Bluetooth vs. Wired
Bluetooth is great. It’s convenient. But when it comes to audio quality, you will always lose a bit when converting a signal to Bluetooth, sending it over the air, and then reconverting it to sound for your ears. There will be loss. That being said, 99.9999% of the population of Earth won’t hear any difference (even though some insist they can).
Bluetooth also adds cost to any headset; the wired version will always be cheaper. But it adds convenience because you can get up and walk around with freedom and won’t be tethered to your computer.
So if you’re a real sound nerd who prefers that extra bit of “umph” over convenience, or if you’re willing to forego convenience to save a few bucks, you may want to go with wired.
If, on the other hand, you’ll trade a bit of quality that, honestly, you probably won’t even notice isn’t there, in order to get convenience, go Bluetooth.
How to convert your non-Bluetooth’s computer to Bluetooth
You’ll need a dongle. Yes, we will be talking about your dongle or your lack thereof. Gird your loins.
Most modern computers, and laptops in particular, have Bluetooth built in so you can add a headset to your Zoom meetings and the like. But many older desktops don’t.
If your system doesn’t have Bluetooth, you can purchase a Bluetooth dongle (also known as an adapter, but I like saying “dongle” because it makes me laugh) that you can plug into a USB outlet in your computer to make it transmit Bluetooth. These instructions will only be relevant for computers running Windows 10, 8, and 7. For everything else, reach out to me personally.
They are small and very inexpensive.
This is my recommendation. Techkey USB Mini Bluetooth 4.0 EDR Dongle for Computer Desktop Laptop Headphones Speakers Mouse Printer Windows 10/8.1/8/7 ($16.99)
Now that you’re transmitting Bluetooth…
The question now arises, once you’ve got your computer able to transmit Bluetooth, what to connect it to.
Bluetooth Headphones can run in the $500 range all the way down to the $30 range. Will you find a $30 pair that sounds like a $500 pair? No. But you can find very good options and *almost* any range.
Here’s my suggestions as best in class by price:
Overall recommendation (that doesn’t break the bank)
$80-100 range: Sennheiser HD 350BT Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Headphones. ($90 on sale at Amazon)
I have owned many Sennheiser earbuds and headphones and although I’ve not actually heard these myself, I have ALWAYS been impressed by their products. They just sound “good” to me. I find them nicely balanced and not overly bassy.
Bass for headphones was what garlic was for food in the 80s; just load it up and everyone thinks it ammmaaaaaazing.
For years, headphone and speaker makers have known that the “kids” are all about the bass, so they make a headphone that pumps out overbalanced bass, drowning out everything else, slap a celebrity endorsement on it, triple the price, and it’s the hot new thing. That’s great if you listen to rap or RnB, but try to listen to Mozart through a pair of Beats headphones and you’ll see they actually kinda suck.
Sennheiser actually goes for balance. Which sometimes makes them seem a bit flat, but the nice thing is with these headphones, there’s a Sennheiser Sound Control App for your iPhone that allows you to tweak the sound to your preference — no matter if you like punched mids or tingling highs. And yes, you can pump up the bass, too, if that’s what you really like.
They also have a mic on board, so you can use them to take calls on your phone if you pair it there. And they fold up, in case you want to take them in your bag or purse.
Best budget pick
$30-70 range: JBL Tune 510BT on ear headphones ($29.99 on sale at Amazon)
JBL is a fairly well-respected brand with some history behind it, but they’re one of those “boost the bass” brands as well. However, for the price, the sound on these isn’t half bad. I haven’t listened to them myself, but a number of outlets I respect say that while they won’t blow your mind, they won’t offend you. It’s got nice round bass, without beating you with it, and it has good enough mids and lows that it will cross genres easily.
There’s no noise cancelling (if you want that you can do the JBL Tune 660NC, which has a similar sound and has noise cancelling), but unless you’re using these to commute or fly, do you really need the feature/expense?
I got the dongle and the headphones. Now what?
If you have Bluetooth natively onboard your computer, skip to step 4.
If you don’t have Bluetooth natively onboard your computer:
Read and follow the setup instructions for the Bluetooth dongle;
Plug your dongle (heh… still laughing) into an open USB Port on your computer;
In most cases, you can just plug the Bluetooth adapter into your computer to let Windows install the necessary driver automatically. But if that doesn't work, try a driver updater tool or visit the manufacturer's website for specific installation directions.
Once you have your dongle (heh) working properly, now you can pair your headphones to your computer:
For Windows 10, go to Settings > Devices > Add Bluetooth or other device > Bluetooth.
Windows 8 and Windows 7 users should go into Control Panel to find Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers > Add a device.
You’ll see an option for “Bluetooth.” Pick that.
You might have to complete the pairing process by entering a code for the headphones (read your headphone’s user manual for the code if you need it).
If you are having trouble and none of this is working for you:
Read the user manual for setup instructions for your Bluetooth dongle and your headphones and follow them.
You might also find some solutions on a third party how-to site. For example, Lifewire “How to Connect Bluetooth Headphones to a PC”