Today we will look at the best wireless headphones for seniors. This simple buyers guide will help you find out the best wireless headphones for your use fast.
Wireless headphones are a great solution for listening to TV or music with hearing impairments without disturbing your family and neighbors.
Even if you don’t have hearing disabilities, wireless headphones are great for listening to music, sound books and TV in your own privacy.
One of the greatest things about wireless headphones is the lack of annoying wires (thus the name). This means they are comfortable to wear while exercising, cooking, cleaning or simply sitting in front of the TV or a laptop.
In past wireless headphones suffered from bad sound quality and low battery time but those times are long gone. Wireless headphones are the new standard and the sound quality is on par with wired models while the battery life has increased to several days.
You can pair wireless headphones with your smartphone, TV, laptop or tablet computer to listen to your favorite music and shows. Most devices these days use Bluetooth technology to connect the devices and transmit sound.
The great thing about Bluetooth is that it’s very user-friendly, it usually involves pressing a button or two for a couple of seconds. There’s no need to avoid wireless headphones because you are afraid that you don’t understand how to use them.
There are a few important factors to consider when choosing wireless headphones for seniors. Most seniors likely don’t care to pay for a premium for super Hi-Fi sound quality, which is subjective anyway, but most seniors will appreciate good sound quality just like any other person.
That’s why I recommend getting a model from an established headphone manufacturer like Sony, Sennheiser or Avantree. They’re consumer models generally have very good sound and build quality for a reasonable price.
The other considerations are ease of use, loudness and battery life. Most seniors will appreciate the ease of use without complicated setup processes and cumbersome loading docks with wires.
Sufficient loudness is important because our hearing tends to get weaker as we age. This can be compensated with loud earphones but you need to be very aware that listening too loudly can actually make your hearing problems worse.
So avoid the temptation to crank the volume, use just the amount you need to hear properly. This way you won’t make your hearing impairment worse. Always err on the safe side.
Finally, battery life is important because most people don’t always remember (or bother) to put the headphones on the loading dock after use. Longer battery life is simply convenient.
So now that we know what to look for, without further ado, let’s look at the best wireless headphones for seniors by category.
Best Wireless TV Headphones for Seniors
One of the most common reasons seniors decides to get wireless headphones is for watching TV. If this is you, read on to find out my recommendation for the best wireless TV headphones for seniors.
If you have any hearing problems (if you have a significant hearing impairment, look at the TV ears in the next chapter) I’m sure you have noticed how annoying it is to try and hear the TV. You have to crank up the volume to hear discussions and talk well enough to understand it without focusing too much.
At the same time, you realize the TV is probably too loud for your neighbors or for anyone living with you. This can be especially annoying during the night or if you want to watch something privately.
Fortunately, wireless headphones are the perfect solution for this! Wireless headphones for TV are just like your typical Bluetooth headphones but they include a transmitter you can connect to the headphone output of your TV.
Some modern TVs also have wireless connectivity and Bluetooth so if you already own a pair of Bluetooth headphones and a modern TV, you might not even need a pair of new headphones.
Most dedicated wireless TV headphones use radio frequency (RF) transmission for audio. Compared to standard Bluetooth, RF provides a longer range (up to 100 yards) and even better sound quality.
The downside is that the RF wireless headphones can only be used with their own transmitters. So you can’t, for example, use them with the Bluetooth connectivity of your smartphone.
If you are looking for wireless headphones with a transmitter for tv, my recommendation is the Avantree HT4189 Wireless Headphones for TV.
They are on-ear Bluetooth headphones with an included Bluetooth transmitter in case your TV doesn’t have Bluetooth capability. The reviews on these headphones are overwhelmingly positive so they offer superior bang to the buck.
They feature plug & play design for easy setup. You simply turn on the Bluetooth transmitter that is connected to your TV and the headphones and they will pair automatically. It couldn’t be simpler really.
The system is compatible with 99% of TVs on the market so in all likelihood you will have no problem connecting the device to your TV. They feature a very good range of up to 100 ft so you don’t have to worry about where you sit in your living room.
The great thing about these headphones is that because they are Bluetooth based and not proprietary radiofrequency devices, you can use them with your other Bluetooth devices like smartphones and tablet computers.
Best TV Headphones for Hearing Impaired [TV ears]
If you have a hearing impairment or reduced hearing, you should get wireless headphones specifically designed for impaired hearing instead of regular wireless headphones. These headphones are also known as TV ears.
TV ears are wireless headphones that use distinct infrared technology to transmit sound from the TV to the headphones. Because it uses light instead of radio frequency, it’s safe to use with pacemakers for example as radio frequencies can interfere with pacemakers.
The downside is that you have to keep an unobstructed visual field between the TV ears and the television as infrared can’t penetrate objects like radio frequencies on typical headphones can.
So TV ears are essentially a device to hear the TV better. To be more specific TV ears are an American audio company that produces products for the hearing impaired to watch (and listen to!) TV.
Unlike regular wireless headphones, TV ears modify the sound so it becomes easier to hear the dialogue. The device accomplishes this by amplifying the frequencies where the human voice is located and by reducing ambient sounds.
The TV ears accomplish this by using a voice clarifying circuitry with advanced microchip technology to amplify dialogue above background noise. This makes it possible to even hear whispers and accents on the TV for the hearing impaired.
My recommendation is to get the TV Ears Standard Package which includes one pair of headphones (doubles also available), a loading dock and a transmitter.
Best Noise Cancelling Headphones for Seniors
Noise-canceling headphones are a more high tech category of headphones. They contain technology that uses active noise control to reduce the disturbance of ambiance sounds.
Active noise canceling works by listening to the environment and producing a canceling waveform to any noise. This requires a sophisticated system with microphones and computer-controlled sound generators, making noise-canceling headphones a bit more expensive than normal headphones.
They are great for noisy environments like cities, public transportation or airplanes. They will cancel out annoying continuous and loud noises but allow you to hear for example conversations.
They are exceptionally good in airplanes and other environments with loud, constant low-frequency noise that causes a lot of penetrating background noise that requires you to increase the volume on your headphones to dangerous levels.
So noise-canceling headphones are definitely a great option if you have the money to spare. My recommendation for the best noise-canceling headphones are these Panasonic Noise Cancelling headphones.
They are super high quality and compact on-ear headphones with great reviews. Panasonic is also a very well established consumer class manufacturer, known for great price to quality ratio.
They feature Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect them with your smartphone, laptop, tablet or TV if they have Bluetooth connectivity.
The headphones have a built-in microphone for answering calls and using your smartphone’s voice assist software. The battery life is excellent at 20 hours of playback on a full charge and a 15-minute fast charge capability if you run out of power.
The noise-canceling technology in these headphones is excellent and they offer an additional ambient sound enhancement function, which allows you to clearly talk with people without taking the headphones off. This is activated by covering the right headphone speaker with your hand.
Finally, the Panasonic headphones are designed with ultimate comfort and fit in mind. They feature soft ear pads that move freely around your ears to offer comfortable listening for hours. You really can’t go wrong with these!
Best Noise Cancelling Headphones On a Budget
If you are on a budget but really want the benefits of noise-canceling, my recommendation is the Cowin E7 Noise Cancelling headphones.
They are a bargain at below $ 60 dollar price point. They are also packed with features that make you wonder why they are so affordable compared to the Panasonic model for example.
The answer is that the build quality and durability isn’t simply on par with pricier models from more established manufacturers. You have to cut corners somewhere to get this kind of price.
There are reports of them breaking quite soon due to low-quality parts and material. They simply won’t endure rough handling.
That said, you get great features for a very low price and if you are careful and use them simply at home, I’m sure they will hold up just fine. The positive reviews are countless after all, so most users seem to think they are a very good product.
Best Wireless Earbuds for Seniors
While on-ear headphones definitely have their benefits, Earbud microphones are a more compact type of headphones that offers superior bass and better noise reduction.
They are essentially earplugs that have headphones inside them. This has two major benefits. The first is that they will stay on your ears very securely. You can move and jump around while doing exercise or cleaning and the earbuds won’t drop.
Because they are essentially earplugs, they help to cancel out any outside noise without any expensive technology. Of course, this includes all noise, so you might not hear alarms or conversations, so be careful when using these.
I love to use wireless earbuds while cleaning, especially vacuuming. I like listening to my favorite music or an audiobook, it really makes cleaning more enjoyable. Vacuuming makes using typical on-ear headphones impossible because of the noise.
My recommendation for the best wireless earbuds for seniors is the Avantree Avantree HT4186. They are essentially an earbud model of the Avantree model I recommended fo television.
The reason I think they are the best model for seniors is that they have the additional Bluetooth transmitter included which allows you to use them with your TV. Unless you have a modern smart TV with Bluetooth connectivity, regular wireless earbuds might not work with your TV.
Just like the on-ear version, these Earbuds have overwhelmingly positive reviews and incredible price to quality ratio.
Conclusion
I hope you found this buyers guide for wireless headphones for seniors useful. If you have any questions about choosing wireless headphones, don’t hesitate to contact me in the comments section below.
Wireless headphones can be the perfect solution for watching TV privately loud enough or they can simply offer you more freedom for listening to your favorite music while doing different activities.
No matter what your reason for buying wireless headphones, be sure to get a model that has all the features fo your intended use.
I personally think that wireless headphones are a great invention as I hate tangly wires that get on the way during activities so I’m sure you’ll love your new wireless headphones as well!
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See you next time!