- Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b ($179)
- Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studio (inline remote/mic; $300)
- Bose QuietComfort 15 and QuietComfort 3 ($300 and $350, respectively)
Bluetooth Stereo Headphones
If you think being tethered to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac is a drag—or, for the gym rats, an equipment-snagging hazard—consider going wireless. While there are wireless headphones on the market that use radio-frequency and infrared technology, your best bet, in terms of convenience and portability, is Bluetooth. You can stream audio to stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) headphones from the iPad; the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4; the second-generation and later iPod touch; and any recent Mac. You can also use Bluetooth headphones with other iPod models by purchasing a dock-connector Bluetooth transmitter, which are offered by a number of companies. Most stereo Bluetooth headphones also double as headsets, letting you seamlessly switch between music and voice features. And when running iOS 4 or later, the iPad, iPhone 3GS and 4, and third-generation and later iPod touch models let you control music playback using Play/Pause, Back, and Forward buttons on the Bluetooth headphones themselves. (The recommendations here all include such playback controls.)
Recommendations:
- Plantronics BackBeat 603+ (behind-the-neck; $100)
- Motorola S9-HD (behind-the-neck; $150)
- Etymotic Research ety8 (in-ear-canal; $159)
- Sennheiser MM 100 (Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mice ; behind-the-neck; $200)
(This is the 2010 version of our headphones buying guide. You can view the 2009 version here.)
Dan Frakes is a Macworld senior editor.
