7 Best Bluetooth Headset with FM Radio [Buying Guide 2023]
Bluetooth headsets are an essential tool for people who want to be hands-free. They can also provide convenience for other tasks, like listening to the radio while driving.
But not all Bluetooth headphones are created equally; some offer more features than others, such as FM radio capabilities or USB charging ports. So how do you find the best Bluetooth Headset with FM radio?
In this blog post, we created this list of the best seven picks that will help you make the best decision possible and help you decide which one best suits your needs.
NB: Our recommendations will help you choose the best one if you do not have the time to read the entire article.
What is a Headset with FM Radio?
A headset with FM Radio is a wireless headphone set with an integrated radio to receive broadcasts from local stations. They can come in earpieces or headphones and get their energy from minor (AAA) batteries.
Also, a headset with FM Radio is a two-in-one device where the headphone has built-in radio capabilities. This lets you listen to your favorite music and tune into local radio stations simultaneously!
What are the Advantages of a Headset with FM Radio?
A headset with FM radio allows you to listen to your favorite stations while on the move without having to carry headphones specifically for that purpose.
As long as your device is equipped with an appropriate set of earphones and has the right plug type, you can use it easily to listen to FM radio.
- You can listen to FM radio with a headset.
- The headphones do not reproduce quality because it is transmitted via an analog signal. However, modern smartphones can stream over Bluetooth, which allows you to transmit music in CD quality from your phone to a Bluetooth speaker.
- No need to charge. Just plug it into your smartphone and listen to music or radio via an FM transmitter. In addition, you can control the sound from the headphones. This way, you do not have to remove your hands from the steering wheel while driving.
- Because the analog signal is used, controlling music playback or FM radio is impossible without removing your hands from the steering wheel. Thus if you use one earphone only, you will not hear what is happening around you (for example, you can’t hear if someone is trying to pass you).
- It’s cheap and straightforward. Any wire which uses a 3.5mm jack (most headphones) will work. You just need to plug it into your smartphone or MP3 player and enjoy music via an FM transmitter.
- You can control music playback from the headset, and the sound quality is much better than the FM transmitter. Also, you can safely use your smartphone while Bluetooth is activated.
- It’s easy to install, and you can pick up precise frequency without interference from other stations, so you do not have to search for empty channels every time.
What are the Disadvantages of a Headset with FM Radio?
- You will need a compatible device with an FM transmitter.
- Some older model smartphones do not have FM receivers.
- The signal may become choppy even if the headset is within range of the FM transmitter.
- Interference with other devices (other people’s cell phones).
- The sound quality is not excellent. You can also hear noise in the background. You cannot predict if another radio station already occupies the frequency.
- The headset must be removed to change the station/track/volume – unless it has controls on the earpiece or requires a wired connection with your device.
- Digital radio signals can be blocked by physical obstacles (walls, trees, etc.), which means you may need to rescan for stations more often.
- Using an FM headset with a radio may drain your mobile device’s battery faster.
- Digital FM headsets are usually more expensive than standard and even noise-canceling Bluetooth headsets.
How to Choose a Headset with FM Radio?
Choosing a headset with FM Radio is often very difficult. It must be easy to use and integrate into your daily life while providing good sound quality and reception. Here are some guidelines that can help you get started.
First, You must choose which type of model you want: wired or wireless.
Wired headsets will not be an issue for you to set up, but they could also be more limited in sound quality and battery life. On the plus side, their price tends to be lower than wireless versions.
This type of headset generally has a fixed cable, making it more difficult to use them while charging.
It is also worth mentioning that wired models are often compatible with MP3 players, iPods, mobile phones, or other devices without Bluetooth enabled.
On the other hand, wireless headsets do not have any cables, and they will offer better sound quality than their wired counterparts. Plus, it will be easier to multitask while listening to your favorite radio station.
To enjoy this type of headset, you must ensure your devices are compatible with Bluetooth (check your user manual). This means they will be compatible with most modern-day smartphones and MP3 players.
The one downside is that wireless models have a shorter battery life than their wired counterparts, one of the main reasons their cost tends to be higher.
Another thing you will need to do is choose what type of design would suit your lifestyle best.
Since most FM headsets are meant for sports or outdoor activities, they have different shapes and styles suited for these purposes. This means you can find models that clip onto your clothes, wrap around the back of your neck, or are completely wireless.
Lastly, you must decide how much money you will spend on this purchase. As mentioned, higher-end models have more features and better-quality sound than their lower-priced counterparts.
So what should you look for in a Bluetooth headset with FM radio?
Here are some of the essential features that you have to pay attention to:
FM Radio: First and foremost, many Bluetooth headsets come without an FM radio feature. It’s not important for everyone, but if you want one, make sure your favorite model has it. Remember that some units can store up to 5 different stations automatically, or you can manually save them.
Voice Call Controls: Make sure the earpiece can answer/end calls, reject incoming calls and play music through your phone’s headset controls. Some models allow you to control the volume levels as well.
Multipoint: It may be more important to others, but pairing your Bluetooth headset with two different devices can be useful. That way, you can handle calls from both the phone and a tablet or computer simultaneously, for instance.
Sound Quality: This is another thing that’s a bit subjective since each user values something else regarding sound quality. Some prefer bass-heavy headsets, while others seek the cleanest sound experience possible.
The latest Bluetooth headsets with FM radio offer great sound when it comes to music playback, and they’re able to pick up your voice even in noisy environments, which is important if you work in an office or spend most of your time driving around.
If you want the best, check out our top 10 list above. You can also read some sound quality reviews for more details on how these units perform in music playback.
What’s the difference between stereo and hands free?
Every time I connect a bluetooth headset it shows up as 2 things on sound playback devices. I can choose bluedio stereo or bluedio hands free. What is that? What’s the difference? I often see the stereo part to be unstable though.
Stereo is stereophonic sound. Hands free typically refers to a mode like speakerphone (may involve ancillary speakers or mic).
so my computer can connect to headsets in two mode? Can you give more technical details? Why I don’t see this when connecting headsets to android phones? Only to windows pc
I’ve never used this, so I’m only guessing. Hands free typically refers to a speakerphone mode (integrating speakers and mic for two way voice communication). If your headphones have a built-in mic, this could simply be a way to select using the mic input from that source. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable will share some insight.
I had the same question. When I first paired my Bose 700 headphones, it sounded like it was playing from two sources at the same time with one slightly delayed. When I saw this I switched back and forth and it seems to be correct now.
2 Answers 2
The «Stereo» device is technically known in Bluetooth jargon as «Advanced Audio Distribution Profile», or with an acronym A2DP. It is optimized for transferring 2-channel stereo sound with good quality in one direction only.
The «Hands-free» device corresponds, respectively, to either the «Hands-Free Profile» (HFP) or «Headset Profile» (HSP). Both of them are older than A2DP, and were initially designed to pass telephone-quality sound (2-directional mono sound, limited frequency response, optimized for speech only). Both of them, and in particular the HSP profile, are designed to minimize the processing power requirements. This was important for wireless Bluetooth hands-free devices, which usually had, and still have, an extremely limited amount of battery power available because of limitations of physical size.
Since then, HFP has been expanded with optional better-quality sound codecs, as newer high-efficiency processors have made it easier to implement more complicated protocols and sound codecs in low-power devices. HSP has remained the minimalist implementation, to be used when every milliwatt-second of battery capacity needs to be used efficiently, and as a fallback to be used if the more advanced protocols aren’t compatible.
The reason why the A2DP device gets disabled when two-way communications is required is probably again related to processing power requirements. Running both HFP/HSP and A2DP simultaneously would require running two potentially very different codec modules simultaneously, and then mixing their outputs either in digital or analog form. Digital mixing would increase processing power requirements still further, while analog mixing would make the device hardware design more complicated.
Disabling A2DP while HFP or HSP is active is the easy way out: it will reduce both technical complexity and the power budget of the device.