Up until now, Bluetooth wireless audio was purely optional for Apple’s devices: every iPad, iPhone, and iPod has shipped with a 3.5mm audio port to connect with wired earbuds and headphones. The Apple Watch is different: it’s Apple’s first fully wireless device, with no user-accessible ports to connect accessories, even though it can work as a standalone music player during workouts. The lack of a headphone port is actually a positive, since tethering your wrist to your head with a cable would look silly, and isn’t ergonomically ideal. Thankfully, Bluetooth headphones have come a long way over the past few years, shrinking from gangly and boxy earmuffs into earphones comfortable enough to exercise with.
Since one of the Apple Watch’s major selling points is fitness functionality, this quick guide to the best Apple Watch headphones and earphones focuses mostly on accessories that can work anywhere, rather than options you can’t wear while exercising. But I’ll include some larger options, too, just in case you’re picking a pair for non-athletic use, or to share with your iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Mac…
How Do Bluetooth Headphones Work With Apple Watch?
Apple’s Guided Tour of the Apple Watch’s Music application shows two different “source” modes that the Watch can operate in: “Apple Watch” or “iPhone.” Once you sync music (a playlist, or up to 200 songs) from your iPhone directly onto the Apple Watch, you go into the Music app, Force Touch to select Source, then pick Apple Watch.
If you haven’t already paired Bluetooth headphones with your Apple Watch, you’re then prompted to go into Settings and pair your devices. Of course, Apple spotlights its recently-acquired Beats headphones and speakers during the video.
All you need to do is tap on the Bluetooth headphones you want to listen with, and music will play through them. Pretty simple.
Which Bluetooth Headphones Are Good Matches For Apple Watch?
One of Apple’s official options, Beats by Dr. Dre’s Powerbeats 2 Wireless ($200), is stylish and specifically designed for athletic use. IPX4 sweat- and water-resistant, it uses ear hooks to keep the dual-driver earphones close to your ear canals no matter what. You’ll get 6 hours of battery life from a full charge, with a quick charge feature to restore 1 hour of run time in only 15 minutes.
Plantronics’ BackBeat Go 2 ($60) is an ultra-affordable pair of Bluetooth earphones with some limitations. Put aside the wonderfully appealing price point, and you’re looking at very lightweight, comfortable, sweatproof in-ear headphones that can be left around your neck and used anywhere. On their own, they promise 4.5 hours of battery life — a little optimistic — but a charging case (sold in a premium bundle) can keep them going for 14.5 hours. While they have an integrated microphone, it doesn’t work well outdoors, and the ear stabilization isn’t as resilient as in some rivals.
JayBird’s BlueBuds X ($126-$156) effectively redefined the Bluetooth earphone category, as the first pair of wireless in-ears to look and feel virtually identical to wired in-ears — like the BackBeat Go 2, they squeeze their wireless transmitters and an 8-hour battery into relatively small housings. BlueBuds X has the edge on optional ear stabilization, though, as well as microphone performance, and has a lifetime warranty against sweat damage. The prices vary based on the color you pick.
If ear stabilization isn’t critically important to you, but you want to filter out ambient gym noise, Sony’s new MDR-EX31BN ($90-$92) uses a clip-on capsule to offer active noise cancellation and extended run time. The noise-canceler promises 98% reduction of nearby sound, with a nearly 10-hour rechargeable battery. White, red, and black versions are available, all with very good audio quality for the price point.
Bose hasn’t yet released a pair of in-ear wireless headphones, but its SoundLink Around-Ear ($250, left) and SoundLink On-Ear ($250, center and right) are very highly-rated larger headphones, obviously not designed for athletic use. Both have built-in microphones for phone calling, though they notably don’t have the active noise-cancellation circuitry found in Bose’s QuietComfort wired headphones. The On-Ears offer 15 hours of play time, versus 7 hours of play time for the larger Around-Ears.
Apple’s over-ear Beats Studio Wireless models ($335-$360, left and center) are some of the most expensive Bluetooth headphones on the market, but they’re also amongst the best-looking. Like the Bose SoundLinks, they’re not designed for athletic use, but have plenty of other assets, including active noise cancellation, a collection of great colors/textures, and a 20-hour run time between recharges. They’re also ultra-comfortable. The smaller Beats Solo 2 Wireless ($236, right) preserves much of the same styling in an on-ear footprint, delivering 12-hour battery life without active noise cancellation.
Check out our other Apple Watch roundups:
- The best Apple Watch stands and docks
- The best Apple Watch covers, cases, and bags
- The best Apple Watch bands and screen protectors
- The best Apple Watch apps you can download now
- Apple Watch gains pill reminders, doctor consultations & more from a dozen new healthcare apps
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I have the backbeat go 2 headphones and i like the sound quality but the charger case is total garbage. just a heads up. skip it and just get some kind of universal USB battery pack.
I also have the BackBeat Go 2 and haven’t had any issues with the charger case. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of the product. What problems did you have with it?
I’ve had 2 pairs of the Blue Bud X’s (thought I lost my first pair but found them after buying a new pair), and can attest to how great they are. Every other Bluetooth headset I have ever used has terrible interference issues-even with my iPhone in my pocket, but Jay Bird has eliminated any interference.
The Jay Birds are virtually unchanged since they came out a couple of years ago, and the reps at CES this year didn’t have any information or estimates about any replacements or updates.
Yup. JayBird’s presence at CES has focused a lot on their Reign fitness tracker, and very little has been said about the BlueBuds. Five or ten different companies (even including JBL) came out with nearly identical earphones to BlueBuds, many with one problem or another, in the months that followed its release. They all seemed to be based upon the same reference design and have the same general features, but with slight differences, suggesting that all were sourced from the same company in China.
I wish I could agree. A good friend of mine recommended the BlueBuds X, so I got a pair to use while running with my iPhone 6+. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a good fit with any of the ear cushions they provided. Furthermore, I had all sorts of issues with audio dropping, so I’d be listening to music, and then the music would cut out and come back in after a second or two. Very frustrating. I ended up returning them and getting a refund. It’s a bummer, because they seem like the could be perfect.
I ended up sticking with my Bose SoundSport and a wired connection; the contoured ear tips fit perfectly and stay in place regardless of my workout. I wish Bose made a BT version of these.
I’ve learned over the years that predicting what will work for “most people” is easier than what works for an individual person, largely because people have very different experiences with headphones based on their ear shapes. And there are sometimes issues with iOS (or the chips inside accessories) that cause Bluetooth hiccups. Looking at the overall Amazon user reviews for various headphones, you’ll see some people loving a model that other people can’t get to fit or work right… happens every time.
Jeremy – For whatever reason, I can’t reply to your comment below; however, I saw in a later post that you and another poster mentioned a BT adapter to allow wired headphones to work wirelessly (e.g., Mpow & Outdoor Tech). How well do products like that work? Do they work with stereo audio & phone calls? I saw the Outdoor Tech link, but couldn’t quite find the right Mpow product. Do you have any other recommendations for products in that space?
I couldn’t find a wearable Mpow one either, but I suspect it was one without a clip on the back, which would make it somewhat challenging to use when running. I’ve tried a bunch of them, and they largely (but not exclusively) come from companies that aren’t audio quality specialists. BlueAnt’s Ribbon was one of the early ones to emphasize the combination of wearability and headphone access, while working pretty well, but it also has some issues. There’s never been one that I’ve tested and found so sonically or otherwise stellar that I’d recommend it for this particular situation.
Thanks for the info, Jeremy. I might give the Beats a try. My personal experience with Beats echoes that of a number of posters here: expensive headphones that are overly bass heavy. That said, outside of your article, I have heard the Powerbeats 2 are somewhat more balanced…I’m just not convinced they’ll fit me properly.
Can someone clue me on as to why I would stream audio from my Apple Watch, rather than the iPhone I have to keep with me in my pocket? Is it purely the novelty, or is there something I’m missing? Seems like using the watch as a remote to control the music playing from the phone is a much better use of battery life for both devices.
Because you don’t have to keep the iPhone with you during workouts – the Apple Watch is designed to operate independently as a fitness tracker and music player while you’re out running or in the gym. It streams music over Bluetooth, tracks your motion and heart rate, etc. without needing the iPhone to be in your pocket (or on a separate wearable, such as an armband).
Thanks for the clarification! In my case, 99% of my workouts involve a non-stationary bicycle. Given the lack of GPS on the Watch, looks like I’ll be keeping the phone in my jersey for a while yet.
How can your watch stream music???
It needs your phone to play music from that… and your watch will need to be connected to wifi (either at home or your phone via tethering) to play streaming music, such as a radio.
and if you are doing workout, the watch is very limited without the phone nearby… plus playing music through your watch will heavily deplete the battery life – a sensible solution would be to play via your phone!!!
The Watch can store 200 songs on its own and play them back over Bluetooth.
For those of you interested in Apple Watch accessories! I’m pretty pumped to get mine in the mail soon!
Jabra Sport Pulse Wireless? But only of the watch can collect the heart rate data the headset produces.
The Watch gathers its own heart rate data, making a second collector sort of moot.
I would say AW HR gathering is sort of moot… =/
Sennheiser Momentum Wireless!
This is the correct answer.
Hm. Not sure how well that would work during a run! :-)
I recommend the TENQA REMXD ON-EAR WIRELESS BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES that run about $40.
They work great and wont break the bank.
To me all headphone connectivity to cell phones and now watches should be wireless. The technology is there. Why do they insist on wired headphones. Those wires are a pain the a…s. They just get in the way. And you can make them in as many colors as you want but they will never be fashionable. So why?.
Adding yet another device that needs charging daily is a pain in the ass
I charge my wireless headphones at most once per week.
If there are Beats in a “The best….”-list, the list cannot be very good^^
They’re Apple products now. And they are getting better.
maybe one day their won’t be a noticeable “b” logo on them. I guess it’s a personal thing for me. I just don’t like wearing things with brand logos. Apple’s earbuds are iconic and sure people know I have an apple product because of it, but they also feel more classy because of how clean the design is.
I don’t mind apple having beats and keeping them their own brand, some people really like the style of beats and the name and branding that goes along with it. I just hope they can make very distinctly apple headphones too.
I don’t believe Apple has ever made a quality pair of headphones, and beats sure never have. Two wrongs make a right, they do not.
The Beats Studio are genuinely good headphones, as good as my top-of-the-line Sennheiser wireless. The Beats Solo has a rich warm sound with too much bass but they sound quite good in their own way for certain types of music. The other Beats headphones are crap.
Despite Beats’ crappy reputation for being overpriced and ridiculously bass-heavy, the Powerbeats 2 Wireless were far and away the best wireless in-ear headphones I tested. Aside from having good sound quality for in-ear buds, they were the only set that stayed put on my ears no matter how much I moved. The audio quality beat out the better-rated B&W C5s I bought last year, which despite their “Secure Loop” feature constantly fell out of my ears and which required manually pressing them into my ears to get good audio quality.
Incidentally, this article neglects to mention a drawback inherent in all of these wireless headsets: latency. They suck for phone calls.
The latency (and value for phone calls, which is at least as much dependent on the location and performance of the microphone) really does differ between models. Just like Bluetooth speakers, there are some models that are nearly indistinguishable from wired alternatives, and others that lag behind. Similarly, there are some with great microphone performance and others (like the otherwise nice BackBeat Go 2) that are hard to recommend for that. It’s hard to know at this point whether people will be relying on Bluetooth headphones to make/receive phone calls with an Apple Watch. Obviously a good mic is more of a prerequisite for iPhone use.
Phone calls? I’d figure the biggest problem is with videos and games. You can’t watch something with all the sound coming in moments later. Hope that gets resolved with updated bluetooth hardware.
I’ve tested a lot of Bluetooth headphones and speakers, and as you suggest, latency has virtually never been an issue for calls. For music, it’s not super-noticeable (and nothing by comparison with AirPlay). I’ve occasionally seen issues with videos, where it is extremely noticeable, and rarely with games.
I just can’t get behind beats. I have little interest in base heavy audio and they are a bit too flashy and stylistic for me. I want simple, white, wireless in-ear buds that were designed to perfectly with iPhone. Maybe use siri for battery status or changing what device you are connected to. Like “connect to my iMac,” and when leaving work, “connect to my phone.”
Jaybirds seem like the best option for me right now. They claim the amazing battery life is from driver optimizations and if that’s the case I can only imagine that Apple, with it’s complete control of hardware, software, and even influence in the bluetooth specification could create something sleeker with better or equal battery life.
I’m also hoping that the larger data packets capable in BLE 4.2 will help solve video latency (and load issues for 2nd gen apple watch). I’d want to fully move over to wireless headphones. I’d even be down for them removing the headphone jack from iPhone if they could fit more battery or make the phones smaller. Can’t wait for this to finally take off!
but yea… waiting…
I’ve used a lot (not all) of the Beats headphones and at first was entirely in your camp. Even today, the most appealing Beats model I’ve seen is the ironically insanely priced pure white Snarkitecture x Beats Studio. I really appreciated the minimalism in that version, but wasn’t about to pay $600 for it.
Wireless is going to continue to improve over the next few years, but it should be said that for whatever reason, Apple is not jumping on firmware upgrading Bluetooth 4.0 devices to 4.1 (which is apparently possible), and there are still a lot of headphones out there (including the Bose models) using Bluetooth 2.1. Progress has been relatively incremental, fueled more by the availability of affordable new chipsets from companies like CSR than anything else, including 4.0’s adoption by Apple. The good news is that current-gen headphones do work very well and come in a variety of reasonable form factors at different price points. Many of them will be good enough for the Apple Watch.
It’s oxymoronic to have a list of the “best” and Beats.
Apple bought those guys for several reasons, but a genuine love for high-quality earphones/headphones wasn’t one of them.
Selling those bass-heavy and overpriced headphones was a sign that Apple wasn’t happy making the best product. They just wanted the money.
definitely a Bluetooth clip that allows you to use your own headphones is the way to go, IMHO. Especially for working out.
Jeremy – I already went down that path in preparations for my Apple Watch. Sadly, everything that I tried (and later returned) just could not compare well to my wired earphones. This included Jaybirds and PowerBeats2. Also, they did not stay well in my ears while jogging. I ended up getting a nice bluetooth adapter from Mpow that I can plug my custom UEs into. Now, I can use my favorite, best fitting wired earphones with my new Apple Watch without sacrificing sound quality and fit.
Rudy, I’ve had a lot of custom UEs and can understand the appeal of a solution like this, particularly one that has a shirt clip built in (like Outdoor Tech’s Adapt). Just curious: do you notice any sort of static, high-pitched sound, or other less than ideal audio when pairing your UEs with the Mpow? Those sorts of issues (and ergonomic considerations) are the biggest reasons I tend not to recommend pairing ultra high-fidelity wired headphones with Bluetooth streamers.
I have not had any issues with pairing or high pitched sounds yet although I’ve only used the Mpow a few months mostly with my UE5c (I also have a higher end pair of UEs but don’t use them for working out). I may try your recommendation as it has a clip and big buttons more suitable for running (thanks for the tip).
Thanks for posting this as I made a mistake buying some plantronics (go Version I think… Well they certainly didn’t do that they just went!) that did not pair with watch but after reading ur post I located a Fusion (SB-Fusion-003) transmitter or receiver for under £18 inc postage from eBay (7dayshop.com based in Jersey I think) and it works a treat with both my Bose inner ear sport and Bose inner ear noise reduction headphones and there is no cut out or interruption or even delay which I was surprised to find!! Thanks to ur suggestion I am one appi chappi now!
I had not notices nor read about this alternative option you highlight beforehand. Otherwise I’d have saved £95 plus postage on those plantronics headphones that I can only use with iPhone as they don’t pair with the watch and as I wear specs I need comfy inner ear headphones that don’t fall out or have an ear clip that gets in way of spec arm frames.
Any way thought I’d mention this I case anyone else has similar probs and thank U for indicating a great alternative option that means, like U mentioned, I too can wear my favourite wired sport headphones when working out or switch to using the noise reduction ones when just about in the city and can leave both my iPhone and wallet at home .. Mission finally accomplished
What is this drivel!!!
The apple watch acts as a bluetooth device to play music from your phone… it acts a bluetooth mic for calls via your phone…
There is no need to pair a bluetooth headphone or mic to the watch!!!… you pair it directly with the phone, just like the watch is…
So you can either continue to use wired headphones, or invest in any bluetooth set for you iphone or PC…
I added some photos to the article so you can understand how the Apple Watch works as a music player.
At some point Apple will get rid off the cable/3.5mm jack. It take them way too much space in the small/think phones. But that means that they should replace the headphones with wireless ones. I mean the default ones you get with your iPhone. Which won’t happen in next 2-3 years I guess exactly because of the latency of games/music/AND MOSTLY VIDEO. We all know how big the videos are right now (and according to many researches, they’ll only grow), so that might be an issue.
The other possibility is to start producing their own jacks, smaller but with the same quality as 3.5. Like the Lighting connector – yes, you won’t be able to use $1 in-ears but I’m pretty sure that Apple won’t care much about it. That way they’ll force you to go and get… Beats. :)
But all of my assumptions are rather unrealistic in that near future/Apple logic. We’ll see. But it’s true that the wi-fi technology is the one that will make the next small revolution – imagine your refrigerator to be wi-fi. :) On wheels! :) Electricity via wi-fi. Exotic but awesome! :)
I can’t find a headset that I like because I just don’t like the pressure and isolation of in-ear headphones. The Apple EarPods stay in my ear while working out and the sound quality is good enough.
I’m thinking of just getting this $50 Sony Bluetooth adapter so that I can use my Apple headphones while working out and then use my over-the-ear noise-canceling headphones while traveling. Has anyone else tried this or another adapter?
I was very impressed with my Philips-SHB4000, a pair of lightweight Bluetooth on-ear headphones for around $25. I’ve had them for about a year.
Fantastic for walking the dog with my iPhone- great for speech, not bad for music, good signal range, not as good audio as a $200+ pair, sure, and the mic isn’t wonderful for dictation (although its fine for calls) but I would bet there are a few pairs up to $100 that they beat.
Not great to work out with, though, as I think they would slip.
There’s a larger model (9100) with more bass for around $50, which also gets good reviews on Amazon, but the originals are a bargain.
I was a really big fan of Philips products up until the brand got sold off to Woox a while back, cutting off support and supplies for older products. Some of the headphones they announced a while back (like the Lightning M2L and NC1L) appear never to have actually shipped, and a lot of their Bluetooth headphones are listed as “discontinued by manufacturer” on Amazon. Hopefully the new owner can help the Philips brand make a comeback.
“One of Apple’s official options, Beats by Dr. Dre’s Powerbeats 2 Wireless ($200), is stylish and specifically designed for athletic use.”
Ha! Well, not for cyclists though. The phones cannot be heard when I cycle, with the wind in my face or back. I wrote a little review on those headphones, and they’re not for me:
I’ll be returning these earphones, but not for the reason some might think.
This is the first time I’ve tried wireless earphones. While the prospect sounded nice, especially for me as a cyclist and the cable often is too short to go under my jersey and then back out at the bottom, into my pocket, wireless just isn’t for me.
The need to charge them over a micro USB, or whatever the plug is, it actually looks like proprietary, which becomes a problem when you loose the cable, and putting the plug in is no joy. It’s flimsy, only goes in one way, and, well, I’d rather have an inductive charging method. Simply come home, drop them on a plate or something and be done with it. That is why I like sport watches that automatically sync over ANT+ or WiFi when coming home. No need to plug in a USB cable.
My other annoyance with wireless is the lost connection. This happens quite frequent, as in a few times per hour. With my iPhone either around my waist when running, or in my jersey when cycling, it still drops the connection. It became annoying for me.
The sound on the other hand is good. It’s clear, though I was expecting way more bass as this was a key feature. But I think my ears are simply too wide, even with the largest earbuds they still didn’t snugly fit into my ears. Which is why 1) I’m missing out on the bass, and 2) I hear more wind coming into my ears than music while cycling, even with the wind in my back. I’m sure that they sound great, full bass, for people with smaller ears. The in-ear phones from Apple remain my preferred ones, as they not only sound good but fit perfectly with the largest earbuds.
Last thing: the 6 hours on a single charge isn’t enough for me. I’m a cyclist, and do 8, 10, sometimes 12 hour bike rides during summertime. My iPhone and GPS device last long enough, pity these phones don’t. But I’m weird, and I don’t think many people will think the 6 hour listening limit will limit them in enjoying these earphones from Beats. Because they are good, just not for me.
Apple’s over-ear Beats Studio Wireless are the best, I absolutely love them. I got them for 300 euros and they’re definitely worth the price.
I’ve had Beats bluetooth headphones, Bose wireless headphones, and Sony bluetooth headphones. By far the best sound, furthest distance and longest lasting are my Sony MDRXB950BT/B.
There is a downsides, namely, I cannot activate Siri on the headphones themselves. That’s a pain in the butt. But everything else is so great with them, that one downside is worth it.
I’ve tried each of these out thanks to Amazon’s return policy, and have yet to find a replacement pair for my LG Tone’s (multiple models). For the longest time, I heard about the Blue Buds and finally tried them about a year ago and hated them. They didn’t fit comfortably, I hated the size of the earpiece, and the behind the head style that all of these have just doesn’t work. There is no way to take one out to only listen in one ear while listening to the world in the other. They’re too heavy and have no anchor point. Thats’s what I love about the Tone’s. If I’m working out or listening intently, I can plunge both ear buds in. At the grocery store or need to be able to hear someone around you? Just put one in and let the other sit in the cradle. I like the Tone’s, but I still feel like I haven’t thought of something else, so I keep trying different pairs and have yet to like a single one, which is sad because I really WANT to like these.
As for these 3, the Blue Buds were the best, but were huge in the ear and the behind the head design with the clips is pretty bad, forcing you to choose between sport or casual mode, not working for both. The Backbeat’s created a suction cup more than a seal in my ear that was pretty painful. The Beats were nice, but none of the tips truly sealed in my ear, only just barely resting against the inner ear, so that when I would chew or talk, the seal was lost. Of them, if the Backbeats had an air port (like the Tone’s do) so that the suction wasn’t so painful, I would like them the most. But I still don’t think anyone’s figured it out completely yet, and I eagerly await the company that does.
I use my Mpow Swift (Bluetooth 4.0) every day, at the gym, around the house, on my bike and they are awesome. My reference is Sennheiser 450x and Radius DDM (Brookstone Dual Drive) ear buds. The Swifts are not them, but very, very decent sound and build quality. Not to mention the CSR AptX codec which, if your device supports it, eliminates audio lag and may improve sound, (Contrary to what is written in some reviews, some Apple devices do indeed support AptX. Don’t know about Watch, but using them to watch videos on my Mac makes a world of difference. Well worth the thirty bucks. The Chinese OEM manufacturer makes two models, one without AptX and Bluetooth 3.0 and sells under at least three brand names, each in other color schemes.
I bought the planetoids backbeat go based on this forum and a you tube video highlighting they are more suitable for people like me that wear specs as the clips around the ears get in the way on other inner ear style headphones but they don’t work with my Apple Watch and I even though this forum says the music can be played via the watch speaker as a standalone option I can’t even get music to play via the watch itself! Waited 3 days for them to arrive for nought as Apple Watch says I have to sync with a compatible pair only way I can use watch for music is via my iPhone option or if linked to watch via my nose Bluetooth speaker. I ain’t forking out another £95 quod for another pair and I can’t send these back as I have used them now so be warned they don’t work with the watch!
Though I can only use these planktonic headphones with my iPhone i am glad someone on here posted a cheaper alternative option.
I was able to be signposted to a bluetooth receiver ( I chose to purchase SB-Fusion-003 which offers both transmitter or receiver) that is a fraction of the cost (under £18 inc postage via eBay from 7 day shop.com) to what I paid for those plantronics headphones (£95 plus postage) and …to my relief this rx receiver works fantastically easily with my own Bose inner ear noise reduction headphones and / or my regular Bose sport headphones …. Pity I had not heard of this sooner… So now I get to listen to music saved onto my app watch with ease and don’t need to still be carrying my iPhone … Perfect… Just what I wanted… Job done!
Update…. Used Fusion rx for the first time today and it’s takes 2 hrs to charge for first time and lasts up to 6 hrs as a receiver (11 hrs as a transmitter if u want to link with say ur smart tv and a separate Bose bluetooth speaker… Double the option now!)
Rx was used to work alongside both my Bose sport and later noise reduction headphones (over 5 hours b4 home again recharged) I left hse and went into city on public transport first with noise reduction headphones on and then switched to sport headphones then after workout back to noise reduction headphones all without disturbance and more importantly without needing either my Iphone nor my wallet today and for first time I could listen to my music, take calls respond to emails and txt and pay for goods in a couple of apple pay friendly stores with ease and just using my watch…finally !
I chose JayBird’s Blue Buds X to pair to my Apple Watch because of this article. It doesn’t work. Apple Watch Bluetooth specification is 4.0 only. These headphones are Bluetooth 2.1 only. I wanted to pair directly to the watch and listen to stored playlist on the watch, so I could leave phone behind on a run. This isn’t possible. I found all this out after I opened the package and sized the earbuds and everything. The best headphones for the Apple Watch should support Bluetooth 4.0 so the user can use them untethered to the phone. Very misleading article. I’m down $100.
I am using SONY MDR-1ADAC (with bulit-in DAC and headphone amp) headphone. This is by far the best lightning headphone for all iPhones so far. The built in DAC is just amazing and i must also mention that it can play DSD file *yes, Apple store has an app that will run DSD file.
And the headphone amplifier inside the headphone just give that boost on the overall audio quality across the entire sound range.