What mobile audio solution would work best for me

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AMG

AMG

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I have a Honor 8X which I use for audio and emails and instagram and linkedin, and such connectivity apps.
I dont play games or use any other resource heavy apps, and the 8x is just a year old, so I'm intending on keeping it for another year at the very least.

The problem is that its earphone jack has become loose, and now I cant use 3.5 mm jacks in it.

I commute for 8-10 hours every friday evening (delhi - hometown) and 8 hours every sunday night (hometown to delhi). For this commute, I have to have some sort of a music to stop me from going mad. All this while I used wired IEMs like boat 100s and phillips 3590 etc, which were good enough for me, but now it has to be bluetooth, because the 3.5 mm socket doesnt work.

Now what are my options?
  • Neckband bluetooth earphones? Any that are good enough for 10 hours? The most I've seen have a battery backup (claimed) of around 6, and I frankly need double of that.

  • Wireless earbuds (ear pods / x buds / air dopes etc etc) Would have loved to have them, but the battery is just not there yet.

  • Over the ear headhones? some models do exist which have 15 hour battery claimed, but then everyone complains that they're heavy, and that for 10 hours of continious listening, I will have issues

  • On ear headphones? Like lol. why do they even exist. Either get the over the ear ones, or the in ear ones

  • Or should I just buy a Karbonn/Lava feature phone, add a micro SD and use it as an ipod classic.


My concerns are battery life (all combined that is earphone + phone), sound quality and cost. In that order
 
Your commute is hard core. Isn't it better to just repair (or replace) the 3.5mm jack and call it a day? Way cheaper than any other wireless options. If you don't want to/ can't/ won't be bothered, step this way:

1) Jays t-Four Wireless: Bass heavy signature, but the battery lasts near 10 hours. Not neckband, but is very comfortable. I use these for workouts, so they should hold up to the rigors of commute. Cost; 1.9K
2) 1More Piston Fit: More balanced sound signature, more premium build, battery life more or less similar to the Jays. Very comfortable. Cost: Around 2.5-3K.

On ears are a lot more practical than you think. They can probably offer a more dynamic sound experience and a better soundstage than in-ears while being more portable and comfortable than over the ears (which not everyone would want to lug around on a crowded bus/ train on a hot summer). If you're open to this form factor, the Jays X-Five wireless on-ears offers a good compromise in comfort, portability, mainstream SQ and an insane battery life at 20 hours. Plus, I think you have the ability to use them as wired earphones too, if the battery conks out. I would have bought this if I were mainly listening to music on my commutes.

I do have a Sandisk Clip that has a pretty good SQ, if you're interested.

Have fun shopping. Cheers.
 
blr_p said:
Why not use a BT transmitter and re-use your tried and trusted IEM's
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AFAIK most blueooth transmitters for mobile connect to the 3.5 mm jack which is a sore point in OP's case. I looked into those a while back for my AKG earphones and found a couple of Sony models with ANC to boot.

I would suggest fixing the 3.5 mm jack for the Honor 8X or else you can go for the ones suggested by @lepermessiah.

I have a Sennheiser CX 6.00 which won't last that long and a OnePlus Bullets 2 kit which will last your entire journey.
 
Marcus Fenix said:
AFAIK most blueooth transmitters for mobile connect to the 3.5 mm jack which is a sore point in OP's case.
Click to expand...
Oh! looks like i missed that bit :(

Repairing the jack then, as some one suggested seems easiest

Imagine if was using one of those headset dongles and ended up damaging the power socket.

This topic is the major reason the power jack is a bad idea to use the way he does on the grounds of durability

If the power jack gets faulty the phone is done
 
Well.....I like to suggest Fiio's BTR device 3 or 5 (or M5) according to your budget with a decent IEM - Depends how serious you are about your music quality.

Both of the models may not survive 10 hours, but achieve close to it. Small light weight power bank may also helps to go along with it for rest of the required hours.
 
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Just buy a cheap USB DAC from Aliexpress. The Meizu HiFi DAC and DAC Pro are great options. They will connect through the USB C port on your phone and you can use your normal wired earphones with them. These draw power from the phone so a fully charged phone should easily drive these for 8hrs plus. I have a version which has very high power output and even that can be driven for 11hrs plus from my phone.
 
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