Scott joins Leo to talk about One More wireless in-ear headphones and he says that the Triple Driver in-ear monitors sound the best. They are Bluetooth and fit around your neck and then into your ears. It has cross overs that route the sound to each ear, and come with woofers, tweeters, and a middle channel. It's a very slick design. But they are around $150, so they aren't cheap. Great headphones though.
Paul recently bought a pair of Aftershokz Trekz Air headphones. Leo says they are fine. Not great, but good enough. Paul complains though, that after ten minutes, the sound drops and gets garbled. Leo says that's a Bluetooth issue that's likely specific to that model. Worth returning or exchanging. Leo says he has the older version, which works well. He may want to try the Aeropex. At the end of the day though, Bluetooth is just terrible, because it handles far more bandwidth than it was designed for.
Joseph wants to get a new Google Pixel 3 and a wireless charger. Leo says the Pixel 3 is great, but it doesn't do rapid charging unless one buys Google's own wireless charger, which is expensive. Leo uses the TYLT Vu wireless charger. It's an easy charger and it has dual coils so it charges either upright or sideways. That way users can plug in headphones and listen to music while it's charging. Of course, Joseph can also get some Bluetooth headphones and be untethered.
Bud wants to know if there's a hearing amplifier out there for his mobile phone. Leo says his cost $6,000, so that's not practical. Some earphones have apps that would pipe the sound directly into his ears from the phone. Then he could just use Bluetooth headphones, but it wouldn't be the ultimate solution. This is all about to change as companies are designing their products to work with Bluetooth wireless earbuds.
Nathan is wondering where he can get AirPods. Leo says that AirPods were delayed for a few months, and even now, they are hard to find because Apple isn't up to speed in making them as fast as they need to. The challenge is the new W1 chip. He can get a pair of Beats, though, which uses similar technology.
Billy is getting Beats Bluetooth headphones for Christmas. What peripheral can he connect to his vinyl record player in order to use them? Leo says most modern amps have Bluetooth support built-in. If his existing receiver doesn't, there are plenty of third party Bluetooth transmitters that will do it. Amazon is filled with them for around $15. He should be warned that the audio quality won't be all that great, though. Bluetooth audio simply isn't all that great, no matter how good the headphones are, because the dynamic range of the music is highly compressed to make the bandwidth.
Phil would like to watch TV with wireless headphones so he doesn't disturb the rest of his family late at night. Leo says to look for a good Bluetooth headset that uses A2DP or AptX. USA Today recently came up with a whole list of options at usatoday.com
Another good place to look is at headphones.reviewed.com Beyer Dynamics and Sony both make great wireless headphones.
This week's gadget will help you get fit and rock out at the same time. The TalkBand B1 is an exercise band that has a pop out Bluetooth headset. The integrated Bluetooth earpiece with 1.4 inch OLED display features accept and reject buttons for phone calls. Want to accept a call and talk? Push a button and pop-out the Bluetooth earpiece.
As an activity tracker, it can automatically track steps, distance, and calories burned; in sleep tracking mode it automatically tracks sleep time and quality. It’s Bluetooth 4.1 as well as NFC for easy pairing.
Greg thinks Black Friday is barbaric. Leo agrees and says that fighting over a few items that are marked down is usually not worth it. Cyber Monday, however, is another story.
Greg is looking for a good bluetooth headset to listen to music with. CNet has a list of best wireless headphones here. Most aren't cheap, through, at around $300. The Backbeat Fit is around $100.
Carlos wants to know if his iPhone can pair to multiple bluetooth devices. Leo says yes! It's been a standard capability for awhile in smartphones now. Leo also recommends over the ear bluetooth headphones.
Motorola makes great wireless headphones, as does LG. The Motorola S10HD are about $40, and they go around the neck and house the batteries for longer battery life. He'll also want headphones that support the high quality stereo profile called 'A2DP.'
