Wireless Headphones
The popularity of wireless headphones is growing daily as a major trend in technology seems to be "no more wires". Cutting the cord on headphones is a natural step in the evolution of not only headphones, but personal electronics in general.
Everyone is valuing their personal space more and more these days. Noise cancelling headphones have been helping people stay isolated and now wireless headphones are giving us freedom from those pesky cables.
Now without having to constantly adjust and arrange the cables hanging down from our earbuds or earphones, we can almost forget we''''''''re even using headphones. They''''''''re no longer a distraction. This has made watching TV possible in a room where a spouse or partner can simultaneously read a book without the noise from a television. Watching TV was one of the first applications where wireless headphones were found to be a great advancement. Recently, technology has made it possible to enjoy your iPod, MP3 player, computer, or anything else with a headphone jack using wireless headphones or earbuds.
Whether you''''''''re considering smaller in-ear headphones or the larger more traditional stereo headphones, the wireless technology is the same. A transmitter plugs into the headphone jack of a device. This transmitter takes the audio signal that is normally fed directly into your headphones through the cord, and converts the audio into an infrared or radio frequency (RF) signal. The signal is then detected by the receivers in your wireless earbuds or headphones and converted back into a normal electronic signal which you hear through your headphones.
Those headsets using infrared wireless technology, which is the same way most television remote controls work, have a range of around 20 - 30 feet. One drawback is that you must maintain line-of-sight between the transmitter and the headphones. This should not be a problem in an environment such as a family room. But if you were to move beyond the range or coverage angle of the wireless transmitter, you might hear some dropout or interference in the headphones.
Radio Frequency technology is the other common method wireless headphones use to operate without cables. Many household devices such as cordless telephones and garage door openers use RF wireless technology. RF works in a similar manner to infrared, but uses radio waves instead of light waves to transmit the audio signal. The RF transmitter still must be connected to the headphone jack of a device and there are RF receivers in the earbuds or headphones just as with infrared. And most RF wireless headphone systems have a range similar to infrared of 20 - 30 feet. But since radio waves can travel through solid surfaces, you no longer must maintain a direct sight path between the transmitter and the headphones. This one aspect of RF technology makes it the best choice for use with iPods or MP3 players. With RF wireless, you can tuck your music player in your pocket and still use wireless earbuds or headphones.
Since the wireless receivers in the earphones and headphones require power to operate, all models use rechargeable batteries inside the earbuds or headsets. Most models will come with a desktop charging base or a dock to store and charge your headphones between uses. Battery live varies greatly among brands, but you can typically expect from around 3 - 5 hours of continuous use for the tiny in-ear headphones and up to 30 hours for the larger full size headphones.
Using a set of wireless earbuds or headphones is a great way to expand your freedom and increase your comfort when listening to music or watching television. You can now have high fidelity and portability without the wires. Try some today and you''''''''ll never go back to using wired headphones.
