time the word cordless is sometimes associated with the word wireless, there is still a fine line that differs one from the other. Cordless, literally “without a cord” can be wireless.
The word “wireless” is a description that is attributed to an object where it uses some form of energy (radio waves, infrared tech, Bluetooth tech, etc.) to transmit or transfer information. But for convenience, it is sometimes understandable that the two can be interchanged with one another.
One of the best features of a cordless headphone is that it allows greater mobility and flexibility for its users, and thus, it is convenient and comfortable to use in everyday activity.
In a world that is starting to be a world without wires, you can be assured that you can bring along your headphones with you anywhere you need to go – it is extremely light and it can operate and grant you easy access to any audio controls.
However, if you want your cordless headphone to revert back to its wired feature, some of the designs actually support it to be used as a wired headphone.
Key Features
The best cordless headphones sold in the market today support a wrap-around design (or over the head or behind the ears design) that would surely fit your ears with comfort and convenience. Usually, they come with gentle ear pads and some have low polyester film diaphragm for fast response and low distortion. No driver is required to use this product as it works in plug and play installation.
It supports wireless online audio chat like Wireless VoIP Chat, IM AOL, iChat, Jabber, MSN, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger. It has interference resistance and can still catch signal receptions beyond obstacles like walls or glass.
The connectivity is wireless; the wireless technology used is usually infrared, although Bluetooth is gaining popularity too. It can be compatible with any home audio devices, like cordless tv headphones, computers, iPod MP3, MP4, CD player, Portable DVD Player, etc. A Hi-Fi wireless headphone can have an effective range of 30 meters with a surround sound mode for tonal accuracy.
Other features mostly depend on brand including high sensitivity, strong signal, and overall performance. Some also support auto-power function, where no additional power is necessary; others depend on AAA batteries for power supply, while most of them have rechargeable NiMH batteries that can last up to 24 hours.
Specifications and Packages
Specifications usually depend on different brands of headphones. However, in general, cordless and wireless headphones can transmit range with a maximum of 30 meters (approx. 25 feet) without interference with a frequency range and response of about 84-108 MHz, few can deliver 20 Hz – 20000 kHz. Weight is estimated to be generally about 10 oz.
If you are planning to buy a cordless portable headphone then the whole package usually contains the actual headphone (receiver), the emitter (the transmitter), 3.5 mm – 3.5 mm audio cable, V-Adapter Cable, and an English user manual.
For rechargeable headphones, NiMH batteries are included with an AC power adapter. As for the buyer, you are required to have RCA jacks or 3.5mm stereo output jack, usually already installed in your audio devices.