But, if you want a pair of headphones to connect easily to your TV, with very little latency, you should look into the RF-style connectivity that transmits audio via an included audio receiver. These headphones aren’t typically as sleek or full-featured as all-around Bluetooth headphones but will be ready for your TV right out of the box. Below are our picks for the best TV headphones. On the sound quality front, you can expect the Sennheiser level of excellence, with an all-encompassing frequency response of 17 Hz to 22 kHz and less than 0.5% harmonic distortion. But, Sennheiser has also enlisted the help of the IDMT for signal processing (a leading organization in the development of hearing aids) to better process the wireless signal for full, clear audio response. This latter fact makes these headphones great for those who need a bit of help hearing their TV shows. This also means that Sennheiser has built headphones that aren’t necessarily that sleek. At 340g they are quite a bit bulkier and heavier than what you’d normally expect from modern headphones. The bulkier design also means that the plush padding is very big and ultra-comfortable. Another downside is that these headphones use interchangeable, rechargeable AA batteries rather than internal options. The price is also a little higher than you might expect, but for the quality, it’s worth it. These headphones do one thing really well—connect wirelessly to your TV—and if that’s your goal, then you’d have trouble finding a better option than these. The wireless functionality on the Backbeat Pros 2 is also really solid, offering up to 100 feet of range via the Bluetooth protocol—about as modern as you could expect. The modern Bluetooth protocol also means that there will be less lag between the visuals and the audio, which is important for headphones meant for video. There’s also active noise cancellation built into these headphones, which makes them a truly premium option from a feature set perspective. The Backbeats also offer a totally respectable 24 hours of playback on a single charge. This last factor makes the headphones great for watching video on the go, during your commute, or on a plane, without worrying about running out of juice. These headphones are a steal for what they bring to the table—earning them a spot at the top of our list. There are about a half dozen colors to choose from that range from bright lime green to a more subtle black gray, though this red color is the most popular. What makes the 059s great for watching TV and movies on your tablet or phone is the flat, no-frills, well-rounded sound quality. These aren’t the most detailed headphones on the market, nor do they purport to add any substantial degree of bass, but they do offer even reliable sound across the spectrum. The Bluetooth 4.1 does mean that you won’t get the modern stability (and multi-device support) of Bluetooth 5.0, but that is one of the compromises you’ll have to make for the low price tag. One surprising point of quality for these headphones is how plush and comfortable the memory foam earpads feel at this price level. There’s also about 20 hours of battery life on a single charge—nothing super impressive, but also not disappointing—but the headphones take a while to charge up The package comes with a charging cable, a nice little carrying pouch, and a 3.5mm aux cord for wiring in a connection when the battery dies. Jabra has also managed to fit an estimated 36 hours of battery life into these sleek headphones, which is important when relying on them for phone calls, daily listening, and evening tablet time. That sleek design is also an interesting feature point here, because the clean, one-color look and the sharp-yet-oval earcups look really unique, but don’t sacrifice spacious comfort for your ears. With 8 microphones built into the headphones, the call quality on the 85h is truly impressive—no surprise from a brand like Jabra. But it’s not all positives here: though the noise cancellation is top-notch, the price tag matches. While the Bluetooth protocol is modern and stable, it isn’t quite as user-friendly as options from Sony or Apple. And, though the sound quality isn’t bad per se, you might find better results with a more premium brand. The design and feature set here aren’t limited to just the Extra Bass though. With soft, pleasing lines and a subtle, no-frills approach to headphones, these will look great inside or outside the house. And, with Sony’s truly impressive, super-soft plush earcups, the comfort should be excellent on these. While there aren’t quite as many touch controls as more flagship headphones, you’ll find a few bells and whistles like Sony’s “Quick Attention” mode, though it would have been nice to get more on-board control. All in all, even though the Extra Bass can blow out some of the detail in the sound spectrum, these headphones look, feel, and sound excellent—if you can afford the price point. The reason these headphones get our most versatile pick is because of the connectivity. Simply plug the stereo cable of the sound receiver base into whatever device you’re looking to stream from (from a TV to a tablet and beyond) and you can transmit audio via radio frequency, rather than the sometimes clunkier Bluetooth parking situation. The rechargeable battery inside the unit will allow for about 20 hours of use, definitely solid for the category, but because you store the headphones on the same receiver bass and it charges them up, you’ll rarely find a time where they aren’t charged (unless you store them off the base). They aren’t the most premium offering, and the fit and finish definitely leave something to be desired, but for this price point, the offering feels reasonable. The other factor that makes these headphones great for console gaming is the fact that they transmit audio via the lower-latency 2.4GHz method, as opposed to the Bluetooth protocol. The attached boom mic provides a crisp way to communicate with your team in online games, and will automatically mute when you flip it upward. The 15-hour battery life isn’t the best we’ve seen, but because the receiver base doubles as a charging storage cradle, the headphones will always be charging when they’re in standby. Another interesting consideration is the option to connect these headphones via USB to your PC. This allows you to use a slightly better digital-to-analog converter than your PC might have, giving you a better, more optimized in-game audio experience. The design is bulky, but that means the headphones will likely be durable. You’ll pay for the premium experience here, though. The sound response is also really impressive, covering a frequency range of 10 Hz to 22 kHz (much more than the human range) and strong, bass-bolstered 40mm drivers. This makes for a great listening experience when it comes to TV and film, because it enhances the atmosphere and environment. Sony claims that the headphones will work for 20 hours on a single charge, which is decent, and because the batteries are recharged via the receiver base, it’s easy to keep them juiced up. As mentioned, the whole build feels really plastic-y and the look feels decidedly plain—more similar to Sony’s 90s products than their modern offerings. But at this price, these headphones offer a pretty solid value. To account for the latency often inherent in Bluetooth connectivity, Avantree has decided to include a Qualcomm chipset to minimize that delay. Even though an RF-style connection would have been more seamless in this regard, it’s nice to see an attempt to mitigate this Bluetooth shortcoming. With 40 hours of playback time on one charge, these are among the longest-running headphones we’ve seen, and with solid sound response (20 Hz to 20 kHz) and powerful bass for film and TV, these things sound good. While Avantree claims that the pads are extra plush and soft, the thinness of the ear pads seems like they might be a little less friendly than something from a brand like Sennheiser. The whole package is fairly priced considering how versatile these headphones are. This may be bothersome for people who want a truly isolated soundstage, but if you hate wearing bulky headphones, these are the ones for you. You only have the option to plug the receiver into a TV using a 3.5mm aux cable, which limits the quality of audio you can transfer, but once connected, the receiver then sends the sound via radio frequencies. One nice feature is that you can swap between channels of wireless connectivity, which means you can avoid any possible interference. Because these headphones are from Sennheiser, it’s no surprise to see a rich, warm audio response that’s perfect for most applications—as long as you’re okay with the openness inherent in on-ear headphones. The 20-hour battery life is par for the course for headphones like these, but because they’re intended for in-home use, as long as you store the headphones on the super-sleek charging base, you shouldn’t have a dead-headphones problem. The most surprising part of this package is that you can find them for a great price—making it one of the best values on this list. There isn’t any optical output, so you’ll have to be okay with 3.5mm aux or RCA connectivity. Bluetooth 5.0 is the protocol included here, which should help with latency and stability, but you’d have virtually no perceptible delay if you went with an RF-style wireless setup, so that’s something to keep in mind. The headphones recharge via the USB-C input on the receiver, making a nice singular docking point, and once you fully charge the earbuds they offer about 16 hours of playtime on a single charge. While Giveet claims that these headphones provide plenty of power and volume (largely owed to the fact that they nest tightly into your ear) but because of the small driver inherent on in-hear headphones, you won’t get a ton of richness in these headphones. With a virtually unbeatable price tag, these are a great option to buy and just toss on your coffee table the next time you need a little quiet in the living room without having to turn off your show. The headphones allow you to adjust the L/R balance on the fly, which is important for those who hear better out of one ear than the other, and you can even use the Personal Sound Amplifier function to make the rest of the sound in the room louder—making these headphones great as an actual hearing aid-style unit. The 500mAh battery only allows for about 10 hours of listening on a single charge, which means it’s important to put them back on the charging base after each use. The sound and the design also aren’t particularly impressive, offering a flat standard response and not much in the way of aesthetic touches. These headphones are perfect for older listeners who need a little help hearing their favorite shows.
What to look for in Wireless TV Headphones
Connectivity: There are two camps for connecting headphones for TV: Bluetooth and RF-style wireless. Bluetooth headphones won’t work out of the box with most TVs unless you have a Bluetooth receiver connected, whereas RF-style units require the receiver base to transmit audio wirelessly. Consider this when purchasing because it will affect what devices you can use your headphones with. Sound quality and latency: Determining your key use case is important. If you want to use your headphones for console gaming, then low-latency RF connectivity is important and full bass response is important. If you just want the headphones for some quiet late-night TV watching, a simpler sound profile and some latency is okay. Price: There is a wide range of prices for this product class (covering around $40 all the way to above $300), and because these headphones are meant to augment or improve a quiet TV-watching experience, budget sensitivity is a very real consideration.
