Comparing Wireless TV Headphones
There are lots of things that you'll need to consider before deciding on your wireless TV headphone set, and this article is going to focus on a few of the more obvious ones including audio quality and possible uses.
Wireless TV Headphones: Not For Audiophiles
It should be mentioned straight away that wireless TV headphone sets are not for audiophiles - at least not yet. There may come a time when there are wireless headphones for TV out there that are capable of duplicating the sound quality that comes from high end studio headphones with high gauge wiring, but that time is not today. The closest you're likely to get to that kind of quality is going to be infrared which, although not as susceptible to interference or distortion, is otherwise fairly limited. Higher end sets allow you to at least be able to turn your head by incorporating three way receivers so that the wireless TV headphones can still communicate when your head is turned, but that may or may not be worth the cost to you since radio headphones will work just fine standing on your head on the other side of a wall.
Audio Quality For The Masses
As far as general audio quality goes, the difference between sets will probably have more to do with the speakers and the type of ear cup than anything else. If you're satisfied with the audio quality that you receive from FM radio stations, then the RF signal will likely be just fine, barring any unusual distortion. To gauge the quality of the speakers , there are only a few options. You can research the frequency response on the various models. This is usually printed somewhere on the packaging, and sometimes available online as well. The frequency response will be listed as a range, something like 20Hz to 20kHz, and the broader the range, the better. That being said, if treble gives you a headache and you like your bass, then look for the lowest low number in the frequency response range. If sound seems flat to you unless it has a lot of treble, make sure the high end is high. Frequency response will never be able to tell the whole story, though, so if you can, try to find some reviews online so that you can see what other people thought about the sound quality.
Limitations Of Different Types Of Wireless TV Headphones
If you ever plan to use your wireless TV headphone set outdoors, then you're going to have to use either RF or Bluetooth as the sun itself produces infrared light, making it impossible for the receiver to decipher anything outside during the day. If you need total privacy, then you'll want to choose either infrared or Bluetooth. Infrared cannot make it through walls, which means no one outside of your room will be able to listen in, and Bluetooth's limited range work in your advantage when it comes to privacy. Bluetooth is also encoded, so even if the signal were to somehow penetrate a wall, the only receiver that would be able to make any use of it would be the one that was synced to the transmitter which, in this case, would be your wireless TV headphone set. Bluetooth, however, is plagued by a rather unusual downfall in the world of consumer electronics -- availability. Do a search on Amazon for Bluetooth wireless TV headphones, and you won't get a single result that was made specifically for televisions. Although they will work to some degree, there may be some compromise.
No Best Type Of Wireless TV Headphones
So, as you can see, there really is no "better" type of wireless TV headphone sets , though there are sure to be people out there that will quickly tell you otherwise. It really depends on how you plan to use them, which is often true for many things in life, not just wireless headphones for TV.
