[ecenandu]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Bose QC35 series is a charm and one can wear them for extended hours. Excellent noise cancellation and sound quality. They retail for ~INR 30k.

In Bose you can try their latest variant as well, Bose 700.

[KL01toKA03]

Originally Posted by riteshritesh

Why don't you try something that stays on ear with a loop, like in the link.

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. Even if it comes with a loop, I hate anything that goes in-ear.

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

What is your budget?
Sennheiser HD 4.5BT retailing for ~INR 6k are pretty good. They aren't exactly comfy for long duration however.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions. My budget is around 10k. I guess I'll check for black Friday deals before making a decision.

[Torq]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Anyone tried the Xiaomi AirDots?

Used it for about two months now. Great sound quality. Even on bike. Fit nicely in ear with helmet on.
Only problem? The mic isnt noise cancelling per se. Lots of wind noise is transferred to listener at other end. Had to stop using it, and went with boat rockers BT headset with neckband. Much better for calls IMO

[libranof1987]

Got the AirPods a few weeks back and have used them on a few occasions. I'm not on the phone too long, except when I'm working from home. So, for those few hours a week and some additional flexibility, got these for <10k.

- The sound quality is marginally better than what you get on the EarPods; nothing to write home about for the audiophile.
- The connectivity (I have both, a Mac and an iPhone) is lovely; very seamless and smart. Eg. the connectivity is only as long as I am wearing them.
- I got about five hours of usage on a single charge, where I on calls for about three hours.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by Torq

Used it for about two months now. Great sound quality. Even on bike. Fit nicely in ear with helmet on.
Only problem? The mic isnt noise cancelling per se. Lots of wind noise is transferred to listener at other end. Had to stop using it, and went with boat rockers BT headset with neckband. Much better for calls IMO

I second this. The only drawback of the Airdots is that the mic isnt good and this is most suitable for music and not a good option for taking calls, especially outdoors.

I found out that the bigger issue with the Airdots is to get hold of a genuine one. The online market is flooded with fake replicas of the Airdots, and unless you have had a genuine one with you before, you cant make out the difference. I would like to share my experience for the benefit of others:

• As I had mentioned, I had got my first pair of Airdots from Gearbest and this was labelled "Xiaomi True wireless earbuds basic". Unfortunately, I lost it a few weeks back since I forgot to put it back in the carrying case and it somehow was not found later. Since I had a foreign trip coming up, I badly needed it soon.
• I found this retailing on Amazon India for 1425 rupees and there was a next day delivery possible. Hence I ordered it. But I was sent a stupid replica, not even close to the original which I did not even bother to test. Returned it and got a refund. Here are some pictures:
• 
  
  
  
  
• Due to my positive experience earlier, I had also ordered two pairs for my cousin and friend from Gearbest, but this time through a seller called Smartselect Audio store. Since the plan to source from Amazon IN flopped for me, I told my cousin that I will be taking the Airdots meant for her and waited for it to arrive. This time, it was a slightly better finished product than the one I got from Amazon IN. However, it had two major flaws which I could easily tell it was a fake copy. Firstly, it had poor finishing on the outside, with the thin glossy black border on the button missing and second, the left and right channel was reversed, with the sound quality being pathetic. It was as if the sound was mono. This was the second bummer for me since I had another order coming up from the same seller. I am in talks with Gearbest for a refund.
• Since I could not get my hands on a genuine version, I came to Germany and gave a try on Amazon.de. The cost was higher, but the seller was an official distributor for Xiaomi in Germany and hence, I was delivered a genuine version which is similar to the first pair I had, and this is what I am currently using.
• Due to my requirement of two extra pairs, I have now ordered one from Aliexpress where the seller claims it is 100% original, and so are the images from the reviews. Hopefully this should turn out to be good.

Due to all this fiasco, I read some articles about this product and they say there are two versions, the global one and the Chinese one, and a product labelled MI and another labelled RedMi. The Chinese variant is the poorly done variant and it does not even come with correct manufacturing labels. Hence, this is not genuine I believe. If you guys are ordering it, then please make sure what is the actual product looking like, through images in the review or choose the global version.

[Torq]

Originally Posted by audioholic

... fake replicas....
Unfortunately, I lost it a few weeks back since I forgot to put it back in the carrying case and it somehow was not found later.

I lost them the same way
Also, forgot to mention, I got them via aliexpress,and they looked genuine, sounded great too. Perhaps, redmi store on AliExpress sells genuine stuff.

[nileshch]

Not sure if anyone has read this before. Interesting article on the truth about bluetooth audio and iOS compatibility. Basically, in summary, if you are buying a bluetooth headset for iOS devices, make sure AAC compression is supported. if the earphones only have aptX support, they will still sound average with iPhone or iPad. so it will be pointless for an iOS user to invest in an expensive headset which supports only aptX.

https://darko.audio/2017/03/the-inco...uetooth-audio/

However, on the other hand, aptX/aptX HD and AAC both are supported on Macs, Windows and Android.

[riteshritesh]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Not sure if anyone has read this before.

Went through it and was reading the comments, when I realised that the article is 3 years old. Is everything in it still valid or the manufacturers and SIG has made progress!

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by riteshritesh

Went through it and was reading the comments, when I realised that the article is 3 years old. Is everything in it still valid or the manufacturers and SIG has made progress!

No, this is not an issue with SIGs. aptX/aptX HD is a technology licensed by Qualcomm. Given the sweet relationship between them and Apple, I believe Apple has not bothered getting a license for iOS devices.

So it is still the same today. Supported on MacOS, but not on iOS.

https://www.quora.com/Why-doesn-t-iP...t-AptX-AptX-HD

Even on Macs, it is not enabled by default. You have to force MacOS to switch to aptX for bluetooth headphones that support the compression standard.

https://9to5mac.com/2018/08/31/mac-h...th-headphones/

[veyron_head]

I have been looking for a bluetooth headset for nearly an year now! In this one year, i have bought two lowpriced neckbands, a bose soundtouch and a samsung onesided bluetooth. None of them are good enough for calls. I know nearly all the famous and obscure brands that sell wireless earbuds, neckband, one sided headsets. But just unable to find one that is good for calls. My requirement is primarily for calling. Need something that would help have a clear conversation anywhere. I do travel quite a bit and hence being able to have clear calls on the road and in office environment is a fundamental requirement. I am close to buying the good old plantronics 5200 UC. Any suggestions?

Also, anyone knows the difference between UC and non-UC sets in Plantronics. I saw the UC ones support softphones and there is a USB adapter for the headphone to connect to laptop. Is this all? Any other Differences in call quality?

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

Also, anyone knows the difference between UC and non-UC sets in Plantronics. I saw the UC ones support softphones and there is a USB adapter for the headphone to connect to laptop. Is this all? Any other Differences in call quality?

I have the plantronics 5200 with case. I think this is the UC you are referring to but unfortunately I dont know the specifics of the model. This is my official device for calls and got it a few months back. I think the price is pretty high for what it offers. However, the quality and performance is top notch as far as my experience goes. The version I have has the case as well as the softphone capability. Here are some brief observations from my side. The positives are:

• Excellent voice clarity over PC. It also seems to have great noise cancellation since I have never got a request to repeat what I am saying from the opposite end.
• Superb quality of the case as well as the headset
• Quick pairing with PC as well as phone. It can pair simultaneously and you can switch between calls. However, I havent tried this since I primarily use for Skype calls only.
• The charging case and headset together give insane battery life. On a single charge the headset delivers around 6hrs of talk time, and I very occasionally charge the charging case.
• Quite regular software updates and so from the internet.
• It has many fine touches like detection of headset on the ear to divert calls from PC speakers to headset and so.
• Weight wise its pretty comfortable and you hardly feel the device
• Looks very premium, and not like the typical bluetooth headset.

However, there are some downsides:

• I never felt the earbuds comfortable. They are of some wierd shape and sometimes very comfortable, and sometimes end up with a paining ear. Maybe I dont wear it right. My usage is typically between 30-60mins on alternate days and very rarely more than 1hr per day.
• Volume adjustment on the headset is a pain. Havent been so successful in this and I rely upon PC volume control

That said, I have not used the headset with the phone jor have I used it in outdoor environments. The charging case is a boon since it provides protection as well as charges when you dont need it.


EDIT: This is what I have: https://www.plantronics.com/sg/en/pr...kuId=PPM-00129

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by audioholic

I have the plantronics 5200 with case. I think this is the UC you are referring to but unfortunately I dont know the specifics of the model. This is my official device for calls and got it a few months back. I think the price is pretty high for what it offers.

I got it for 5000 in an amazon sale without case.


I can't live without it - the audio quality is amazing and no one can figure that I am on bluetooth! For people with hoarse voices like me in client service roles, this is a godsend.


Even the original airpods was not this nice in shutting out ambient noises.

[veyron_head]

Originally Posted by audioholic

EDIT: This is what I have: https://www.plantronics.com/sg/en/pr...kuId=PPM-00129

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I got it for 5000 in an amazon sale without case.


I can't live without it - the audio quality is amazing and no one can figure that I am on bluetooth! For people with hoarse voices like me in client service roles, this is a godsend.


Even the original airpods was not this nice in shutting out ambient noises.

Thanks guys. This is super helpful! The 5200 has the least amount of negative reviews across the internet. Have decided to go for it.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I got it for 5000 in an amazon sale without case.

Thats pretty reasonable. The box I got it in had an MRP of 20499

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

Also, anyone knows the difference between UC and non-UC sets in Plantronics. I saw the UC ones support softphones and there is a USB adapter for the headphone to connect to laptop. Is this all? Any other Differences in call quality?

Agree - My understanding as well.



UC isn't required except for connecting with laptop.


Same device otherwise - no difference in call quality.