Using Bluetooth Headphones on Modern TVs

ClarkeKent

My beloved Panasonic RF Wireless Headphones are giving up the ghost. Crackling and keep dropping signal, so time to upgrade.

I assume with the USB ports on TVs. I can just plug in a USB bluetooth dongle and pair the headphones and I a up and running.

Any issues with privacy with Bluetooth (others listening in what I am watching on Youtube etc)?

Any Over-Ear Bluetooth headphones that anyone can recommend?


Alternatively any other wireless headphones, as I love watching TV at night on them.

grumbler

ClarkeKent wrote: »

I assume with the USB ports on TVs. I can just plug in a USB bluetooth dongle and pair the headphones and I a up and running.

Don't assume. Read the manual.

Any issues with privacy with Bluetooth (others listening in what I am watching on Youtube etc)?

If your old headphones were RF, then obviously BT is far more secure.

However, the range is far smaller, and I stopped using my BT headphones even for watching TV on my PC because of the inherent buffering. Unlike with RF, every small problem in connection results in buffered sound, not a short loss. As a result, the sound delay slowly gets bigger and bigger that makes watching TV impossible. For listening music this isn't a problem.
That said, I think it's the PC that buffers sound, not the headphones. If so, this can be different with TV if it really supports a BT dongle.

Alternatively any other wireless headphones, as I love watching TV at night on them.

I use RF, but you can forget about any privacy in this case. I can easily hear what my neighbours are watching/listening. IR is possibly better if you want privacy.

googler

You may well find the USB ports on a TV are set up to read from the USB stick only, and won't support any form of output.

As was said, the manual will tell you.

thescouselander

So, this is a bit of a minefield. The bluetooth standard induces a bit of a delay which is no problem when listening to music but will cause lip sync issues when watching TV.

You need to make sure your kit supports the low latency BT standard. Also, your TV probably wont support a USB BT adapter. I've got this adapter which will plug into the headphone socket

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YMFDVJ6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

I use this with some Sony BT headphones and there's still some delay but it's acceptable. These are the ones I've got: http://www.superfi.co.uk/p-16878-sony-mdrzx770bn-bluetooth-headphones.aspx?VariantHid=33661&gclid=CjwKEAiAoIK1BRCRiMqphvnlwlwSJAAOebPMTTNZSIf_MvjL2Bi-R5DwpwTcraNwSkGdCgZGyh49KxoCeVDw_wcB

They're not bad although they do make my ears a bit warm and they sound much better in wired mode.

ClarkeKent

Mmmm, might stick with RF wireless in that case. Don't want any delays.

Amazon have got some Sennheiser RS120 for £49, might go for them

thescouselander

Those Sennheisers look quite good. I only went bluetooth so I could use the headphones with other devices. The delay isn't that much though - I'd estimate around 10-20 ms

grumbler

thescouselander wrote: »

Those Sennheisers look quite good.

That's the ones I have, and I expected more from Sennheiser. They often slip from my head and creak when my jaw moves. Also, the volume regulator resistor didn't last for long and started playing up.
Possibly, it's just me, but it's worth searching for other reviews and opinions.

googler

ClarkeKent wrote: »

Mmmm, might stick with RF wireless in that case. Don't want any delays.

Amazon have got some Sennheiser RS120 for £49, might go for them

Take the audio output from the TV, run a twin phono cable round the room to your viewing chair, and place a headphone amp next to it.

No delays, no issues over bluetooth privacy, and - probably - better sound than RF wireless.

grumbler

That was what I'd done 35 years ago, and I used a long soft cable allowing me to move around.
Now it's the 21st century, and, ignoring sound quality that I am not sure about, IMO for TV and one room even IR is better than a fixed cable.

[Deleted User]

Home bargains have rf headphones for £5.99. I don't know how good they are but might be worth a punt. I've had my Sony rf headphones for nearly 10 years and they are very good but you need to keep them away from your WiFi router for a clear signal. As for privacy, does it matter when you're watching TV?

I have a modern Samsung TV and Bluetooth does not work. Apparently you have to buy special Samsung headphones which probably cost a bomb which is why I stick with the rf headphones.

grumbler

HUKD: Sennheiser RS160 wireless headphones £69.99 at Argos

Kleer TM
wireless transmission technology
The RS 160 headphone system features the digital wireless audio
transmission technology from Kleer.
The Kleer company has developed an RF-based wireless transmission standard (of the same name) that offers lossless audio transmission
in CD-quality while consuming minimal power.

20m range.
It's not BT, but much better than traditional FM in terms of privacy:

You can listen to your sound source via one pair of headphones. By default, the transmitter is set to single-user operation.
In order to be able to listen to your sound source with several headphones simultaneously, you have to set your transmitter to multi-user operation