Bluetooth headphones for TV

Merlin5 · 2 Sep 2015 at 18:09

I dd bump my other thread but it went unnoticed so I'm making a new one, hope you don't mind too much!

Further to my quest for wireless headphones for my mum, I'm now wondering about bluetooth for TV instead of just regular wireless. As far as I've discovered, I can plug a bluetooth device into the optical out of the TV and control the volume on the bluetooth headphones (if they have a volume control), and it also means nothing has to be unplugged to switch to TV speakers as it works independent. The TV speakers can be just be muted with the mute button I think. If this is the case, I wonder if this device would be correct?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LAYEN®-Digi...135&sr=1-1&keywords=bluetooth+adapter+optical

Or anything similar and cheaper like that which uses optical out? And bluetooth headphone with volume control?

wellibob · 2 Sep 2015 at 18:36

From my experience Bluetooth headphones from tv (unless it natively supports it) you'll likely get lipsync issues with a Bluetooth adapter sending signal from the optical out. Best solution I've found with reasonable quality without going crazy is a optical to rca adapter and some generic fm wireless headphones from the rainforest.

Marsman · 2 Sep 2015 at 22:44

Sorry for not replying in your other thread. Better to continue with this though, rather than reply there and have two threads going.

Bluetooth headphones are certainly an option, but if wellibob has experienced delay when using Blueooth headphones with his TV though, then it might not be such a great idea as it sounds.

I imagine these things are often used more for music, so any delay is of no concern. With video involved as well though, any delay is more of a problem.

RF headphones will be much better in regard to any delay, because they are analogue, so less conversions are going on that you get with Bluetooth.

Merlin5 · 2 Sep 2015 at 23:41

Cheers wellibob and Marsman. I won't bother with the bluetooth and will stick to plan A, regular wireless headphones. Marsman, I was looking for some in between the price of the two you recommended but didn't find anything, so shall I just go with the £30 Thomson and be done with it?

wellibob · 3 Sep 2015 at 14:04

Merlin5 said:
Cheers wellibob and Marsman. I won't bother with the bluetooth and will stick to plan A, regular wireless headphones. Marsman, I was looking for some in between the price of the two you recommended but didn't find anything, so shall I just go with the £30 Thomson and be done with it?

I have several sets of FM Thompson wireless (on tvs with optical to rca adapter) . Brilliant apart from very finicky to charge them on the stand (requires careful positioning... you get used too it).

Enjoy

Merlin5 · 3 Sep 2015 at 15:17

wellibob said:
I have several sets of FM Thompson wireless (on tvs with optical to rca adapter) . Brilliant apart from very finicky to charge them on the stand (requires careful positioning... you get used too it).

Enjoy

Ok, I'm going to buy the Thomson, thanks.

One other point. In my other thread it was basically going to be a case of plugging the wireless headphone receiver into the 3.5mm headphone jack socket of the TV, and that would mean unplugging it whenever the TV speakers are needed. I can't recall if we discussed about optical to RCA adapter with wireless headphones. Would that be better as far as switching between headphones and tv speakers, or would we still have to unplug something to get the TV speakers back?

wellibob · 3 Sep 2015 at 15:25

Merlin5 said:
Ok, I'm going to buy the Thomson, thanks.

One other point. In my other thread it was basically going to be a case of plugging the wireless headphone receiver into the 3.5mm headphone jack socket of the TV, and that would mean unplugging it whenever the TV speakers are needed. I can't recall if we discussed about optical to RCA adapter with wireless headphones. Would that be better as far as switching between headphones and tv speakers, or would we still have to unplug something to get the TV speakers back?

Unless the TV has a dedicated volume for headphones and on-board speaker output you'll need a optical to rca adapter. This way you can use the tv speakers as normal and totally separate output for headphones. Using the headphone jack will silence the speakers normally and typically headphone volume links to total volume and you'll need to have a much higher audio out level for headphones than tv speakers.

Marsman · 3 Sep 2015 at 16:00

Merlin5 said:
Ok, I'm going to buy the Thomson, thanks.

One other point. In my other thread it was basically going to be a case of plugging the wireless headphone receiver into the 3.5mm headphone jack socket of the TV, and that would mean unplugging it whenever the TV speakers are needed. I can't recall if we discussed about optical to RCA adapter with wireless headphones. Would that be better as far as switching between headphones and tv speakers, or would we still have to unplug something to get the TV speakers back?

Yes, you could use a DAC with optical input then connect the headphone base unit to the RCA output.

TV speakers are only disabled when connecting headphones to any headphone socket a TV might have. Optical and RCA output are independent.

Merlin5 · 3 Sep 2015 at 16:58

Thanks guys. Yeah Marsman, I took a quote from the other thread where you said:

Marsman said:
Edit: Just thinking over what I put above about having headphones with a DAC in order to use the optical out. You could get a cheap DAC, then connect the wireless headphone base unit to that. More wires, extra power point used and more cost, but it would operate independently from the TVs speakers.

Ok, so can you recommend a not too pricey DAC?

As long as the DAC and base unit are sitting on or under the TV stand, it presumably means all wires can be hidden behind the unit, and all my mum would need to do is use the wireless headphones as normal, but how would she control the volume of the headphones since it's separate from the TV and she will have muted the TV? Sorry if I'm asking questions that may have been answered, this stuff can get a bit confusing!

Marsman · 3 Sep 2015 at 23:14

Volume control will be on the headphones. The optical output is independent, so pressing mute on the remote control only affects the internal speakers or any headphones connected to the headphone port.

Cheap DAC

Merlin5 · 4 Sep 2015 at 00:36

Awesome, thanks! Sorry Marsman, yeah, I just saw in my other thread that you had already told me the headphones have a volume control, that's the problem with me making two threads!

Right, all ordered! Thomson WHP3001BK headphones at £29.99, the £11.95 DAC, and I added these cables

£47 total, ETA sometime next week.

Merlin5 · 9 Sep 2015 at 17:24

Ok, I've got it setup and it works fine. My mum was out so she'll come home to find the surprise.

However, I've got a couple of niggles with it. The volume is acceptable at max volume but really not very loud at all. I don't know yet if my mum will want it louder. I tested with the other RCA cable to the headphone jack and that can go very loud, but it's not really ideal to use that cable.

The other issue is that placing the headphones on the base doesn't always make a connection between the charging contacts on the headphones and the pins on the base and often takes a few goes of seating the headphones before the green light comes on. I suspect my mum will have trouble with that.

So assuming she's happy to use the headphones and she feels it's making a difference, I was wondering if it might be worth me replacing the Thomson with the Sennheisers, if the Sennheisers have no problem with charging pins and perhaps even go louder? I'll be keeping the other cables and DAC though.

Marsman · 9 Sep 2015 at 19:55

Just looking at user comments, I've seen some people say they had some trouble getting the contacts lined up and the headphones to charge. I had similar issue with my old Sony ones. Once they were sat on the cradle, the contacts could not be seen, so I had to spend time moving them around trying to get the contacts to meet. Rather frustrating. In hindsight, I probably should have just returned them and got a Sennheiser set. This was many years ago now though.

I would expect the Sennheiser's to go louder, as they almost certainly have a better amp built inside the headphones.

Senneheiser have a much better connection idea, which looks almost foolproof. The padding on the underside of the headband has cut outs, which reveal the metal charging contacts. When the headphones are placed on the stand, the headphones rest on to the metal cradle bar where cut outs are, so contact is made.

Merlin5 · 9 Sep 2015 at 20:46

Thanks Marsman. Well, whole thing was a waste of bloody time. My mum says the headphones are uncomfortable, too heavy for her so now I've got to send it all back and get refunded. I thought she was going to love it :rolleyes:

Marsman · 9 Sep 2015 at 22:42

I probably should have considered whether the weight of wireless headphones would be an issue, at least for an older person not used to such things. Batteries and electronics, it all adds up.

You could keep the DAC, get a cable with in line volume control, maybe an extension if needed and a light pair of headphones.

Only slight concern could be the volume, as the in line remote can only reduce the volume, it can't amplify beyond what the DAC puts out. That's a line level signal, which would normally be amplified by some kind of connecting amp. You could connect an amplifier, but then it's starting to get a bit messy I feel.

A unit with DAC and amp would be an idea, but it's very rare to get anything with a remote volume control that won't cost a lot of money.

Merlin5 · 9 Sep 2015 at 23:07

Oh not your fault at all Marsman! No, it's something I should have thought about although I honestly didn't consider they would be too heavy. In fact, they're pretty light. Then she said she thought she could only hear the sound out of one ear but I tested it before I left there and it was all fine. Then I asked her if she felt a benefit from the sound and she said not really, at which point I did everything I could not to sound annoyed

Nah, it's a hopeless case, I'll just send it all back including the DAC and cables. No doubt I won't get reimbursed for return postage as nothing is faulty. Ah well, lesson learned. Don't make technology suggestions to 80+ year old mums!

Marsman, all your help has been much appreciated!

Marsman · 9 Sep 2015 at 23:45

Glad to help, even though the outcome was not as desired!

I understand trying to get older parents into technology. My dad had great difficulty using a tablet. He does much better with laptop, but he does forget what I tell him sometimes.

He sometimes thinks I do not want to show him how to do things, but I just know he will only forget things that are not really simple.

Some people pick things up easier than others. I think for some people, you've got to get a grasp of things a bit earlier in life.

Merlin5 · 10 Sep 2015 at 00:30

Marsman said:
Glad to help, even though the outcome was not as desired!

I understand trying to get older parents into technology. My dad had great difficulty using a tablet. He does much better with laptop, but he does forget what I tell him sometimes. He sometimes thinks I do not want to show him how to do things, but I just know he will only forget things that are not really simple.

Some people pick things up easier than others. I think for some people, you've got to get a grasp of things a bit earlier in life.

Yeah I'm with you on that. With my mum, she's always been technology challenged, plus she's from a very different era. With her eyes failing, it compounds the problems. All she wants to do is be able to watch TV and record her favourite soaps.

I can't win though. She thinks I'm patronising if I explain things too simply, and if I don't she gets frustrated. And if I show the slightest sign of impatience, if there's any edge to my voice, all hell is likely to break loose.

Add to that her fingers going to the wrong buttons on the remote controls or not clearly being able to focus on menus onscreen when I'm trying to explain to her she needs to go down to this option and that option, and it's nigh on impossible tbh!

wellibob · 10 Sep 2015 at 12:51

I did state the Thompson headphones were tricky charging (position critical on base) but as far as audio volume you'll find its not the headphones that do not go loud it'll be the digital out feed. The adapter will be considerably lower than what a normal headphone out will get you. As far as I'm aware all digital optical out are generically lower volume. It's very annoying.