Consumer Reports: Putting wireless headphones to the test

Friday, April 20, 2018
Consumer Reports: Putting wireless headphones to the test
Been admiring a new pair of headphones? You have probably noticed the world has gone wireless.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Been admiring a new pair of headphones? You have probably noticed the world has gone wireless. Google, HTC, and Motorola have all followed Apple's lead and eliminated the headphone jack from their latest smartphones.

So if you are done with adapters, tired of getting tangled up in headphone cords, and ready to take the plunge on a new, wireless pair, 7 On Your Side's Michael Finney and Consumer Reports can help.

In today's "on-the-go" world, wireless headphones are the way to go! "I like the freedom that it provides. No wires and stuff like that," said one gentleman we spoke to. Another said, "I don't have to be dealing with the tangles of the wires in my pockets no more."

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"I don't have to have my phone with me or on me at all times," added another gym goer.

Ready to cut the cord on your headphones? The tech team at Consumer Reports says now may be the perfect time. "You don't have to spend a ton of money to get a pair of wireless headphones that sound pretty good," said Nicholas Deleon, Consumer Reports Tech Editor.

JVC Gumy wireless headphones, which you can see in our video above, sell for around $30. They are pretty basic, but the audio quality scored "very good" in Consumer Reports' tests.

A higher budget gets you more features, like noise cancellation. "Noise cancelling is a feature on headphones that blocks unwanted, external sounds," said Deleon. "And that may be useful any number of reasons, if you are sitting at a cafe or if you're in kind of a noisy, open office environment."

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Others allow you to control your music from the earpiece without ever taking your phone out of your pocket, which may be a little tricky to master. "This particular model, you can swipe your finger up to increase the volume, down to decrease the volume, and that's fine, easy to remember," Deleon demonstrated. "But then, you can also tap once to pause, tap twice to fast forward, tap three times to rewind. Now you have to remember how many taps does what thing."

Consumer Reports also reminds that every headphone might not be the right fit for every person. The best thing to do is try them on before you buy them. Or, at the very least, make sure you buy a pair that is returnable.

Click here for a look at more stories by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

All Consumer Reports material Copyright 2017 Consumer Reports, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Consumer Reports is a not-for-profit organization which accepts no advertising. It has no commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site. For more information visit consumer.org.

Written and produced by Justin Mendoza