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Should You Use Bluetooth Headphones for Gaming?

should i use bluetooth headphones for gaming

Should I use Bluetooth Headphones for Gaming?

If you prioritize low latency, high audio quality, and long battery life, a wired headset may be a better choice. If you prefer a wireless connection and the freedom to move around, Bluetooth headphones may be a good option.

  1. Latency: Latency refers to the delay between when a sound is played and when it is heard through your headphones. For some games, low latency is important for accurate sound positioning and a responsive gaming experience. Bluetooth headphones can have higher latency than wired headphones, which may affect the quality of your gaming experience.
  2. Battery life: Bluetooth headphones rely on a battery for power, and some models may have limited battery life. This can be an issue if you play games for long periods of time and don’t want to stop to charge your headphones.
  3. Audio quality: Some Bluetooth headphones may not provide the same audio quality as wired headphones, especially in terms of bass response and overall volume.
  4. Interference: Bluetooth is a wireless technology that can be susceptible to interference from other devices, which can affect the quality of your gaming audio.

Despite these potential issues, many gamers find that Bluetooth headphones are a convenient and comfortable option for gaming, especially if they prefer a wireless connection and the freedom to move around while gaming.

The best Bluetooth Headphones

After researching for hours, we’re confident to say that the best wireless headphone for iPhone is the Sony WH-H900N h.ear on 2. These Sony Bluetooth Wireless Headphones sound brilliant for music and also phone calls, offering more than 25 hours of battery life with superior automatic noise-cancellation features. It is also equipped with a touch sensor control panel for effortless operation.

Sony Bluetooth Wireless Headphones (WH-H900N h.ear on 2)

Available in five unique colors, this portable model offers a High-Resolution audio feature, gentle bass, better-than-average noise cancellation that delivers a great overall sound experience, a stunning 25 hours of battery life and its touch panel allows you to control all your music, and activate Google Assistant and Siri, too.

Noise-Canceling

This headphone is known for its outstanding noise-canceling technology. In case you’re in a plane or an area where you’re not able to connect to Bluetooth due to connectivity problems or a low wireless signal, you can keep listening to music through these detachable stereo mini-jack inputs.

We played some Xbox games putting it on and the results were brilliant.

Battery

Long battery life, upon charging for around 5 hours, these Bluetooth headphones can play music for more than 25 hours. For moments of a hurry when you have less time to charge, even if you charge it for 10 minutes, it is capable of running a playback for about 60 minutes. Micro USB and NFC (near-field communication) options are also available.

Cheap Bluetooth Wireless headphones: Jabra Move

Jabra move is a great bargain for music lovers who are looking for good cheap Bluetooth headphones at an inexpensive price. At the same time, it is also fulfilling the other two most important aspects of headphones which are sound quality and battery life.

This Jabra moves Bluetooth headphone is a great fit with its reasonable price tag and a great deal of quality sound experience with better-than-average battery life and better than many soundbars.

Battery

Lightweight at just 150g, its padded headband, soft ear pads, and rotating ear cups provide a comfortable fit for a maximum number of people and has a pretty good battery life of 8 hours, but you will have to charge it for at least 2 hours, for it to run the playback for 8 hours.

Colors

This pair is available in 4 different colors and comes with a music and call control feature on the panel, alongside a wired option of playing music with its 3.5 mm cable in case you are not able to connect wirelessly (in flight or train due to bad signal).

Summing it

Although it does not have an active noise-canceling feature, which apparently makes it inexpensive, people who want to save money and does not need active noise canceling feature, at the same time want every feature that an expensive headphone has, like great sound quality, good battery life, easy phone call, and music control options, should definitely go for this model.

Best noise-canceling headphones: Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless ll

These Bose noise-canceling headphones are by far, the most powerful noise-canceling headphones with direct access to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for easy voice control.

The material used to make these headphones is incomparable to any of its competitor models. It is impact-resistant, glass-filled nylon, and corrosion-resistant stainless steel.

The Bose Bluetooth wireless headphone can also be connected to two mobile devices simultaneously. For example, if you’re watching a movie on the connected iPad and you get a call on your Smartphone, it will auto-pause the video, enabling you to answer the call. Once you’re finished with the call, it will switch you back to the movie on the iPad.

Premium materials like Alcantara on the headband and synthetic protein leather have been used for the ear cushions that make the headphones lightweight (236g) and a good comfortable fit.

Battery

Capable of delivering 20 hours of battery life (when used wirelessly, else with wired, it is good enough to run for up to 40 hours), on the full charge which takes 2.25 hours, and for moments of a hurry, charge it for just 15 minutes and you’ll be good to run a playback for another 2.5 hours.

Still, if you manage to drain the battery completely down, there is a cable included to plugin and keep it playing.

It does not lack anywhere else as it is packed with the latest engineering and technology along with a strong brand association.

It has a volume-optimized EQ feature for clarity of music, at any sound level, low or loudest. It also has a dual-microphone system that provides clearer calls, even in noisy surroundings.

And to make the operational activities more convenient, there is a Bose Connect app for easy access to everything. Watch Video Here. (Source: Marques Brownlee)

Source: Marques Brownlee

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How we picked these models

Best pick: Sony WH-H900N h.ear on 2 Bluetooth wireless headphone

Cheap Bluetooth wireless headphones: Jabra Move

Best noise-canceling headphones: Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones ll

Comparison: Bose QuietComfort 35 II and Sony WH-1000XM2

How we picked these models

Even we read reviews, by actual consumers writing on websites like Amazon, and we also read reviews by professionals and experts working in related fields for years from reliable websites like Consumer Reports.

We compare, sometimes test these products ourselves, take note of what people like and don’t like, and get the best of these models after understanding the most important factors. Some of them are below, for the best Bluetooth headphones.

Sound Quality and a comfortable fit:

The two most important preferences for consumers as per our survey. I stopped wearing headphones as my ears started to turn red and in pain after using one of the early models from a known brand, thinking every model is the same until I discovered the above-listed high-end models and I realized I was wrong.

Of course, if it doesn’t even fit quite comfortably, the sound quality is expected to be poor too. So, we consider these two as our most important factors while researching the best wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Price:

What we know is that with a high price tag, comes more features, but not necessarily improved sound quality. Active noise-canceling technology tends to increase the cost of the headphones by a considerable percentage, sometimes even by 50%, most people do not even care about this feature, they just want good sound quality headphones at the lowest price.

Other features like Alexa and Google Assistant are also something not everybody looks out for in headphones that add to their price. So yes, you can get it at the lowest price, but be prepared to spend more if you’re looking for almost every latest feature in your headphone.

Battery life:

Again, one of the most important factors, is what’s the point of charging your headphones for 5 hours and using it and draining the battery in like 3 hours? We avoided such models and made sure to include only those that have better-than-average battery life. We also included only those who are capable of being wired even after the battery drains out, for a non-stop music experience.

Easy to use:

Changing tracks, answering phone calls, and doing multiple tasks at the same time, could be frustrating at times. We made sure whatever models we choose, are pretty convenient and easy to use in daily life.

Bluetooth Connection Strength:

We noticed some of the models we tested, had a tendency to drop the Bluetooth signal or ongoing call connection and they just keep on re-establishing it which is frustrating. We made sure not to include such models to avoid this inconvenience.

Customer support:

We also made sure, that all the models we chose, must have good technical support or customer care toll-free numbers and email, for any help, regarding troubleshooting.

Best pick: Sony WH-H900N h.ear on 2 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

The Sony WH-H900N Bluetooth Wireless Headphones are absolutely a great fit and have all the latest engineering, and sound quality and it comes not too expensive as well.

Features like active noise canceling technology; long battery life and easy music control and call functions on the panel and most importantly non-comparable overall sound quality make it our top pick in this Bluetooth headphones category.

Adding to its overall personality, this headphone has a lightweight comfortable earpad and the plus 25-hour long battery life is good enough to run on a short trip over the weekend, on a single full charge.

Digital sound enhancement Engine (DSEE HX) which produces your music files in rich and most natural methods. Available in lively colors (black, white, and grey options), you can also, through its connected app, choose equalizer and preset settings.

One thing to notice here, its cord (the wire), does not have a mic or a remote. Also, with wired and wireless, the sound quality was coming slightly different. Wireless sounded great, but with wire, sounded a little blurry. Plus this model also does not function while charging.

The active noise cancellation is great but not as good as the Bose QuietComfort 35 II series, however, even the Bose QC 35 II did not impress us as much as the Sony WH-H900N h.ear on 2 did, when we tested the overall sound quality.

Budget pick: Jabra Move Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

Jabra moves are the best budget Bluetooth wireless headphones on our list. Great sound, is convenient, supplied with easy-to-use controls, and most importantly comes at an affordable price for most people, with a better-than-average battery life of 8 hours.

The wired cable option is also available in case you run out of battery or can’t connect wirelessly due to a bad signal.

The only feature it lacks is active noise-canceling technology, which does not have. Also, we realized if you put it on for the longest of hours, pressure on the ears can be felt and become a little painful.

Packed with automatic pairing mode, answer the call, end call, reject a call, and track control, these Jabra Bluetooth headphones are quite a pair you can consider if you’re not looking to spend more and still get a good piece.

When you first switch it on, and once you’re done pairing it with your phone, it will say connected, and upon pressing the up button which is there on the left ear control, it will also tell you the battery life. Weighs just 150g, and the operating range is up to 10 meters (around 33 feet).

How to pair Jabra headphones with your device:

  • Turn on Bluetooth on your mobile phone.
  • Hold the On/off/pairing switch in the pairing for like 3 seconds.
  • Headphones will report the pairing mode and the light will flash blue.
  • Enter 4 times “0000” if you’re asked to enter the PIN.
  • Follow the voice instructions to pair. And low battery capacity on your Jabra headphones or mobile phone could very well affect the Bluetooth range so make sure both are charged well enough.

Steps to turn off/on the voice guidance:

Sometimes the “auto-turned voice guidance by default” can be a little frustrating. So to turn it off, first switch off your headphone for 30 seconds or so. Now, press and hold the volume down button, and switch on the headset.

The headphone will announce “voice prompts off” – that’s it, the headphone will confirm the change. Just in case, if you need to switch it back on, press and hold the volume up button, and switch on the headphone, you will hear it announcing “voice prompts on“.

The best noise-canceling headphones: Bose QuietComfort 35 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones ll

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II Bluetooth headphones’ excellent top-in-line active noise canceling feature stands itself different from others. Its dedicated new “Action” button on the left ear cup allows you to connect to Google Assistant instantly for Android and iPhone devices.

Press and hold the action button and give voice commands like “call Jessica“, “what’s the latest news“, and “show me the cheapest nightclubs in Chicago” to get the answers. You can even give voice commands to control your music playback.

Battery

This pair comes with a cord, in case the battery dies or you can’t connect wirelessly. The battery is non-replaceable though and it has a long battery life of 20 hours when used wirelessly, and when used with the cord, it is capable of running your playback for nearly 40 hours.

You can also charge the Bose QC 35 wireless headphones II from your laptop or MAC PC, it comes with a USB cable that needs to be connected to your system and it will charge the headphones.

It’s lightweight and very comfortable to wear, plus its non-comparable noise-canceling feature and long battery life of more than 20 hours make it our recommended pick.

However, if you already own Bose QC 35 series model you don’t need to upgrade it to this one. The only difference between Bose QuietComfort 35 and Bose QuietComfort 35 II is just the new button that gives you direct access to Google Assistant for voice control.

Also use the Bose Connect app to control everything, from calls to music, all for easy access. Your Bose connects app will also check for any available updates when you connect to your headphones. The download will start automatically and could also take up to 45 minutes to complete the update.

The Bose Bluetooth Wireless headphones can also be connected to two mobile devices simultaneously. For example, if you’re watching a movie on the connected iPad and you get a call on your Smartphone, it will auto-pause the video, enabling you to answer the call. Once you’re finished with the call, it will switch you back to the movie on the iPad.

How to pair your Bose QuietComfort 35 II Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

For a non-NFC Smartphone, you first need to switch on the Bluetooth headphone, by sliding the three-position power button into the middle space. Now, press the three-position power switch to the Bluetooth icon until the Bluetooth LED flashes blue or the voice-enabled user interface tells you additional directions.

Simply, follow the directions within the Smartphone’s Bluetooth menu to connect the headphones. When the connection is established, the Bluetooth LED will turn white.

For NFC-enabled smartphones, Switch on the headphones by sliding the three-position power switch to the middle position and tap the backside of your phone on the front of the right ear cup where you see the embossed NFC logo, and follow the instructions to accept a connection.

Headphone Status Indicators

The Best Wireless Bluetooth Headphones.

Comparison between Bose QuietComfort 35 II and Sony WH-1000XM2

According to our research, there is only one competitor model to Bose QC 35 II which is Sony’s WH-1000XM2 model. Wearing a price tag almost the same as Bose, both are almost similar in features, but here’s some difference;

BOSE feels lighter on your head compared to Sony. Bose has physical buttons embedded in the headphone, including the dedicated button for Google Assistant; Sony also wears a few physical buttons with swipe controls on the ear cup outside.

Talking about the overall sound experience, I would like to say SONY is better than Bose, with better bass clarity. The noise cancellation part, on the other hand, gets covered up well at Bose compared to Sony. Both can be controlled via an app, and almost everything from music to calls and battery is non-replaceable for both models.

Bottom line

Sony WH-1000XM may not be as comfortable as Bose QuietComfort 35 series, but in some aspects, when we talk about sound quality, Sony is a superior headphone. So only go for the Bose model if you care about excellent noise cancellation features, otherwise, go for Sony headphones for great overall sound quality.

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