A wireless headphone device may include a receiver for receiving a wireless digital signal containing a plurality of digital audio streams combined with control codes according to a predetermined format, a manually operated selector switch for selecting one or more of the plurality of digital audio streams to be produced as audio for the user, and a decoder for extracting the selected audio streams from the received signal in accordance with the predetermined format and for responding to the control codes in the received signal to perform predetermined functions. A wireless headphone system may include a receiver, responsive to a transmitted digital bitstream in which a plurality of audio input channels are combined with control data, for decoding and demultiplexing the digital bitstream, a manual selector switch for selecting one or more of the audio input channels to be decoded and demultiplexed by the receiver from the transmitted encoded digital bitstream; and a sound producing device for selectively reproducing the one or more selected audio channels in accordance with the control data.