5 ms·

Considering every phone I've tested (iPhone 5S, iPhone 6+, Samsung Note, Moto X, Nexus 6P) with 7 different bluetooth headphones (ranging from cheap Amazon ones

Considering every phone I've tested (iPhone 5S, iPhone 6+, Samsung Note, Moto X, Nexus 6P) with 7 different bluetooth headphones (ranging from cheap Amazon ones to expensive LG) I have NEVER found a phone, paired with headphones, that stayed connected especially when the phone is in my side pocket and I'm walking in an open space which seems to make connectivity significantly worse. For instance getting on the BART being an enclosed space? I never have an issue. All of the headphones I've tested stay connected the entire time without issue. The SECOND I walk out of the station, even in the city, every pair of headphones I've tried work most of the time but typically cut out once every 30 seconds or so. But it's crazy inconsistent because I managed to walk to my office, once, the entire way without it disconnecting. Seeing as bluetooth 5 helps with range I'm hope I can finally using it to keep my phone in my side pocket and actually listen to my headphones, uninterrupted.

joshschreuder 10y ago
I picked up a pair of Bose QC35 a couple of months ago, and for my first pair of BT headphones I'm really impressed. I use them almost every day on my way to and from work (roughly an hour each way) and I can count the number of interference issues I've had on one hand, and definitely not every 30 seconds. This is with an iPhone 7 and iPad Pro 9.7". They're not cheap, but I'd highly recommend them.
- pkulak 10y ago
  Second on the Quiet Comforts. I've owned more than a dozen BT headphones over my life and these are the best. Well, best BT implementation at least, I'm not much of an audiophile.
- isaac_is_goat 10y ago
  Can confirm, got the Quiet Comforts myself about a month ago and use them every day. Use them with my S7 Edge, Surface Book, cheap 20$ bluetooth dongle connected to my gaming PC and a fat 2012 13" MacBook hand-me-down at work. The only machine I have problems with is the MacBook, to the point where I'd rather just play music from my phone all day than fight with it.
- alex8022 10y ago
  I just got the Jaybird X3s, and paired with an iPhone 7+, haven't had an issue yet. Quite pleasantly surprised, considering all the bluetooth problems I've heard about online. Bluetooth works fine from back pocket, front pocket, coat, inside the house, outside, in the car.
- kayoone 10y ago
  I've had similar experiences with a pair of Sony MDR-XB950BT which i had for about a year and a half. Super happy, actually i can't recall any connection issues, certainly not recurring but i mostly use them in the office and at home, sometimes also outside though.
- Bombthecat 10y ago
  I use the backbeat pros with noise canceling. The only issue I have is when I'm near high voltage transfer lines. Like near train stops for example.
- gadders 10y ago
  I'd also recommend the Plantronic BackBeat Fit. Great connection every time. I bought some PlugPhones on KickStarter, and the connection issues drive me up the wall.
pdx 10y ago
Getting 2.4GHz through the human body is hard. The human body is mostly water, and bluetooth is, after all, the same frequency of your microwave oven, which uses 2.4GHz because it's in a band of frequencies from 1-20GHz that water absorbs. When you're indoors, you don't need to get bluetooth through your body. You're getting reflections off of nearby walls and ceilings which allow your bluetooth devices to communicate across your body, but without going through your body. When you're outdoors, you no longer enjoy the benefit of reflected RF, and the design of the phone and the headset antennas needs to be very good, so the RF can make it through your body. It is a hard problem, but a lot of headset manufacturers do achieve it. I'm surprised you still haven't found one that's acceptable. Of course, it's body dependent. Petite women will have less issues then large men, as the RF just has less water to travel through with them. Today's bluetooth is limited to 4dBm max transmit power for class 2. Bluetooth 5 will be 20dBm, which is a lot more power. This is, actually, the same power that class 1 bluetooth devices now have, so I'm unsure why they brag about the higher power of bluetooth 5, but to be sure, most bluetooth devices now are not class 1. The higher power will make even bad antenna engineers be able to get bluetooth through your body, but more importantly, you'll enjoy larger range when you are at the gym or in your home. Also, if you worry about RF effects on the human body, your worry can increase now as well!
- vocatus_gate 10y ago
  What will the effect on battery life be?
  - mseri 10y ago
    And on the body?
    - pdx 10y ago
      There are regulatory limits on how much RF a device can send into the body. These are called SAR limits [1] and they are not changing. I was joking about the body effects. The legal limit is not changing. But devices that used to be further below the limit, will now be closer to it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_absorption_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_absorption_rate
Swizec 10y ago
I've only used Jaybirds with my iPhone 5S and 5SE. Didn't even know this was an issue. I suggest giving them a try. Phone in pocket has never been a problem for me, regardless of where I am at the time. The battery even survives a 4h+ marathon.
ricardobeat 10y ago
I have a cheap Bluedio Turbine (€25 on amazon) I've been using for a month without any issues whatsoever, phone in pocket, cycling, rain... plus I haven't charged the battery even once, 3+ weeks of daily usage in. I'd say bluetooth tech is getting quite amazing!
- NoGravitas 10y ago
  I've read that those are exceptional value for the money until the plastic breaks...so maybe handle them gently!
ricardobeat 10y ago
I have a cheap Bluedio Turbine (€25 on amazon) I've been using for a month without any issues whatsoever, phone in pocket, cycling, rain... plus I haven't charged the battery even once, 3+ weeks of daily usage in. I'd say bluetooth tech is getting quite amazing!
ams6110 10y ago
Use a wire.
tw04 10y ago
I've got Bose QC35 and Jaybird X2's. I use the jaybirds to workout, Bose for everything else - never had a problem with either one staying connected. Including being across the room from both, with the phone in my pocket. That encompasses a Nexus 6P and a Pixel.
jansenv 10y ago
I've had a great experience with Bluebuds + iphone 6. The quality isn't perfect compared to wired but they are fantastic for the gym and such.
intransigent 10y ago
Have you considered possible interference and noise introduced by other rival devices competing for the same spectrum? This has been my hypothesis, considering the disruption patterns I've noticed. At home, well removed from other possible bluetooth sources, I rarely experience signal cut-out, or choppy reception. When I move into high traffic areas, the amount of signal loss skyrockets. The worst areas are areas with lots of cars in motion. My hunch, is that noise, destructive interference, and fortuitous signals result in dropped packets. And cars especially, tend to broadcast stronger signals that outshine an handset/headphone channel, cause both ends of the connection to drop packets. This is just based on observation. In crowded train stations and near busy roadways my headphones act like shit. I get the feeling it's the old "poorly shielded blender appliance ruins the t.v. reception" business, except the interference drops out in the same way progressive scan HDMI monitors glitch up without shielding. I have no proof that this is the case though.
- hollander 10y ago
  See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13126964 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13126964
  - whutwhatt 10y ago
    See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13128401 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13128401 hint: both are possible, simultaneously. one does not contradict the other. each one is a different concern, with its own merits.
dominicgs 10y ago
Bluetooth 5 extends the range and increases the data rate of BLE, but not both at the same time. This will allow you to stream high quality audio over BLE, saving power over regular Bluetooth, but you won't get the range benefit.
kraftman 10y ago
On the flip side I've been using my bluetooth headphones every day for over 3 years and I've never had them cut out once, other than if I leave them on from my desk to the kitchen which is about 20 ft and through a few walls.
matwood 10y ago
I'll need to test my BT headphones in a busier area then. I have an iPhone7 and $99 JLabs BT headphones and they only ever cut out if I go clear across the gym while my phone is in my bag. I'm going to guess that there just is not a lot of people using wireless in the gym at the times I'm there.

joshschreuder 10y ago

I picked up a pair of Bose QC35 a couple of months ago, and for my first pair of BT headphones I'm really impressed. I use them almost every day on my way to and from work (roughly an hour each way) and I can count the number of interference issues I've had on one hand, and definitely not every 30 seconds. This is with an iPhone 7 and iPad Pro 9.7". They're not cheap, but I'd highly recommend them.

pkulak 10y ago
Second on the Quiet Comforts. I've owned more than a dozen BT headphones over my life and these are the best. Well, best BT implementation at least, I'm not much of an audiophile.
isaac_is_goat 10y ago
Can confirm, got the Quiet Comforts myself about a month ago and use them every day. Use them with my S7 Edge, Surface Book, cheap 20$ bluetooth dongle connected to my gaming PC and a fat 2012 13" MacBook hand-me-down at work. The only machine I have problems with is the MacBook, to the point where I'd rather just play music from my phone all day than fight with it.
alex8022 10y ago
I just got the Jaybird X3s, and paired with an iPhone 7+, haven't had an issue yet. Quite pleasantly surprised, considering all the bluetooth problems I've heard about online. Bluetooth works fine from back pocket, front pocket, coat, inside the house, outside, in the car.
kayoone 10y ago
I've had similar experiences with a pair of Sony MDR-XB950BT which i had for about a year and a half. Super happy, actually i can't recall any connection issues, certainly not recurring but i mostly use them in the office and at home, sometimes also outside though.
Bombthecat 10y ago
I use the backbeat pros with noise canceling. The only issue I have is when I'm near high voltage transfer lines. Like near train stops for example.
gadders 10y ago
I'd also recommend the Plantronic BackBeat Fit. Great connection every time. I bought some PlugPhones on KickStarter, and the connection issues drive me up the wall.

pdx 10y ago

Getting 2.4GHz through the human body is hard. The human body is mostly water, and bluetooth is, after all, the same frequency of your microwave oven, which uses 2.4GHz because it's in a band of frequencies from 1-20GHz that water absorbs. When you're indoors, you don't need to get bluetooth through your body. You're getting reflections off of nearby walls and ceilings which allow your bluetooth devices to communicate across your body, but without going through your body. When you're outdoors, you no longer enjoy the benefit of reflected RF, and the design of the phone and the headset antennas needs to be very good, so the RF can make it through your body. It is a hard problem, but a lot of headset manufacturers do achieve it. I'm surprised you still haven't found one that's acceptable. Of course, it's body dependent. Petite women will have less issues then large men, as the RF just has less water to travel through with them. Today's bluetooth is limited to 4dBm max transmit power for class 2. Bluetooth 5 will be 20dBm, which is a lot more power. This is, actually, the same power that class 1 bluetooth devices now have, so I'm unsure why they brag about the higher power of bluetooth 5, but to be sure, most bluetooth devices now are not class 1. The higher power will make even bad antenna engineers be able to get bluetooth through your body, but more importantly, you'll enjoy larger range when you are at the gym or in your home. Also, if you worry about RF effects on the human body, your worry can increase now as well!

vocatus_gate 10y ago
What will the effect on battery life be?
- mseri 10y ago
  And on the body?
  - pdx 10y ago
    There are regulatory limits on how much RF a device can send into the body. These are called SAR limits [1] and they are not changing. I was joking about the body effects. The legal limit is not changing. But devices that used to be further below the limit, will now be closer to it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_absorption_rate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_absorption_rate

Swizec 10y ago

I've only used Jaybirds with my iPhone 5S and 5SE. Didn't even know this was an issue. I suggest giving them a try. Phone in pocket has never been a problem for me, regardless of where I am at the time. The battery even survives a 4h+ marathon.

ricardobeat 10y ago

I have a cheap Bluedio Turbine (€25 on amazon) I've been using for a month without any issues whatsoever, phone in pocket, cycling, rain... plus I haven't charged the battery even once, 3+ weeks of daily usage in. I'd say bluetooth tech is getting quite amazing!

NoGravitas 10y ago
I've read that those are exceptional value for the money until the plastic breaks...so maybe handle them gently!

ricardobeat 10y ago

ams6110 10y ago

Use a wire.

tw04 10y ago

I've got Bose QC35 and Jaybird X2's. I use the jaybirds to workout, Bose for everything else - never had a problem with either one staying connected. Including being across the room from both, with the phone in my pocket. That encompasses a Nexus 6P and a Pixel.

jansenv 10y ago

I've had a great experience with Bluebuds + iphone 6. The quality isn't perfect compared to wired but they are fantastic for the gym and such.

intransigent 10y ago

Have you considered possible interference and noise introduced by other rival devices competing for the same spectrum? This has been my hypothesis, considering the disruption patterns I've noticed. At home, well removed from other possible bluetooth sources, I rarely experience signal cut-out, or choppy reception. When I move into high traffic areas, the amount of signal loss skyrockets. The worst areas are areas with lots of cars in motion. My hunch, is that noise, destructive interference, and fortuitous signals result in dropped packets. And cars especially, tend to broadcast stronger signals that outshine an handset/headphone channel, cause both ends of the connection to drop packets. This is just based on observation. In crowded train stations and near busy roadways my headphones act like shit. I get the feeling it's the old "poorly shielded blender appliance ruins the t.v. reception" business, except the interference drops out in the same way progressive scan HDMI monitors glitch up without shielding. I have no proof that this is the case though.

hollander 10y ago
See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13126964 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13126964
- whutwhatt 10y ago
  See https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13128401 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13128401 hint: both are possible, simultaneously. one does not contradict the other. each one is a different concern, with its own merits.

dominicgs 10y ago

Bluetooth 5 extends the range and increases the data rate of BLE, but not both at the same time. This will allow you to stream high quality audio over BLE, saving power over regular Bluetooth, but you won't get the range benefit.

kraftman 10y ago

On the flip side I've been using my bluetooth headphones every day for over 3 years and I've never had them cut out once, other than if I leave them on from my desk to the kitchen which is about 20 ft and through a few walls.

matwood 10y ago

I'll need to test my BT headphones in a busier area then. I have an iPhone7 and $99 JLabs BT headphones and they only ever cut out if I go clear across the gym while my phone is in my bag. I'm going to guess that there just is not a lot of people using wireless in the gym at the times I'm there.