The Wireless Headphones Blog

To get the ultimate enjoyment from your gaming experience, sooner or later you’re going to need a wireless gaming headset.

Why wireless you ask? Well, the major benefit of course is that you don’t need to worry about getting tangled up in cords. And if you’re using a gaming console such as an Xbox or PS3 combined with a big-screen TV, you’ll usually want to sit some distance from the screen, which is where wireless headsets come in very handy.

Both wired and wireless gaming headsets can be connected to your console, PC or Mac typically via one of two ways – either through a USB port or the headphone/and or microphone dedicated port. And preferably, you’ll want a set of gaming headphones that come with a mic, so you can communicate with your team-mates in online games (or taunt your opposition).

On the flip-side, the quality of many wireless gaming headsets has been average to say the least. The sound quality just hasn’t seemed to measure up to the wired counterparts. Major improvements have been made in recent times though.

One of these improved sets is the Logitech G930 Wireless Gaming Headset. This set can be used wired or wireless, offers simulated Dolby 7.1 surround sound and also a noise cancelling microphone. From all accounts there is no noticeable difference in sound quality when switching between wired and wireless mode. However, the headset is rather on the heavy side, so could become uncomfortable after wearing them for a hour or so.

The volume can be adjusted via a good-sized rolling button on the exterior of one the cans. There are also three user-programmable buttons that allow you to add extra functionality.

Thanks to dual receivers in the headset, the likelihood of losing the sound connection is greatly reduced.

Logitech say the range of the G930 is up to 12 metres, or approximately 40 feet, which is more than adequate for gaming use. The battery life is around ten hours from full charge, and to get that full charge you’ll need to plug the cans in for about two and a half hours. With this range and battery life, you’ll be able to use this wireless gaming headset for other purposes as well, i.e. watching TV or listening to music.

There’s lots of reasons you might want to add a bit of juice to your audio setup when watching TV or movies at home, or even just when you are listening to some tunes. The quality sound experience offered by a good pair of headphones or speakers can make all the difference to your listening pleasure. However, for those with a smaller space at home it can get annoying having to trail cables across the room – and if you are using headphones in particular it can be difficult to lay back and relax without pulling out the headphone cord.

There is a single solution to all these issues – wireless transmission! Wireless speakers and headphones alike work by transmitting the signal from your audio output, to a receiver in the speaker or headphone. There are a couple of different technologies in use, with infrared or radio transmission both being decent options. Of the two however radio transmission, which includes technologies like Bluetooth, is the better option as it doesn’t rely on line of sight to work. Radio transmission delivers a clear signal, and although it is not quite as high fidelity as full CD audio, you will be hard pressed to tell the difference.

Although lots of people are aware of the fact that these wireless products are available, less are aware that you can use a wireless kit to convert your existing headphones or speakers to wireless. This might be a great option if you have already sunk a few hundred dollars into a pair of high quality headphones, that just need a little more reach. Wireless kits come in two parts – a small transmitter that connects to your TV, and a receiving station with connections to let you plug whichever audio output you are using. An example of this type of system is the Bose SL2 wireless surround link . This device can power speakers up to 200W, using a self contained amplifier in the receiving unit. This kit operates on a much higher frequency than some other wireless solutions, which helps to avoid some of the problems with interference from other household electrics that can plague cheaper speakers.

Whether you spring for a whole new wireless system, or just choose a kit to add a big convenience factor to your existing audio gear, wireless audio transmission will make a huge difference to your life – watching TV in bed takes on a whole new dimension, and you can even make a run to the fridge without missing the action!