6 Best Wireless Open-Back Headphones (2023)
Although not a new concept, wireless open-back headphones have garnered significant consumer interest in the last decade. This is likely due to technological advancements resulting in more affordable products and the integration of open-back designs in gaming headsets. To help you make an informed decision, I have curated a list of the best wireless open-back headphones available. If you’re short on time, check out my summarized selections below to find the best headphones for specific needs.
1. FOCAL BATHYS Wireless Open Back Headphones
Bathys, Focal’s inaugural wireless noise-cancellation hi-fi headphones, combines several proprietary technologies, sophisticated design, and utmost comfort. The headphones feature advanced Aluminum/Magnesium speaker drivers and incorporate Active Noise Cancellation technology, ensuring exceptional high-fidelity sound and a captivating listening encounter. Bathys is an ideal travel partner—one of the best open-back headphones we have reviewed.
Key Features
- Noise cancellation: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Driver: 40 mm dynamic
- Battery life: 30 hours Bluetooth® Noise Cancelling | 35 hours Jack mode | 42 hours USB DAC
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, Apt-X™, Adaptive, aptX™
- Connection:Bluetooth® / Jack 3.5mm / USB-C®
- Frequency response: 15 Hz – 22,000 Hz
- Impedance: 8o Ω
- Sensitivity: 104 dB
- Weight: 350g
Design:
- Earcups: design inherits elements from Focal’s open- and closed-back models, build features premium materials such as magnesium on the yokes, genuine leather on the headband, and aluminum, providing exceptional comfort to suit any head size.
- Headband: the headphones feature a Black Silver finish, classic design cues, and an emphasis on lightness, compactness, and support.
- Touch control: incorporates user-friendly control buttons, easy-to-adjust playlist, pause/ skip
- Connectivity: Bluetooth® 5.1, Jack, and USB, supporting SBC, AAC, Apt-X™, and Apt-X™ Adaptive codecs.
- Voice assistants: integration to google assistant and Amazon Alexa
- App: a dedicated app for iOS and Android systems to offer access to the EQ facility, users can optimize their listening experience with Bathys.
- Wired connection: come with two cables – a 4ft (1.2m) audio jack and a 4ft (1.2m) USB-C®.
Performance:
- Active noise canceling: designed for portability and offer two distinct noise-cancellation modes for an immersive music experience:
- The “Silent” mode is ideal for noisy environments during travel, such as planes and trains
- The “Somethodmode helps to maintain focus in quieter settings like home or office
- Transparency: permits users to hear surrounding sounds whenever necessary
- Microphone: precise voice capture microphone technology for crisp and clear phone conversations
- Battery life: fast-charging capability, providing an additional five hours of listening with only 15 minutes of charging.
- Sound quality: provide a smooth sound from the bottom to the low-mid range and a slight boost in the highs that gradually dips before reaching sibilance. This EQ curve complements the drivers’ detailed sound and provides a clean, wide soundstage for music.
Pros:
- Unmatched sound quality, making them the top headphones on the market,
- It incorporates a futuristic design
- High-end materials such as carbon boast exceptional build quality that justifies their premium price
Cons:
- High price
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 799.00
2. GW100x Wireless Series
The Grado GW100x Wireless Headphone Review delves into a unique model rare in the market – an open-back Bluetooth headphone. Fans of Grado may be excited to experience the brand’s signature sound in a wireless form. The review explores whether this model meets the high standards expected by audiophiles and how it expresses itself in terms of character.
Grado headphones are renowned for their exceptional comfort, and the GW1000x model, with its traditional foam pads and a gentle clamping force, is no exception. It sits lightly on the ears, making it an excellent option for long music-listening sessions. The GW100X shares a similar appearance and texture to Grado’s popular SR60X and SR80X models, but the soft leather headband stitched into place gives it an added touch of durability.
Key Features
- Noise cancellation: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Driver: 44 mm dynamic
- Battery life: 46 hours
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, Apt-X™
- Connection:Bluetooth® / Jack 3.5mm / USB-C®
- Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz
- Impedance: 38 Ω
- Sensitivity: 99.8 dB
- Weight: 188g
Design:
- Earpads: traditional foam pads and gentle clamping force, easy to wear and comfortable all-day
- Headband: sits comfortably on the ears and is also extremely lightweight with the soft leather headband
- Touch control: allow you to pause, skip or play music via the button on the earcup
- Voice assistants: integration to google assistant and Amazon Alexa
Performance:
- Soundstage: offers an excellent soundstage with beautiful imaging. Fleetwood Mac’s Big Love demonstrates the depth and a decent sense of height. The separation and leanness of the Grado sound profile add to the spacial colorfulness.
- Low-end: offers adequate bass performance, with even pop tracks like some pop songs displaying significant bass punch. The speed and grip of the bass add lively energy.
- Transparency: shines through when listening to string instruments. The double bass has a natural, resolving sound.
- Mids: the high mids enhance acoustic guitar radiance, making them suitable for jazz, classical, and acoustic styles.
- Highs: well-represented highs without being overly bright. The strings have excellent fluidity to the sound, and the cable can bring out more subtle details for those who don’t want to compromise on clarity.
Pros:
- Warranty for two years
- Great sound quality
- Awesome battery life
- Multi-device connection
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Features a flimsy construction that may feel fragile
- It can be uncomfortable for those who wear glasses
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 275.00
3. Corsair HS70 Pro Open Back Headphones
The HS70 Pro headphone is polished like the Corsair HS60 Pro. However, a polished look can sometimes mislead users into believing they are getting a high-quality product when, in reality, they are only getting the bare minimum. This is often the case with affordable headphones, and we have been waiting for a pair that can break this stereotype. The HS70 Pro Wireless headphones could be the underdogs that everyone is rooting for. I will test if they stand out from the pack and tick all the boxes at an affordable price.
Key Features
- Noise cancellation: Yes
- Transparency: Yes
- Driver: 50mm Neodymium dynamic
- Battery life: 16 hours
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, Apt-X™
- Connection: Bluetooth® / USB Type A
- Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz
- Impedance: 32 Ω
- Sensitivity: 111 dB
- Weight: 188g
Design:
- Earcups: The oval-shaped ear cups blend seamlessly with the headband, creating a smooth and sleek appearance without any bulkiness. Even with the microphone attached, the headphones maintain an orderly design.
- Headband: the quilted stitching on the headband gives the headphones a professional look, but the rest of the design is essentially black and could use more color accents. Nevertheless, they still have a sleek and stylish appearance.
- Touch control: the left ear cup houses a volume dial, mute button, detachable mic slot, and Micro USB connector for charging the headphones. The power button is on the right ear cup, and a voice confirms when the headphones have been turned on or off.
- Connectivity: USB Bluetooth adapter,
Performance:
- Microphones: the mic quality is subpar, with cracking and robotic sounds and high sensitivity to position, leading to breathing noise that may be annoying, despite a built-in noise gate.
- Sound quality: the 7.1 surround sound provided clear directional audio to quickly identify sounds such as footsteps, reloads, and gunfire. The quality was balanced even during chaotic situations, allowing for awareness of the surroundings.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Great sound quality
- Solid built
Cons:
- Microphones don’t have noise reduction
- No support for mobile phone
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 96.99
4. HIFIMAN Deva-Pro Wireless Open Back Headphones
The HiFiMAN Deva Pro headphones fall below average compared to other wired planar-magnetic headphones in their price range. Although they offer higher resolution than most wireless, closed-back headphones, they lack the practicality and features such as ANC that consumers expect at this price point. The Deva Pro struggles to establish its identity and doesn’t excel as either Bluetooth or wired planar-magnetic headphones. Despite their innovative features, the headphones have a fatiguing sound signature and mediocre build quality.
Key Features
- Noise cancellation: No
- Transparency: Yes
- Driver: Planar magnetic driver
- Battery life: 8 hours
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Connection: Bluetooth® / USB Type A
- Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz
- Impedance: 18 Ω
- Sensitivity: 93.5 dB
- Weight: 365g
Design:
- Earcups: a perforated cloth material on the front, complemented by a solid pleather surround.
- Headband: made of aluminum and foam-padded, but I would have preferred the foam to be slightly softer.
- Connectivity: the Type-C port is both a charging port and a way to connect to a computer to act as a DAC-amp.
- Touch control: the module’s single button controls power, with a short press to disconnect from the current device and a long press to turn it on/off. A double press of the button initiates pairing mode.
Performance:
- Bass sound: bass rises from 30Hz and becomes noticeable at 40Hz, remaining flatIn all three modes, sub-bass is emphasized in Bluetooth mode but rolls off after 35es. While punchy and fast, the bass lacks rumble and mid-bass texture. Planar drivers cause potential distortion at high volumes.
- Midrange: is excessively intense. The absence of a noticeable frequency dip between 2-5kHz creates an extremely forward midrange. This tuning adversely affects both the soundstage depth and microdynamics.
- Treble: is peaky, and the elevated upper-treble frequencies can cause listener fatigue during extended listening sessions.
- Soundstage: lacks depth in all modes, with compressed stage width in Bluetooth mode, although it fares better in wired mode
- Imaging: is average since it is challenging to determine the directionality of instruments.
Pros:
- Super comfortable to wear
- Multi-device connection
Cons:
- Limit soundstage width and depth
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 269.00
5. HIFIMAN Ananda-BT Wireless Open Back Headphones
The HiFiMan ANANDA-BT is a Bluetooth-enabled version of the HiFiMan Ananda with support for aptX SBC and aptX HD, an open-back design for immersive sound, and a detachable boom mic. While not versatile for casual use, they offer well-balanced, neutral audio for audiophiles.
Key Features
- Noise cancellation: No
- Transparency: Yes
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, Apt-X™
- Connection:Bluetooth® / Jack 3.5mm / USB-C®
- Frequency response: 8 Hz – 55,000 Hz
- Impedance: 35 Ω
- Sensitivity: 103 dB
- Weight: 460g
Design:
- Earcups: feature thick padding and has metal yokes on the exterior of the ear cups, comfortable to wear in long hours
- Headband: solid metal is used for the headband and cup hooks, and a leather headband provides a comfortable fit.
- Control: one button handles power, playback, and answering calls, while the other button is for charging
Performance:
- Soundstage: offers a neutral and well-balanced audio reproduction, making them an excellent audiophile choice. Low bass may lack, and the treble range can sound bright.
- Frequency response: providing a consistent listening experience every time you wear them.
- Bass sound: the rest of the bass range is well-balanced, accurately reproducing the boom and punch of your favorite songs.
- Mids: a flat and balanced response across the range, allowing vocals and lead instruments to be well-presented in the mix. However, there’s an underemphasis on the high-mid, which could make vocals less clear and intense on some tracks.
- Treble: balanced low and mid-treble range that produces a bright, present, and detailed mix.
- Imaging: the performance is impressive, with their weighted group delay falling below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and transparent treble.
Pros:
- Comfortable
- Long battery life
- High quality
Cons:
- Limit control features
- volume control is not available
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 799.00
6. STAX SPIRIT S3 Wireless Open Back Headphones
The Stax Spirit S3 boasts a lightweight black carbon fiber construction and foldable design that allows it to be easily stored in a semi-rigid carrying case. The headband and ear pads are made of genuine leather, and a second set of mesh-covered ear pads with cooling gel are also provided. Although it looks nice, the creaky hinges are not reassuring in terms of durability.
Despite this, it is very comfortable to wear for extended periods, especially with the cooling pads, and feels lightweight. However, the creaky plastic frame can be audible and potentially irritating when walking around unless masked by the music.
Key Features
- Noise cancellation: No
- Transparency: Yes
- Driver: 100mm Audeze planar magnetic driver
- Battery life: 80 hours
- Codec code: SBC, AAC, Adaptive, aptX™
- Connection:Bluetooth® / Jack 3.5mm / USB-C®
- Frequency response: 15 Hz – 22,000 Hz
- Impedance: 8o Ω
- Sensitivity: 104 dB
- Weight: 350g
Design:
- Earpads: made of soft memory foam underneath, comfortable, suitable for summer
- Headband: the folding mechanism of the headphones results in a significant amount of plastic around the headband, which detracts from the otherwise sturdy steel construction and gives it a cheap feel.
- App: the “Classic” preset since it provides a natural and well-balanced sound. The other two presets, “Hi-Fi” and “Stax,” caused a reduction in the midrange and a spike in the treble, resulting in a less optimal listening experience.
Performance:
- Microphone: on top of both earcups additional mic assist in noise cancellation. These microphones can pick up audio even in noisy environments, enabling the user to speak at a regular volume.
- Bass sound: demonstrates impressive extension; the bass is fast and can keep up with busy tracks.
- Mids: is accurately balanced and produces no harsh or piercing sounds.
- Imaging: it has a clear separation between the left and proper channels. However, their ability to accurately position sound objects in the vertical and diagonal planes is not as precise.
Pros:
- Multipoint connection
- Fast and texture bass sound
- Great microphone
Cons:
- No EQ
- Average imaging
Pricing:
Available on Amazon at the price of USD 399.99
Summary
This article mentions that wireless open-back headphones are popular because of their advanced technology, lower price, and great design. Thus, we said Focal Bathys headphones at the top of our list to show that it is an excellent choice due to their sound quality, advanced features, and made of high-quality materials. The Grado GW100x Wireless Series is also a perfect option due to its excellent battery life, comfortable design, and more features. These headphones come with great prices and performance. Feel free to comment below and tell us which you like the most.
