Analise

I need wireless earphones now that I have an iPhone 8. I hate ear buds or anything that I have to stick in my ears. I've tried the Aftershokz Trekz but its battery life is only 6 hours. I want something whose battery life is at least 12 hours.

I don't mind if it wraps around the neck.

I was hoping to keep my current over-the-ear earphones by buying a dongle but I will have a mophie battery case over the iPhone and the dongle won't work through the battery case according to Mophie.

So I am seeking advice about those with a long battery life (at least 12 hours).

Thanks.

DYKWIA

I've got Bose QC35s which last well over 12 hours. Not sure exactly how long they last, but I do 2 TATL flights without a charge.

Dodge DeBoulet

Is active noise cancellation a requirement, or are you looking for a "casual listening" solution?

The phones are supra aural; they're lightweight, reasonably compact and very comfortable. Battery life has been great, definitely 12+ hours as advertised. I have Bose headphones for flying but I use the Koss for virtually everything else.

Analise

Thank you. I didn't mention it but I'm looking to spend no more than $125. They do look comfortable.

Casual, everyday earphones for the gym as well as for walking/commuting.

These are interesting. Great price. I was hoping to find earphones that wrap around the neck as opposed to on top of my head but I'm open for suggestions. I have a few questions.

1. Do you find the metal headset comfortable without having any kind of cushion or padding?

2. Does the "temporal padding" really relieve pressure on the ear?

3. How is the battery life of the rechargeable lithium battery? Since I've never had wireless earphones, I am unfamiliar with their battery life. Is the battery easy to replace or must it be ordered?

Dodge DeBoulet

I honestly don't even notice the headband when I'm wearing them. Item 2 below is most likely why.

It really does. The foam pads rest against your skull just above the ears. The ear-pads themselves each have a 3 position sliding switch that controls the amount of pressure the pads place on the ear. You can have them snug, lightly touching your ear, or somewhere in between. If it's windy or otherwise noisy, the snug position helps quite a bit with sound isolation without a dramatic decrease in comfort. And part of the weight of the phones is borne by the temporal padding, but I doubt you'd notice.

The battery is not replaceable, at least without some special tools. I've had mine for over a year, though, and haven't seen any degradation in the charge it will hold.

I don't know of any Bluetooth headphones that have a replaceable battery, if that's a concern.

Analise

Thanks. I didn't realize that batteries were not replaceable so that's one issue off the table.

So the foam pads are such that you don't feel the metal top of the headphones on your head. Got it.

Thanks again.

Analise

One more question about the Koss — How is the sound if you keep the iPhone in pants pocket, coat pocket or clipped to a belt? How close must the iPhone be to the earphones? Thanks.

Dodge DeBoulet

That's the only thing about these headphones I find a bit fiddly, but it hasn't really been a problem.

Wearing the wire around the back of my neck, the sound drops out occasionally when the signal must pass through my (admittedly big-boned) body. In a right-side jacket (hip-level) pocket, no issues unless I turn my head far to the right. In a left-side pocket, occasional dropouts. In a rear pants pocket, a very occasional dropout when I turn my head and it doesn't matter which side. Wearing the wire in front of my neck, no issues at all in any front pocket. The Bluetooth antenna appears to be integrated into the control unit that hangs from the right speaker, so having that close to line-of-sight with your phone gives the best results.

I wear a pocket tee When I take my daily 3 mile hike and keep my phone in the left breast pocket (my spring/fall fleeces and winter coat have left-breast pockets as well, and that's where my phone normally goes). I've also kept it in the right front pocket of my pants or shorts, but (at least with shorts) end up having to "hitch 'em up" regularly due to the weight of the phone. I'm considering getting an arm band for the phone since my wife complains about my t-shirt sagging on the left when the phone is in its pocket

The other thing to be aware of is that battery life is shortened significantly when temperatures are below freezing. Consider wearing a hood; the headphones are low-profile enough to worn under one. A wide scarf should serve the same purpose ... keeping the battery at a reasonable temperature.

Finally, while the rest of the world is moving to USB-C for charging, the Koss headphones use micro-USB. It comes with a charging cable, of course, and no special wall-wart is needed. They'll charge off anything that has a powered USB type A (flat-rectangular) port.

mike_la_jolla

You should be able to get a used pair of Bose QC35 series I on eBay for $125. That would be my choice.

Analise

Thanks for taking the time write about your experiences with the headphones depending upon where you wear the wire and where you place the phone.

Wireless headphones seem so high maintenance. Now it's more than making sure that they are charged. I would have the phone either in a coat pocket during colder weather or shorts/pants pockets or belt when it's warmer. I don't think it would be a big deal for me wearing the wire in front of my neck if I don't lose a signal. It is below freezing for a couple of months so that's something to consider too. I do wear scarves so I hope that helps. Is temperature an issue for all wireless headphones or just the Koss?

This has been very helpful; thank you.

Dodge DeBoulet

De nada
You'll probably find it more comfortable actually wearing it in front of your neck; It's a fairly short cord, so wearing it behind has it actually resting lightly on your neck. I noticed it, and it was only a problem when turning my head would cause the cord to shift to the left (the side the battery is on, which has a bit more weight to it than the control unit). I'd occasionally have to tug on the right side to put it back in position. With it in front of my neck I can't feel it at all. I think it was actually designed to be worn that way, unlike most other "wireless" headphones that have, uh, wires.

That's the case with Lithium ion batteries in general. If the battery isn't kept warm by insulation, ambient temperature or your body, it won't maintain the proper voltage as long. For the Koss, it meant that on one very cold day where I wore a toque but no hood or scarf, the headphones went from 60% to beeping at me that it was nearly depleted within an hour.

Analise

Both price-wise and comfort, I am interested in these

AfterShokz Sportz Titanium bone conduction headphones

AfterShokz Sportz Titanium bone conduction headphones

.

Yet these headphones are wired instead of wireless AND have a 12 hour battery. If you look at the link, you'll see a picture of a woman using the headphones with the wire's jack plugged into her phone.

If they are wired so the headphone jack can be plugged into an adapter to an iPhone, why is there a 12 hour battery? What is the need for a battery when you can plug in the headphone jack to an adapter to hear the music?

To work these, you need both? Anyone know why? Thanks.

Dodge DeBoulet

My assumption is that bone-conduction headphones require significantly more current to drive the sound through your cheekbones than conventional phones need to do the same through your eardrums. A conventional headphone jack doesn't provide a constant source of power; it only supplies what is needed to drive the little tiny speakers in earbuds or extra-aural headphones.

I've never tried the bone-conduction variety, though.

Analise

Thanks for the explanation.

Recently, I tried on wireless bone-conduction headphones a friend of mine has and they were very comfortable and the music sounded great. Unfortunately, it had a 6 hour battery.

Dodge DeBoulet

Well, my Bluetooth PortaPros died at some point within the last 3 days. They won't turn on, and they won't charge. It's a good thing you decided against them.

If KOSS warrantied them I'd get them fixed, but unlike the original wired PortaPros (which I've loved and gifted to others), they're only warrantied for a year.

Crossing KOSS off my list