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Cordless Headphones

jawsarticles | Apr 29, 2010 |

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Cordless headphones are a great option for the wireless life. Who needs wires and plugs when you can just put on head phones and listen? Well, it's not quite as simple as that, and it's important to know a bit about your options before going out to buy cordless headphones of your own. There are three different technologies, each with its own pros and cons. The three are infrared (IR) light, radio frequency (RF) and Bluetooth®.

Bluetooth® cordless headphones are perhaps the most common thanks to their use with cellphones and other mobile electronics. Bluetooth® technology uses low power radio waves to communicate between the headphones and a transmitter, which is most often built into the device. When not built into a device, a small transmitter called a dongle is used. Bluetooth® is a standard, meaning that the Bluetooth® cordless headphones you buy will be compatible with your devices, even if they are made by a different company. Bluetooth® headphones have a range of about 30 feet, depending on the exact power of the device and whether there are obstacles in the way.

RF cordless headphones may be right for you if you need a wireless solution but don't need it to be portable, such as at home or at the office. RF wireless headphones are made of a receiver in the headphones and a transmitter. Unlike Bluetooth®, however, the RF transmitter is a separate unit that has to be plugged into your TV or stereo. What this technology lacks in portability, it makes up for in range. RF cordless headphones can be used up to 300 feet away from the source, and the radio waves pass through walls, so it doesn't matter if you're in another room or even outside. They are susceptible to both interference and eavesdropping, however, since the RF frequencies they operate on are so commonly used. Minimize interference by making sure your headphones operate on a different range of frequencies than other wireless devices you have in your house.

Infrared (IR) cordless headphones do not cause interference, and cannot be intercepted, making them ideal if you're looking for privacy or if you need cordless headphones in an environment that doesn't allow any type of radio transmissions (such as a hospital). They rely on light (infrared light) to send from a transmitter plugged into your audio source into your headphones. It's not unlike the way a remote control works. The problem with this is that the signal is line of sight, which means that it moves in a straight line and it cannot be interrupted by anything, even a person walking by. This is somewhat of a disadvantage, but it really depends on what you're looking for.

Now that you know which technology is right for you, go ahead and research the best models in that category on a site like Amazon.com that has user reviews.