Wireless headphones for music production and mixing

3 things stand in the way of using wireless headphones in the studio:

1. Latency - with too much latency, recording becomes impossible
2. Compression - Most common Bluetooth audio codecs use lossy audio compression, which is unacceptable for studio use.
3. Tuning - most wireless headphones are made for enjoying music on the go, so they’re tuned to sound exciting. For mixing, you need a headphone tuned for accuracy, so what you hear is what’s actually in your track.

Let’s have a look at the problems and how you can solve them to enjoy wireless headphones in your studio!

As always, all info in this blog has been checked by audio professionals to ensure accuracy.

When you use wired headphones, you hear only the latency of your computer/audio interface AD/DA conversion. With a modern setup, that latency is very low and usually below 10 ms (milliseconds).

Let’s assume 7 ms to create an example; this 7 ms includes the analog-to-digital conversion from the microphone preamp signal to the DAW and the digital-to-analog conversion back to the headphone output of the audio interface. If you are using wired headphones, 0 ms additional latency is introduced. So in total, with wired headphones, you’re looking at 7 ms. 

If you are listening via speakers, the distance between your ears and the speakers adds latency. If you are sitting 2 meters away from your speakers, you have to add about 6 ms of latency on top of the latency of your computer and audio interface. For this setup, your total latency would be 13 ms. For most people, that latency is still quite acceptable and easy to record with.

• Added latency when using wired studio headphones: 0 ms
• Added latency for distance to monitor speaker: 3 ms per meter

With wireless headphones, the wireless connection adds its own latency. In lab tests of 27 headphones, RTINGS measured an average of about 170 to 260 ms over standard Bluetooth. Even with a low-latency Bluetooth codec, it stayed in the range of up to 80 ms. With latency this high, recording becomes impossible.

There are some recording-specific wireless headphones with a lot lower latency. Don’t be fooled by the "low latency" label alone. If a brand or product doesn’t mention the latency in milliseconds, you should be skeptical.

For recording purposes without direct monitoring, latency above ~16 ms starts to become problematic.

The LEWITT LW6 Wireless Studio Headphones add a latency of 5.8 ms. That’s comparable to speakers 2 meters away. So with them, you would have a total latency of 13 ms. For most people, that latency is no problem for recording.

Whether you notice the latency or not is highly subjective. Musicians who have been recording for years might have a higher sensitivity and can spot the difference between 10 ms and 15 ms. For singers, everything below 15 ms might be fine if the headphones isolate well enough. Latency higher than 20 ms starts to be noticeable for a lot more people.
 

Mixing doesn’t really need low latency. Can you use wireless headphones for mixing in the studio? That’s a good question. And the answer is a clear “It depends”. Not all Bluetooth headphones use the same wireless transfer method. The audio compression depends on the Bluetooth codec. Some Bluetooth codecs heavily compress the audio (compression like WAV to MP3, not Distressor compression), and only one use a lossless format. You can learn more in the overview below.

For mixing and critical audio decisions, you should always use uncompressed, or at least lossless audio.

Uncompressed, lossless, lossy. What's the difference?

• Uncompressed: the audio travels as plain PCM samples, without a codec packing or throwing away data. That’s what you get from a WAV file or a cable to your audio interface.
• Lossless: the audio is packed into a smaller package, a bit like a ZIP file, and unpacked at the other end into exactly the original. You hear the same thing as uncompressed.
• Lossy: to fit through the radio link, part of the audio data is thrown away for good. Think of turning a WAV into an MP3.

You always want to make decisions based on the full audio resolution. So if you are considering using wireless headphones for mixing or mastering, check if the signal is compressed or not.

Here is an overview of different Wireless transmissions and their audio resolution:

Sources: Bluetooth SIG, Qualcomm, Sony, SoundGuys, LEWITT.

LW6 sends uncompressed PCM audio over RealSound: no codec and no audio compression between your interface and your ears. With 110 dB of dynamic range, the noise floor stays inaudible, even at high listening levels, so they are perfect for mixing and mastering. LW6 is tuned for exactly these use cases via the MIRE method (measuring with microphones in real ears), so far more listeners hear the tuning the way it was intended (about 73% versus about 31% with conventional tuning). Learn more about the tuning in this blog.

Recording yourself

Everybody who has recorded themselves knows how tricky the process can be. Press record, quickly get to the synth, or walk over to the vocal booth etc. 
In these situations, removing the cable can help you have a much smoother workflow and less stress. And less stress while recording is a huge plus!

Switching instruments

Wearing headphones and taking your guitar on and off is a big hassle. Take off headphones to remove the cable, remove the guitar from your shoulder strap, put headphones back on.

If you’re doing this 3 times in a row, it gets old very quickly. Without a headphone cable, this becomes so much nicer and easier. Here, wireless really shines and removes friction from your recording workflow.

Make good decisions in your audio sweet spot without staring at your plugins

In one interview about the LW6, Justin Colletti, who is a mastering engineer and the host of Sonic Scoop, made a great point. Sometimes, taking a step back, just getting up and moving around a bit can have a very positive influence on your perception. Not staring at a screen or the EQ plugin lets your brain hear differently, and you will be able to make better decisions for your mix.

Wireless headphones make this super easy and convenient. You’ll still hear what you need to hear, but you get the freedom to move around.

You can check out the full interview below.

Q: Can you use Bluetooth headphones for music production?

A: Yes, for sketching ideas, arranging, and listening back. For recording, playing instruments live, and mixing, Bluetooth falls short: it adds 170 - 260 ms of latency, and compresses your audio with lossy codecs. (Source)

Q: Can I use wireless headphones to monitor while recording?

A: Yes, if they use a dedicated low-latency link that plugs into your audio interface. Keep your total round-trip latency under ~16 ms or use direct monitoring, so you hear your input straight from the interface before it passes through the computer. Bluetooth headphones connect to your computer and skip the interface, so they can't give you direct monitoring.

Q: Are there any good wireless studio headphones?

A: Yes, if they publish a latency figure in milliseconds, send uncompressed audio, and connect to your interface's headphone output. LEWITT LW6 wireless studio headphones are built for exactly that: the RealSound link sends uncompressed PCM audio and adds 5.8 ms of latency, independently measured at under 6 ms. You also get a 5 m / 16 ft range, a closed-back design for isolation, and a tuning measured with microphones in real ears to deliver reliable sound for professional audio production.

Q: How much latency is acceptable for recording?

A: Under ~ 16 ms round trip feels natural for most recordings. Round-trip latency is the time your signal takes from the microphone, through your computer, and back to your ears. Sensitivity varies from player to player, so the lower you can get, the better. Learn more about latency for audio interfaces.

Q: How do you fix wireless headphone latency?

A: You can't fix Bluetooth latency from your DAW: the delay comes from the codec and the radio link, so lowering your buffer size won't change it. For recording and playing, switch to a cable or a dedicated studio wireless link, keep your buffer low, and use direct monitoring on your interface.

Q: Is zero-latency wireless possible?

A: No. Every digital wireless link needs time to convert, send, and receive audio, so some delay is always there. LW6 adds 5.8 ms, about the time sound takes to travel 2 m through the air, so it feels like standing a couple of meters from your guitar amp.