Base/Dock Score and Tests

Headphones

There are different types of base transmitters or docking stations. Truly wireless earbuds almost always come with a charging case, while gaming headphones are more likely to come with a USB dongle or docking station, either wired or wireless. Headphones designed for home theatre use generally come with wireless docks. Some wireless gaming headsets come with a small USB dongle that simply acts as a wireless transmitter, while others come with more complex docks that might provide customization options or even charge the headphones. Wired headsets may also use simple USB dongles for PC compatibility or feature more intricate docks as well.

To determine which type of base/dock the headphones we use, we consider a couple of factors. First, we consider whether we’re testing truly wireless, gaming, or home theatre headphones. We then take into account the size of the base/dock and whether it connects directly to a PC via USB or utilizes an external power supply. We then take note of the features it provides and whether it acts simply as a transmitter or provides added functionality to the headphones.

It is worth noting that truly wireless charging cases do not add to the overall base/dock score due to difficulties in testing charging capacity and generally limited added connectivity options.

A USB input is helpful when your primary audio source can output audio via USB, like a PC or PS4. To qualify for this value, the USB input must be able to provide both audio and power to the base/dock.

We visually inspect the base/dock to verify if a USB port is present. If so, we plug it into a PC and verify whether it can power the base/dock and provide audio to the headphones simultaneously.

Line-in is an analog audio input that lets you connect any device with an audio output via line out, like a TV, AV receiver, MP3 player, gaming console, PC, turntable, or preamp.

To test this, we visually inspect the base/dock to verify if line-in is present.

Line out lets you share the audio passing through the dock/base with another device that has line-in. For example, a USB DAC with line out can receive digital audio via USB, convert it to an analog signal, and output it to a device that has line-in, like another pair of headphones or a speaker setup.

To test this, we visually inspect the base/dock to verify if line-out is present.

Optical inputs are helpful for gaming and home theatre headsets that utilize optical audio. Some gaming headsets have greater console compatibility and feature support when set up with optical audio. Optical audio also can carry a bit more data at faster speeds than typical wired connections, which can help provide higher quality, lossless audio.

To test this, we visually inspect the base/dock to verify if an optical input is present.

RCA inputs are rather uncommon but can be convenient to help set up certain gaming or home theatre headsets with older gaming consoles or receivers. RCA can also provide better stereo audio than other wired connections.

To test this, we visually inspect the base/dock to verify if RCA inputs are present.

Certain base stations and transmitters can also charge the headphones while not in use, like the of charging cases that come with various wireless earbud models. Many gaming or home theatre headsets come with dock charging as well. Some docks have charging stands that you can set your headphones on to charge when not in use and others have dedicated ports for external battery charging.

To test for dock charging, we visually inspect the base/dock for charging pins that would charge the headphones directly or dedicated ports for battery charging.

The power supply determines how the base/dock remains powered while in use. The majority of the base/docks we’ve tested use USB power, but home theatre base stations that are intended to be used alone, without a PC, use AC power.

To determine the power supply, we visually inspect the base/dock and observe what is used for power. At this time, this test does not account for multiple power supplies, so we indicate the value that we believe would be the most commonly used.