Keep Your Classic Jars Alive With the Bluetooth Clip
My pair of Grado SR80e headphones are one of my most treasured possessions. I love to lie on the couch and listen to the daytime album (I’m ready for 4:44 ). But thanks to Apple’s courageous decision to remove the headphone jack, I can’t connect my SR80s to an iPhone 7 without a Lightning adapter, and because of that, I haven’t had to upgrade from my iPhone 6 yet.
But a new iPhone is expected this year, and while I really think it’s time for me to make the switch, I want to keep using my favorite headphones in this brave new world. So, I bought some bluetooth headphone adapters and I think you should buy them too. It not only allows me to use headphones with a new phone, but it also allows me to connect to various devices without worrying about cables.
Use old headphones on a new smartphone
The bluetooth headphone adapter is simply a portable bluetooth receiver that comes out through the 3.5mm headphone jack. Much like a traditional Bluetooth receiver – the Moto Stream, for example – you can technically connect it to any speaker with a 3.5mm line-in jack, although you’ll have to charge it from time to time. Griffin’s $ 20 ITrip Clip is a great example of a cheap bluetooth headphone adapter, while the $ 99 Noble BTS is less intrusive and quite sleek.
Your ideal Bluetooth headphone adapter should have a snap-on mechanism so you can attach it to you when you relax, and an easy way to charge, usually with a micro USB cable.
The belt clip allows me to walk around the house with empty pockets while I do housework, talk to my dog, and wear my favorite pocketless shorts in the summer heat.
Maintain sound quality
The worst part of losing a 3.5mm jack isn’t the inability to use great headphones, but the exorbitant price you’ll likely pay for newer, more modern headphones with poorer sound quality. People love Apple’s AirPods , but they don’t sound as good as my on-ear headphones, and that $ 159 price tag seems a bit overpriced. Buying a Bluetooth adapter for $ 20 is cheaper than buying a new pair of earbuds, no matter how you cut them.
Make your neighbors happy
I have a soundbar under the TV, but I live in an apartment. I can’t blow this thing up when I watch Speed Racer on Saturday night for the eleventh time, or my neighbors will deal with me Emile-Hirsch style.
I use PS4 to stream movies, so I usually plug Grado cans into the controller, but what if I decide to grab some popcorn during the movie and forget to turn it off? This isn’t the first time I’ve forgotten that my headphones were connected to something stationary. The adapter could free me from the controller-bound prison during nightly movie sessions in the living room, and give my neighbors a good night’s sleep.