Best Radio Headphones Review

Gone are the days where we had to stay in one room and gather around the ‘wireless’ to listen to our favorite music or radio shows.

With the combination of digital technology and industrial safety measures, the number of portable radio headphones available to us today are endless.

Whether you’re looking for noise-canceling technology to protect your hearing during a loud factory shift or simply want a way of taking your favorite radio shows along with you on your daily walk, there is a radio headphone out there for you.

Take a look at our list of the best radio headphones and radio earmuffs on the market today and make up your own mind as to which is the best for you.

Radio Headphones Buying Guide

Technology

Radio technology has moved on leaps and bounds in the past few decades. 

Going from one of the most primitive forms of communications in the early 20th century to the most modern in the 21st, little is now known about radio waves.

Isolating this technology into a set of headphones, however, is a far greater leap in terms of technology. 

Today we can find a whole range of different technologies in just a set of headphones, from the wireless Bluetooth features to state of the art noise-canceling technology.    

Wireless Radio Headphones

Wireless radio headphones combine wireless technology with radio technology. As the radio headset acts as the aerial itself, there is no need for an antenna or connection in any other form. 

With the radio built inside the headphones, users are able to walk quite comfortably around and listen to the radio at their own will. 

Unlike before, where you needed to be connected to an audio transmitter via a wire, the wireless radio headphone combines this technology with the headset itself. 

This maneuverability allows buyers to use these devices when doing a variety of physical tasks. This makes wireless radio headphones ideal for runners or those working in factories and labor-based work. 

Bluetooth Radio Headphones

Although very similar to the wireless radio headphones, Bluetooth radio headphones harness the power of Bluetooth technology to project the signal from a device through the headphones. 

This way, you are able to link your headphones up to any device that has an option for Bluetooth. 

As the headphones do not need to rely on themselves for an antenna, they can connect to a Bluetooth radio, a phone, a computer, and many other different electrical devices. 

Noise Cancelling Headphones With Radio

Noise-canceling headphones work via a technique known as active noise cancelation or ANC. ANC works by using microphones to pick up low-frequency noise and neutralizing it before it reaches the ear. 

The headphones generate a sound that is phase-inverted by 180 degrees to the unwanted noise, resulting in the two sounds canceling each other out.    

Used particularly in an industrial setting, noise-canceling headphones allow users to wear an ear defending headset with a radio built. 

This means users can protect their hearing from unwanted noise during a workplace environment but also listen to the radio for some light entertainment. 

Used mainly in situations where heavy and loud machinery can possibly damage the users’ hearing, noise-canceling headphones can also increase the sound of the user’s radio. 

Originally designed to be used by pilots on long-haul flights, noise-canceling technology has been harnessed by headphone designers to provide a perfect sound quality – ideal for when you’re trying to listen to your favorite radio station in a noisy environment.   

Sound Quality

Sound quality can vary greatly from headphone to headphone and does depend on a number of different factors. 

Quality of sound can be a changing factor simply when it comes to the make of the headphones. 

Some makes and models of AM/FM headphones can have fantastic sound quality, yet cost four times the amount as another brand whose quality is not so good.

Along with a certain brand’s chosen technology, sound quality can also be affected by its surroundings. Radio waves can be sensitive to the walls of a building or certain materials that are placed around the user. 

So to get the best quality out of your radio headphones, use them in an open space where the radio signal won’t be interrupted by the concrete or other materials that interfere with the sound quality of headphones.

The sound of certain headphones can also be changed by the design of the headphones themselves. Those with a flush seal from the earpiece to ear will provide far better sound quality than a set of headphones that are loose.          

Comfort

When it comes to comfortable headphones, personal preferences are key; what works for one user may not work for another. 

One of the biggest characteristics that affect the comfort of headphones is the choice between over-ear or on-ear headphones.

Over-ear headphones completely surround your ear and can even offer extra noise-canceling properties. This over-ear design means they may be more comfortable to wear over a long period of time.

The only negative to this is that it can become hot sweaty if worn for such a longer extension of time.

If you require long term comfort, it is important to purchase headphones that have great padding, tension adjustments, and a tight spring that sits within the band and hold them to your head.

On-the-ear headphones are normally smaller by design. As they rest just on your ears, it allows for more air to circulate around the ear, so overheating is no longer a problem.

Sitting on your ears can cause discomfort if worn for longer periods of time. The lack of a seal around the ear may even cause less ambient noise to interfere with the quality of the headphones.

Portability

Portability is a huge factor when deciding what headphones to buy, especially headphones with radio. 

You are sure to be walking or even running around when listening to the radio, so having a pair of headphones that make this possible is important.

A few factors will affect a set of headphones’ portability, and deciding which one is more important to you is a personal choice. 

First of all, the weight and size of the device can make a huge difference to the portability of the headphones. If the headphones are too bulky, they will simply be harder to carry or even store when you’re on the move, though heavier and sturdier designs tend to be more comfortable and equate to better sound quality.

Certain radio headphones will have a collapsible design that allows users to fold each side of the left and right headphone into the center of the band. This makes it so much easier to carry around and even store them on the go.  

Battery Life

AM/FM headphones take power from a built-in rechargeable battery, and the size of this battery can vary between designs, affecting the overall battery life. 

An over-ear design will generally hold a larger battery and guarantee a much longer battery life. The general rule for over-ear headphones is around 20-30 hours, though this can vary from device to device. 

On most of the headphone designs, charging is usually done via a USB and added plug outlet. 

Some designs, such as FM earmuffs, require AA batteries to power themselves. In this case, the battery life can often depend on the quality of the double-A batteries you are using.

Simply using your headphones to listen to the radio will drain the battery life far lower than if you are using its Bluetooth capabilities to stream music or such from another device.        

Compatibility

The compatibility of headphones all depends on the make and type of headphone in question. Many modern Bluetooth headphones will be compatible with any device that uses Bluetooth as a standard feature. 

The radio side of the headphones can vary between having FM and AM frequencies or just FM alone. The loss in popularity of AM radio may have a lot to be said for the decline of AM compatibility. 

Finding particular headphones that are compatible with HAM radio can also be hard, so buying specific ham radio headphones may be a must. 

Pricing Range

The price range can vary hugely when it comes to radio headphones. They can cost you as little as $20 or up to, and over the $100 mark. What you get for the extra dollars you spend can depend on a number of things. 

Sound quality and durability are often factors that increase the cost of a pair of headphones, and paying that little extra can make a world of difference to both.

Radio headphones at the lower end of the price scale may simply have less added features than their more expensive counterparts. 

These features include Bluetooth capabilities, a choice between FM, AM, and HAM radio signals, collapsible headphones, and many more. 

Quite often, you may reach into the high echelons of prices and begin to pay for the name of the headphones only.

Our Verdict

Through our research, it is clear to see that the market of radio headphones can generally be separated into two different sections.

There are those headphones that have been purposely designed with health and safety noise-canceling attributes as their main objective, and the radio element is somewhat of an afterthought.

There are then others where the design of the headphones has come from a more radio-based angle, offering features and styles that complement this.

Deciding on which radio headphone is best for you all comes down to where you are going to be wearing your headphones and in what situations.

One thing that is very clear from our findings is, there is still a love for the original media format, radio.