# Convert wired headphones to bluetooth



## Sharpie357

Here is what I want to ultimately do: I want to turn my Bose in-ear headphones into wireless bluetooth headphones. 
   
  I was thinking that I could attach the wires to a small bluetooth receiver and presto. I want something small and lightweight, so the Belkin thing is less than ideal. I want it to be able to hang around the back of my neck much like the Jaybird FJ3MB Freedom headphones. 
   
  Any thoughts? What materials do you suggest?
  I have a sufficient amount of technical know how, so soldering and stuff shouldn't be a problem.


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## mark2410

i suggest buy one of these
   
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/accessories/overview/mw600?cc=gb&lc=en#view=overview


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## Sharpie357

Thanks, but i'm looking for something more integrated/inline.


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## batphink

Jabra BT3030
http://www.jabra.com/sites/mobile/na-us/products/pages/jabrabt3030.aspx

   
  GOgroove Bluebar
http://www.accessorypower.com/gogroove-bluebar-clipon-bluetooth-audio-receiver-p-2113.html


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## Sharpie357

Thanks but still not quite. The reason I want it to be Bluetooth is so I have less wire. If I just plug the headphones to a receiver that I put in my pocket or belt, all I accomplished was to decrease the sound quality. I want to incorporate the receiver into the headphones in order to shorten the cords, not attach a receiver to the end of the headphones, making the cords longer.


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## Uncle Erik

But you have to have some kind of amplification. A Bluetooth receiver will have to have not only the reception circuit, but some kind of amp to power the headphones as well as a suitable battery for power.

Personally, I'd just skip the whole Bluetooth aspect and plug them into something really light like an iPod Nano. Simpler and you'll get better sound than having to transmit a signal.


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## Sharpie357

Just for clarification, here is exactly what I want to make, but with Bose headphones and pairable to any device:
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/accessories/overview/hbh-is800?cc=gb&lc=en#view=overview
   
   
  Uncle Erik, 
  Can I get an amplifier/receiver combination that I can integrate into the headphones?
   
  Another thought is that I could buy cheaper bluetooth headphones and remove the bluetooth aspect and transfer it to my Bose. What do you think?
   
  Something else that is potentially problematic is the little plastic oval about an inch or two from the jack on the Bose (btw they are the IE1, not IE2). What is that? Does it enhance the sound quality? So would it be needed on the bluetooth headphones? 
   
  I don't really want to use a small device or something, because I would still have the same amount of wiring.
   
  Thank you!


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## mark2410

Quote: 





sharpie357 said:


> Just for clarification, here is exactly what I want to make, but with Bose headphones and pairable to any device:
> http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/accessories/overview/hbh-is800?cc=gb&lc=en#view=overview


 

 then ask bose to make one if you are insistent on using bose headphones


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## Sharpie357

Mark,
  The reason I want to use Bose is because of the great sound quality and comfort. And because I have them. And here I thought this forum would be kind and helpful to newcomers instead of mocking their questions.


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## Uncle Erik

I don't know. There would be a lot of fabrication and some of the small specialty parts have to be ordered in large quantities or extracted from other gear. You might be able to graft another brand's system onto yours, but that would be a bit of work and you'd have to buy another headset anyway.

Also, Bose doesn't have a very good reputation around here. If you haven't listened to much else, you might be surprised at how good other manufacturers are.


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## mark2410

Quote: 





sharpie357 said:


> Mark,
> The reason I want to use Bose is because of the great sound quality and comfort. And because I have them. And here I thought this forum would be kind and helpful to newcomers instead of mocking their questions.


 


  erm multiple people have responded and you have remained adamant that you wish to use only one particular companys products.  you even point out exactly what you want but oh no not made by bose so no good.
   
  also i wasnt mocking your question.  you seem wedded to the brand even thought they dont make what you want so why not ask them?


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## Sharpie357

Quote: 





mark2410 said:


> erm multiple people have responded and you have remained adamant that you wish to use only one particular companys products.  you even point out exactly what you want but oh no not made by bose so no good.
> 
> also i wasnt mocking your question.  you seem wedded to the brand even thought they dont make what you want so why not ask them?


 


  I didn't think it mattered why I wanted to use Bose so badly, but I guess I will explain further.
   
  There are only a few semi-decent bluetooth in-ear headphones on the market. Even fewer are compatible with all devices. Most of them have questionable sound quality and comfort and are styled in a manner most unpleasing to me. My Bose in-ears are, I KNOW, very comfortable and have great sound quality. So in other words, if I could make bluetooth headphones exactly how I wanted them, they would be exactly what I want, and that would be nice. And the headphones that are exactly what I want are only compatible with Sony products. 
   
   
  Uncle Erik,
   
  If I could graft another system into mine, it would be worth it if I only had to spend something like 20 bucks more instead of 75 ish in order to get something that is high quality enough for my standards. I haven't tried a lot of other manufacturers, but I have tried Apple's (of course); Skullcandy in ear and around ear; Sony in ear, around ear, and noise canceling around ear; and Bose in ear and around ear. From my experiences, I like the Bose best for it's quality and comfort. The around are were awesome, but the in ear are more practical $$. The Sony MDR XB20EX were pretty nice, but not very comfortable for me and I didn't like the sound quality quite as much as the Bose. Based on this, is there anything you recommend?


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## mark2410

Quote: 





sharpie357 said:


> And the headphones that are exactly what I want are only compatible with Sony products.


 


  erm its sonyerricsson and no they are compatable with anything with bluetooth.  thats the whole point of bluetooth.


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## droolgrewa

i was thinking of doing the same..... my thoughts were to take a cheap bluetooth open it up and take the speaker that it uses out, and connect the appropriate wires to the headphones, but im not sure if the headphones will require some kind of powersource?


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## may12

Wie wäre dies ein , ich hoffe， das ist dir hilfreich .   
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




http://www.kopfhoerershop.net/Sony-Ericsson-VH110-Original-Bluetooth-Headset-schwarz_B003UIA9KK


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## Campoe

Hey i thought about that when I was looking for a set of headphones finally I gave up an bought some noise canceling headphones from bose really cool btw. Then I got a new car w/o Bluetooth but with an aux inlet. For long I had it running with cables really annoying. One day I saw a Bluetooth receiver for aux cable inlets and as a fun test I put the receiver in the inlet hole for my headphones and it worked!!! Now that's the only way I listen to my headphones the receiver is from tabtools and it's quite small and if you have the know how you could perhaps reduce the size even more. The receiver is no larger than a matchbox. I tuck the thing on the headphones because I don't have the know how in electronics but it works and I'm happy as it is. Hope this helps. Oh one last thing, the receiver cost me 39 euros since I bought it in Germany I'm sure you can find one on eBay or amazon or at least something similar.


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## D2000

Oi campoe, got a name and link for that reciever? Was it smaller than the htc a100?


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## D2000

I have just embarked on this little conversion quest - though different to the thread originators method.  I have an old pair of Sennheiser HD 215's. They're DJ headphones with pretty large cups. After a quick dissembly I found there was enough space inside to install some components and do some tinkering. 
   
  I went out and ordered an HTC A100 StereoClip receiver (features APT-X for higher quality streaming) 
   
   
  ...which will plug directly into the input of a Fiio E6. 
   
   
  Both are nice and small with tiny footprint  I knew the reciever would not be able to drive the HD215's well enough so the E6 should be a good little amp and do the trick. Both will be embedded into or mounted onto the cups. Both are rechargable also and the ports will be easily accessible.
   
  BT from device > HTC A100 > Fiio E6 > Fiio L8 > HD 215's
   
  As far as I've planned, this will not damage or destroy any components and is reversible should i wish to use the cables. A more permanent method will be to swap the female mini port with a male right angle and wire it. This will hide the HTC reciever inside the cup, exposing only the E6
   
  More of the conversion to come when the parts arrive.


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## agentcooper

Thanks for the replies to this thread. Something like the Jabra is what I was looking for.
   
  Hey D2000, any updates? Could you post them if/when you do? I've been looking for a solution very much like what you're proposing to do.


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## D2000

Quote: 





agentcooper said:


> Thanks for the replies to this thread. Something like the Jabra is what I was looking for.
> 
> Hey D2000, any updates? Could you post them if/when you do? I've been looking for a solution very much like what you're proposing to do.


 
  [size=12.727272033691406px]Hey buddy yeah I finished them a while ago just haven't gotten round to updating anything.[/size][size=12.727272033691406px][/size]
 [size=12.727272033691406px][/size]
 [size=12.727272033691406px]Here's some pics. I ditched the the HTC A100 - it was a terrible reciever with tiny range and no controls, i should have seen it coming. I quickly returned the useless piece and  I ordered the Samsung HS3000.[/size]
   
  [size=12.727272033691406px]WOW is that way better. Heaps of controls, INCREDIBLE range (i did a test on my property with an iphone 4 and got to 185 metres, though i did have to keep the receiver in perfect line of site after 30 metres.) The sound quality is also excellent with APT-X BT profile. voice prompts and things of the sort too![/size]
   
  [size=12.727272033691406px]Okay on to the pics![/size]
    
   

  While it looks like they are even more bulky now, the additions are actually hardly noticable. The HS3000 and E6 are only weigh 30 grams together so its barely a wieght difference. Even so, i added a low profile 30gram weight on the inside of the other cup to ensure a true balance.  
   
  From front on you can really barely see that the HS3000 is there as it lines up with the side of the headband but from the side on it's kinda obvious when the E6 sticks out. 
   
  I was going to have them inside the cups, and was very close to doing so, but i had to keep in mind that i wanted easy access to the controls and charging ports, and so the sacrifice of aesthetics was justified. 
   
  For those after a more permanent mod i would just ditch the shells of both the HS3000/E6 for even lower profile and weight. Then solder extensions or extend the existing controls to the surface of the cup and embed them inside. You could also remove the obtruding L8 cables by hardwiring the circuit together on the boards. I plan on using the two pieces for other things once the HD215's conk out, and wanted the reversable option  
   
  Nothing to fancy to mount the E6/HS3000 - just a little superglue for a quick bond and then some epoxy resin after. The superglue is a cyanoacrylate, which partially melts the surface of each plastic during the chemical reaction and strengthens  the bond, but for a more durable bond the epoxy is a good choice. Superglue shatters under high impact. Epoxy takes the hit for the rig 
   
  APT-X is higher quality BT and the E6 has been thoroughly explored already but needless to say the SQ is pretty top notch. Great isolation (as they're dj cans.) The highs, lows and mids are also pretty darn resolving (for a portable BT) set. I suppose its all the use of the cans in the past that helps - nothing like 2000 hours of burn-in to loosen the driver 
   
  All in all, there's heaps of options. My favourite is the way the E6 is positioned for easy access to the volume rocker using my thumb. The media, power and calling controls on the HS3000 are all exposed, but the volume rocker isn't. I thought that the E6 rocker was ample, and since the HS3000 has a volume memory simply set it on high and control with the E6.
   
  Charging is slightly more clunky, with two different usb cables and ports (mini and micro) but I plan on joining the circuitry or connecting them to a unified battery low profile battery (my eye's are set on an old 1500mA one from a broken Mophie charging case.)
  At the moment i get about 8 hours of charge out of the HS3000, and i just charge both up when one needs charging, though the E6 is rated at more than 10 hours. 
   
  On the whole I'm rather pleased. I'll post some more updates tomorrow perhaps before work.
   
   
  EDIT: Don't bother with the jabra - the HS3000 is way better and just as small.


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## defsquad

What's your battery life been for the Fiio and Samsung devices?
   
  I was thinking about doing something similar, but would love to get a full 8-12 hours of battery life each day (using them mainly in the office working)


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## D2000

Quote: 





defsquad said:


> What's your battery life been for the Fiio and Samsung devices?
> 
> I was thinking about doing something similar, but would love to get a full 8-12 hours of battery life each day (using them mainly in the office working)


 
  I'd say about 6-7 hours man. The HS3000 is first to conk out as it has a smaller battery. The Fiio is rated at 10 so it's pretty sweet. 
   
  So yeah roughly 6 hours before a charge is required. Kinda small I know but i'm still working on a 2000mAh battery in the left cup to wire them both to..


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## Kasudain

Pretty sure this is exactly what you're looking for.
http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2013-04/high-tech-old-school-headphones


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## D2000

Problem is the power drain for the adapter leaves the headphones being driven less


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## paulhummerman

I have more or less the same question. I want to use my Bose QC 15 noise-cancelling headphones to listen to music outdoor, coming from Youtube or Spotify via my MacAir computer. I can use bluetooth couple to my Bose Soundlink speaker wirelessly, but best would be to couple direct to the noise cancelling headphones. In my case, the bluetooth receiver doesn't need to be integrated into the headset itself (though of course that would be preferable), but could be linked via a short atandard connector wire.
   
  It amazes me that Bose itslef does not make bluetooth enabled noise cancelling headphones: they would sell like crazy!


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## D2000

I thoroughly agree. BT headphones are in very short supply. (Good ones I mean)


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## briqua

Sounds like the Sony Ericsson Hi-Fi Bluetooth Stereo Headset with FM Radio would help you out. You can switch up the headphones and use whatever cans you like. I have owned mine for about a year and love them.
  
 http://www.amazon.com/Ericsson-Hi-Fi-Bluetooth-Stereo-Headset/dp/B003DQ1DCM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382654034&sr=8-2&keywords=sony+ericsson+bluetooth


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## briqua

You should try the Sony Ericsson MW600 Hi-Fi Bluetooth Stereo Headset. I dont know about the live sound headphones all those links go to. After a bunch of internet searching and review watching I bought my own and it works great. You can use whatever headphones you want but the headphones that are included sound pretty decent.
  
 http://www.amazon.com/Sony-1264-5582-MW600-Wireless-Headset/dp/B008NA985C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382654828&sr=8-2&keywords=sony+ericsson+mw600


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## foobar42

cut the wire short, put a new 3.5mm jack on the end, very difficult, and then plug that in to this:
 http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics%C2%AE-TT-BR01-Bluetooth-Headphones-Transmitter/dp/B006IJJH7O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1383497726&sr=8-4&keywords=bluetooth+headphone+jack
  
 you can pick a new 3.5mm jack up at radioshack and while there get some double sided adhesive to stick the receiver to the side of the headphones


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## TheLandYacht

Sorry to hijack the thread, but...my question is similar enough I figured this would be a place to start.
  
 I'm looking for a bluetooth receiver (dongle) that I can plug a standard wired headphones AND MIC into, and use the mic that's part of the headphones.
  
 To clarify, I'm looking for a bluetooth receiver that either does NOT have it's own built-in microphone, or allows the use of the one that you plug in.
  
 Why, you ask?  I've found a well-reviewed throat-mic based headset, but it is not available in bluetooth...and although they've been saying for the last couple of years that they're coming out with a bluetooth version, I've begun wondering if they ever will.


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## TheLandYacht

Oh, and it's for use with a celphone...for communications, not for music listening (I know, sacrilege).   I see after a little reading that this forum's mostly focused toward hi fidelity sound, but I've gotten no results elsewhere.


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## dwtc2012

VOXOA is working on something like this, directly plug in to headphones and make it wireless.


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## GustyCharmChick

Here's what I did.
  
*Audio Technica ATH-M50 Stereo Bluetooth + Mic + Removable Cable Mod.*
Add one part removable cable mod;
http://www.head-fi.org/t/553483/ath-m50-removable-cable-mod
  
One part sacrificial Soundbot SB220 Bluetooth circuit board and microphone;
http://www.amazon.com/SoundBot%C2%AE-SB220-Bluetooth-Noise-Reduction-Headphone/dp/B00CBNG10C
  
And one part Shure HPAEC940 replacement velour ear pads
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OM06RG 
  
And you get one very happy headphone owner.
The intent of this modification was to create a highly portable, cabled or Bluetooth headphone, that uses the fantastic speaker drivers of the ATH-M50 headphone.  To accomplish this, I retrofitted the Soundbot SB220 into the left ear cup shell.
  
The modification did not go entirely as planned, as I had originally wanted the buttons to be more inside the shell, but there was just no way to do it, so I started going at the case with a hot soldering iron.  
Additionally, I thought I’d be able to run the battery over the head band and to the right ear cup case, but that was going to be a far and away a more significant hurdle then I originally thought.
  
For the wiring, I discovered that regular 24 gauge multi-strand wire was still far too large and cumbersome to work with.  I had sourced some of these years ago http://www.amazon.com/Vktech-Micro-Retractable-Charger-Cable/dp/B00DQMHM14 (Micro-Retractable Charger Cables) and the ultra-miniature wires played a huge role in the ultimate success of this project.
I then 3D printed and attached a flexible button pad and usb-charger cover.
Results;
  
The headphones are a tad left heavy, but once on my head, it’s entirely unnoticeable.  The sound quality of the Bluetooth unit blew me away in comparison to the Soundbots original configuration.  Now, while the Bluetooth unit does not allow me to use my headphone amp anymore, I do not see the need for it (and all those wires!)  Yes the headphone amp makes things sound far and away better, and I can (and do) go back to it when I really want to jam out.   But for at work, or *cough* while driving, this Bluetooth mod was worth it.
One note, the phone call quality is *fantastic*.  The party on the other end tells me I sound fantastic and they have no idea that I am on a Bluetooth headset.
I'd love to attach the eight pictures I prepared, but this forum does not allow that.  In fact, it took just past two weeks of access to even be allowed to post replies, so... phooey on you all.


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## tomartinaz

could you post your pictures?


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## GustyCharmChick

Honestly, I'd love too, but this forum does not allow me to attach photos.  Ask your friendly admins for a little leniency.
_Your account does not have the required permissions to access this page._


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## Disturbedone

I don't know what you're listening to but I've never heard a better headphone or earbuds than Bose produces. Pretty much everything they make sounds beautiful. I surely do hope they come out with something similar to Powerbeats2 Wireless. That's the only reason I'm holding out. If Bose doesn't get in the wireless game with earbuds, I'm going to have no choice but buy a pair of Powerbeats2 Wireless which I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on their sound quality and lack of quality made products. There are a tremendous amount of reviews everywhere with people complaining about their Powerbeats2 failing a few weeks to a few months. We shall see what Bose does in the next couple months.


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## tinkdif

I got an idea. So you know apple earbuds right? Ok how about that compact and without the wires? If you want that get back to me thanks.Me and my high school friends are designing prototypes


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