Corded headphones are making an unexpected return(wsj.com)
wsj.com
Corded headphones are making an unexpected return
https://www.wsj.com/articles/are-airpods-out-why-cool-kids-are-wearing-wired-headphones-11636753407
495 comments
Fulltext archive: https://archive.md/A9Mm0
I have never really gotten used to wireless buds, and still find myself reaching for wires half the time:
- Wireless buds don’t connect 100% reliably; sometimes I get one and not the other, or neither. Sometimes they will randomly disconnect during use.
- Sometimes the sound glitches out randomly, which is so irritating that I don’t care how good the sound supposedly is the rest of the time.
- Gestures and voice are simply not as convenient as buttons on the wire. If I tap the thing in my ear, it tends to get shoved further into my ear and may still not register.
- They fall out of my ears, no matter how “snug” they seem. This makes me only want to use them in places where I won’t lose them, e.g. at home but not out for a walk.
Crucially, there isn’t a single problem above that occurs when using wires. The only inconvenience is that the default headphone wires are stupidly short (provided by a company that sells wireless buds, hmmm) but that is fixable.
- Wireless buds don’t connect 100% reliably; sometimes I get one and not the other, or neither. Sometimes they will randomly disconnect during use.
- Sometimes the sound glitches out randomly, which is so irritating that I don’t care how good the sound supposedly is the rest of the time.
- Gestures and voice are simply not as convenient as buttons on the wire. If I tap the thing in my ear, it tends to get shoved further into my ear and may still not register.
- They fall out of my ears, no matter how “snug” they seem. This makes me only want to use them in places where I won’t lose them, e.g. at home but not out for a walk.
Crucially, there isn’t a single problem above that occurs when using wires. The only inconvenience is that the default headphone wires are stupidly short (provided by a company that sells wireless buds, hmmm) but that is fixable.
> Sometimes they will randomly disconnect during use.
FYI, that's interference. Wi-fi "randomly" disconnects for a few seconds due to interference just as often, but you don't notice, because 1. the OS hides short disconnects, and 2. most protocols you use are TCP-based, and so use retries. (If you were doing something involving UDP streaming, you'd notice.)
Bluetooth audio, on the other hand, is a realtime protocol, which just drops stale packets rather than trying to retransmit them. Drop enough packets in a row, and the carrier thinks the device has gone out of range and disconnects it (as the alternative would be boiling your battery by turning the antenna gain up to infinity, as sometimes happens when cellular baseband misbehaves while ranging.)
> Gestures and voice are simply not as convenient as buttons on the wire. If I tap the thing in my ear, it tends to get shoved further into my ear and may still not register
Have you tried the AirPods Pro where you squeeze the stems? They're essentially buttons.
> Crucially, there isn’t a single problem above that occurs when using wires.
Put on your wired headphones. Sit down (e.g. on the bus.) Now try taking off your shoulder-strapped bag to hold it in your lap, without first taking out your headphones.
Or: try to change your shirt while keeping your headphones on + playing. (I know, unusual thing to do, but I've changed my shirt with wireless earbuds in without a thought.)
Or: get up and go to the bathroom, while continuing to listen to the livestream you're watching on the desktop PC sitting on your desk, without missing anything. (Provided I'm at home, I can usually get about 40 feet away from the Bluetooth source before my wireless headphones disconnect.)
FYI, that's interference. Wi-fi "randomly" disconnects for a few seconds due to interference just as often, but you don't notice, because 1. the OS hides short disconnects, and 2. most protocols you use are TCP-based, and so use retries. (If you were doing something involving UDP streaming, you'd notice.)
Bluetooth audio, on the other hand, is a realtime protocol, which just drops stale packets rather than trying to retransmit them. Drop enough packets in a row, and the carrier thinks the device has gone out of range and disconnects it (as the alternative would be boiling your battery by turning the antenna gain up to infinity, as sometimes happens when cellular baseband misbehaves while ranging.)
> Gestures and voice are simply not as convenient as buttons on the wire. If I tap the thing in my ear, it tends to get shoved further into my ear and may still not register
Have you tried the AirPods Pro where you squeeze the stems? They're essentially buttons.
> Crucially, there isn’t a single problem above that occurs when using wires.
Put on your wired headphones. Sit down (e.g. on the bus.) Now try taking off your shoulder-strapped bag to hold it in your lap, without first taking out your headphones.
Or: try to change your shirt while keeping your headphones on + playing. (I know, unusual thing to do, but I've changed my shirt with wireless earbuds in without a thought.)
Or: get up and go to the bathroom, while continuing to listen to the livestream you're watching on the desktop PC sitting on your desk, without missing anything. (Provided I'm at home, I can usually get about 40 feet away from the Bluetooth source before my wireless headphones disconnect.)
> Put on your wired headphones. Sit down (e.g. on the bus.) Now try taking off your shoulder-strapped bag to hold it in your lap, without first taking out your headphones.
This used to bug me a lot but I've found an easy solution. Just route the wire under your t-shirt or shirt or jacket. When I'm not using my headphones, the headphones hang around my neck. If I feel like taking off my headphones and placing them on the table, it takes 5 extra seconds to pull the wires from under my shirt after disconnecting them from the phone.
This used to bug me a lot but I've found an easy solution. Just route the wire under your t-shirt or shirt or jacket. When I'm not using my headphones, the headphones hang around my neck. If I feel like taking off my headphones and placing them on the table, it takes 5 extra seconds to pull the wires from under my shirt after disconnecting them from the phone.
Do you have a length of slack cable dangling out the bottom of your shirt, like a performer wearing a lavalier mic? If not, then how do retrieve your phone from your pocket in order to change what you're listening to (or just to read something), without the cable yanking your own shirt up?
You put the slack in your pocket.
1/8" cabling could be wound into your pocket, yes—especially the thin-cored crap that most earbuds are made of. But at that point, are you gaining anything in audio quality by using wired headphones over Bluetooth headphones?
When I picture "preferring wired headphones", I picture taking around my studio monitors with their 10ft 1/4" solid-copper-cored cabling. (I did used to do pretty much this, when I was a stupid teenager! But that was before Bluetooth was invented.) That kind of cabling doesn't have a minimum curve radius that would let it fit in most pockets, unless you're either wearing an overcoat, or you've got the middle of the cable cleanly wrapped and tied in a linear bundle [which would still protrude upward out of most pockets, like a very tall phone.]
There's also the as-yet-unmentioned inconvenience of such cables—that they tend to have 1/4" RCA jacks on the ends, making plugging them into your phone a worrying experience involving adapters and shear stress—but oddly enough, modern phones with their lack of headphone jacks are better for this, since the flexible DAC adapters that plug into their USB ports protect the phone itself from being damaged by the shear force of a rigid 1/4"-to-1/8" adapter.
When I picture "preferring wired headphones", I picture taking around my studio monitors with their 10ft 1/4" solid-copper-cored cabling. (I did used to do pretty much this, when I was a stupid teenager! But that was before Bluetooth was invented.) That kind of cabling doesn't have a minimum curve radius that would let it fit in most pockets, unless you're either wearing an overcoat, or you've got the middle of the cable cleanly wrapped and tied in a linear bundle [which would still protrude upward out of most pockets, like a very tall phone.]
There's also the as-yet-unmentioned inconvenience of such cables—that they tend to have 1/4" RCA jacks on the ends, making plugging them into your phone a worrying experience involving adapters and shear stress—but oddly enough, modern phones with their lack of headphone jacks are better for this, since the flexible DAC adapters that plug into their USB ports protect the phone itself from being damaged by the shear force of a rigid 1/4"-to-1/8" adapter.
are you gaining anything in audio quality
What makes you think you’re gaining anything in audio quality by using 1/4” instead of 1/8” cable?
What makes you think you’re gaining anything in audio quality by using 1/4” instead of 1/8” cable?
Just like the other commenter has mentioned, keep the slack on your pocket. Works best if your pocket is either deep or comes with zippers to seal them. Alternately, just wrap your phone with slack cable and be mindful about this when taking out your phone.
I have a Marmot jacket (very lightweight, but essentially water- and wind-proof, so any insulating layer underneath will keep you warm while keeping the jacket itself lightweight enough to prevent overheating on warm-but-inclement days) that features a breast pocket that zips vertically and is large enough to hold my iPhone 13 Pro Max. It has a small hole on the inside surface of that pocket that allows you to route a wire inside the jacket and connect it to a device in the pocket. If you need to manipulate the sound device, unzip the pocket and pull it out, do what you need and put it back.
Get some decent headphones with in line controls on the cord or earcups, then you will not need to take the phone out of your pocket as often.
I have those. What I need to do that requires pulling out my phone, is selecting what I'll listen to next.
When listening to music, I don't usually bother to "queue up" songs/entire albums in advance, or to make playlists, but rather I just have a library of individual tracks, and then, as I listen to a song, I'll have a whim for what song to listen to next. (I use music to inspire me while writing fiction, so a lot of this is about creating the right mental mood for a scene.)
If I'm not listening to music, I'm listening to podcasts, which are also often a "listen to one episode, then pull your phone back out to select the next one" sort of experience, as many of them like to do things like slip in repeats of old episodes, such that a linear listening order gives you things you wouldn't want.
When listening to music, I don't usually bother to "queue up" songs/entire albums in advance, or to make playlists, but rather I just have a library of individual tracks, and then, as I listen to a song, I'll have a whim for what song to listen to next. (I use music to inspire me while writing fiction, so a lot of this is about creating the right mental mood for a scene.)
If I'm not listening to music, I'm listening to podcasts, which are also often a "listen to one episode, then pull your phone back out to select the next one" sort of experience, as many of them like to do things like slip in repeats of old episodes, such that a linear listening order gives you things you wouldn't want.
the shortcoming with that, at least in my experience is that you cannot just quickly pull out your phone and glance at something, unless you want to accidentally pull your headphones out of your ears when you raise the phone to your face and tug on the wire that's trapped under your shirt.
With this setup you have to be a bit mindful for sure but if your cable is long enough, pulling out phone and using it as you would normally is no issue. You also keep slack cable on your pocket as other commenter has mentioned.
i've destroyed so many wired headphones by forgetting i'm wearing them and trying to take off my bag and tearing them out of my ears forcefully. it got to the point where i ended up using wired headphones like a consumable. switching over to wireless has been bliss just for this simple reason.
my biggest gripe with wireless so far, and this might be specific to galaxy buds+ is that their batteries suck after a years use. otherwise, all the things you describe are why they're great.
my biggest gripe with wireless so far, and this might be specific to galaxy buds+ is that their batteries suck after a years use. otherwise, all the things you describe are why they're great.
Do you exclusively use a messenger bag/shoulder bag? I've never had a problem with a backpack and wired headphones.
There's an auxiliary benefit as well in that a backpack seems to be way better for my back than a shoulder bag.
There's an auxiliary benefit as well in that a backpack seems to be way better for my back than a shoulder bag.
A downside being that backpacks (outside of hiking context) are so visually associated with schoolchildren that wearing them as a professional is kind of impossible, image-wise. For someone fresh out of college maybe; for thirty+ it starts communicating a very juvenile appearance. The key with messenger and shoulder bag ergonomics is all in positioning (vertically and in orientation relative to body).
How juvenile do you have to be to give a fuck about what people think of you wearing a backpack
Or to give more than a second's through to someone wearing a backpack, beyond "oh hey they have a backpack".
For one, if you're carrying enough crap isn't a backpack more ergonomic (assuming you wear both straps and aren't one-strapping it like the cool guy you are)
For one, if you're carrying enough crap isn't a backpack more ergonomic (assuming you wear both straps and aren't one-strapping it like the cool guy you are)
Image is one of those laws of society that we all wish wasn't true, all believe shouldn't be true, but is intractable and almost certainly derived from evolutionary pressure.
"Vestis virum facit", or clothes make the man is extraordinarily powerful in business and social dealings. Clothes signal a lot of information quickly. So this isn't about you caring what other people think, it's about how what other people care about affect your options. I could prescribe a few experiments to witness the differences directly but I'll tell you from personal experience that the A-B differences are stark.
There was a time when I was younger that I raged against this rule, but it's a youthful variation of "old man yells at cloud". You can try and create a new reality in your head and believe it fervently, and cut your nose to spite your face, but image matters greatly to other people, at a deep level.
"Vestis virum facit", or clothes make the man is extraordinarily powerful in business and social dealings. Clothes signal a lot of information quickly. So this isn't about you caring what other people think, it's about how what other people care about affect your options. I could prescribe a few experiments to witness the differences directly but I'll tell you from personal experience that the A-B differences are stark.
There was a time when I was younger that I raged against this rule, but it's a youthful variation of "old man yells at cloud". You can try and create a new reality in your head and believe it fervently, and cut your nose to spite your face, but image matters greatly to other people, at a deep level.
Those kinds of things matter when it's all about appearance and there's nothing of importance being done.
If I need a job done, I couldn't care less if the person who is able to do it wears a backpack or not.
If I need a job done, I couldn't care less if the person who is able to do it wears a backpack or not.
I could give less of a shit if someone wants to judge me by whether or not I wear a backpack.
FWIW I think messenger bags are shitty design and think people who use them just don't know any better.
FWIW I think messenger bags are shitty design and think people who use them just don't know any better.
No, silly. You just get a nicer backpack that is made of leather or something instead of nylon.
I once saw a person walk away from a mixing desk in a studio wearing headphones. He got janked back violently enough that he lost his balance and fell. Pretty good cable!
I'd say pretty good jack to not allow the cable to pull out. Should have been using a magsafe jack!
I can't count the number of times I have done this very thing.
I can't count the number of times I have done this very thing.
Mixing desk outputs are typically either on the very front of the desk or at the back for a less ergonomically designed deck and at right angles to the plane of the deck for top mounted and sticking out the font for front mounted. So which ever you've got you'll never be doing a nice straight pull. Magsafe would be a nice solution to this (but back then nobody thought of this).
The mixing consoles I've used had the 1/4" coming vertically out of the top of the board. For other equipment, it might be coming out facing the user in a vertical rack piece of gear. Never have I seen it on the very front of the desk. that would be very prone to getting sheered off when a rolling chair slides across the front of the desk.
I would kill for mag-safe everything jacks.
if it's safe enough to run power to a computer, it would easily be able to handle the electrical requirments for any other connector, right? you just need an adapter.
luckily, apple has you covered. you just need $19.99. /s
that would be a weird idea though. 1/4 TRS female -> magsafe-male magsafe-female -> 1/4 TRS male. i'm guessing it would look like a sort of inline coupler or similar in final design. essentially, it should be totally doable. i look forward to your pitch on Shark Tank, er, to YC, yeah, that's what I meant.
luckily, apple has you covered. you just need $19.99. /s
that would be a weird idea though. 1/4 TRS female -> magsafe-male magsafe-female -> 1/4 TRS male. i'm guessing it would look like a sort of inline coupler or similar in final design. essentially, it should be totally doable. i look forward to your pitch on Shark Tank, er, to YC, yeah, that's what I meant.
I recently bought a foundue set; the hotplate it comes with has a magsafe regular 110VAC wall cord (no DC adaptation) that's magsafe on the device end. I wondered why I had never seen one of these before. Then I realized that that flat device end is actually incredibly dangerous to the touch when plugged into the wall. It's just slightly less dangerous than potentially knocking over a pot of boiling cheese. For regular appliances that aren't going to give you third-degree burns, it'd probably be preferable to just let the device get yanked off the table, than to risk exposure to live current.
I wonder if, in the future, we could have household wall sockets and extension cords with "sense pins" ala USB PD; where the mains-voltage live "rail" isn't energized unless a device hops on the logic-level control rail and negotiates for it. Then we could truly live in a MagSafe-everything world. (Then again, to block that kind of current, they'd probably need to use relays and other non-solid-state parts, so they might not be the most durable things...)
I wonder if, in the future, we could have household wall sockets and extension cords with "sense pins" ala USB PD; where the mains-voltage live "rail" isn't energized unless a device hops on the logic-level control rail and negotiates for it. Then we could truly live in a MagSafe-everything world. (Then again, to block that kind of current, they'd probably need to use relays and other non-solid-state parts, so they might not be the most durable things...)
This is how every single Apple charging cords with the green/amber light in them has behaved. There's a bit of communication between device and cable before juice flows.
Did the end of the cable not have recessed "pins" specifically to avoid accidental shorting? Seems like it would never be U/L certified without some safety.
Did the end of the cable not have recessed "pins" specifically to avoid accidental shorting? Seems like it would never be U/L certified without some safety.
> This is how every single Apple charging cords with the green/amber light in them has behaved. There's a bit of communication between device and cable before juice flows.
Yes and no. MagSafe is safe because of the sense current and the handshake; but it's able to do that because it's just not driving very much wattage through the cable; it's low enough that it can direct the power with a simple transistor.
To make mains-voltage AC cords do that, you need a lot more than a transistor. A 1500W current (from e.g. a microwave, or a kettle) can arc a gap much wider than most transistors are printed at. Which is why, in even the most modern smart-home remote light-switch doodads, mains-voltage gets toggled using relays, rather than anything solid-state.
It's lovely to say "just do what MagSafe does", but with electricity, "quantity has a quality all its own" — i.e. very different engineering challenges to overcome.
> Did the end of the cable not have recessed "pins" specifically to avoid accidental shorting?
It has recessed pins (pads, actually), but only barely (by about 5mm); basically to the point that a round metal table leg could make contact with the live pad within the recess.
And, as far as I can tell, there's no sense logic in the cable, either. No click of a relay coming from the cable when it gets connected; and no place for a transformer to live (not that it needs one—it's a hotplate, i.e. a big thick piece of iron you run mains-voltage AC current through.)
There is a relay inside the hotplate itself, which roughly acts as a thermostat (rather than a rheostat) to toggle the coil on and off to keep the cheese at temperature. You can hear it ticking on and off, and an indicator light goes on and off along with it.
But for that logic to work, the cable has to be drawing power to power it. So, AFIACT, the cable itself is always live.
Yes and no. MagSafe is safe because of the sense current and the handshake; but it's able to do that because it's just not driving very much wattage through the cable; it's low enough that it can direct the power with a simple transistor.
To make mains-voltage AC cords do that, you need a lot more than a transistor. A 1500W current (from e.g. a microwave, or a kettle) can arc a gap much wider than most transistors are printed at. Which is why, in even the most modern smart-home remote light-switch doodads, mains-voltage gets toggled using relays, rather than anything solid-state.
It's lovely to say "just do what MagSafe does", but with electricity, "quantity has a quality all its own" — i.e. very different engineering challenges to overcome.
> Did the end of the cable not have recessed "pins" specifically to avoid accidental shorting?
It has recessed pins (pads, actually), but only barely (by about 5mm); basically to the point that a round metal table leg could make contact with the live pad within the recess.
And, as far as I can tell, there's no sense logic in the cable, either. No click of a relay coming from the cable when it gets connected; and no place for a transformer to live (not that it needs one—it's a hotplate, i.e. a big thick piece of iron you run mains-voltage AC current through.)
There is a relay inside the hotplate itself, which roughly acts as a thermostat (rather than a rheostat) to toggle the coil on and off to keep the cheese at temperature. You can hear it ticking on and off, and an indicator light goes on and off along with it.
But for that logic to work, the cable has to be drawing power to power it. So, AFIACT, the cable itself is always live.
It boggles me how angry I get when that happens to me with earbuds. It's so jarring. You feel like u been attacked by the earbuds.
>Now try taking off your shoulder-strapped bag to hold it in your lap, without first taking out your headphones.
This is really easy with a backpack, I assume it's only a problem with a messenger bag (which is probably a bigger problem for one's back, unless the load is kept very light.)
This is really easy with a backpack, I assume it's only a problem with a messenger bag (which is probably a bigger problem for one's back, unless the load is kept very light.)
i too, used to shun bluetooth headphones. But since i've started using it, i've come around - the interference drops and the battery, both aren't enough to overcome the increase in convenience and portability. It's really, really good to have that portability with headphones.
1. Stopping the music because its disconnected is literally non functional, its cool you can change your shirt without having to take out your head phones for 5 seconds but I just want mine to work while im going for a walk.
2. I have big hands buttons on the ear pod just knock it out of my ear.
3. I can take my bag off my sholder without taking out my wired headphones.
When I try to take my shirt off with wireless headphones they just get knocked out of my ear and im on the locker room floor looking for them.
Bluetooth doesn't have the range to do this without dropping in and out, at least in my house.
The big takeaway is that even the best wireless headphones on the market are less reliable than the cheapest wired.
2. I have big hands buttons on the ear pod just knock it out of my ear.
3. I can take my bag off my sholder without taking out my wired headphones.
When I try to take my shirt off with wireless headphones they just get knocked out of my ear and im on the locker room floor looking for them.
Bluetooth doesn't have the range to do this without dropping in and out, at least in my house.
The big takeaway is that even the best wireless headphones on the market are less reliable than the cheapest wired.
> Put on your wired headphones. Sit down (e.g. on the bus.) Now try taking off your shoulder-strapped bag to hold it in your lap, without first taking out your headphones.
Well what I used to do when I had wired headphones was run the headphone cable under the bag so to speak. As in put on my headphones and then put on my bag. You just need to make sure you have enough slack in the headphones above the bag strap, which... I dunno I never found difficult. I just habitually put on my bag second, or would place my ear buds in my shirt/cups around my neck at least before putting on the bag.
Don't get me wrong it's nice for that to not matter with wireless, it's just the way you've phrased this implies to me putting the headphones on first and bag on second so the bag strap sits on top of the headphone cable never occurred to you and honestly that is confusing me
Well what I used to do when I had wired headphones was run the headphone cable under the bag so to speak. As in put on my headphones and then put on my bag. You just need to make sure you have enough slack in the headphones above the bag strap, which... I dunno I never found difficult. I just habitually put on my bag second, or would place my ear buds in my shirt/cups around my neck at least before putting on the bag.
Don't get me wrong it's nice for that to not matter with wireless, it's just the way you've phrased this implies to me putting the headphones on first and bag on second so the bag strap sits on top of the headphone cable never occurred to you and honestly that is confusing me
There is a happy medium.
Wireless headphones with a short wire hanging down to use as an antenna. Now send audio using 900MHz analog FM radio.
The signal quality can be made quite high by using enough power and/or bandwidth spreading.
Delay is near zero and it reconnects faster than you can blink at it.
Wireless headphones with a short wire hanging down to use as an antenna. Now send audio using 900MHz analog FM radio.
The signal quality can be made quite high by using enough power and/or bandwidth spreading.
Delay is near zero and it reconnects faster than you can blink at it.
Sure, they already make those ("radio" headphones); they sell them in pairs with 900MHz transmitters, for — among other things — people who are hard-of-hearing to better hear their (old, non-Bluetooth-enabled) TVs.
But I'm pretty sure what you're really trying to mentally re-engineer here is one of these: https://en-ca.sennheiser.com/stage-monitoring-headphones-hea...
Ever wondered what's in the rack on rear center stage of a concert? One of these, so the performers can all hear the mix over their own instrument/the crowd without tripping all over cables.
(More recently, they're two-way, meaning that the e.g. electric guitar you hear is passing through a chain of: headphone pre-amp, wireless transmitter, wireless receiver, mixing board, amp. Effects pedals? These days, they're wireless MIDI controllers that signal to a DAW plugged into the mixing board!)
But I'm pretty sure what you're really trying to mentally re-engineer here is one of these: https://en-ca.sennheiser.com/stage-monitoring-headphones-hea...
Ever wondered what's in the rack on rear center stage of a concert? One of these, so the performers can all hear the mix over their own instrument/the crowd without tripping all over cables.
(More recently, they're two-way, meaning that the e.g. electric guitar you hear is passing through a chain of: headphone pre-amp, wireless transmitter, wireless receiver, mixing board, amp. Effects pedals? These days, they're wireless MIDI controllers that signal to a DAW plugged into the mixing board!)
> Wi-fi "randomly" disconnects for a few seconds due to interference just as often, but you don't notice
That’s false. If it happens to you, get better wireless equipment.
That’s false. If it happens to you, get better wireless equipment.
I say "disconnect" but I don't mean that the 802.11 PHY driver of the computer or the base station notices that there's a disconnection. Just that there's a time-correlated burst of packet loss on some/all channels.
This might not ever happen to you if you live in a bunker, or on a farmstead at least 500 feet from any neighbours. (Though I wouldn't completely discount the possibility; there's always solar storms.)
But if you live in a city, and like to sit near large picture windows (where the light from the window cuts across the straight-line path between your wireless devices and their base station), then every once in a while you're going to get what's basically a mini-EMP blast blowing through your window glass, on one random unlicensed-spectrum-interfering frequency on another: every time someone in the building across from yours vacuums with a 1950s vacuum cleaner with an ungrounded plug, or uses their shitty $50 freestanding microwave with underspecced side shielding; or operates their unlicensed AliExpress garage-door opener, or... etc.
If we could hear 2.4/5GHz, every day in a city would sound like Diwali: sudden short explosions, from every direction, at any odd hour of the day.
Remember, "unlicensed" spectrum means the FCC isn't policing those bands like they do with licensed allocations; so all the 2.4/5GHz "polluters" — the device buyers, and the manufacturers — never get told to stop.
This might not ever happen to you if you live in a bunker, or on a farmstead at least 500 feet from any neighbours. (Though I wouldn't completely discount the possibility; there's always solar storms.)
But if you live in a city, and like to sit near large picture windows (where the light from the window cuts across the straight-line path between your wireless devices and their base station), then every once in a while you're going to get what's basically a mini-EMP blast blowing through your window glass, on one random unlicensed-spectrum-interfering frequency on another: every time someone in the building across from yours vacuums with a 1950s vacuum cleaner with an ungrounded plug, or uses their shitty $50 freestanding microwave with underspecced side shielding; or operates their unlicensed AliExpress garage-door opener, or... etc.
If we could hear 2.4/5GHz, every day in a city would sound like Diwali: sudden short explosions, from every direction, at any odd hour of the day.
Remember, "unlicensed" spectrum means the FCC isn't policing those bands like they do with licensed allocations; so all the 2.4/5GHz "polluters" — the device buyers, and the manufacturers — never get told to stop.
A burst of packet loss that doesn’t translate into at least a disconnection of current TCP streams is, by definition, not a disconnection.
There are plenty of connection-oriented protocols other than TCP that do experience a disconnect during these packet-loss bursts. RTP, for example.
There's a reason IP softphones are always wired, rather than being wi-fi devices — speaking RTP, they can't tolerate the somewhat-normal condition of RF-interference-induced 802.11-PHY packet-loss bursts nearly as well as devices speaking TCP can. They end up dropping calls in about the same way that Bluetooth Audio drops pairing.
(This is also most of why 802.11e QoS Traffic Categories exist — RTP is essentially hard-realtime, so even temporarily queuing RTP packets due to competing high-throughput TCP flows, could be enough to "choke out" the RTP flow.)
There's a reason IP softphones are always wired, rather than being wi-fi devices — speaking RTP, they can't tolerate the somewhat-normal condition of RF-interference-induced 802.11-PHY packet-loss bursts nearly as well as devices speaking TCP can. They end up dropping calls in about the same way that Bluetooth Audio drops pairing.
(This is also most of why 802.11e QoS Traffic Categories exist — RTP is essentially hard-realtime, so even temporarily queuing RTP packets due to competing high-throughput TCP flows, could be enough to "choke out" the RTP flow.)
That seems a problem with RTP more than with wireless connections.
No, it's an inherent problem whenever a packet-switched, multi-user, shared channel inherently built around queued transmission tries to emulate real-time protocols, the earliest of which is "a directly-connected wire."
This sort of substitution can work, but it requires very stable, low-noise links (that is, with little to no burst noise) and the cooperation of devices and network equipment.
This sort of substitution can work, but it requires very stable, low-noise links (that is, with little to no burst noise) and the cooperation of devices and network equipment.
...Okay, how would you suggest a better protocol avoid that problem? For voice/video calls, you need a fairly small buffer size so that latency isn’t distracting. But if you have a (say) 250ms buffer, and the wireless connection drops out for 500ms, then there’s no way to avoid losing some packets.
TCP’s reliability comes at the cost of increased, inconsistent, and unpredictable latency; which is fine for downloading a file, browsing the web, or streaming video with a 30-second buffer; but unacceptable for a real-time call.
TCP’s reliability comes at the cost of increased, inconsistent, and unpredictable latency; which is fine for downloading a file, browsing the web, or streaming video with a 30-second buffer; but unacceptable for a real-time call.
And hope your neighbours don't think the same and get better wireless equipment.
As someone who worked as a freelance audio engineer I have certain pairs of (chorded) headphones that I just want to use to hear my mixes (or other music) on.
I know how they sound and what they do to sounds. Every in-ear solution I had in my ears up to now doesn't even get close in terms of "resolution" (this is not a technical term but it is true, that some monitoring solutions will let you hear more of the recording than others).
Additionally my on-the-road headphones (Sennheiser HD25) last for a decade now. If the cable ever should fail I can get a replacement. If the earpad is through I can get a replacement. The only problem recently is, that phone manufacturers decided they need to be stingy about adding a 3.5mm TRRS-jack.
I know how they sound and what they do to sounds. Every in-ear solution I had in my ears up to now doesn't even get close in terms of "resolution" (this is not a technical term but it is true, that some monitoring solutions will let you hear more of the recording than others).
Additionally my on-the-road headphones (Sennheiser HD25) last for a decade now. If the cable ever should fail I can get a replacement. If the earpad is through I can get a replacement. The only problem recently is, that phone manufacturers decided they need to be stingy about adding a 3.5mm TRRS-jack.
I can't recommend Sennheiser headphones enough. They are, by a wide margin, the most comfortable headphones I've been able to find; I can wear them for 5+ hours without any problem (whereas most headphones get uncomfortable within an hour, and earbuds just start out being uncomfortable for me).
I’ve got a 18 year old pair of HD25’s. They are indeed excellent. On their third cable and ear pads now. But quite frankly I don’t use them any more. Switched to AirPods (2nd gen). They are absolutely no good for pro audio due to the latency but general audio perspective they are perfect.
Can't get enough praise for HD25 as a heavy user. It's portable, modular structure, replacement part is dirt cheap, comfy as hell, sounds awesome, cable is your choice, isolation is top notch and even quite cheap for what it is. As a DJ, I've been abusing it for a decade and it's still going strong. For me it's a peak mass product.
I got two Sennheisers, HD 25 and one wireless one (PXC 550). I do use wireless ones more when I'm on the move, but when I'm home and want the reliable sound I'm used to, nothing beats HD 25s.
It's like the opposite of planned obsolescence. They first came out five years before I was born, and here I am using them in my late 20s. I have no doubt they'll outlive my PXC 550s, which after about three years of usage have a degraded battery and a slow charging speed (micro USB is inexcusable).
It's like the opposite of planned obsolescence. They first came out five years before I was born, and here I am using them in my late 20s. I have no doubt they'll outlive my PXC 550s, which after about three years of usage have a degraded battery and a slow charging speed (micro USB is inexcusable).
Yeah. I’ve been using my HD25s for almost 20 years at this point. I’m going to need to replace the drivers at some point but that’s fine, and they’ll probably do another 20 years.
+1 for HD25
I "upgraded" mine with a fiio BTR5. Now I just wrap the cable around the BT receiver and put it in my shirt pocket. Wireless freedom with wired 'phones!
I "upgraded" mine with a fiio BTR5. Now I just wrap the cable around the BT receiver and put it in my shirt pocket. Wireless freedom with wired 'phones!
Do you maybe have a recommendation for around-the-ear model with same/similar repairability?
Sony MDR7502. I swear by these like other commenters have been swearing by the HD25s. The packaging comes with a pamphlet with all of the pieces exploded and their replacement part numbers. The only time I've had to get new cans is when some unfortunate soul unable to afford their own pair took mine while I was packing up from a gig.
As replaceable batteries turned into science fiction audio jack is literally the last thing I look for on a mobile phone.
I got a poco because I won't replace my HD-25 II anytime soon.
Before that I even took a MP3 player with me most of the time. Fiio Xsomwthing. However it broke, and for some reason you don't find good MP3 players with actual buttons anymore either.
I got a poco because I won't replace my HD-25 II anytime soon.
Before that I even took a MP3 player with me most of the time. Fiio Xsomwthing. However it broke, and for some reason you don't find good MP3 players with actual buttons anymore either.
Been using 2nd gen AirPods since they came out. Never had any connection reliability issues at all. They switch between my phone and iPad all the time as well. No glitches at all here other than one time I was walking past a large diesel generator. As for gestures, I don’t use them. I usually use Siri, my watch or phone as a control surface. As for snug that depends on the person at the end of the day. I don’t have problems with mine even doing a 5k run.
I’m not going back to having to untangle a pocket full of wires and car keys. Also I’m not having the cable tugging when I’m walking or running and having to shove the things back in every two minutes. This product was a life changer for me.
I’m not going back to having to untangle a pocket full of wires and car keys. Also I’m not having the cable tugging when I’m walking or running and having to shove the things back in every two minutes. This product was a life changer for me.
Ah yes, the "I've never had a problem so you must just be doing it wrong" defense.
Please understand that not everyone has the same experiences as you do.
Please understand that not everyone has the same experiences as you do.
What's wrong with anecdotes
Especially in response to another anecdote
Assuming reliable witnesses, Person A's anecdote claiming event X happened is not disproven by B stating they've never experienced event X.
I've never had a harddrive fail, but I still take backups and assume others saying they've had problems are telling the truth.
I've never had a harddrive fail, but I still take backups and assume others saying they've had problems are telling the truth.
My phone can connect to the wifi in my house perfectly, but not at my parents house even tho its the same phone, same make of router and both where setup by me.
Wifi depends more on location than the hardware or how you are using it. The anecdote that it works for you is fair enough but pretty useless in this situation as its just a coincidence.
Wifi depends more on location than the hardware or how you are using it. The anecdote that it works for you is fair enough but pretty useless in this situation as its just a coincidence.
The only issue I have is that sometimes either my AirPods pro or AirPods max will get confused and try to connect to the wrong device. But it’s not such a huge inconvenience that Id go back to wired.
AirPods auto-switching is absolutely awful. Try downloading IntervalTimer on your iPhone. Start a timer. Listen to music from your Mac. The Interval app on your phone will make beeps when intervals end; when that happens, your iPhone will pause your Mac's audio and switch to the iPhone. It's borderline unusable.
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Do you only have 1 pocket? Could you really not use another pocket so your keys and headphones are not in the same pocket to avoid this situation? I'm unfamiliar with any designer that makes jeans/pants with only one pocket, but I'm no fashionista
I’m not sure I want to get into a pocket logistics discussion. I have kids. There are never enough pockets.
so your dedicated headphones pocket has been reassigned to peanut butter & jelly sandwich holder, sniffles tissue holder, candy wrapper holder, neat rocks holder, and other daily fascinations holder. the contents of this magic pocket are never truly understood until after the washing.
What about a high traffic place like a NYC subway?
I can't speak for "hmrr" but I've used airpods everywhere: NYC subways, London underground, Bangkok's MRT, airports everywhere, and I never had an issue with them connecting. I was initially surprised when friends of mine gave me a similar claim because prior to them I had extremely bad experience with connecting or partial-connecting to devices, but they really do work that well. If yours don't, I'd expect a defect worth an exchange.
But I don't think it's just Apple's airpods either: Most of the newer bluetooth headphones work and connect almost instantly with my iPhone; I have some Bose QC35 that I can report the same speed of connection of the airpods -- maybe even a little faster. I suspect it's related to some extremely modern bluetooth version or feature-set that might be difficult to discern from the box, but I have not dug into it deeper.
This being said, my airpods sit on my desk next to my Jabra DECT headset: Bluetooth is only almost instant, but DECT is actually instant. I first saw them visiting a cell centre (inside-sales team) team in Seattle, and so I asked about them and learned "we wear this thing making cold calls sometimes every few minutes, all day long, and it doesn't suck" and that pitch sold it for me. I wish it traveled better, because if anything rings (phone, skype, teams, zoom, slack), I pick up the headset and it answers on the computer at the same time, and I'd love (somehow) to have that experience when everything is packed in my rucksack.
But I don't think it's just Apple's airpods either: Most of the newer bluetooth headphones work and connect almost instantly with my iPhone; I have some Bose QC35 that I can report the same speed of connection of the airpods -- maybe even a little faster. I suspect it's related to some extremely modern bluetooth version or feature-set that might be difficult to discern from the box, but I have not dug into it deeper.
This being said, my airpods sit on my desk next to my Jabra DECT headset: Bluetooth is only almost instant, but DECT is actually instant. I first saw them visiting a cell centre (inside-sales team) team in Seattle, and so I asked about them and learned "we wear this thing making cold calls sometimes every few minutes, all day long, and it doesn't suck" and that pitch sold it for me. I wish it traveled better, because if anything rings (phone, skype, teams, zoom, slack), I pick up the headset and it answers on the computer at the same time, and I'd love (somehow) to have that experience when everything is packed in my rucksack.
I regularly zip in and out of London UK at rush hour on trains and tubes rammed with people with wireless earbuds, mostly AirPods. No problems.
As stated the only time I had a problem was standing next to an extremely large diesel backup generator which was probably RFI related.
As stated the only time I had a problem was standing next to an extremely large diesel backup generator which was probably RFI related.
Anecdotally, I have a pair of Sony WF1000-XM3, bought them at full retail for ~£280, at the time they launched, my daily commute in London was unbearable. The second I hit a slightly busy station concourse it was skip-central, or the right ear would disconnect for minutes on end.
Couple of years later, Sony has updated them half a dozen or so times, and I rarely ever get skips or jumps now. I have them always set to emphasise quality over connection, and they have worked perfect. You can buy them new on the likes of Amazon for ~£120 now, which is a bargain.
Sony just(?) released the XM4 which have a slightly better form factor and better codecs, so I'm considering them next.
Couple of years later, Sony has updated them half a dozen or so times, and I rarely ever get skips or jumps now. I have them always set to emphasise quality over connection, and they have worked perfect. You can buy them new on the likes of Amazon for ~£120 now, which is a bargain.
Sony just(?) released the XM4 which have a slightly better form factor and better codecs, so I'm considering them next.
You’ve probably never used them in a busy airport lounge then, with hundreds of people using their Bluetooth equipment around you.
I have. With no problems. At Heathrow.
Yeah. Bluetooth sucks. It has sucked for as long as it has existed, and I don’t see that changing any time soon, if ever.
I’m sorry to say it, but welcome to the future of wireless audio.
I’m sorry to say it, but welcome to the future of wireless audio.
Being a software developer, I keep seeing bluetooth audio as a Rube Goldberg machine. It's using a battery that you have to keep charged, a lot of software, multiple CPUs, lossy codecs, forward error correction, and an entire stack of mind-bogglingly complex protocols (that no one has ever implemented 100% correctly) that run over an inherently unreliable medium so what? So you don't have to untangle the wire? It never made sense to me. I've never really taken bluetooth seriously. To me, it's a tradeoff that I just don't see ever making. I don't trust software this much. I also prefer something that's easy to troubleshoot when things go wrong.
Wait until you see how Wi-Fi and cellular work.
I know how Wi-Fi works, and how it sometimes doesn't, and this is why I'm using ethernet whenever possible. Cellular operates in a much more controlled environment with more stringent certification, it's much more reliable for me than anything 2.4 GHz, but it does still get frustrating at times. The lack of requirement of a low delay also helps both wifi and cellular I guess.
Exactly. If I had to score reliability, I would give 1 to WiFi, 10 to Bluetooth, one million to cellular and ten million to cable.
It's incredible how much better cellular works compared to other wireless "techno", but nothing replaces a cable.
It's incredible how much better cellular works compared to other wireless "techno", but nothing replaces a cable.
Yet BT just “works” hitting 80% of expectations, 80% of the time. That’s why the solutions sell.
Apple’s BT has actually been pretty solid for me. My AirPods Pros work rally well with my iPhone, Macbook Pro and Windows laptop. I can switch easily and it already is connected to my last device when I put the AirPods in my ear.
Imagine my Sennheisers working perfectly well with my phone, laptop, computer and even the 20y old radio on my toilet. No connection issues at all, even on busy places.
Just plug the wire and enjoy the very best music quality.
It must be only me who doesn't care about a wire for all the added bonus like quality, stability and no battery.
Just plug the wire and enjoy the very best music quality.
It must be only me who doesn't care about a wire for all the added bonus like quality, stability and no battery.
Definitely not just you. I use a pair of noise cancelling headphones for music practice and they are always plugged in.
I have headphones with Bluetooth and a cable (Sony). I never use the Bluetooth. My use case is listening at work though. Bluetooth seemed to work ok when I tested it, but didn’t confer any significant advantage for me.
Clear startup opportunity?
Seriously. More of us would jump on board if it were not Bluetooth.
Seriously. More of us would jump on board if it were not Bluetooth.
Apple has pretty much solved all Bluetooth problems in their AirPods and Beats lines.
No, they haven't. Comments are here and elsewhere, easy to see.
Apple has done well, make no mistake. I applaud them for that.
But the fundemental issues remain, despite what appears to be a solid effort.
Apple has done well, make no mistake. I applaud them for that.
But the fundemental issues remain, despite what appears to be a solid effort.
I have a pair of really good wired Sennheisers. I never owned or used Bluetooth devices for more than giving it a try.
I may be audiophile. But when I put a music on I want to get fully absorbed and hear every little detail while I don't worry about battery life. Sounds weird I know
I may be audiophile. But when I put a music on I want to get fully absorbed and hear every little detail while I don't worry about battery life. Sounds weird I know
I'm a bit of a fan! I have:
PX100s for when I am out of the house (but not when driving!) because they sound good but do not isolate me from my surroundings.
HD220s for radio and TV (on tablet or phone) late at night.
HD485s for paying attention to music.
PX100s for when I am out of the house (but not when driving!) because they sound good but do not isolate me from my surroundings.
HD220s for radio and TV (on tablet or phone) late at night.
HD485s for paying attention to music.
I may be audiophile
Theoretically I don't think there's a reason why it wouldn't be possible to make the sound produced in the audible range the same (preferrably roughly matching Harman target out of the box) for wired and wireless.
But yes, I'd never trade the slight inconvenience a cable is with the amount of inconveniences of wireless. Especially the battery: I grew up having to deal with battery life in portable players (cassette, minidics, you name it) and this finally got a lot better so I almost don't have to care anymore (talking actual music players, not smartphones), I'm really not going to go back to something inferior again.
It's fascinating how well this has been marketed though, but that's really almost all there is to it for me: just marketing, not a whole lot of actual value.
Theoretically I don't think there's a reason why it wouldn't be possible to make the sound produced in the audible range the same (preferrably roughly matching Harman target out of the box) for wired and wireless.
But yes, I'd never trade the slight inconvenience a cable is with the amount of inconveniences of wireless. Especially the battery: I grew up having to deal with battery life in portable players (cassette, minidics, you name it) and this finally got a lot better so I almost don't have to care anymore (talking actual music players, not smartphones), I'm really not going to go back to something inferior again.
It's fascinating how well this has been marketed though, but that's really almost all there is to it for me: just marketing, not a whole lot of actual value.
When you do try bluetooth again, try full cans from a good brand. No earbuds at all. Check which codecs the cans will use. Just cans vs earbuds makes a hug sound and comfort difference. Literally, you get larger drivers and a larger battery, so physics is already on your side vs earbuds.
I think the only wireless 'full cans' I've tried are beats which I don't like the sound profile of anyway. Also larger battery surely will decrease the comfort from its weight?
However I keep my ears open :)
However I keep my ears open :)
My problem is I lose them. I bought the Bose QuietComforts earlier this year and have lost one or the other a couple of times already. Right now one is sitting in the console of my truck and i can’t find the other one. No clue where it could be and of course the batteries are dead.
It would be nice if they all had Tile or similar tech, but if their batteries go dead just sitting there (super annoying thing about the bose) then it’s useless too.
(FWIW also tried the Sony wf1000-xm4s and hated them.)
It would be nice if they all had Tile or similar tech, but if their batteries go dead just sitting there (super annoying thing about the bose) then it’s useless too.
(FWIW also tried the Sony wf1000-xm4s and hated them.)
Specifically, Bose QCs can't be charged and used at the same time. If they're charging, then they're off, essentially.
That's a safety precaution, you really don't want charging LiPo batteries on your person, especially not stuck in your ears.
No it's not. It's a design limitation.
Every single phone on the face of the earth can be charged while being used, even if you're talking on the phone. Nobody is worried there, and the risk is much higher since batteries are bigger, charged faster, etc.
Every single phone on the face of the earth can be charged while being used, even if you're talking on the phone. Nobody is worried there, and the risk is much higher since batteries are bigger, charged faster, etc.
They also charge CRAZY fast.
I've got the Bose SoundSports and love 'em. They have a wire connecting the two earbuds, which clips to your collar. So no worries about falling out or misplacing half the pair... And they charge really fast, as well.
The case is to help keep them together and keep them charged. Although the QC Earbuds case is giant so it's somewhat annoying to do that. But yeah get into the habit of putting them back in the case when done and they'll be charged and in same place.
I do 95% of the time for just that reason. I think some folks are just wired differently in this regard. My wife never lost anything, I lose stuff regularly.
Can I ask what you hated about the XM4s?
I have a pair of XM3s and I love them (for what they are) but the form factor of the XM4 looks nicer so was considering an "upgrade".
I have a pair of XM3s and I love them (for what they are) but the form factor of the XM4 looks nicer so was considering an "upgrade".
Couple of things, both could potentially be remedied by aftermarket foam tips, I'm not sure.
- Maybe I have weird ears but the bulk of their weight is up high and kind of out from the body and there's no real support other than the tip wedged into your ear canal. If you run downstairs or jog or jump it tends to make an audible 'pop' or clacking sound as the weight sort of pries against your ear canal. If you look at the Bose they have a little rubber support that grabs your ear and supports the weight. The XM3s are more evenly distributed.
- The ANC has tons of audio artifacts. I did all of the Sony ear tuning stuff and couldn't get it to go away. Any time you bump them you'll get weird twirps and chirps, certain frequencies kind have this wooden resonance and every now and then it just went apeshit with weird howls and whistles. This could be due to poor fitting (again possibly i have weird ears) and could likely be fixed with software over time.
If you like the XM3's I'd say give them a try but just make sure you know the return policy.
- Maybe I have weird ears but the bulk of their weight is up high and kind of out from the body and there's no real support other than the tip wedged into your ear canal. If you run downstairs or jog or jump it tends to make an audible 'pop' or clacking sound as the weight sort of pries against your ear canal. If you look at the Bose they have a little rubber support that grabs your ear and supports the weight. The XM3s are more evenly distributed.
- The ANC has tons of audio artifacts. I did all of the Sony ear tuning stuff and couldn't get it to go away. Any time you bump them you'll get weird twirps and chirps, certain frequencies kind have this wooden resonance and every now and then it just went apeshit with weird howls and whistles. This could be due to poor fitting (again possibly i have weird ears) and could likely be fixed with software over time.
If you like the XM3's I'd say give them a try but just make sure you know the return policy.
That's really interesting. I use aftermarket foam on my XM3, they fit solid and I could exercise with them in and not have them fall out (I don't use them for exercise however).
The ANC is the really interesting part, it's practically flawless in the XM3 I've never heard any of the issues you describe; which worries me that the XM4 has an issue or two, hopefully software ones that can he remedied but it doesn't sound good.
The XM3 doesn't support any sort of ear tuning, the feature in the app only applies to specific audio sources, none of which I have access to, so I can't comment on that part.
I've heard good things about the little rubber wedge in the Bose, I'd like that feature, but honestly I don't have fit issues with mine so it's not a deal breaker.
The ANC is the really interesting part, it's practically flawless in the XM3 I've never heard any of the issues you describe; which worries me that the XM4 has an issue or two, hopefully software ones that can he remedied but it doesn't sound good.
The XM3 doesn't support any sort of ear tuning, the feature in the app only applies to specific audio sources, none of which I have access to, so I can't comment on that part.
I've heard good things about the little rubber wedge in the Bose, I'd like that feature, but honestly I don't have fit issues with mine so it's not a deal breaker.
A number of these complaints seem like they are issues of implementation and not of wirelessness in and of itself.
I definitely found 3rd party Bluetooth headphones to be not worth the trouble early on, but since Apple introduced the AirPods I got tempted back to them. Either Bluetooth got a lot better or Apple's doing something clever (or both), because with the occasional "one pod didn't wake up; put it back in the case and take it out again" issue, they work perfectly for me.
I do still use corded headphones -- I'm an audio guy; I have a bunch -- but it's increasingly rare.
I definitely found 3rd party Bluetooth headphones to be not worth the trouble early on, but since Apple introduced the AirPods I got tempted back to them. Either Bluetooth got a lot better or Apple's doing something clever (or both), because with the occasional "one pod didn't wake up; put it back in the case and take it out again" issue, they work perfectly for me.
I do still use corded headphones -- I'm an audio guy; I have a bunch -- but it's increasingly rare.
Audio dropping out because the wireless signal is not strong enough or interference is not something that can be fixed in implementation it is a fundamental limitation of the technology. When it happens it makes wireless headphones useless at their one function playing audio.
Yes, a persistent problem with said issue WOULD definitely be grounds for abandoning Bluetooth headphones.
However.
What I'm saying is that this is not a problem for me with the Apple headphones I use (Airpods Pro and Max), which is what I'm using for most of my listening (owing to convenience, I've almost completely stopped using wired headphones).
I do occasionally experience dropouts with the AfterShox I use for some outdoor exercise, and I did sometimes experience the issue with the Sennheisers I had before I got the Airpods Max, which leads me to believe that there ARE aspects of this problem that CAN be ameliorated with implementation, contrary to your assertion.
I mean, how else do we explain the fact that it's only been a problem for me when I use nonApple hardware?
However.
What I'm saying is that this is not a problem for me with the Apple headphones I use (Airpods Pro and Max), which is what I'm using for most of my listening (owing to convenience, I've almost completely stopped using wired headphones).
I do occasionally experience dropouts with the AfterShox I use for some outdoor exercise, and I did sometimes experience the issue with the Sennheisers I had before I got the Airpods Max, which leads me to believe that there ARE aspects of this problem that CAN be ameliorated with implementation, contrary to your assertion.
I mean, how else do we explain the fact that it's only been a problem for me when I use nonApple hardware?
If we took your worst performing wifi device to an empty field in the middle of no where it would work perfectly. In comparison to my office in the city with walls that are nearly three feet thick with no cavity made of stone and rubble, the building is nearly 200 years old there are electrical conduits to all the hallogen office lights and two electrical conduits circle the room, theres old telephone equipment, servers, networking, 4g repeaters, a nest wifi router and 10 iMacs. Look I dunno what exactly causes the wifi black hole that is my office but it should be pretty obvious that wifi in the space is a challenge.
Anyway air drop won't work, move a foot away from your imac and your ear pods will drop their connection. Wifi has way more to do with the space than it does the hardware, think about it the only way apple could improve their signal above the competition is just to boost the signal strength and they can't do that because its agains't government regulation.
If you bought three brands of lotto ticket each with the same payout spec but on paid out while the others did not would you think that the winning brand of lotto ticket had better odds? or would you think that you just got lucky that time?
Anyway air drop won't work, move a foot away from your imac and your ear pods will drop their connection. Wifi has way more to do with the space than it does the hardware, think about it the only way apple could improve their signal above the competition is just to boost the signal strength and they can't do that because its agains't government regulation.
If you bought three brands of lotto ticket each with the same payout spec but on paid out while the others did not would you think that the winning brand of lotto ticket had better odds? or would you think that you just got lucky that time?
>If you bought three brands of lotto ticket each with the same payout spec but on paid out while the others did not would you think that the winning brand of lotto ticket had better odds? or would you think that you just got lucky that time?
That's a poor comparison, because there's no difference between lotto tickets and there IS a demonstrable difference in Bluetooth implementations and hardware.
It does sound like you've created a high-interference environment, though.
That's a poor comparison, because there's no difference between lotto tickets and there IS a demonstrable difference in Bluetooth implementations and hardware.
It does sound like you've created a high-interference environment, though.
Do you have AirPods or AirPods Pro?
I was a fan of the originals, but bought the Pros shortly after they came out. I'm on my second pair now - the first pair came down with the dreaded "crackling" and Apple replaced them.
I find that they stay in my ears well enough that I regularly use them when driving my Jeep without doors, even when I'm not listening to music. They provide some level of reduction of the wind noise that I'm certain has been damaging my hearing in my left ear in particular.
I was a fan of the originals, but bought the Pros shortly after they came out. I'm on my second pair now - the first pair came down with the dreaded "crackling" and Apple replaced them.
I find that they stay in my ears well enough that I regularly use them when driving my Jeep without doors, even when I'm not listening to music. They provide some level of reduction of the wind noise that I'm certain has been damaging my hearing in my left ear in particular.
It's pretty common for motorcyclists to wear hearing protection- as little as 18mph of wind can cause permanent damage with extended exposure.
Does a helmet not provide that protection or are you referring to riders who don't wear helmets?
Absolutely not, unless you are going very slow (like bicycle speed). The wind noise even with a good helmet is deafening and well above OSHA limits for workplaces. I would never ride without earplugs if my trip was over 10 minutes or above 35 mph. I did it a few times when I first started and I would get off the bike after 30-45 minutes and It felt like I had been to a rock concert. With earplugs I can go as long as my back allows and I'm not fatigued afterward.
No, in fact that's where all the noise is coming from. The buffeting of the wind against the helmet.
After solving for fall protection, hearing is the next thing on a motorcycle.
After solving for fall protection, hearing is the next thing on a motorcycle.
They provide some, my Schuberth is waaay quieter than my older ones but nowhere near anything useful at any speed. Earplugs for every ride.
No, helmets don't provide protection against hearing damage, or at least not enough protection.
Helmets don't protect against wind noise, can actually make it worse if you're using one that has a sun visor.
Every time I'm going "flat out" (not inner city) I wear ear plugs and seriously regret it if I forget them.
Every time I'm going "flat out" (not inner city) I wear ear plugs and seriously regret it if I forget them.
Helmets provide little noise reduction. I usually wear earplugs under my helmets.
None at all, wear earplugs.
Just wanted to second this, if you ride a bike regularly, even a quiet one, wear hearing protection. After a year commuting on my 250 I looked outside and saw that it was raining - I hadn't even heard the rain begin. I started wearing earplugs every ride and my hearing's back to normal but it was a wakeup call. These days I don't ride as much but I'll wear ear plugs any time I'll be going over 60km/h.
So, that's why most of them ride their toys as loud as possible. I presumed they're just inconsiderate aholes. Turns out it's both
Plus, they don't have a battery that needs to be charged.
Wireless buds "solve" a non-issue while introducing real issues.
Wireless buds "solve" a non-issue while introducing real issues.
I had a kid a few years ago when I switched. Wearing headphones and holding a child sucks because they will probably get pulled out of your ears. I always hated cords tangling in my pocket and I'd often have the wires snag on a doorknob or drawer when walking around--often breaking them. I also used a messenger bag.
Ear fit sucks, is it worse with cordless headphones? Ear fit always comes up with earbuds, wireless or wired. I've heard individuals say wireless is better for them because there's no wire tugging on their ear. I'm surprised to see a lot of people walking around with over-the-ear headphones (I tend to use them at home or on a plane).
Ear fit sucks, is it worse with cordless headphones? Ear fit always comes up with earbuds, wireless or wired. I've heard individuals say wireless is better for them because there's no wire tugging on their ear. I'm surprised to see a lot of people walking around with over-the-ear headphones (I tend to use them at home or on a plane).
FWIW, the standard Apple earbuds, both wired and regular AirPods, will not stay in my ears, but the silicon tipped Pros fit like a champ. I have the same experience with non-Apple earbuds as well. Something about the shape of my ears makes the silicon ends a necessity.
Without coming across too much as an ad placement, I have to say I have virtually none of these problems with my Jaybird X2 headphones, and I think its entirely a design thing.
My headphones are wired from one to the other. They're wireless to the music device, but wired to each other if that helps paint you a picture. Plus, they have these little rubber fins that help hold the headphones in your ears So for me: I can't lose one without the other, and them being tethered together makes it harder to lose them in general. The controls are on the wire, so none of that "pressing your head" issue you describe. The only time I seem to have issues is when I have my phone in my front pocket opposite to the bluetooth receiver... I think my body just blocks the signal too well. Otherwise I can be 30ft away and still get a strong bluetooth connection.
Enough of the ad talk (Please email me for my info Jaybirds so I can collect my shill cheque) I think its just a design issue. Everyone wants those tiny things that hide away in your ear, but I've always felt the inconvenience of having 2 easily misplaced little buds outweighs any design advantages they have. Its like the trend of making phones smaller and smaller, then suddenly bigger and bigger, but not addressing the convenience of having a smart phone. I don't need a massive screen, I need a stronger battery... so make it 3mm or 5mm thicker if that's what it takes to get 48hr life on a charge.
But now i'm ranting.
My headphones are wired from one to the other. They're wireless to the music device, but wired to each other if that helps paint you a picture. Plus, they have these little rubber fins that help hold the headphones in your ears So for me: I can't lose one without the other, and them being tethered together makes it harder to lose them in general. The controls are on the wire, so none of that "pressing your head" issue you describe. The only time I seem to have issues is when I have my phone in my front pocket opposite to the bluetooth receiver... I think my body just blocks the signal too well. Otherwise I can be 30ft away and still get a strong bluetooth connection.
Enough of the ad talk (Please email me for my info Jaybirds so I can collect my shill cheque) I think its just a design issue. Everyone wants those tiny things that hide away in your ear, but I've always felt the inconvenience of having 2 easily misplaced little buds outweighs any design advantages they have. Its like the trend of making phones smaller and smaller, then suddenly bigger and bigger, but not addressing the convenience of having a smart phone. I don't need a massive screen, I need a stronger battery... so make it 3mm or 5mm thicker if that's what it takes to get 48hr life on a charge.
But now i'm ranting.
I had the Jaybird X2 headphones and they always fell out with the silicon tips and the foam tips made it so I couldn't hear anything in my vicinity and they still fell out (especially while running). Also they felt kind of bad in my ears.
I now have AirPod Pros and I have none of the above problems. I waited a long time before buying them and was really surprised how well they fit (because of my experience with normal iPhone headphones and the Jaybird headphones).
I guess experiences differ depending on your on your ears and it's probably best if you try them first if you can.
I now have AirPod Pros and I have none of the above problems. I waited a long time before buying them and was really surprised how well they fit (because of my experience with normal iPhone headphones and the Jaybird headphones).
I guess experiences differ depending on your on your ears and it's probably best if you try them first if you can.
When they announced AirPods 3 I checked the apple website every day since the release.
But they are not sold in Taiwan yet. So I bit the bullet and got the pros about 5 days ago. I hate my wife’s Sony headphones cos they hurt my ears, and figured the pros would last until the non silicon tip comes came out. But now I love the pros.
But they are not sold in Taiwan yet. So I bit the bullet and got the pros about 5 days ago. I hate my wife’s Sony headphones cos they hurt my ears, and figured the pros would last until the non silicon tip comes came out. But now I love the pros.
Yeah, I can actually see that. It took me a little bit of trial and error to get mine set up the way I like them... I actually have different sized tips in the left & right ears. I guess that's just anatomy for ya.
> the sound glitches out randomly
Edge case: white noise generator.
I’ve been looking for a small, wired and preferably powered external speaker for travel to provide louder and better quality sound masking than the tiny speaker in the phone. There are a million little Bluetooth speakers out there but the random inverted hiccups (sudden silence then resume) wake me up every time. I’m sure it’s the Bluetooth because it doesn’t happen when I use the phone speaker.
I carry a 1st gen iPhone SE for wired audio, so I guess now it’s basically an iPod.
Edit: Well, looks like there’s some stuff on eBay I didn’t see in previous searches. Retro 2000s stuff. I can roll the dice for £5 plus shipping. Use case is still relevant.
Edge case: white noise generator.
I’ve been looking for a small, wired and preferably powered external speaker for travel to provide louder and better quality sound masking than the tiny speaker in the phone. There are a million little Bluetooth speakers out there but the random inverted hiccups (sudden silence then resume) wake me up every time. I’m sure it’s the Bluetooth because it doesn’t happen when I use the phone speaker.
I carry a 1st gen iPhone SE for wired audio, so I guess now it’s basically an iPod.
Edit: Well, looks like there’s some stuff on eBay I didn’t see in previous searches. Retro 2000s stuff. I can roll the dice for £5 plus shipping. Use case is still relevant.
How about a small portable radio tuned between stations? It might have to be an old analogue tuning one to actually not mute when there’s no signal.
https://youtu.be/t1thDa4zeog
https://youtu.be/t1thDa4zeog
I got used to the running stream sound, which seems to throw enough transients to mask voices, doors, etc. But I like the retro appeal of an old transistor radio. As a kid, I used to fall asleep listening to hockey games, which had a constant drone of speech almost like a slow-moving auctioneer, punctuated with a bunch of unfamiliar French surnames and the occasional “he scoooores!” If I half-tune it to something like that it could be just the thing.
That’s not been my experience. In fact I can leave my phone inside and still get Bluetooth out close to the street.
I was originally very upset about Apple removing the headphone port, but after getting my first AirPods I basically stopped caring. They just worked so well, I never wanted wires again.
By the by, I had more headphones yanked out by door handles than I’ve had wireless buds fall out, but I’ll grant that the latter is strongly affected by individual ear geometry.
I was originally very upset about Apple removing the headphone port, but after getting my first AirPods I basically stopped caring. They just worked so well, I never wanted wires again.
By the by, I had more headphones yanked out by door handles than I’ve had wireless buds fall out, but I’ll grant that the latter is strongly affected by individual ear geometry.
I had all of these problems with several cheap models of bluetooth earbuds until I got some Sennheiser CX 150BTs a few years ago. They connect to both my computer and phone at the same time if they're both on, switch between the two automatically thereafter (whoever plays audio first gets exclusive use), sound decent, and get 8-10 hours on a charge.
Cons: mic volume is low, and when a device disconnects they will play disconnect sound until they reboot.
Cons: mic volume is low, and when a device disconnects they will play disconnect sound until they reboot.
> - They fall out of my ears
And contrariwise, while for day-to-day wear I love my bluetooth over-ear headphones, my 'plane earphones' are wired Bose QC25s. Partly because in-ear provides superior noise canceling, partly because when I'm on that 5:30am flight I can lean my head against the side of the plane without upsetting my headphones, but mostly because if I drop my phone I can fish it back up with the headphone cable. :D
And contrariwise, while for day-to-day wear I love my bluetooth over-ear headphones, my 'plane earphones' are wired Bose QC25s. Partly because in-ear provides superior noise canceling, partly because when I'm on that 5:30am flight I can lean my head against the side of the plane without upsetting my headphones, but mostly because if I drop my phone I can fish it back up with the headphone cable. :D
You don't have to accept wires to not have buds. There are 4 options:
1. Wireless buds
2. Wireless non-buds (some sort of wrap-around design to keep them on)
3. Wired buds
4. Wired non-buds
I go with (2) personally, but mainly because Apple stopped me using wires. My main problem with bluetooth is that the headphones aren't loud enough (yeah you have to watch the line between loud and damaging but headphones are my opportunity to play music loud). Recommendations for loud wireless headphones appreciated!
1. Wireless buds
2. Wireless non-buds (some sort of wrap-around design to keep them on)
3. Wired buds
4. Wired non-buds
I go with (2) personally, but mainly because Apple stopped me using wires. My main problem with bluetooth is that the headphones aren't loud enough (yeah you have to watch the line between loud and damaging but headphones are my opportunity to play music loud). Recommendations for loud wireless headphones appreciated!
Whenever I've done it I've always gone with #2, wireless non buds. I've gotten multiple pairs. While they don't get lost, I have always ended up with two fundamental problems with them
#1 Bluebooth connectivity to computers. If I was just using my phone they were mostly fine, but at a computer it was a constant fight to get them to connect, to work with whatever app I'm using, and especially when I'm switching back and forth between using them for listening to music or using them to video conference. This might also be partly because Linux is my main driver, but having to switch back and forth between high quality audio output for music and two way cell phone quality audio sucks.
#2 Having owned multiple pairs over the years, none of them would connect over Bluetooth while charging. Let me make my wireless headphones temporarily wired.
At this point I use an over the ear headphone with a mic and a USB DAC. I specifically only get phones with a minijack so I could use them with that too.
#1 Bluebooth connectivity to computers. If I was just using my phone they were mostly fine, but at a computer it was a constant fight to get them to connect, to work with whatever app I'm using, and especially when I'm switching back and forth between using them for listening to music or using them to video conference. This might also be partly because Linux is my main driver, but having to switch back and forth between high quality audio output for music and two way cell phone quality audio sucks.
#2 Having owned multiple pairs over the years, none of them would connect over Bluetooth while charging. Let me make my wireless headphones temporarily wired.
At this point I use an over the ear headphone with a mic and a USB DAC. I specifically only get phones with a minijack so I could use them with that too.
#1 is because your BT drivers suck. The Mac’s BT driver seamlessly switches fine and I don’t have connection issues.
I actually don’t have connection issues on Windows either, but it does have the switching problem.
I actually don’t have connection issues on Windows either, but it does have the switching problem.
Not everyone uses a Mac, and I expect that most people aren't going to change OSes (and app ecosystems) just to get wireless headphones to work well. Less disruptive to just use wires.
For #1 I would blame linux. It's bluetooth stack is... let's say less than stellar, expecially for headsets. I always have to fiddle to get my headset to work, while it works perfectly with any other OS I tried (MacOS, iOS, Android, Windows).
#2: True, but usually the battery of a pair of headphones last much longer than earbuds, in my case at least 4 days, so I just put them in charge at night
#2: True, but usually the battery of a pair of headphones last much longer than earbuds, in my case at least 4 days, so I just put them in charge at night
Now this is very likely not what you are really looking for, but the airpods pro in noise cancellation mode can allow you to play music at much higher aparent loudness thanks to the noise cancellation. You may want to try that out.
I stopped upgrading phones for a while and bought a backup.
Audio matters to me. Can't own a device with no analog jack.
Audio matters to me. Can't own a device with no analog jack.
Is it really a volume issue or a) an equalization issue; b) a background noise issue; c) both?
Some BT buds will let you futz with an equalizer (jabra). It really influences the experience of what you’re listening to, for instance different genres of music and pure voice.
Some BT buds will let you futz with an equalizer (jabra). It really influences the experience of what you’re listening to, for instance different genres of music and pure voice.
BT headphones get plenty loud enough. Anything louder will cause hearing damage.
I was a white happy owner of the Nokia BH-503 on-ear BT headphones. Sadly they just recently broke, I had them for like 10 years and.
My point is, that they just didn't have any of the problems you mention above (with the exception of random sampling frequency changes that changed pitch minimally, but noticable).
Sound quality was ok, I think it was one of the first A2DP headsets. Ok, for what it was mind you, my good over-ears are definitely better.
My point is, that they just didn't have any of the problems you mention above (with the exception of random sampling frequency changes that changed pitch minimally, but noticable).
Sound quality was ok, I think it was one of the first A2DP headsets. Ok, for what it was mind you, my good over-ears are definitely better.
>I was a white happy owner
Is this some idiom I am not familiar with?
Is this some idiom I am not familiar with?
I suspect a typo for "quite"?
Ha I was thinking like “white-hot” but ur probably right.
Upps :-) ... yes ... I guess autocorrect messed that up somehow.
Aftershokz are really good (not buds). They never fall off, they work really well when exercising, kids don't yank them off, they have nice physical controls. I love mine.
That said, when I'm sitting at my desk to do work, I use wired headphones (and wired mouse and keyboard). When I'm really in the flow, the last thing I want is to be interrupted by a "low battery" prompt.
That said, when I'm sitting at my desk to do work, I use wired headphones (and wired mouse and keyboard). When I'm really in the flow, the last thing I want is to be interrupted by a "low battery" prompt.
> They fall out of my ears, no matter how “snug” they seem. This makes me only want to use them in places where I won’t lose them, e.g. at home but not out for a walk.
In this case wired is just another mode of failure as they will get loose if the cable is tensioned. If you are afraid of losing them you can use one with a wire between the buds (non-TWS).
In this case wired is just another mode of failure as they will get loose if the cable is tensioned. If you are afraid of losing them you can use one with a wire between the buds (non-TWS).
> If I tap the thing in my ear, it tends to get shoved further into my ear
> They fall out of my ears
Sounds like you don't have a good fit. Sealed buds should not have much room to 'go deeper' when properly seated.
> there isn’t a single problem above that occurs when using wires
These last two have nothing to do with wires, just the fit for a particular model?
> They fall out of my ears
Sounds like you don't have a good fit. Sealed buds should not have much room to 'go deeper' when properly seated.
> there isn’t a single problem above that occurs when using wires
These last two have nothing to do with wires, just the fit for a particular model?
I used ear buds for the first time in years today (nothing special, soundcore) and they'd be decent if not every single step I take while walking got transferred into my ears. It's quite loud and distracts from the music. This alone makes me buy over ear headphones...
I've had all the glitches you described with at least three last wireless headphones I used before switching to airpods pro. I haven't had a single problem like this with them, which I've been using for 2 months now.
Honestly, I'd be surprised to find out that most people used wireless 100% of the time. I have a few good wired headphones that I didn't throw out just because I got myself BT earbuds. What do people use with their PCs?
if you have more than one device you want to use your high quality headphones on it is a hassle because the headphones are always connecting to the wrong one.
That's exactly the problem I had. Eventually have to connect to one device only. And I just realized now I mainly use wired ones and sometimes even use the wireless ones wired...
What about a wire only linking the earbuds to each other and providing controls and a Bluetooth transmitter ?
[deleted]
Try the airpod pros with an iPhone.
Today I learned that for most people, even on HN, headphones means earbuds.
All wireless earbuds I have ever used, including Apple Airpods Pro, sucked. Fit, charging stability, not randomly breaking, sound, you name it.
By contrast, I have wireless Sennheiser (over-ear) headphones which sound great (compared to my old wired HD25, say), last for 20 hours or so, and plug into USB, Headphone jack and, well, Bluetooth. Run out of battery? Just plug it in.
I really only use earbuds for sport. In my opinion, that's what they are for.
All wireless earbuds I have ever used, including Apple Airpods Pro, sucked. Fit, charging stability, not randomly breaking, sound, you name it.
By contrast, I have wireless Sennheiser (over-ear) headphones which sound great (compared to my old wired HD25, say), last for 20 hours or so, and plug into USB, Headphone jack and, well, Bluetooth. Run out of battery? Just plug it in.
I really only use earbuds for sport. In my opinion, that's what they are for.
> Today I learned that for most people, even on HN, headphones means earbuds.
Yeah, I found that odd. I thought "headphones" very specifically referred to the type you wear on your head (hence the name?). I thought this was going to be about audio quality of headphones versus earbuds (wired or wireless). Instead it's just fashion works in cycles, what's old is new again, we're back to 2005 again etc.
Yeah, I found that odd. I thought "headphones" very specifically referred to the type you wear on your head (hence the name?). I thought this was going to be about audio quality of headphones versus earbuds (wired or wireless). Instead it's just fashion works in cycles, what's old is new again, we're back to 2005 again etc.
Yeah i never get the love for air pods, maybe i just have weird ears but no earbud has ever fit my ear in anyway that I would be acceptable.
I have a pair of jabra active elite's that i use for working out/biking/doing crap outdoors and they are fantastic. Can't really think of a single complaint with them.
I have a pair of jabra active elite's that i use for working out/biking/doing crap outdoors and they are fantastic. Can't really think of a single complaint with them.
I can give pretty much the same anecdotes as you. The bulkier over-ear headphones seem to have no trouble with connectivity, brilliant battery life, and great sound. While every pair of in-ear headphones has had troubles. A lot of people I know have the fancy sony over-ear headphones and the issues they have had are very rare.
Yes, in addition to the ridiculously long life (30h seems to be the standard), they also have somewhat-easily replaceable standard cell batteries. (judging by iFixit guides)
My friend has an older model that he uses every day for like 4 years, the battery is still reasonably good. And after that, you can still replace the battery and they'll be good as new.
So I opted for over-ear Sony and never looked back. The considerable investment (about 130% of top AirPod model in my country) is totally worth it in my opinion. My wife's AirPods became unusable for a single 1-hour call after about a year.
My friend has an older model that he uses every day for like 4 years, the battery is still reasonably good. And after that, you can still replace the battery and they'll be good as new.
So I opted for over-ear Sony and never looked back. The considerable investment (about 130% of top AirPod model in my country) is totally worth it in my opinion. My wife's AirPods became unusable for a single 1-hour call after about a year.
> I really only use earbuds for sport. In my opinion, that's what they are for.
People have different ears. People have different needs. Maybe if you talked to more people about why they used earbuds instead of headphones - you’d know that earbuds can be for anything.
Simple reasons like not wanting headphone hair are reason enough to not use headphones. Same for other aesthetic reasons. Personally, I am not a bigger user of earbuds either because I have small ear canals that don’t play nicely with most in-ears but I 100% understand why people would use them for more situations than headphones. I frequently wish I could use in-ears because I also wear glasses and overear headphones do not play nicely with my glasses. Again, so simple to think about as to why use earbuds over headphones…
People have different ears. People have different needs. Maybe if you talked to more people about why they used earbuds instead of headphones - you’d know that earbuds can be for anything.
Simple reasons like not wanting headphone hair are reason enough to not use headphones. Same for other aesthetic reasons. Personally, I am not a bigger user of earbuds either because I have small ear canals that don’t play nicely with most in-ears but I 100% understand why people would use them for more situations than headphones. I frequently wish I could use in-ears because I also wear glasses and overear headphones do not play nicely with my glasses. Again, so simple to think about as to why use earbuds over headphones…
I wondered the same. I grew up in the heights of the Discman era and everyone used In-Ear buds. After i got my first pair of over ear AKG, I just couldn't go back. And I am very happy with my Sony WH-1000XM4 for work/commute/just leave me be usage
I probably have that same Sennheiser Urbanite XL and I love it. It has micro-USB for charging and listenening, using the built-in DAC. It has 2.5mm audio jack with included headphone cable to 3.5mm. It has Bluetooth. And two big batteries inside.
I'm certainly an edge case, but I use only earbuds because I really hate the sensation of having things on my head. I can't even comfortably wear hats.
I have Sennheiser wireless earbuds and they do not suck (yet).
I am surprised the vast majority of the 280 comments seems to be about bluetooth connection, fitting, sound quality and not a mention about TCO ( Total Cost of Ownership ).
May be I am cheap, but I cant get myself to buy another Wireless Earphone again with non -replaceable battery. They are basically consumables. And Apple expect you to buy a new pair every 1-2 years. And even if you dont use it much the battery will still deteriorate after 2 years.
I dont know about current M1 MacBook, EarPod and HomePod, but Apple has a history of speaker being relatively easier blown out. But even then they last 4 - 5 years.
Again may be I am cheap. I expect these things to last a decade. I have often dream of a Wireless earphone where the long end part is a screwable battery.
May be I am cheap, but I cant get myself to buy another Wireless Earphone again with non -replaceable battery. They are basically consumables. And Apple expect you to buy a new pair every 1-2 years. And even if you dont use it much the battery will still deteriorate after 2 years.
I dont know about current M1 MacBook, EarPod and HomePod, but Apple has a history of speaker being relatively easier blown out. But even then they last 4 - 5 years.
Again may be I am cheap. I expect these things to last a decade. I have often dream of a Wireless earphone where the long end part is a screwable battery.
I never had a wired in-ear earphone that lasted more than 2 years. My guess is 90% didn’t pass the one year mark. I use it while commuting, going to the supermarket, cleaning the house, etc.
Any recommendation of a wired in-ear earphone that could last a decade?
Any recommendation of a wired in-ear earphone that could last a decade?
Not new ones, but I have a pair of original Sony Fontopias that came with a high end walkman around 20 years ago. They're built to last and incredibly comfortable with good audio quality. Unfortunately I dont think they made them that well for long. The equivalent headphones from only 5 years later were terrible in comparison.
Edit: I just looked them up. MDR-E484. They seem to be classics that sell for hundreds of dollars used! I never realised they were so sought after!
Edit: I just looked them up. MDR-E484. They seem to be classics that sell for hundreds of dollars used! I never realised they were so sought after!
I find it's always the cables that go. Thus buying a set with a removable cable sent me from 6 months to 5 years with a pair of Shure se215's. There's many more options today, as (removable)wired IEM's seem to be abit of a growing niche.
Great tip! It is hard to find removable wired IEM around here, but just found a local e-commerce representative for Shure so just bought exactly a Shire SE 215!
Back in HS I would go through Skullcandy headphones like candy, I would find a place that had them on sale and buy 5-10 pairs at once. Average lifespan with a high school kid taking care of them was like 2-4 weeks.
Many of my friends had their parents get them really nice headphones (Bose, Beats by Dre, etc), I always stuck to the cheap ones because I never had to think about taking care of them. They all broke, I'd toss them out and open up a new pair.
Many of my friends had their parents get them really nice headphones (Bose, Beats by Dre, etc), I always stuck to the cheap ones because I never had to think about taking care of them. They all broke, I'd toss them out and open up a new pair.
I got Sennheiser 300 S earphones at least a year and a half ago and they don't show any signs of deteriorating. They cost 50 euro, double what standard throwaway earphones cost here from any old shop.
Yes they're not an audiophile's wet dream or anything, but they sound way better than the throwaways. Great amount of bass and top end, with a little more top end than bass but not at all tinny or noticeable in any way.
To buy anything good to last nowadays you have to go a bit higher than the standard. That's just the world we live in, and wired are the same.
Sennheiser HD 650 has user replaceable cord. The Sennheisers I have has lasted two decades.
They're not in-ear though.
For me "being cheap" is a derogatory term used by those that have some interest in making you buy more expensive variants when you don't need them. Many "cheap" people are reasonable folks that make purchases for a defined value for money, not just what the marketing departments dictate.
As you said, headphones are basically a commodity. But when the press reports cases of people having anxiety about losing airpods, for me it's a clear sign something went wrong.
As you said, headphones are basically a commodity. But when the press reports cases of people having anxiety about losing airpods, for me it's a clear sign something went wrong.
There are wireless headphones with a good TCO. I have a Logitech headset that cost me $80 or so. Changed the battery two times over the last 7 years. Each battery was like $12. Battery replacement was trivial.
> And even if you dont use it much the battery will still deteriorate after 2 years.
I bought some Sony over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones 3-4 years ago. I only tend to use them when flying (only a few times a year). I have an old pair of original AirPods (2016) I use as backups. I haven't noticed any deterioration. I'm sure there is some, but a majority of the aging is due to use.
I bought some Sony over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones 3-4 years ago. I only tend to use them when flying (only a few times a year). I have an old pair of original AirPods (2016) I use as backups. I haven't noticed any deterioration. I'm sure there is some, but a majority of the aging is due to use.
Eh. Wired headphones in theory should have a longer lifespan and a lower TCO than wired headphones, but that's not the experience I've had. The weakest link in headphones is the cord, back when I was in High School I would buy Skullcandy headphones (those $10 ones from TJMaxx or Marshalls) in bulk, because the average lifespan of a pair was less than a month before the cord broke.
Had I just bought wired headphone every month for $10. At the end of 2 years I would have spent $240, which is right around the price of Airpods Pro's.
I will say though the one killer feature for me in Airpods is the handoff functionality. I'm an iOS developer so I work on a Mac all day long. It's so nice to be able to switch off from one Macbook for a meeting to my iPhone with little to no effort.
Had I just bought wired headphone every month for $10. At the end of 2 years I would have spent $240, which is right around the price of Airpods Pro's.
I will say though the one killer feature for me in Airpods is the handoff functionality. I'm an iOS developer so I work on a Mac all day long. It's so nice to be able to switch off from one Macbook for a meeting to my iPhone with little to no effort.
Uh...you get what you pay for. I have Sennheisers that are still good 7 years later. I have Audio Technicas that have also lasted just as long. They just didn't cost $10, more like 100-500. But even my "low-end" headphones (which I use far often) are fine years later.
It's a bit disingenuous to compare $10 cans with $240 Airpods. What is this? Reddit?
It's a bit disingenuous to compare $10 cans with $240 Airpods. What is this? Reddit?
I've had only two pairs of wired headphones for the last 8 years. And both still work! I just changed from pale blue pair to dark red ones.
So while I appreciate your anecdote, I also think it doesn't apply to me and should not in any way influence my purchases.
So while I appreciate your anecdote, I also think it doesn't apply to me and should not in any way influence my purchases.
I bought a pair of AKG k171's a while ago. They've taken everything without issue. The insulation on the cable got damaged a bit too much for my tastes after a few years, so I bought a new one. Nothing wrong with that investment, It's been through approximately 4 replacement cables and one or two sets of ear pads/foam.
I'm still getting my moneys worth 15 years later!
I'm still getting my moneys worth 15 years later!
If you want a modular and replaceable system, I use KZ headphones with their Bluetooth adapters. If the battery of the adapter dies you can buy a new pair for 20$, and you can meanwhile use cables.
I use my airpods 4+ hours a day, I've had two or three pairs of the original airpods, and I'm on my second pair of the pros. Every time I've broken them, I immediately buy a new pair because they're so useful and convenient.
I do all of my work calls using them, I use them if I have to make a phone call, I use them for listening to music while working, I use them (the right side only for safety) while riding my bike, I listen to podcasts while doing chores, I connect them to my PC for playing video games, and I use them to listen to a sleep podcast when I go to sleep.
I do all of my work calls using them, I use them if I have to make a phone call, I use them for listening to music while working, I use them (the right side only for safety) while riding my bike, I listen to podcasts while doing chores, I connect them to my PC for playing video games, and I use them to listen to a sleep podcast when I go to sleep.
If you consider AirPods to be environmentally safe to recycle, which is not unreasonable given that Apple will take them back and promises to recycle the parts, the only downside to a disposable device like this is cost. Two years of using AirPods means you pay about $0,25 a day of use.
Most users use them every day and are very happy with them. I think it is pretty reasonable to pay that kind of money for being happy.
Most users use them every day and are very happy with them. I think it is pretty reasonable to pay that kind of money for being happy.
Author's opinion is subjective and falls under selection bias.
There's a lot of famous people that don't use wired headphones
For the wireless argument, here is mine.
I use an airpods pro. I also have multiple high end headphones. I only apple os with wireless. If I was using linux, android, windows then I have to use my other headphones, since my bluetooth always have issues with wireless using other os.
The airpods pro is probbably my favourite headphones that I have. I use it 95% of the time
The only time I use wired headphones is if I need to use my amp when I really need/want to listen to the quality of something or if im using non apple os.
Wires are a pain in the a$% for me personally and ironically more fragile than my airpods pro. It's hard to move around with wires and they tangle a lot wether if im wearing them or not.
The airpods pro are small and you can have noice cancelling, transparency, and normal mode. The only downside is I have to charge them every 5~ hours.
They connect to my phone, and my 3 computers easily without unhooking the wires.
The only annoying thing about the airpods pro is that people don't know that i have something in my ear because my hair is long and I am listening to something. When they are trying to start a conversation I usually can't hear them.
The only time they fall out of my ears is if im cleaning the house cause im moving my head around too much. They don't even fall when I'm working out or running
For the wireless argument, here is mine.
I use an airpods pro. I also have multiple high end headphones. I only apple os with wireless. If I was using linux, android, windows then I have to use my other headphones, since my bluetooth always have issues with wireless using other os.
The airpods pro is probbably my favourite headphones that I have. I use it 95% of the time
The only time I use wired headphones is if I need to use my amp when I really need/want to listen to the quality of something or if im using non apple os.
Wires are a pain in the a$% for me personally and ironically more fragile than my airpods pro. It's hard to move around with wires and they tangle a lot wether if im wearing them or not.
The airpods pro are small and you can have noice cancelling, transparency, and normal mode. The only downside is I have to charge them every 5~ hours.
They connect to my phone, and my 3 computers easily without unhooking the wires.
The only annoying thing about the airpods pro is that people don't know that i have something in my ear because my hair is long and I am listening to something. When they are trying to start a conversation I usually can't hear them.
The only time they fall out of my ears is if im cleaning the house cause im moving my head around too much. They don't even fall when I'm working out or running
Please point me to an opinion that is not subjective.
Lol, I always liked that line.
People like what they like. Forcing it just does not go well, unless the reasons are really good.
I was, and am seriously put off by the omission of analog audio jacks. Most of the reasons given just do not resonate and sometimes it is stated or strongly implied I am somehow the problem.
People like what they like. Forcing it just does not go well, unless the reasons are really good.
I was, and am seriously put off by the omission of analog audio jacks. Most of the reasons given just do not resonate and sometimes it is stated or strongly implied I am somehow the problem.
I'd guess it is tribalism at work. Different opinion -> Not my tribe.
Likewise. My son and I both ditched iPhones when Apple took away the headphone jack. How else are we supposed to use our phones to listen to music in our cars? (My car's bluetooth only works for phone functions, not music, and my son's doesn't even have that option).
I've connected a cheap (~15€) Bluetooth audio receiver to the Aux-In. No phone functionality, but I always ignore calls and texts while driving (and some of the time not driving) anyways
I did try that, but the quality was dreadful and it's just something else needing recharging/eating batteries.
The decision to drop a universally supported headphone jack really doesn't make any sense unless you are trying to force people to buy your expensive wireless ear-buds, (which I can't wear because they are uncomfortable and fall out of my ears within seconds).
The decision to drop a universally supported headphone jack really doesn't make any sense unless you are trying to force people to buy your expensive wireless ear-buds, (which I can't wear because they are uncomfortable and fall out of my ears within seconds).
Same. The quality is just not there.
Even a cassette adapter beats BT.
When I rent newer cars, which I do frequently, I am amazed at the diversity of general conbobtwinkulating required to connect, looking hard at you Dodge, and quality, latency is never worth the hassle.
End up just using earbuds every time.
Even a cassette adapter beats BT.
When I rent newer cars, which I do frequently, I am amazed at the diversity of general conbobtwinkulating required to connect, looking hard at you Dodge, and quality, latency is never worth the hassle.
End up just using earbuds every time.
There is a BT cassette adapter, believe it or not. Tried it an old Audi we had that still had a deck in it. It worked but the charging cable couldn’t stay plugged in while cassette was loaded, and if you left it in car in cold temps of course battery would turn to rubbish pretty quickly. However, it’s awesome that this exist[s/ed]. I thought there must be a way for some bright engineer to get the thing to gen power from the rotation of the tape reels and just dump the need to charge as often or at all.
Neat device. Too bad about it being BT.
I really hate BT.
I really hate BT.
The form factor and noise cancelling aspects of the airpod have nothing to do with it being wireless though. Wired phones could have those things too.
You're right in theory. In practice that either means a battery in the headphones and/or a new audio cable. I'm sure this has been tried before. It seems like something Sony would try--maybe Lighting headphones would count?
I guess Airpods Max would count?
I guess Airpods Max would count?
>The only downside is I have to charge them every 5~ hours.
I mean that sounds like a pretty major downside. Maybe when this becomes "I have to charge them every 5 weeks" they might be more appealing.
I mean that sounds like a pretty major downside. Maybe when this becomes "I have to charge them every 5 weeks" they might be more appealing.
Your opinion is subjective and only makes use of andecdata.
> Author's opinion is subjective and falls under selection bias. There's a lot of famous people that don't use wired headphones
That's pretty obvious. The article gave that for granted (actually, it even explicitly acknowledged it) and put the spot on famous or not so famous people going the other way round. They will be always be a minority and guided by fashion/aesthetics rather than comfort, but it was worth (or not) to point it out.
That's pretty obvious. The article gave that for granted (actually, it even explicitly acknowledged it) and put the spot on famous or not so famous people going the other way round. They will be always be a minority and guided by fashion/aesthetics rather than comfort, but it was worth (or not) to point it out.
Yeah, like Napoleon and Stalin.
Corded earphones:
* never run out of juice
* never have internal noise/audible hiss
* never have trouble connecting
* you can hear your vinyl rip FLAC as it is, not subjected to lossy psychoacoustic compression
* you can use a variety of devices spanning decades to listen your music on
* never run out of juice
* never have internal noise/audible hiss
* never have trouble connecting
* you can hear your vinyl rip FLAC as it is, not subjected to lossy psychoacoustic compression
* you can use a variety of devices spanning decades to listen your music on
* will at one point start mysteriously crackling unless you hold the wire in that one weird angle from that one spot
This has actually changed over the last 10 years: today all but the cheapest on/over ear headphones will come with replaceable cables (2.5mm jack in headphone end).
Background: I have a collection of even older "goodish" headphones which I have kept alive with solder over the years. My teenage son recently started buying similar headphones, and they all have replaceable cables. This was me as well until my Yes, this wasIf you have bought a rea
Background: I have a collection of even older "goodish" headphones which I have kept alive with solder over the years. My teenage son recently started buying similar headphones, and they all have replaceable cables. This was me as well until my Yes, this wasIf you have bought a rea
Definitely not all - DT770 still don’t. And their cables are terrible.
Agreed, for this reason I modified my DT770 with a miniXLR socket. There are multiple tutorials for this on the internet.
I don't think the DT770 will be updated though. Recently Beyerdynamics released the DT 700 PRO X, which seem like the "successor" and they do have replaceable cords.
I don't think the DT770 will be updated though. Recently Beyerdynamics released the DT 700 PRO X, which seem like the "successor" and they do have replaceable cords.
You vote with your money. I went through a ton of "gamer" headphones in my teens, all of them meeting their doom because of the crappy cables. Then spent a bit more on ones with a replaceable cable that those lasted until the plastic broke.
Then I spent decent money on some sennheisers and they've been going strong for like 6 years with so signs of slowing down, too bad they sold off their consumer product division not that long ago.
And can be soldered / repaired. I have patched up my wired gear many times in my life.
[deleted]
Who buys headphones without replaceable cable?
Wired in-ear headphones are difficult to get with detachable cables. The only ones I know about are meant as in-ear monitors for musicians performing live.
My SHURE SE215 in ear headphones have detachable MMCX cables.
Can recommend. Can be bought for 100 euros.
Can recommend. Can be bought for 100 euros.
That really isn't true anymore. Chi-fi iems changed the iem market pretty massively and you can get them with detachable cables for less than $20 these days.
Would appreciate search keyword or brand/model recommendations.
Moondrop, tanchjim, tin audio, dunu
KZ, too.
Get some KZs! They're a good place to start for cheap ones with replaceable cables, I'd recommend the zsn pro or DQ6 for inexpensive ones.
Thanks, I already have the ZSN pro and they're very impressive. I'll keep the DQ6 in mind in case someone asks for a recommendation.
And they do not require a bluetooth controller, a battery, wireless headset are much worse for the environment.
2 bonus points: -the chord makes it much harder to lose the headset - when on a call, people around don't think you're someone losing it, having a discussion with yourself out loud
2 bonus points: -the chord makes it much harder to lose the headset - when on a call, people around don't think you're someone losing it, having a discussion with yourself out loud
Yes!
And:
* Cheap * Better for the environment by a mile * Much harder to lose
The one downside is the damn tangled wire.
And:
* Cheap * Better for the environment by a mile * Much harder to lose
The one downside is the damn tangled wire.
Once I learned this trick to folding the wire, I never had that problem ever again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D_oV14dGmM
EDIT: Some people in the comments seem to think this shortens the life of the cable, but I've never had problems with Apple earbuds or Bose headphones (that have a replaceable wire anyway).
EDIT2: Another advantage of wired headphones if you want the wire out of the way and to make them less visible: Just thread them through your shirt!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D_oV14dGmM
EDIT: Some people in the comments seem to think this shortens the life of the cable, but I've never had problems with Apple earbuds or Bose headphones (that have a replaceable wire anyway).
EDIT2: Another advantage of wired headphones if you want the wire out of the way and to make them less visible: Just thread them through your shirt!
Materials can help with this to some degree. When good materials are in use, the tangles are fewer and easier to sort out.
I like materials that resist bending after a fairly large minimum radius. More could be done IMHO.
I like materials that resist bending after a fairly large minimum radius. More could be done IMHO.
Exactly. Plus they are better for the environment where wireless headphones have a finite lifetime built in due to the integrated lithium-ion cell.
* have no latency (important for video, gaming, playing music…)
Don't cut out when it's "silent" to save battery power, thereby making your music shit when it gets quiet.
* can't be used at any place other than sitting at my desk plugged into my computer
The 1/8th inch RCA stereo jack is the best interface ever created. The fact that it's essentially unchanged from when this 44 year old used it in middle school is pretty good proof.
It has some very significant design flaws. The ground pin is connected last, and while a plug is being inserted or removed the connections get all jumbled up and even shorted together. This causes all sorts of hums, crackles, and pops while inserting or removing a plug, which may be only a minor annoyance for headphone users but can be extremely loud and/or damaging when using large amps & speakers. (It's also very easy to only insert a plug partially by mistake, which can take frustratingly long to troubleshoot.) They also typically carry unbalanced signals and are therefore susceptible to interference at high impedances and/or long distances.
Pro audio equipment usually prefers connectors such as XLR [0] (or even heavier-duty cables like Speakon [1] if you need to carry large amounts of power). They're a lot bulkier but immune to all these problems: the ground pin connects first, the connector physically latches into place, and they're typically used to carry a balanced signal over a twisted pair so they're mostly immune to interference. The only place you'll find a TS/TRS connector on a stage is on a "patch cable" for making short-distance connections, like from a guitar to an amp -- and you have to be very careful not to touch them unless the sound guy tells you it's OK, because those pops will be loud over a PA.
Newer (and more expensive) equipment is moving in the direction of avoiding analog altogether and transmitting audio over Ethernet using protocols like Dante [2].
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLR_connector
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speakon_connector
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_(networking)
Pro audio equipment usually prefers connectors such as XLR [0] (or even heavier-duty cables like Speakon [1] if you need to carry large amounts of power). They're a lot bulkier but immune to all these problems: the ground pin connects first, the connector physically latches into place, and they're typically used to carry a balanced signal over a twisted pair so they're mostly immune to interference. The only place you'll find a TS/TRS connector on a stage is on a "patch cable" for making short-distance connections, like from a guitar to an amp -- and you have to be very careful not to touch them unless the sound guy tells you it's OK, because those pops will be loud over a PA.
Newer (and more expensive) equipment is moving in the direction of avoiding analog altogether and transmitting audio over Ethernet using protocols like Dante [2].
[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLR_connector
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speakon_connector
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_(networking)
One weird use is that despite its flaws, the DIY ergonomic keyboard community has pretty much standardised on the four-pole 3.5mm variant for connecting split keyboards together. The wires carry DC power and serial!
It got chosen because it was compact, it can be repeatedly plugged and unplugged, sockets can be through-hole soldered, and double-ended cables are widely available. There is no obvious alternative with those characteristics, and they outweigh the bad.
It got chosen because it was compact, it can be repeatedly plugged and unplugged, sockets can be through-hole soldered, and double-ended cables are widely available. There is no obvious alternative with those characteristics, and they outweigh the bad.
There are ways around it.
I've got a guitar cable (1/4", but some basic design) that has some sort of trick setup in the plug where it shorts everything until the ground is firmly connected... no pops or crackles.
Edit: This is the plug used.. https://www.amphenolaudio.com/products/14-2/t-series-switch-...
I've got a guitar cable (1/4", but some basic design) that has some sort of trick setup in the plug where it shorts everything until the ground is firmly connected... no pops or crackles.
Edit: This is the plug used.. https://www.amphenolaudio.com/products/14-2/t-series-switch-...
IIRC guitar cables by d'addario had a button to cut the signal while plugging the cable.
The US power plug and socket is also unchanged, and yet it's a crap design.
What's so bad about them?
For those who are into this kind of thing, here's a 25 minute mini-documentary of the US electrical system's history and problems. It's more focused on wiring, but has a lot to say on plugs: https://youtu.be/K_q-xnYRugQ
There is a more recent video from the same person (Technology Connections) that concentrates on plugs - specifically, why US plugs have holes in them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udNXMAflbU8
Here’s a link explaining why the UK Type G plug is so much better:
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-electrical-plugs-and-socke...
Photo of a type G plug (this is an adapter): https://www.rcjaz.ca/jazrider-type-british-3pin-electrical-a...
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-electrical-plugs-and-socke...
Photo of a type G plug (this is an adapter): https://www.rcjaz.ca/jazrider-type-british-3pin-electrical-a...
That link completely glosses over the fact that UK electrical networks are one big ring circuit instead of a radial circuit. This is because during WW2 they needed the metal savings, and this is also why every UK plug is fused and quite bulky.
IMO the EU way is the best. Radial circuit, fused in groups, and the plug is either the Schuko plug (very safe since the earth/ground is always engaged first) or Europlug (relatively safe because it is only allowed for low class power appliances). Both type of plugs can be angled, although it is quite rare for an Europlug to be.
IMO the EU way is the best. Radial circuit, fused in groups, and the plug is either the Schuko plug (very safe since the earth/ground is always engaged first) or Europlug (relatively safe because it is only allowed for low class power appliances). Both type of plugs can be angled, although it is quite rare for an Europlug to be.
>metal savings.... why every UK plug is fused
Metal savings is why every plug is fused ? How does that even make sense when historically fuses were all metal construct instead of the modern ceramic whatnots.
And anyway, fused plugs were not a requirement until ... 1992: "That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the Plugs and Sockets Etc. (Safety) Regulations 1987 to require pre-wired plugs to be fitted to all domestic appliances by the manufacturer." (Citation: HC Deb, 29 January 1992, c955).
As far as I know, the war has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with fuses in plugs. It was just introduced as part of the modernisation of UK electricity rules.
If you look at historical houses, they still have/had central fuseboards with rewireable or cartridge fuses. See [1]
The fuses on UK Plugs are for overload protection. Simple.
See also this YouTube video for other reasons as to why UK plugs are the best[2].
Finally, if you have time on your hands, there is a 23 page treatise on the how's and why's of ring circuits. [3].
Metal savings is why every plug is fused ? How does that even make sense when historically fuses were all metal construct instead of the modern ceramic whatnots.
And anyway, fused plugs were not a requirement until ... 1992: "That leave be given to bring in a Bill to amend the Plugs and Sockets Etc. (Safety) Regulations 1987 to require pre-wired plugs to be fitted to all domestic appliances by the manufacturer." (Citation: HC Deb, 29 January 1992, c955).
As far as I know, the war has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with fuses in plugs. It was just introduced as part of the modernisation of UK electricity rules.
If you look at historical houses, they still have/had central fuseboards with rewireable or cartridge fuses. See [1]
The fuses on UK Plugs are for overload protection. Simple.
See also this YouTube video for other reasons as to why UK plugs are the best[2].
Finally, if you have time on your hands, there is a 23 page treatise on the how's and why's of ring circuits. [3].
[1] https://electrical.theiet.org/wiring-matters/years/2021/84-march-2021/estimating-the-age-of-an-electrical-installation/
[2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEfP1OKKz_Q
[3] http://www.raymond-lai.com/-%20Online80/%E2%94%80Electrical%20&%20Mechanical%20Engineering%20%E6%A9%9F%E9%9B%BB%E5%B7%A5%E7%A8%8B/%E2%94%80Electricity%20%E9%9B%BB%E5%8A%9B/-%205%20In%20House%20Circuit%20%E5%AE%A4%E5%85%A7%E9%9B%BB%E8%B7%AF/-%20Circuits%20Sample%20%E7%B7%9A%E8%B7%AF%E4%BE%8B%E5%AD%90/13A%20Final%20Ring%20Circuit%20%E6%9C%80%E7%B5%82%E7%92%B0%E5%BD%A2%E9%9B%BB%E8%B7%AF/ring_circuits_-_history.pdfThe plugs are part of the overall system they are in and are designed to that. If you have a ring circuit and 240volts like in the UK, then you had better have a plug that deals with common failure modes - switches on the sockets, fuses, ground as standard etc. If you have 120volts and a radial circuit then you can perhaps do without it.
The US plug does have advantages, like being smaller. UK plugs are really annoyingly large and weighty.
The US plug does have advantages, like being smaller. UK plugs are really annoyingly large and weighty.
Ignoring the circuit design and fuse location (which I agree with you on), the child proofing of British sockets is much better than Schuko sockets (CEE 7/3), as they require the ground pin to be engaged before protective cover of the live/neutral pins is opened - it's impossible to open just by pushing something in the live socket. How does this work with child proof Schuko sockets (I've never seen them)?
Also as someone who lived in both the UK and now a Schuko country, I do sometimes miss having a switch on the socket :-) We have a floor lamp without a switch, so we have to physically unplug it to turn it off.
Also as someone who lived in both the UK and now a Schuko country, I do sometimes miss having a switch on the socket :-) We have a floor lamp without a switch, so we have to physically unplug it to turn it off.
> Also as someone who lived in both the UK and now a Schuko country, I do sometimes miss having a switch on the socket :-) We have a floor lamp without a switch, so we have to physically unplug it to turn it off.
I've actually heard Americans make fun of our (UK) switches on the outlets. Usually something to the effect of "need to make sure the electric doesn't escape, when things are unplugged, lol". It completely misses the point. The point of the switches is we have a way to isolate a device without unplugging it. Without the switch the only way to isolate the thing is pull the cord out of the wall like some kind of neanderthal.
I've actually heard Americans make fun of our (UK) switches on the outlets. Usually something to the effect of "need to make sure the electric doesn't escape, when things are unplugged, lol". It completely misses the point. The point of the switches is we have a way to isolate a device without unplugging it. Without the switch the only way to isolate the thing is pull the cord out of the wall like some kind of neanderthal.
AFAIK in childproof Schuko there is a lid covering the holes for neutral and phase and you have to press into both holes at once to open that lid up. The force to do so is also not insignificant.
If I had to overcome it on purpose with two knitting needles I would fail as a grown up man. With two screwdrivers I could do it.
If I had to overcome it on purpose with two knitting needles I would fail as a grown up man. With two screwdrivers I could do it.
Schuko plug (very safe since the earth/ground is always engaged first) or Europlug (relatively safe because it is only allowed for low class power appliances)
the problem is that they don't have contact covers.
What I like about the British plug is that its closed most of the time, and really really difficult to put stuff in the live/neutral. That has advantages for safety, but also cleanliness. It cuts down dust ingress.
the problem is that they don't have contact covers.
What I like about the British plug is that its closed most of the time, and really really difficult to put stuff in the live/neutral. That has advantages for safety, but also cleanliness. It cuts down dust ingress.
They can have contact covers no problem, it's just not in the plug standard. Every couple with kids I know installed socket safety protectors[0] in their power outlets if they wheren't int there already. Some built in ones just require to push the plug in a bit harder, but for even better safety turning ones as in the amazon link are available.
[0] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00CNRFU2Q
[0] https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00CNRFU2Q
This is a type G outlet strip.[1] It's huge. 6 outlets in a 19 inch unit.
[1] http://www.internationalconfig.com/icc6.asp?item=60150
[1] http://www.internationalconfig.com/icc6.asp?item=60150
If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying you don't like how big and bulky it is? It's worth noting what you've linked is more for industrial use. You might see something like that in a server rack for example, but Brits don't have them in their homes.
In British homes/offices you'll see something like this[0], this[1], or this[2].
[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R2ZMJNY
[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R1Q6628
[2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082KMY8S8
In British homes/offices you'll see something like this[0], this[1], or this[2].
[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R2ZMJNY
[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R1Q6628
[2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082KMY8S8
The 6-long one [0] is just as long as the industrial version. It's just plastic and lacks mounting ears.
This is fair. It's similarly long, but I would say not as bulky nor ugly (and aesthetics matters a bit, as these are often in homes), so I just wanted to clarify we don't have those metal things in British homes.
What do 6-outlet strips look like where you're from? I'd never considered British ones to be a problem because you throw them behind the setee or under a desk, and probably because it's all I've ever experienced. Also, in practice you usually only want smaller strips with 2-4 outlets, where the size matters even less.
What do 6-outlet strips look like where you're from? I'd never considered British ones to be a problem because you throw them behind the setee or under a desk, and probably because it's all I've ever experienced. Also, in practice you usually only want smaller strips with 2-4 outlets, where the size matters even less.
UK plugs are pretty bad for one reason: they are huge.
At least they are compatible with Europlugs if you use a fork to open the ground flap.
At least they are compatible with Europlugs if you use a fork to open the ground flap.
[deleted]
Easy to mispolarise, not earthed, not safe when partially inserted.
> Easy to mispolarise
I've never given polarization any thought and never had any problems, so I don't buy this being an actually a problem in practice.
> not earthed
NEMA-1 aren't earthed, but NEMA-1 sockets have been forbidden since the 60s, so that fails the "unchanged" part of coldtea's assertion. NEMA-1 plugs may still be used on Class II double insulated appliances, which is fine. And NEMA-5 does have a ground.
> not safe when partially inserted.
I've never worried about it, never been hurt by it, and never heard of anybody being hurt by it. This is a "problem" that I often hear described by Europeans online but it's totally alien to me. Please remember that we only put 120V through these things, which is substantially less nippy than 240V.
I've never given polarization any thought and never had any problems, so I don't buy this being an actually a problem in practice.
> not earthed
NEMA-1 aren't earthed, but NEMA-1 sockets have been forbidden since the 60s, so that fails the "unchanged" part of coldtea's assertion. NEMA-1 plugs may still be used on Class II double insulated appliances, which is fine. And NEMA-5 does have a ground.
> not safe when partially inserted.
I've never worried about it, never been hurt by it, and never heard of anybody being hurt by it. This is a "problem" that I often hear described by Europeans online but it's totally alien to me. Please remember that we only put 120V through these things, which is substantially less nippy than 240V.
> I've never worried about it, never been hurt by it, and never heard of anybody being hurt by it.
Just as my anecdotal experience: I've shocked myself at least twice because my finger slipped over the contacts while I was trying to plug/unplug something in the dark. I have of course learned my lesson and am much more careful when plugging stuff in, but it's a relatively easy mistake to make if one is tired or not paying attention.
Yes, I got shocked because I was stupid and careless. But a connector that everybody uses every single day should be idiot-proof -- it should not be possible to kill myself because I plugged something in carelessly.
The US has the "excuse" of being the first domestic power distribution system -- other countries have better standards because they were able to learn from the design flaws in our plugs. And our split-phase 120V system is (as far as I know) a great idea that's way safer than direct 240V. But there really are a lot of things that the NEMA plugs leave to be desired. I second the recommendation by a sibling commenter to check out Technology Connection's videos on the subject -- I found them to be entertaining, nuanced, and highly informative.
Just as my anecdotal experience: I've shocked myself at least twice because my finger slipped over the contacts while I was trying to plug/unplug something in the dark. I have of course learned my lesson and am much more careful when plugging stuff in, but it's a relatively easy mistake to make if one is tired or not paying attention.
Yes, I got shocked because I was stupid and careless. But a connector that everybody uses every single day should be idiot-proof -- it should not be possible to kill myself because I plugged something in carelessly.
The US has the "excuse" of being the first domestic power distribution system -- other countries have better standards because they were able to learn from the design flaws in our plugs. And our split-phase 120V system is (as far as I know) a great idea that's way safer than direct 240V. But there really are a lot of things that the NEMA plugs leave to be desired. I second the recommendation by a sibling commenter to check out Technology Connection's videos on the subject -- I found them to be entertaining, nuanced, and highly informative.
> The US has the "excuse" of being the first domestic power distribution system -- other countries have better standards because they were able to learn from the design flaws in our plugs.
Are the US plugs actually original? The UK ones are on their third generation (originally various proprietary or light-socket-based things, then the three prong round ones found in very old buildings and specialised industrial applications, then the three prong rectangular ones from the 60s).
> And our split-phase 120V system is (as far as I know) a great idea that's way safer than direct 240V.
Eh. They are both safer or less safe in different ways. The US system requires about double the current for given power, so is less forgiving of marginal wiring.
Are the US plugs actually original? The UK ones are on their third generation (originally various proprietary or light-socket-based things, then the three prong round ones found in very old buildings and specialised industrial applications, then the three prong rectangular ones from the 60s).
> And our split-phase 120V system is (as far as I know) a great idea that's way safer than direct 240V.
Eh. They are both safer or less safe in different ways. The US system requires about double the current for given power, so is less forgiving of marginal wiring.
Sometimes when it's dark and I don't know exactly where the socket is, I'll hold the plug by the prongs itself so I can feel both the prongs and the socket at the same time.
You have thin, long fingers?
Wife has same and got a zap. I never have and my own fingers are a bit pudgy. This happening never even occurred to me.
Wife has same and got a zap. I never have and my own fingers are a bit pudgy. This happening never even occurred to me.
The US used to use Edison bases for appliance sockets. The current design is an improved safety upgrade from that.
I've never given polarization any thought and never had any problems, so I don't buy this being an actually a problem in practice.
That's probably because a lot of equipment is double-insulated now so polarization doesn't matter, and manufacturers are better at getting the polarization right. It's usually when someone (incorrectly) replaces a cord themselves that you run into issues, which doesn't seem to happen much nowadays, the lamp with the bad cord goes in the trash. Though I've certainly run into home outlets that are wired backwards.
Probably the most likely place you'd run into problems with incorrect polarization is when changing a light bulb. If the polarization is wrong, the outer threaded part of the socket will be live, and you've got a good chance of contacting it while changing a light bulb. (which itself is becoming a rarely with long lasting LED bulbs, or LED lamps without changeable bulbs). Though this is probalby more the fault of the Edison lightbulb socket than of the polarized plug.
That's probably because a lot of equipment is double-insulated now so polarization doesn't matter, and manufacturers are better at getting the polarization right. It's usually when someone (incorrectly) replaces a cord themselves that you run into issues, which doesn't seem to happen much nowadays, the lamp with the bad cord goes in the trash. Though I've certainly run into home outlets that are wired backwards.
Probably the most likely place you'd run into problems with incorrect polarization is when changing a light bulb. If the polarization is wrong, the outer threaded part of the socket will be live, and you've got a good chance of contacting it while changing a light bulb. (which itself is becoming a rarely with long lasting LED bulbs, or LED lamps without changeable bulbs). Though this is probalby more the fault of the Edison lightbulb socket than of the polarized plug.
> I've never given polarization any thought and never had any problems, so I don't buy this being an actually a problem in practice.
In my experience polarization has only became relevant once: when mounting a dedicated socket for a gas furnace. For some reason these don't like the live and neutral being reversed and go into an error mode when that happens.
Other than that, most wall sockets in my house are dual, which means polarization in the top socket is reverse of that at the bottom and it has never caused any issues.
In my experience polarization has only became relevant once: when mounting a dedicated socket for a gas furnace. For some reason these don't like the live and neutral being reversed and go into an error mode when that happens.
Other than that, most wall sockets in my house are dual, which means polarization in the top socket is reverse of that at the bottom and it has never caused any issues.
I recently found my 5 year old trying to insert scissors into the power outlet. Ours have som kind of poke protection (sweden. Not as good as the british outlet where a ground , proper or plastic, always has to be present) which he would have probably overcome given enough time.
I would be terrified of the american plug. I played with one when I was over last time and there was over 5mm of exposed live connectors. That's bonkers.
I would be terrified of the american plug. I played with one when I was over last time and there was over 5mm of exposed live connectors. That's bonkers.
It's even been adopted as a MIDI jack in smaller devices like Korg Volcas. Only problem is, each manufacturer has chosen their own tip-ring-sleeve pinout...
Narrator: it is not good proof.
Wireless headphones suck.
I have a good pair (WF-1000XM3) because my phone doesn't have an audio jack and they are always a pain. They connect to the wrong device frequently, the battery life is barely a few hours and the sound quality is ok. Always have trouble with voice quality on calls too. Often only one headphone will turn on but not the other. They are supposedly easier to carry because no cords, but they are harder because I need to carry two things (case + headphones) most of the time instead of one. Given how low the battery life is, carrying the case is essential
In contrast, my wired headphones are 100x easier - i plug them in and they work. It takes less time than fiddling with bluetooth and they are 100% reliable.
I have a good pair (WF-1000XM3) because my phone doesn't have an audio jack and they are always a pain. They connect to the wrong device frequently, the battery life is barely a few hours and the sound quality is ok. Always have trouble with voice quality on calls too. Often only one headphone will turn on but not the other. They are supposedly easier to carry because no cords, but they are harder because I need to carry two things (case + headphones) most of the time instead of one. Given how low the battery life is, carrying the case is essential
In contrast, my wired headphones are 100x easier - i plug them in and they work. It takes less time than fiddling with bluetooth and they are 100% reliable.
I had the same Sony's. Pairing and reliability was a nightmare.
I switched to AirPods (Pros and Max) and a lot of my issues dissapeared.
Honestly it's a shame because the audio quality on the XM3 was better than the Airpod Pro but the software is just not there.
The AirPods aren't perfect either of course, but it's a night and day difference between the reliability of them vs the Sony.
I found the Sony was extra bad when there was either a busy area or if I took out just one ear. Often I'd start dropping connectivity to one ear and then they'd just crap out altogether till I reset them.
I switched to AirPods (Pros and Max) and a lot of my issues dissapeared.
Honestly it's a shame because the audio quality on the XM3 was better than the Airpod Pro but the software is just not there.
The AirPods aren't perfect either of course, but it's a night and day difference between the reliability of them vs the Sony.
I found the Sony was extra bad when there was either a busy area or if I took out just one ear. Often I'd start dropping connectivity to one ear and then they'd just crap out altogether till I reset them.
Same here, I had the XM3 and the pairing issue was very frustrating. Particularly because I want to use the headphones on multiple devices (two Macs, iPad, iPhone) and pairing between devices took forever.
I bought the Airpods Max and couldn't be happier. Pairing with devices almost always just works, most of the time I don't have to do anything. I walk with my phone and listen to a podcast, then I awake my Mac from sleep, hit play in Spotify, and it works. This alone is worth the steep price of the Airpods Max for me.
The only issue I had with them was that I recently tried to connect them to a Mac that wasn't in my iCloud. It is possible to do a non-iCloud paired direct bluetooth connection with them and this worked. But ~1 week later they suddenly disappeared from my main iCloud account. I'll not try that again.
The only issue I had with them was that I recently tried to connect them to a Mac that wasn't in my iCloud. It is possible to do a non-iCloud paired direct bluetooth connection with them and this worked. But ~1 week later they suddenly disappeared from my main iCloud account. I'll not try that again.
I had the WF-1000XM2s and my experience was pretty similar. In particular when I used to travel into London for work, they would basically stop working when I entered a busy railway station at rush hour. But for me at least, upgrading to the XM3 solved everything. Had them for almost 18 months now and battery life is still great.
The one thing that really does piss me off about the XM3 is that the buttons are too sensitive - if I'm wearing a hood, the slightest brush against the headphones acts like a push of the button. I have to remember on rainy/windy days to turn the buttons off completely.
The one thing that really does piss me off about the XM3 is that the buttons are too sensitive - if I'm wearing a hood, the slightest brush against the headphones acts like a push of the button. I have to remember on rainy/windy days to turn the buttons off completely.
the XM4 adds the ability to be paired to multiple devices at a time, which seems to be the real magic of the airpods. when the headphones can be connected to both, you don't have to worry about disconnecting from one device before connecting to another lest you have your phone and your laptop fighting over your headphones.
I have the opposite of these experiences. My XM3s connect reliably and never drop, and have great battery life. My AirPod Pros have constant issues. This is with either my Mac/iPhone or Linux laptop.
That said I’ve gone back to plugging in the XM3s in an attempt to take advantage of Apple’s lossless music.
That said I’ve gone back to plugging in the XM3s in an attempt to take advantage of Apple’s lossless music.
i still use my Sony 1000XM (the first gen) and have to say they're by far the most reliable headphones i've used on any android device. hardly useable on anything else though. Pairing is always a disaster on windows/linux and iOS (ipad).
I should note I have no issues with the WH-1000X (headphones, not earbuds) from Sony. Audio quality is great [0], battery needs to be charged maybe once a week, pairing works perfectly and they are pretty comfortable to wear all afternoon in the office.
[0] Unless you try to make a call using the microphone, when it switches to a low quality codec, but are there any Bluetooth headsets that don't have this issue?
[0] Unless you try to make a call using the microphone, when it switches to a low quality codec, but are there any Bluetooth headsets that don't have this issue?
>are there any Bluetooth headsets that don't have this issue?
Yes. The recently released Bose QC45 headphones do not have this issue. I don’t know what they did to stop it, but it’s not present.
Yes. The recently released Bose QC45 headphones do not have this issue. I don’t know what they did to stop it, but it’s not present.
Too bad the reviews I've read about the QC45 have not been too flattering.
Any chance you have a summary on the key criticism?
I've seen user reviews complain about build quality, UX (like buttons being harder to find by feel and harder to press), buggy app, and active noise cancellation issues compared to the QC35s (static, loud bangs). Apparently they might also work worse in windy conditions than the previous ones.
Thanks. I have Bose 700 and sad to hear that the QC45 isn't an obvious improvement.
I actually ended up returning the pair for some of the exact reasons the sibling mentioned. The biggest one for me was how mushy some of the buttons were. It was very difficult to tell if I had pressed the buttons or not. The noise cancelling was alright, but not good enough to be almost 2x as expensive as the 35 II’s. Overall very disappointed in Bose.
I had those too. AirPods are incredible and will change your mind about wireless headphones
I have the AirPod Pro and they reliably try to fall out multiple times in an hour.
Apple just came out with a new model called the Beats Fit Pro which has all the features of the AirPods Pro but also has an extra wingtip to keep them in your ear.
Depends on your ear
It’s very solid in mine
It’s very solid in mine
Yes, sounds reasonable.
I also guess they have tested it on many different persons but not my type of ears.
(I see many people with same ethnicity as me complain about it ;-)
I also guess they have tested it on many different persons but not my type of ears.
(I see many people with same ethnicity as me complain about it ;-)
*As long as you don't need to connect to any non-Apple devices.
I use my AirPods Pro with my main laptop that uses Windows.
Their codec availability for non-Apple is not great. They really work best inside the Apple ecosystem.
They definitely can pair with any Bluetooth device
> Always have trouble with voice quality on calls too.
The Headset profile's audio codecs are hot garbage. Any time your device uses the microphone it switches to this and audio quality turns to mud.
Until they come up with a high definition profile for mic and audio, wired headsets will always have a place.
The Headset profile's audio codecs are hot garbage. Any time your device uses the microphone it switches to this and audio quality turns to mud.
Until they come up with a high definition profile for mic and audio, wired headsets will always have a place.
This!
I sometimes really struggle to understand others when they are using wireless units. It is AM quality at best, like 5 to 8Khz bandwidth.
That is not so bad frankly. But, couple it with cell phone call audio codecs and it is a mess.
I sometimes really struggle to understand others when they are using wireless units. It is AM quality at best, like 5 to 8Khz bandwidth.
That is not so bad frankly. But, couple it with cell phone call audio codecs and it is a mess.
I have to quicky switch to my earpiece from my wireless earphones whenever I receive a call just to avoid the low quality headset mode. It's so so bad. Not all wireless headsets are the same, however.
> Not all wireless headsets are the same, however.
Unless Apple or Samsung is using a proprietary protocol between their headsets and handsets, they pretty much are. You'll even notice the degradation of quality if you use your Mic on a Mac or PC.
I've never seen a Bluetooth device that simultaneously supports two active profiles so you could stream audio over A2DP and capture mic over the headset profile. Even if such a beast existed, I doubt devices would know how to handle it.
Unless Apple or Samsung is using a proprietary protocol between their headsets and handsets, they pretty much are. You'll even notice the degradation of quality if you use your Mic on a Mac or PC.
I've never seen a Bluetooth device that simultaneously supports two active profiles so you could stream audio over A2DP and capture mic over the headset profile. Even if such a beast existed, I doubt devices would know how to handle it.
> the battery life is barely a few hours and the sound quality is ok... Often only one headphone will turn on but not the other.
Sounds like they are broken. I have XM3s. The batteries last for a very long time, something like 12h with noise cancellation on. I've never had an issue with the speakers turning on or off individually.
> Always have trouble with voice quality on calls too.
Their mic is their biggest weakness. It's pretty bad.
Sounds like they are broken. I have XM3s. The batteries last for a very long time, something like 12h with noise cancellation on. I've never had an issue with the speakers turning on or off individually.
> Always have trouble with voice quality on calls too.
Their mic is their biggest weakness. It's pretty bad.
I’ve never owned a pair of the mx3 so I can’t compare but I have the mx4 and they don’t match your description: the battery life _without using the case_ is fantastic (8 hours, plus 24 hours using the case) and the connection is very consistent and reliable.
I don’t know how good they’d be for your use-case, but definitely worth considering the mx4 as distinct from the mx3.
edit: xm4 not mx4. Shows how little I care about headphones :-D
I don’t know how good they’d be for your use-case, but definitely worth considering the mx4 as distinct from the mx3.
edit: xm4 not mx4. Shows how little I care about headphones :-D
I might be in the minority here, but wired headphones have always been a disaster for me.
I only buy wireless ones now, even though they're fraught with their own issues. It seems like there's always a tradeoff to be made, specifically regarding quality.
My biggest complaint has been the damage that I've always seem to have done to the headphone jacks of devices that I use. I'm not harsh on my devices, but I do tend to put my phone in my pocket and walk around with headphones on. And if it's not the headphone jack that gets destroyed, it's the cable; I went through ~5 different cables/earbuds when I was using the Shure SE215s.
Bluetooth headphones aren't great either. I have not lost a pair of headphones in years, but I've gone no more than 12 months without purchasing a new pair. This gets expensive when I also want my headphones to have active noise cancelling and sound reasonably good (I don't care about audiophile cans, because I wear my headphones primarily when I'm active). And don't even get me started on a pair that has a good (not even great) mic... I'd love to be able to have a phone conversation when walking through midtown Manhattan.
I only buy wireless ones now, even though they're fraught with their own issues. It seems like there's always a tradeoff to be made, specifically regarding quality.
My biggest complaint has been the damage that I've always seem to have done to the headphone jacks of devices that I use. I'm not harsh on my devices, but I do tend to put my phone in my pocket and walk around with headphones on. And if it's not the headphone jack that gets destroyed, it's the cable; I went through ~5 different cables/earbuds when I was using the Shure SE215s.
Bluetooth headphones aren't great either. I have not lost a pair of headphones in years, but I've gone no more than 12 months without purchasing a new pair. This gets expensive when I also want my headphones to have active noise cancelling and sound reasonably good (I don't care about audiophile cans, because I wear my headphones primarily when I'm active). And don't even get me started on a pair that has a good (not even great) mic... I'd love to be able to have a phone conversation when walking through midtown Manhattan.
Military perspective. If you are wearing a helmet and running around all day there is aren't any products that will stay in your ears. On long marches it is normal for young soldiers to abandon any concept of headphones in favor of full speakers. They put one, sometimes two, speaker in the top of their pack and simply blast music for everyone around them to hear. The effect is the ultimate retro, harkening back to the days of ghettoblaste/boomboxes.
No mention of latency? I strongly prefer headphones wired for calls because they affect on lag is huge. Wireless headphones typically have more lag than the entire rest of the connection, usually 100 to 300ms.
Agreed, this is especially noticeable when making digital music. The latency was too much for me to be able to naturally follow a rhythm. Plugging in a wire improved the situation by a lot.
I use a little Bluetooth to 3.5mm adapter and clip it on to my wired headphones. This one is the fiio ubtr which is nice and tiny tho a little more battery life would be nice. I designed my headphones to be 3D printed on a resin 3D printer and I wired them with a short cable going to a male 3.5mm jack. I can plug them in to a Bluetooth adapter or just use 3.5mm male to female extension to use them as wired headphones. I love the flexibility. I have photos and source files on GitHub here:
https://github.com/tlalexander/reboot-headphones
There is a newer design in the linked OnShape document which is smaller and uses two 3mm titanium rods for a headband. They’re really nice and they’ve been my daily headphones for what feels like a year now. I love knowing that no matter what breaks on them they can be repaired forever.
https://github.com/tlalexander/reboot-headphones
There is a newer design in the linked OnShape document which is smaller and uses two 3mm titanium rods for a headband. They’re really nice and they’ve been my daily headphones for what feels like a year now. I love knowing that no matter what breaks on them they can be repaired forever.
Cool! Thanks for sharing your project.
Even if they're not cool anymore, I hope they keep making them. I don't even mind buying a new pair every few years if the batteries get too worn out. I use them when I work out, I use them for zoom meetings, and sometimes even to listen to music :). I charge the case once in a while, probably every couple weeks, aside from that I rarely run the airpods themselves out of battery -- takes a few long zoom calls to do it, and then I just alternate ears if I need to.
Corded headphones at my desk use to make me so angry. Always tangling. And with earbuds, cord noise. I don't miss corded headphones.
Corded headphones at my desk use to make me so angry. Always tangling. And with earbuds, cord noise. I don't miss corded headphones.
Sometimes I wonder what fantasy land HN readers come from. I was standing at a traffic light as I opened this thread and I looked around at the people near me, I saw several AirPods users and no other brands or wired users.
The AirPods alone bring in more profit than most major tech companies. Why in earth would they stop making them?
The AirPods alone bring in more profit than most major tech companies. Why in earth would they stop making them?
I love my AirPods Pro because I can take them on a run with my Apple Watch and be able to listen to music + do guided runs without having to carry anything else. Glad I bought them just for that.
They suck otherwise. I have these wired earphones I bought 5 years ago for $99 that I use most of the rest of the time. They sound better, fit better, connect 100% reliably, and I don't have to worry about their batteries dying in the middle of something because they randomly decided not to charge last time I put them in the case.
I'd rather have no wires, but AirPods are a significant compromise to get rid of a wire...
I find it's rarely worth it. Only the one use case, actually. Same for the watch.
They suck otherwise. I have these wired earphones I bought 5 years ago for $99 that I use most of the rest of the time. They sound better, fit better, connect 100% reliably, and I don't have to worry about their batteries dying in the middle of something because they randomly decided not to charge last time I put them in the case.
I'd rather have no wires, but AirPods are a significant compromise to get rid of a wire...
I find it's rarely worth it. Only the one use case, actually. Same for the watch.
I like this idea. Tried a few early on when jacks were being omitted from phones. The whole thing put me off big.
So I dug in, bought a backup phone with jack and am just camping on good gear to wait a while and see what comes.
Maybe I will put a set in my carry bag.
So I dug in, bought a backup phone with jack and am just camping on good gear to wait a while and see what comes.
Maybe I will put a set in my carry bag.
Yes, they aren't a novelty anymore, they don't screen from other people effectively, cheap clones are almost identical, too many people use them and the cool factor dropped, yadda yadda yadda.
...or maybe most users after some years realized the true costs of having non replaceable batteries. Making them replaceable on the AirPods would be very easy; and a nice move that would also bring them some more customers including me, but apparently milking users to the last cent pays more.
...or maybe most users after some years realized the true costs of having non replaceable batteries. Making them replaceable on the AirPods would be very easy; and a nice move that would also bring them some more customers including me, but apparently milking users to the last cent pays more.
> ...or maybe most users after some years realized the true costs of having non replaceable batteries
Nope. This is a minority preference that HN folks are obsessed about, but most people aren't. The wireless headphone market is huge and booming, and replaceable batteries went out around the same time they did in cell phones. Last pair I had with a replaceable battery were Bose QC15s, sold from 2009-2015. Airpods may have lost their novelty, but people are buying up loads of wireless/ANC headphones from Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, Beats, etc. None of the newest generations have easily replaceable batteries.
Nope. This is a minority preference that HN folks are obsessed about, but most people aren't. The wireless headphone market is huge and booming, and replaceable batteries went out around the same time they did in cell phones. Last pair I had with a replaceable battery were Bose QC15s, sold from 2009-2015. Airpods may have lost their novelty, but people are buying up loads of wireless/ANC headphones from Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, Beats, etc. None of the newest generations have easily replaceable batteries.
Wait a minute. If replacement batteries were cooked in from the start, prefs on all that would be different.
How would it be very easy to make the battery user replaceable? I don't even know where they stuck the battery.
I’ve resoldered the batteries on my generic wireless earbuds that were very much meant not to be serviceable. It really wouldn’t be hard to make them serviceable, even if they weren’t user replaceable. There’s one in each bud, and another in the case.
A battery only needs two electrical contacts on a component that is already self contained. Its a very simple device. The lithium ion ones in this size range are a few bucks each on the wholesale market. There are even standardized button cell sizes. It is very much a design choice.
The other side of it is that lithium ion battery tech is at the point where the battery lifespans is starting to exceed the device lifespan. Certainly true for the cheap side of the earbud market
A battery only needs two electrical contacts on a component that is already self contained. Its a very simple device. The lithium ion ones in this size range are a few bucks each on the wholesale market. There are even standardized button cell sizes. It is very much a design choice.
The other side of it is that lithium ion battery tech is at the point where the battery lifespans is starting to exceed the device lifespan. Certainly true for the cheap side of the earbud market
The battery is contained in the stick coming down from the AirPod body. They could make them threaded with concentric tracks at the top making contact with springs, so the user could simply unscrew them and swap with fresh ones, so that the parts cost of replacing the battery would be the battery itself plus a piece of plastic, some wire and a small almost empty pcb, surely not the entire device.
I know I would fidget with mine and end up unscrewing them partially leading to erratic behavior and eventually completely leaving me without a power source.
Or unscrew it partially, breaking the moisture protection and get some sweat in there.
I don't think the intended customers care at all about replaceable batteries as an issue against purchase. And even as an expense it's insignificant anyway (given the lifetime until replacement)...
Personally I never had wired headphones last longer than a year before the cable gets damaged. For how much utility I get out of my AirPods, I think replacing them every 3 years is excellent value.
I have two pairs of Beyerdynamic studio headphones. The other pair is now 16 years old, still sound great and are in daily use. I've replaced the cable once, it was easy and cables are common to find.
This is what I call value.
This is what I call value.
I carry a set of wireless earbuds in my pockets 90% of the time. They still haven't replaced wired headphones for me, for two reasons: 1. Lag-free audio. Even if I didn't play videogames and need instant audio response, Windows makes no attempt whatsoever to compensate for audio lag. Android does a decent job when it comes to Youtube, but embedded videos on the web are still wildly out of sync. 2. Comfort. I've spent hundreds of dollars on various TWS earbuds and not a single one of them is comfortable when I'm laying on my side in bed. My wired buds are entirely comfortable that way. Oh and it's also quite annoying that you have to choose between wireless buds with physical buttons that hurt to push or ones with capacitive buttons that are liable to get triggered to start playing again after you take them out and put them in your pocket.
The idea a 3.5mm jack takes up a huge amount of space in a phone is so much bullshit.
The idea a 3.5mm jack takes up a huge amount of space in a phone is so much bullshit.
If it had been up to me I would've rather removed Bluetooth functionality from phones rather than the headphone jack. Bluetooth never seems to work quite right and it'll probably forever be a security/privacy issue.
I would even take the audio jack over the front camera and Bluetooth both.
I would even take the audio jack over the front camera and Bluetooth both.
Airpods are throwaway products. After 1 year of active use, my 150€ AirPods offer only a mere 90min listening time. And if it is cold outside, it can go down to about 40mins.
I will never buy them again >:-/
I will never buy them again >:-/
> For disorganized types, corded headphones are easier to keep track of and needn’t be charged.
This is why I've never bought wireless headphones. You don't need to be disorganized to appreciate the convenience of not having to charge yet another device you want to use on the fly.
Why would I pay more for something that takes more mental bandwidth to use?
This is why I've never bought wireless headphones. You don't need to be disorganized to appreciate the convenience of not having to charge yet another device you want to use on the fly.
Why would I pay more for something that takes more mental bandwidth to use?
AirPods kinda solved this problem with the wireless charging case. I almost never use them long enough to drain the battery in the headphones before they get put back in the case. At night I put the case on my wireless charging thingy and I don't really ever "think" about charging my AirPods.
My wireless headphones I do occasionally have to think about charging, but they are USB-C and mostly I'm using them on my computer, so whenever they need charging I just unplug my USB-C computer, plug in my headphones for an hour, and then we're back. Not really an operation I think about much either. If I really want to I can then plug in the wired cable and still listen to them while they're charging, but usually I don't bother.
My wireless headphones I do occasionally have to think about charging, but they are USB-C and mostly I'm using them on my computer, so whenever they need charging I just unplug my USB-C computer, plug in my headphones for an hour, and then we're back. Not really an operation I think about much either. If I really want to I can then plug in the wired cable and still listen to them while they're charging, but usually I don't bother.
> At night I put the case on my wireless charging thingy and I don't really ever "think" about charging my AirPods.
You just did. Us absent-minded people are likely to forget even putting those things back into their case, forget the case at home or some other place (since we don't need it to listen), or forget to charge it. My stuff is likely to be in the last place I stopped using it. In this case that's hopefully my jacket, but it certainly won't be some charging station.
My wired earphones I can wear under my shirt with only a small chance of losing them. I still lose those occasionally, but mostly I break them every six months. A new pair is ten bucks, so whatever.
I already have trouble keeping my phone charged. I don't need more stuff with batteries. Especially not in something that's never supposed to be more than a few centimeters from the device it's receiving signals from anyways.
You just did. Us absent-minded people are likely to forget even putting those things back into their case, forget the case at home or some other place (since we don't need it to listen), or forget to charge it. My stuff is likely to be in the last place I stopped using it. In this case that's hopefully my jacket, but it certainly won't be some charging station.
My wired earphones I can wear under my shirt with only a small chance of losing them. I still lose those occasionally, but mostly I break them every six months. A new pair is ten bucks, so whatever.
I already have trouble keeping my phone charged. I don't need more stuff with batteries. Especially not in something that's never supposed to be more than a few centimeters from the device it's receiving signals from anyways.
I'm incredibly absent-minded; I wake up in the morning, grab my iPhone and AirPods off my bedside table, and carry them around with me all day. Then, when I take off the clothes I've been wearing all day, I put them back on the charging stand. Rinse repeat. It's habit at this point, I haven't consciously had the thought "my AirPods are low on battery, I need to recharge them" in months.
> Especially not in something that's never supposed to be more than a few centimeters from the device it's receiving signals from anyways.
This sounds kinda like the opinion of someone who has never even tried wireless earphones. It is very nice being able to stand up from my desk / ride my motorbike / etc and keep listening to whatever I was listening to (or staying on the call I was on) without my phone being in reach.
> Especially not in something that's never supposed to be more than a few centimeters from the device it's receiving signals from anyways.
This sounds kinda like the opinion of someone who has never even tried wireless earphones. It is very nice being able to stand up from my desk / ride my motorbike / etc and keep listening to whatever I was listening to (or staying on the call I was on) without my phone being in reach.
I’ve just got a charging pad on my desk. In the morning I pop my watch and AirPods pro on it while I take a shower (have a HomePod mini in the bathroom so don’t need headphones) and by the time I’m done they’re charged up enough for the day. And I keep my AirPods max charged via cable in a drawer in my desk. Phone goes on the same charging pad as the watch and pro. So all in all it’s pretty easy keeping everything charged for me.
Because of the obvious less mental bandwidth of not having to deal with wires, tangling, the extra freedom of movement, and so on...
>You don't need to be disorganized to appreciate the convenience of not having to charge yet another device you want to use on the fly.
Most wireless _headphones_ that I've bought come with an audio cable just for this eventuality. (Versus earphones, like the Airpods that do not have this capability.)
Most wireless _headphones_ that I've bought come with an audio cable just for this eventuality. (Versus earphones, like the Airpods that do not have this capability.)
I put mine on a wireless charging pad when they are not in my pocket. It takes no extra mental bandwidth.
I have used wired headphones for years, and I prefer headphones to earbuds for both comfort and sound, but it just isn’t true that they are more convenient.
I have used wired headphones for years, and I prefer headphones to earbuds for both comfort and sound, but it just isn’t true that they are more convenient.
Can you solder? Because in my experience with corded headphones the first thing to fail is the cord itself.
So what I've learned from this thread about airpods:
- Quality is really subpar
- Battery is dying fast, charge often and throwaway product
- Comfort is relative
- most are already on their second or third pair
- Ear infections get more common
- BT still isn't perfect especially on busy places
- doesn't work too well outside of apples walled garden
- yet the majority likes them
- Quality is really subpar
- Battery is dying fast, charge often and throwaway product
- Comfort is relative
- most are already on their second or third pair
- Ear infections get more common
- BT still isn't perfect especially on busy places
- doesn't work too well outside of apples walled garden
- yet the majority likes them
Corded headphones have much better latency than wireless headphones, which is essential when recording and making music.
Wireless earbuds or bone-conduction headphones are essential when working out.
Wireless earbuds or bone-conduction headphones are essential when working out.
Also corded headphones don't require battery
I'm an old man now so I can't speak for cool kids, but the sheer amount of old people who love and rock Apple gear would be more than enough to make them seem powerfully uncool to a teenage me.
Apples got a bad case of the Facebook mom's group, basically. (No offence to the mom groups, you've given me so much help over the years)
Apples got a bad case of the Facebook mom's group, basically. (No offence to the mom groups, you've given me so much help over the years)
I don't mind wireless earbuds for walking around town, but my primary use for earbuds is running and cycling, and I've found wired earbuds more practical here. The wireless earbuds I've tried are heavier, bulkier and more prone to falling out (they're especially bad for running); they don't work with the devices I prefer (like my iPod shuffle); and they don't have enough battery life for longer activities (which can last six hours or more). Meanwhile, a cord is just not much of an inconvenience to me.
(accidentally pulled to refresh and there was no confirmation dialog. Yay deleted comment! Excuse the crudeness)
My laptop, PC, speakers, TV, console and console controller all have the headphone jack. Everything except my phone has the 3.5mm jack. I'm losing options. I don't like having to keep both.
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have all said that Bluetooth is not good enough for gaming and have decided to not support Bluetooth audio in their consoles.
If you only use Apple devices you're lucky to have a perfect experience with wireless earphones. Particularly due to their cleaner stack and to proprietary stuff.
The second top comment mentions longevity, right to repair, battery, etc, but we all know what you get when you buy TWS earphones. It's the general public that does not. Fingers crossed government regulation can fix that one up?
The author must have delved into a niche. I consider myself rather culturally relevant and while Tumblr aesthetics do exist of course, this one isn't mainstream. I try not to follow developers on Twitter and Instagram, as a bias check.
What would make wireless earphones and headphones more bearable is if Android and iOS allowed you to choose your own input and output devices so you can avoid the low-quality headset mode by using the mobile device's microphone.
I believe Windows 11 made some changes with Bluetooth devices to make this no longer possible which is a bummer. Bluetooth on Windows is a nightmare as is.
Apple not having removed the 3.5mm headphone jack on their new MBPs is evident of an anti-consumer, pro-profit strategy. Plain and simple. They deemed it a pro feature that they likely use themselves but it's one that isn't for mobile devices.
My laptop, PC, speakers, TV, console and console controller all have the headphone jack. Everything except my phone has the 3.5mm jack. I'm losing options. I don't like having to keep both.
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have all said that Bluetooth is not good enough for gaming and have decided to not support Bluetooth audio in their consoles.
If you only use Apple devices you're lucky to have a perfect experience with wireless earphones. Particularly due to their cleaner stack and to proprietary stuff.
The second top comment mentions longevity, right to repair, battery, etc, but we all know what you get when you buy TWS earphones. It's the general public that does not. Fingers crossed government regulation can fix that one up?
The author must have delved into a niche. I consider myself rather culturally relevant and while Tumblr aesthetics do exist of course, this one isn't mainstream. I try not to follow developers on Twitter and Instagram, as a bias check.
What would make wireless earphones and headphones more bearable is if Android and iOS allowed you to choose your own input and output devices so you can avoid the low-quality headset mode by using the mobile device's microphone.
I believe Windows 11 made some changes with Bluetooth devices to make this no longer possible which is a bummer. Bluetooth on Windows is a nightmare as is.
Apple not having removed the 3.5mm headphone jack on their new MBPs is evident of an anti-consumer, pro-profit strategy. Plain and simple. They deemed it a pro feature that they likely use themselves but it's one that isn't for mobile devices.
The reason I don't use wired headphones is that I'd need an adapter for them to work with my iphone.
I used to use those adapters (both from Apple and aftermarket ones), but they would last two months at max, sometimes even just around 2-3 weeks. Since I wear headphones at work any time I'm not in a meeting, and my phone is always in my pocket (with half of the adapter hanging out), after around two months, the adapter dies from the strain on the cable. Adapters that lasted less long seemingly didn't die to physical damage, but insteadto static charges, just from me moving (and I work a desk job, so not much extreme movements). Could that be my clothes? Sure, but am I really going to change my wardrobe just so I can use some stupid adapter?
Since getting airpod pros, I've fallen in love with their anc, so that's one more reason for me to stay wireless (never heard of any wired anc headphones).
Since getting airpod pros, I've fallen in love with their anc, so that's one more reason for me to stay wireless (never heard of any wired anc headphones).
What kills me about wireless is when I need to switch sources. E.g. from my work laptop to my phone and vice versa. Or from my work laptop to my personal laptop.
Perhaps Airpods do a better job here, but my experience with Bose and Sony wireless headphones has been terrible on switching sources... I have to manually unpair from device A and repair with device B. In the case of Bose this handoff is mediated by an iOS app that seems to crap out 50% of the time. It often takes several minutes to get everything working as it should. This does not feel like a $350 UX.
It makes me rage when I think of the ease and speed I had in the past with wired headphones that can be instantly unplugged from A and plugged into B quickly with 100% reliability.
Perhaps Airpods do a better job here, but my experience with Bose and Sony wireless headphones has been terrible on switching sources... I have to manually unpair from device A and repair with device B. In the case of Bose this handoff is mediated by an iOS app that seems to crap out 50% of the time. It often takes several minutes to get everything working as it should. This does not feel like a $350 UX.
It makes me rage when I think of the ease and speed I had in the past with wired headphones that can be instantly unplugged from A and plugged into B quickly with 100% reliability.
AirPods do have a feature where this is supposed to work automatically, without having to pair multiple devices, for all devices on the same iCloud account. It’s nice. I haven’t tried other brand headphones that can pair to multiple devices, so I can’t compare.
The AirPods do an extremely good job at this. It’s just a shame there is no standard for switching across all devices.
Although apple makes use of their own servers to coordinate this so it could be difficult.
Although apple makes use of their own servers to coordinate this so it could be difficult.
Yep they’re very good at it. I won’t say it’s fool proof. But the very occasional times they get confused isn’t so bad I’ll replace them with wired.
I don't understand this complaint, are Bose and Sony headphones only pairable with one device?
Seems a little short-sighted... My $30 Anker headphones are able to pair to at least two devices...
Seems a little short-sighted... My $30 Anker headphones are able to pair to at least two devices...
Bose experience is very underwhelming for a $300 pair. Mandatory iOS app to change many settings, it fights me every day about the active noise cancellation (I want it off but it keeps turning on), using the microphone seems to bug out 70% of the time, opening the “Input” tab on MacOS sound settings makes them all crackly until I turn them off.. just an absurd amount of problems. I’m very happy with my corded audio technicas over 10+ years I’ve had them and surprisingly the wireless buds I got off Amazon (Tozo T-6). Even though those still have about 25% of the issues the boses have
Many more recent bt headphones support multipoint, but I'm not sure any support more than two simultaneous connections. This meant I was back to disabling Bluetooth on my tablet when I wanted to use the Jabra 85hs to the TV.
And I was naive enough to think that the sound from the two connections would be mixed, so you could, for example listen to music on my phone while hearing audible notifications from the computer (without the music dropping out).
As with anything BT, it's a mixed bag. That said, after resisting it for a long time, those Jabras were one of the best things I ever bought.
https://www.soundguys.com/bluetooth-multipoint-explained-286...
And I was naive enough to think that the sound from the two connections would be mixed, so you could, for example listen to music on my phone while hearing audible notifications from the computer (without the music dropping out).
As with anything BT, it's a mixed bag. That said, after resisting it for a long time, those Jabras were one of the best things I ever bought.
https://www.soundguys.com/bluetooth-multipoint-explained-286...
Wired in ear phones are a nightmare. If I use them every day I end up going through about 2 pairs a year. No I am not surgically precise with them, but at the same time I'm not a gorilla - nothing else in my life breaks this much.
True but they cost almost nothing. 5 bucks for a decent pair of Sonys. Though I have to say the Bluetooth ones are also really cheap now. I got a Xiaomi true wireless pair for 15 bucks and they work amazingly well.
This. I used to run daily with a pair of Sony corded earbuds that hooked over my ear. I think they cost me $10 and lasted about a decade before I finally bought a phone without a headphone jack.
They now live in my carry-on bag for use with the inflight entertainment systems.
They now live in my carry-on bag for use with the inflight entertainment systems.
Buy some with replaceable cables. I use KZ ZSX and I keep a spare cable, if it ever breaks no biggie thats 4$
Is $ the only issue?
It's a big one. The cables are cheap enough that you can buy a second one and keep it in your backpack for complete peace of mind. Other IEMs have cables that cost much more and you might not preemptively carry one.
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It does not have to be one or the other. I use wireless outside to listen audio books and podcasts and for this purpose they are ideal. Audio quality not so important. Wouldn't want to go back messing with wire on the street, have been destroying many wires and pairs because I'm clumsy. At home when listening music, have some wired higher end comfortable overears, perfect sound quality and comfort. Working with noise cancelling overears, most important are ANS and when meetings one can move around freely and not be attached to device.
So I'm using them in combination, based on what's the situation.
So I'm using them in combination, based on what's the situation.
I wear three pairs of headphones.
1. Sennheiser earbuds that are on a Lightning adapter. I keep them in my desk at work, and use them for phone calls a few times a week.
2. Sony 1000MX or whatever they are called. Bluetooth, noise-cancelling, full size. The battery lasts like 20 hours so they go with me on the airplane and some car rides, but don't use them too much otherwise. They also can be used with a cord which is great when you need that.
3. Aukey Bluetooth earbuds, they are only $18 and "good enough", fit in my laptop sleeve. These get used the most out of any of them.
1. Sennheiser earbuds that are on a Lightning adapter. I keep them in my desk at work, and use them for phone calls a few times a week.
2. Sony 1000MX or whatever they are called. Bluetooth, noise-cancelling, full size. The battery lasts like 20 hours so they go with me on the airplane and some car rides, but don't use them too much otherwise. They also can be used with a cord which is great when you need that.
3. Aukey Bluetooth earbuds, they are only $18 and "good enough", fit in my laptop sleeve. These get used the most out of any of them.
Not sure if it's just me but I got my Airpods last March and I've been using it fairly regularly for the work calls. I got an ear infection in August that was pretty severe and after consulting with an ENT specialist, I was told to not wear these for long use or constantly since it prevents the ears from naturally clearing out (which normally happens when one chews and has nothing blocking the ear canal).
So now I use them only when I absolutely need to (e.g. in noisy places, taking calls on the move) and avoid them all other times.
So now I use them only when I absolutely need to (e.g. in noisy places, taking calls on the move) and avoid them all other times.
Same, I also got an ear infection not being careful when wearing Apple Earbuds
I've pulled my phone off the desk too many times to go back to wired (the laptop is heavy enough that it yanks the headphones off my head). But I'm still old school enough to use over-the-air headphones (Bose QC 35 II currently). It's nice to be able to walk away from the computer without worrying about the wire.
And if I triple-check the mute setting to be sure I'm muted, I can even make it to the bathroom (or to the kitchen for a glass of tea) during a long zoom meeting without losing the call.
And if I triple-check the mute setting to be sure I'm muted, I can even make it to the bathroom (or to the kitchen for a glass of tea) during a long zoom meeting without losing the call.
Being able to move around a lot has been super helpful for me with the QC35 IIs. I've gone everywhere inside the house, the occasional smoke breaks, running downstairs to pick up an order and so on. This pair has a surprisingly good range
Wires are dependable. Wired items (earphones, keyboards, mice) are always ready, always available. Several times I've tried bluetooth keyboards and mice, only to throw them away in frustration as the batteries go flat in no time at all.
Logitech Keyboard: "Up to 6 months of life" - bullshit. I'm lucky if a set of batteries last 2-3 weeks.
My USB keyboard and USB mouse are always available. So I don't need to think about that extra problem at all.
My USB keyboard and USB mouse are always available. So I don't need to think about that extra problem at all.
I bought three pairs of airpods and the mic stopped working for each after a short amount of time. I decided to get a non-apple earbud and got the Galaxy Buds Live.
I quickly realized how much better sound quality is out there and also got some wired headphones when I’m at a stationary location. You can get really nice wired IEMs for a decent price and you can add foam tips for good noise cancellation. You can also get a wired cable with a mic for a dollar more.
I quickly realized how much better sound quality is out there and also got some wired headphones when I’m at a stationary location. You can get really nice wired IEMs for a decent price and you can add foam tips for good noise cancellation. You can also get a wired cable with a mic for a dollar more.
I grew up very poor and I always get this awful feeling when something costly I own breaks - and that's consistently been my experience with Apple and Beats wireless headphones and earbuds. The batteries simply went from good to barely holding a charge or not even charging within a year on four pairs so this a major negative to me. I've had better luck with my Sony 1000XM2, which is still fine, thankfully.
The other downside is the volume, I like to be able to crank it up and listen to music louder sometimes.
Apart from that it always felt to me like it mostly depended on the situation, at home when I can lay in my bean bag and listen to some vinyl I'll always prefer my wired Sennheiser through my Schiit amp. When I do some yard work I go for the Sony and when I'm on foot taking care of business in the city I'll go for the AirPods because they're good enough and convenient.
And a side note: A really cool audio discovery to me was the existence of Chinese hi-fi brands like TIN Audio. Their wired IEMs are pretty nice. I'm looking into getting one of those MMCX bluetooth DAC AMPs to give me the option to use them wirelessly, too, when I want.
The other downside is the volume, I like to be able to crank it up and listen to music louder sometimes.
Apart from that it always felt to me like it mostly depended on the situation, at home when I can lay in my bean bag and listen to some vinyl I'll always prefer my wired Sennheiser through my Schiit amp. When I do some yard work I go for the Sony and when I'm on foot taking care of business in the city I'll go for the AirPods because they're good enough and convenient.
And a side note: A really cool audio discovery to me was the existence of Chinese hi-fi brands like TIN Audio. Their wired IEMs are pretty nice. I'm looking into getting one of those MMCX bluetooth DAC AMPs to give me the option to use them wirelessly, too, when I want.
One of the issues with wireless buds/headphones for me is the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter).
The DAC is quite critical for final sound quality (responses to different frequencies, amount of noise...).
Most wireless use built-in DAC and provide no method for using an external/standalone one.
Another obvious issue would be the connection stability which is why I still use 3.5mm on my iPhone 6s (or previously iPhone 8 but requires an adapter).
The DAC is quite critical for final sound quality (responses to different frequencies, amount of noise...).
Most wireless use built-in DAC and provide no method for using an external/standalone one.
Another obvious issue would be the connection stability which is why I still use 3.5mm on my iPhone 6s (or previously iPhone 8 but requires an adapter).
>The DAC is quite critical for final sound quality (responses to different frequencies, amount of noise...).
This incorrect statement is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. A DAC on its own is useless for listening to sound, it always has to be accompanied by an amplifier stage. I honestly don't know why people have become focused on the part of a DAC+Amp circuit that rarely matters.
If a DAC makes any difference to the sound quality of the device, then it is a bad DAC. All a DAC should do is output the exact analog signal that was sampled in the digital file (provided it is below the Nyquist-Shannon frequency). Even dirt cheap commodity DAC chips do this well beyond what any human can hear.
If there is any fuckery with the sound, it is probably due to the implementation of the pre-amp or amplifier circuits in the device which have far more ability to introduce distortion or noise to the signal, or introduce a sound signature.
This incorrect statement is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. A DAC on its own is useless for listening to sound, it always has to be accompanied by an amplifier stage. I honestly don't know why people have become focused on the part of a DAC+Amp circuit that rarely matters.
If a DAC makes any difference to the sound quality of the device, then it is a bad DAC. All a DAC should do is output the exact analog signal that was sampled in the digital file (provided it is below the Nyquist-Shannon frequency). Even dirt cheap commodity DAC chips do this well beyond what any human can hear.
If there is any fuckery with the sound, it is probably due to the implementation of the pre-amp or amplifier circuits in the device which have far more ability to introduce distortion or noise to the signal, or introduce a sound signature.
How would you envision using an external DAC with Bluetooth headphones?
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Yeah it would have to be connected via wire to the headphones. Lol
I'm always amazed that more people aren't bothered by having to constantly charge wireless headphones. Wired ones never run out of battery.
I plug them in before I go to bed. They are fully charged in the morning and last me the whole day. I've never run it down to zero. My phone also charges at night. Same thing.
I have a high end over ear pair for when I'm working. It blocks out the noise and the neighbors. It's on my head pretty much all the time when I'm at home. 16 hours is not unusual. Having the freedom of movement is very nice. For outdoors, I have a cheap set of bluetooth earphones (25 euros). Not the greatest quality but plenty OK for listening podcasts. Surprisingly comfortable and they have a soft plastic handle that wraps around my ears to keep them in place. They supposedly last about 6 hours. And the case allows me to charge them 3 or 4 times or so. They only need to be plugged in once every two weeks or so.
I have a high end over ear pair for when I'm working. It blocks out the noise and the neighbors. It's on my head pretty much all the time when I'm at home. 16 hours is not unusual. Having the freedom of movement is very nice. For outdoors, I have a cheap set of bluetooth earphones (25 euros). Not the greatest quality but plenty OK for listening podcasts. Surprisingly comfortable and they have a soft plastic handle that wraps around my ears to keep them in place. They supposedly last about 6 hours. And the case allows me to charge them 3 or 4 times or so. They only need to be plugged in once every two weeks or so.
This is my biggest pet-peeve. I bought a pair of bluetooth headphones that sound pretty good for their price (Cowin for about $50). They offer a corded option, so I can use them when a plug is needed, like watching a movie on a plane. BUT they will not work at all, even in corded mode, unless they are charged. If I forgot to charge them, I'm stuck with nothing and they are too bulky to deal with that. So now they get used at home and I travel with cheap earbuds.
I charge mine about once a week. I have a cable sitting on the desk I work at and I’ll notice when the case is almost flat as I open it which prompts me to plug it in.
They charge quickly and the battery lasts a while.
Also, latency. I can't get over it.
I have Bluetooth headphones (WH-1000XM4) that I use on a PC. They work great for music, but for video content the latency is very perceptual. It is sub-second, but you can tell actor's mouths aren't in sync.
Unfortunately there isn't a lot of solutions on PC, since the platform has no control of browser based video playback and even if it did, finding the exact audio offset would be impractical.
Unfortunately there isn't a lot of solutions on PC, since the platform has no control of browser based video playback and even if it did, finding the exact audio offset would be impractical.
VLC and other video players have options to tweak video/audio latency to get them to syncronize by delaying whatever's ahead by a fixed amount to more accurately match the other. There are even chrome extensions proporting to let you tweak such syncronization for youtube, although I haven't tested them. You don't need to find the exact audio offset either - just close enough that you can't tell anymore.
But this only helps with less interactive media. Adding even more latency to video games or MIDI keyboard synthesizers is counterproductive: sure, you could delay the rendering of a muzzle flash to match the playing of a gunshot, but that makes things feel even worse when you click! Maybe tolerable in a casual macro-focused RTS, but not so acceptable in a twitch shooter.
But this only helps with less interactive media. Adding even more latency to video games or MIDI keyboard synthesizers is counterproductive: sure, you could delay the rendering of a muzzle flash to match the playing of a gunshot, but that makes things feel even worse when you click! Maybe tolerable in a casual macro-focused RTS, but not so acceptable in a twitch shooter.
> finding the exact audio offset would be impractical.
And yet you can land an airplane without looking out the windows, by measuring timestamps between source and destination of a signal (GPS).
I'd argue not that impractical.
And yet you can land an airplane without looking out the windows, by measuring timestamps between source and destination of a signal (GPS).
I'd argue not that impractical.
Fortunately you can hook them up to a good soundcard quite easily!
Something like the Soundblaster ZXR makes for exceptionally good headphone listening on the PC.
I have the XM3 and some wired-only Audio Technicas. I only use the XM3s wired on the PC, can't stand the lag however small myself.
Something like the Soundblaster ZXR makes for exceptionally good headphone listening on the PC.
I have the XM3 and some wired-only Audio Technicas. I only use the XM3s wired on the PC, can't stand the lag however small myself.
Pandemic is still not over, wireless earbuds are much more convenient with a mask.
Unfortunately I didn't see this on HN until fairly late, but I'd love to hear any recommendations for Lightning connector to audio jack adapters.
We've gone through so many here (Apple, Belkin, no-name...) and they just seem to break fairly easily. Wish there were a case solution but those seem to have fizzled out over time (presumably no demand).
Anyone know of a good adapter that survives daily use?
We've gone through so many here (Apple, Belkin, no-name...) and they just seem to break fairly easily. Wish there were a case solution but those seem to have fizzled out over time (presumably no demand).
Anyone know of a good adapter that survives daily use?
I haven’t found comfortable tips for my AirPods Pro. None of the ones in the box fit properly and the foam ones I bought are pretty painful.
Despite constantly pushing them back into my ears, I prefer them to wires getting snagged on door knobs and the awful rubbing sound against my coat. I still grab my AirPods over my great old IEMs which sound way better and were only $80.
Despite constantly pushing them back into my ears, I prefer them to wires getting snagged on door knobs and the awful rubbing sound against my coat. I still grab my AirPods over my great old IEMs which sound way better and were only $80.
Can we get the headphone sockets back please?
Seconded. I am willing to continue to try on wireless ones, but NEED my wired ones.
Thirded. Will buy a dozen sacrificial dongles if that will please the gods.
It's true what they say, if you do nothing, fashion eventually catches up to you. Apparently I'm way cool
Apparently I'm fashionable again. Wait long enough..
Ah yes, the WSJ is in touch with cool kids.
I wish for more of the practicality of wired headphones (less charging), but I don’t miss the wires at damn all. Don’t know what you guys are doing, but apparently I like to move around in ways that’ll entangle and often break the wires.
I wish for more of the practicality of wired headphones (less charging), but I don’t miss the wires at damn all. Don’t know what you guys are doing, but apparently I like to move around in ways that’ll entangle and often break the wires.
This seems pretty clearly not about nostalgia or technology.
Nothing signals "don't talk to me" like plainly visible earbuds. I used to wear a pair, with nothing playing, when walking around the city. Worked like a charm + more portable than over-the-ear headphones.
Nothing signals "don't talk to me" like plainly visible earbuds. I used to wear a pair, with nothing playing, when walking around the city. Worked like a charm + more portable than over-the-ear headphones.
I have two pairs of airpods, one is practically dead and the other keeps falling out of my ear when I tilt my head. The only reason why I still use them is because I'd need to carry around 3 different wired pairs to connect to my MacBook, iPhone and iPad...
Do people dislike wireless or do they dislike Bluetooth?
Because Bluetooth sucks. It's a shame it's the industry standard.
Bluetooth support is still spotty on Linux, which to me is continued evidence that the stack is complicated and bug-ridden.
Even for my high-end BT devices, there are still lots of problems. In addition to the problems listed elsewhere in this thread, I particularly have problems with:
* Easy, reliable switching between connected devices. * Reliably connecting when a device is turned on. * Audio delays on the order of 200ms.
I stick with wireless almost exclusively, because I hate the wire, but I switch to wired for gaming because a 200ms audio lag for a real-time game is unplayable. 200ms is obvious even just watching someone speak in a video.
Because Bluetooth sucks. It's a shame it's the industry standard.
Bluetooth support is still spotty on Linux, which to me is continued evidence that the stack is complicated and bug-ridden.
Even for my high-end BT devices, there are still lots of problems. In addition to the problems listed elsewhere in this thread, I particularly have problems with:
* Easy, reliable switching between connected devices. * Reliably connecting when a device is turned on. * Audio delays on the order of 200ms.
I stick with wireless almost exclusively, because I hate the wire, but I switch to wired for gaming because a 200ms audio lag for a real-time game is unplayable. 200ms is obvious even just watching someone speak in a video.
* BT sucks
* BT audio codecs sucks. Why cant everyone agree on e.g .opus, gotta be enough for everyone
* BT audio hardware/software implementation sucks
* BT audio hardware/software implementation totally inconsistent across vendors
* OS support is not really great, system mixer adds some mud to the mix
* Headphone's DAC modules sucks, even $400+ ones - tried some Sony's, same headphones via BT and wire, and wired connection felt so much more alive, despite being connected to crappy builtin phone jack.
* BT headphones much much more expensive while providing much much lower audio quality.
* BT audio codecs sucks. Why cant everyone agree on e.g .opus, gotta be enough for everyone
* BT audio hardware/software implementation sucks
* BT audio hardware/software implementation totally inconsistent across vendors
* OS support is not really great, system mixer adds some mud to the mix
* Headphone's DAC modules sucks, even $400+ ones - tried some Sony's, same headphones via BT and wire, and wired connection felt so much more alive, despite being connected to crappy builtin phone jack.
* BT headphones much much more expensive while providing much much lower audio quality.
I never got the appeal of cordless headphones. A 120$ pair of headphones from the 80s will still work perfectly fine today. A pair of bluetooth headphones will probably die in 3-6 years, either from a dead battery or because the protocols become outdated.
I am used to wearing wired Apple earphones all around with me. I often listen while biking or riding an EUC. I simply must hear the surrounding traffic. These earphones let just enough ambient sound to pass trough yet they have a superior sound quality compare to other "OEM" headphones. Moreover, IMO the mic recordings sound just much better as well compare to earphones when used outside while passing around morning traffic.
At last, I got an ear infection from wearing plugs in the past. Since then any plugs start irritating my left ear very quickly. I basically can not comfortable wear plugs in my ears for more than a few minutes anyway.
At last, I got an ear infection from wearing plugs in the past. Since then any plugs start irritating my left ear very quickly. I basically can not comfortable wear plugs in my ears for more than a few minutes anyway.
The Apple corded EarPod microphone is unfairly good sounding
Amazing how wireless earbuds basically means airpods for almost everyone here, maybe it's a north american thing... I've been using cheap bluetooth earphones (20-30 €) since way before Apple decided to reinvent them, they always sucked, terrible audio, terrible battery, lousy waterproofness... but they get the job done as a sports companion. Having a wire jumping left and right can really get annoying or even dangerous while biking. Cheap chinese ones have a nice rubber thing that sits inside the concha making it way more stable than apple ones that seem so popular these days...
Hmm, $30 Xiaomi wireless Bluetooth earpods have pretty good battery life and very decent audio quality. I don't know about waterproofness, but the low end range of wireless earphones has improved significantly in the last few years.
I meant more battery quality than battery life, they usually include a small supercapacitor that tends to fail abruptly. I've had ones that lasted for years and others failing after a couple of months.
I consider myself somewhat of a sceptic when it comes to a lot of technology. I'm quite surprised at the level of discontent with bluetooth headphones and "buds" in this thread.
I own 1000XM4's and Airpods and absolutely love them. I never have bluetooth drop-outs. My only issues are:
- Multi-device on the Sony's is still a bit shit. Works pretty well on Airpods. A little too well at times (e.g. time on phone interrupts audio from laptop) - The seal of airpods is not great, but this not unique to the airpods. You can supposedly buy custom memory-foam tips but I've not gone down that path yet.
I own 1000XM4's and Airpods and absolutely love them. I never have bluetooth drop-outs. My only issues are:
- Multi-device on the Sony's is still a bit shit. Works pretty well on Airpods. A little too well at times (e.g. time on phone interrupts audio from laptop) - The seal of airpods is not great, but this not unique to the airpods. You can supposedly buy custom memory-foam tips but I've not gone down that path yet.
I'm seriously considering this.
Every other day, on Windows, my Bluetooth headphones decide they prefer the left output to be louder than the right outpout.
And it will randomly fix itself. Truly randomly.
Nothing I try to do, from adjusting auto settings, to disabling the headset mic, to re-installing drivers, to rebooting, to unpairing/repairing, to everything else has any impact on it.
Then it will start working normally, only to stop working a day later.
And it's not the headphones, it's the Bluetooth stack. All headphones I try are either broken or working, depending on the day and whatever mood my Windows Bluetooth stack is in.
Every other day, on Windows, my Bluetooth headphones decide they prefer the left output to be louder than the right outpout.
And it will randomly fix itself. Truly randomly.
Nothing I try to do, from adjusting auto settings, to disabling the headset mic, to re-installing drivers, to rebooting, to unpairing/repairing, to everything else has any impact on it.
Then it will start working normally, only to stop working a day later.
And it's not the headphones, it's the Bluetooth stack. All headphones I try are either broken or working, depending on the day and whatever mood my Windows Bluetooth stack is in.
I have a similar issue intermittently with my wired headphones. Try changing your spatial sound settings (I choose Windows Sonic then turn it off again), it fixes it for me (until next time it messes up)
I have an ancient Sony Ericsson MW600 Bluetooth headphone adapter. It is the size of a pen cap, has a great little display, a a touch-based sliding volume control, can pair to multiple devices (even has an FM radio!) and a headphone jack that works for any headphones I might want to use.
Sadly, these just aren’t made anymore, and the current crop of BT headphone adapters is, comparatively, pure crap where it regards usability and quality. The MW600 feels like an artifact from an ancient higher civilization in comparison.
Anyone know of a decent replacement?
Sadly, these just aren’t made anymore, and the current crop of BT headphone adapters is, comparatively, pure crap where it regards usability and quality. The MW600 feels like an artifact from an ancient higher civilization in comparison.
Anyone know of a decent replacement?
Unexpected? I've been using them, never stopped, never bought Bluetooth headphones. Passively powered peripherals are always superior to actively powered peripherals.
I can't wear earbuds. I've tried a variety and they cause excruciating ear canal and inner ear pain for me within 15 minutes. I have to use around-ear, open-back headphones to not feel like I'm free diving 15ft under water. I particular, Beyer Dynamics DT 990 Pro https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/dt-990-pro.html
The main problem for me with wireless earbuds is: they fall out of my ears. No matter what brand, no matter what shape. I'd love to wear them, but they pop out quickly even if sitting perfectly still.
I've tried over the ear headphones and if you wear glasses, they hurt - they press your earpieces painfully.
Guess I'll have to wait for a combination of bluetooth and skull induction built into glasses...
This trendoid is so caught up with fashion movements and countermovements that they can't see the obvious truth: wired earbuds are cheap, deliver good sound without further compression artifacts or just plain cutting out due to body interference, and do not need their own batteries that need to be charged. Their simplicity also makes them relatively durable. An excellent value proposition for music on the go.
I have some Plantronic connected wireless bluetooth headphones (with the over ear loop) that I wear every day in the gym. I keep my phone in a bag and walk to and fro... zero issues. I'm on my 3rd pair, in about a decade (eventually the batteries die, from charging so regularly).
I also just bought the Nothing Ear, mostly for those occasions where I want to wear wireless with glasses. So far, no issues.
All with my old iPhone XR.
I also just bought the Nothing Ear, mostly for those occasions where I want to wear wireless with glasses. So far, no issues.
All with my old iPhone XR.
99% of the time I use corded headphones, it doesn't matter that they're corded. They are simply better in every respect outside of the cord. I've owned at least 5 pairs of mid-range headphones, I loved my Sony studio monitor headphones so much that I bought a second pair. I also bought some DT 770 pro headphones recently and I am enjoying those quite a lot.
> Since Apple launched the Bluetooth-enabled headphones in 2016, they’ve become an inescapable feature of daily life
Really? I thought bluetooth headphones were a thing way before Apple woke up about it. This "Apple made wireless headphones the feature of daily life" is just bizarre to me.
May be for people who are stuck with Apple, anything that happens outside it doesn't exist.
Really? I thought bluetooth headphones were a thing way before Apple woke up about it. This "Apple made wireless headphones the feature of daily life" is just bizarre to me.
May be for people who are stuck with Apple, anything that happens outside it doesn't exist.
It’s hard to understate how successful apple was with wireless headphones. I opened this thread while standing on the street, and as I look around, _all_ of the headphones I saw were AirPods. The AirPods are by far the most successful headphones ever.
Depends on where you are. May be in your area Apple usage is disproportionally dominating, so you simply don't see anything else.
I don't buy this whole "Apple made it common" thing in general. They just like to present as novelty what existed long before they decided they think their users should start using it. And their users start thinking it's common when Apple decides for them.
I don't buy this whole "Apple made it common" thing in general. They just like to present as novelty what existed long before they decided they think their users should start using it. And their users start thinking it's common when Apple decides for them.
It is pretty interesting how depending on the direction of the headline & article, a certain subset of readers become more expressive in comments, giving a false perception of the popular opinion.
Take this topic, or Apple Touchbar threads... For/Against groups voice their opinions more openly when article matches their opinion.
Where are my contrarions, misfits, non-conformists?
Take this topic, or Apple Touchbar threads... For/Against groups voice their opinions more openly when article matches their opinion.
Where are my contrarions, misfits, non-conformists?
Articles have more (fallacious) authority over noname anonymous on the internet. You’re observing the insecurities that people have about their opinion, nothing new.
Indeed. I'm not really saying one or the other is wrong. My last line was more to poke fun at the situation.
But it is pretty interesting and good to be perceptive of this, when taking in public feedback.
But it is pretty interesting and good to be perceptive of this, when taking in public feedback.
The thing that annoys me about bluetooth headphones is the really loud "Battery Low" notifications, especially on headsets that think that it is a good idea to spam the notification every 5 minutes and mute the audio while giving the notification.
Other than that, I like the mobility that you get with bluetooth headsets.
Other than that, I like the mobility that you get with bluetooth headsets.
I use Beyerdynamic 990 at home and Beyerdynamic 770 in the office. Both with an additional ModMic and FiiO DACs.
At the office I recently got one of the wireless ModMic things with a dongle.
It is nice to safe a cable, but then the battery life time of the mod mic is around 7 hours. So I am glad at home that i simply dont have to think about it.
At the office I recently got one of the wireless ModMic things with a dongle.
It is nice to safe a cable, but then the battery life time of the mod mic is around 7 hours. So I am glad at home that i simply dont have to think about it.
I wish behind head/neck headphones made a return. Seems like they disappeared several years ago, and now only exists as a sports equipment, with neckband connected to earphones, which is not the same. I used to find them much more comfortable than the ones that you put on top of the head.
I have a set of wired Sennheiser 600. These wired headphones has lasted twenty years. Ie wired headphones last long which are better for the environment than wireless with glued non user replaceable batteries. Since wired headphones do not have electronics they do not get obsolete.
I was a little disappointed that by "corded headphones" they meant "corded earbuds"
I must be living under a rock, I wasn't aware that they had gone out (of what, I don't know)
To spare people reading article:
"In short, AirPods have become too widespread to be cool"
This is the same phenomena like the return of vinyl records, there is exactly zero logical reason to use them over CDs or flac compressed files, yet they made a big come back because of being in fashion now.
"In short, AirPods have become too widespread to be cool"
This is the same phenomena like the return of vinyl records, there is exactly zero logical reason to use them over CDs or flac compressed files, yet they made a big come back because of being in fashion now.
I have never had earbuds fall out of my ears. I used to worry that it would happen and it never has.
Remember the iPod commercials from, well, the only time people bought iPods? I'm far from an Apple fanboy, but they were pretty iconic. The music was spot-on, the actors and choreography amazing, and the white silhouette of the headphones sold it perfectly.
Pity most phone manufacturers have got rid of the headphone jack in their recent models.
$15/year at Target for a new set of Sony headphones is well worth putting up with a 3' cord. I don't want pulsed microwaves doing who knows what to my brain, no matter how low power Bluetooth is, thank you very much.
Wireless headphones are just as good as wired. I own both I like both.
It's annoying that since apple removed the jack a lot of people suddenly became very opinionated that wired headphones are somehow less than. Apple isn't a cult.
It's annoying that since apple removed the jack a lot of people suddenly became very opinionated that wired headphones are somehow less than. Apple isn't a cult.
Only if you don't mind the lag. It's fine for music but for video or two way conversations, it's annoying.
Air pods (started the trend) are IMHO also are mostly a status symbol.
Early air pods would arguable sound worse than 30$ Chi-fi IEMs. Yes later sound got better, but even the old ones were selling like hell. It seems also that people don't care that much about sound quality, but prefer convenience. Apple made it less convenient to us corded phones by omitting the head phone jack. I personally think that ATM i do not need a wireless IEM. I use IEMs mostly during sports,and longer travels. There a cheaper IEM is just preferable in my experience,because if it breaks it does not matter and if it gets stolen it also does not matter. Also the cords make it less likely that the IEM fall down and break. I do have a small bluetooth receiver but mostly because it also includes a good microphone.
I have some high end wireless earbuds, and they're useful when I'm doing something physically energetic. But I strongly prefer my wired ones for sound quality and reliability and use those the most often.
I'd be curious about the environmental impact of wireless headphone compared to wired ones.
IMHO it's a question that should be asked for any new tech which provides only a slight improvement (if any) to existing solutions.
IMHO it's a question that should be asked for any new tech which provides only a slight improvement (if any) to existing solutions.
Can anyone recommend a corded set of headphones with a decent microphone?
I currently have the Bose QC35ii, so something like this, with a cord and no bluetooth. Noise cancelling not required, just need something decent for work.
I currently have the Bose QC35ii, so something like this, with a cord and no bluetooth. Noise cancelling not required, just need something decent for work.
Corded headphones are arguably better if your commute involves a bike ride or crowded subway. They also feel more secure when face masks are involved.
Airpods 1 and 2 have long stems, and can fall off when wearing certain accessories like scarves, earmuffs, and face masks (when wearing or removing masks that use ear loops). This is not an issue with Airpods 3 or Airpods Pro which have shorter stems.
Tip for people who find the connection unreliable - I have noticed that having Bluetooth 5.0 on both the source device (iPhone X or later) and the earbuds (Airpods 2 or later) resolved most connection issues. It is miles better than Bluetooth 4.2 in my experience.
My complaint with wired headphones (not all of them, notably not the Lightning EarPods) is that the wire itself creates sounds while it's moving.
Airpods 1 and 2 have long stems, and can fall off when wearing certain accessories like scarves, earmuffs, and face masks (when wearing or removing masks that use ear loops). This is not an issue with Airpods 3 or Airpods Pro which have shorter stems.
Tip for people who find the connection unreliable - I have noticed that having Bluetooth 5.0 on both the source device (iPhone X or later) and the earbuds (Airpods 2 or later) resolved most connection issues. It is miles better than Bluetooth 4.2 in my experience.
My complaint with wired headphones (not all of them, notably not the Lightning EarPods) is that the wire itself creates sounds while it's moving.
Corded headphones are pretty annoying to use with masks; I recently switched to wireless for this reason.
Fair enough. My point was if they do fall out, they just dangle from the cord - they don't fall to the floor like AirPods (which is annoying if they fall into subway tracks, or if they fall onto the road while you're on a bicycle).
Maybe the difference is I use the ones that wrap around your ear, which are more secure.
I saw an airpad drop out of a woman's ear as she passed me crossing the street today. I never switched to wireless. Always had to deal with wires, which can be a little inconvenient but well worth it.
Bluetooth is rubbish in most contexts, but it seems stable in the Apple ecosystem. I use a few Macbooks, an iPhone and two pairs of Beats headphones, and switching between them all seems totally reliable.
Bluetooth headphones are a nightmare when your computer is under heavy load.
I try to avoid things with irreplaceable batteries as much as possible.
I used to feel that way, but then I've got a drawer full of old gear with replaceable batteries that I can't get the batteries for anymore. Would be much more useful if rechargeable lithium batteries were standardized. Also I probably wouldn't really want to use any of these devices even if I could get a battery for them as the technology has moved so much since I originally got them.
A lot of those batteries are probably easy enough to source the cells for. Usually just the adapter is what differs. Larger packs are usually discrete cells at that.
Most of them would be those flat lithium batteries. You can find endless replacements on eBay. Only they are all just as dead as the one you have.
You can buy them directly from any electronics shop. It's not as if your device maker is rolling their own packs.
I would avoid buying sketchy batteries.
I would avoid buying sketchy batteries.
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I loved my AirPods but I’ve gone back to wired headphones.
Why? The batteries lasted less than 18 months and the cost to replace them is more than a new pair. Not even considering again until this is fixed.
Why? The batteries lasted less than 18 months and the cost to replace them is more than a new pair. Not even considering again until this is fixed.
Exactly the same here. My AirPods are worse than useless now because they enticingly work for 5 ~ 20 minutes before instantly dying.
I now use corded earphones because they're consistent and always ready to work.
I now use corded earphones because they're consistent and always ready to work.
To be frank, bluetooth is a crap protocol that introduces latency, missed data, skipped data, random disconnects, and overall flakiness.
Wired has none of those. And is cheaper to boot.
Wired has none of those. And is cheaper to boot.
I was reading this as "corded telephones".
In Helsinki, a few guys turned a brutal concrete block house into a retrofuturistic haven, including corded phones and neon lights.
In Helsinki, a few guys turned a brutal concrete block house into a retrofuturistic haven, including corded phones and neon lights.
I hate bluetooth headphones.
I want high quality audio both input AND output. I need a good mic on the phone- the only way you can get that is with a wired mic.
I want high quality audio both input AND output. I need a good mic on the phone- the only way you can get that is with a wired mic.
The only thing more annoying than having a wire between my ears and my device is having a bad connection between my ears and my device.
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Starting to run into another issue lately - the 2.4ghz spectrum is congested/polluted enough to break bluetooth links
never liked plugging things in my ears unless to wipe out loud noises. I often plug in earphones when mowing the lawn or vacuuming / woodworking. Otherwise I use "bone conducting" headphones to listen to podcasts and audiobooks.
I rarely listen to music this way, I only seem to like music that's played out loud.
I rarely listen to music this way, I only seem to like music that's played out loud.
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Best music is live.
Second best and sometimes a tie is music reproduced on a good system, room filling.
That said, I do enjoy music playing down with good earbuds. Miss feeling the low end, but it can be nice.
Second best and sometimes a tie is music reproduced on a good system, room filling.
That said, I do enjoy music playing down with good earbuds. Miss feeling the low end, but it can be nice.
They never went away. Not the slightest.
All I want is a high end mic+earplugs, high quality, with a strong cord, even if it's very thick.
Airpod battery dies within minutes after 2 years of use.
Never again will I buy them.
Soundquality no that clear as wires. Glitchy, and even brand new ones dimply don't last long enough. Also, the wires function as a parachute sometimes, saving me screen repairs.
The new macbook pro has phantom power, so it can drive my sennheisers.
Soundquality no that clear as wires. Glitchy, and even brand new ones dimply don't last long enough. Also, the wires function as a parachute sometimes, saving me screen repairs.
The new macbook pro has phantom power, so it can drive my sennheisers.
You may want to try out services like this one: https://www.thepodswap.com/products/airpods-battery-replacem...
They never went away. Depending on batteries for headphones is stupid.
Unexpected? This must be an apple ad.
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Summary of thread - you can't keep everyone happy, and for some people there's no such thing as non-replaceable battery or broken cables if they have a soldering iron. The variety of things to complain about is greater with wireless.
Wires (+)
- Connection more reliable
- Sound quality consistent and stable (this is non-negotiable for some who won't buy a phone without an analog jack)
- Buttons on wire are convenient
- No battery worries
- Better audio "resolution", can hear more details (but theoretically wireless should be able to match "Harman target"), no compression
- Can replace cable, earpads if it fails (modular, good value Sennheiser HD25 has easy to replace parts - cable, earpad - and lasts >10 years; some manufacturers do not add 3.5mm TRRS jack)
- Clear which device is connected
- Simple and easy to understand
- Harder to lose
- Can use amp or USB DAC for sound quality
- Supported by decades worth of devices
- Better for environment as less disposable and repairable
- 1/8" RCA stereo jack is "best interface ever" (but ground connects last, plugging in may cause jumbled connections and shorts, and noises - bad with amps and speakers - partial plugging in possible, unbalanced signals; pros prefer XLR or heavy-duty cables such as Speakon, and TS/TRS cables only for patch cables such as guitar to amp; newer equipment uses audio over ethernet / Dante)
- Can convert to bluetooth with an adapter (e.g. fiio ubtr, although has less battery life) or 3d print a converter for flexibility
- Cheaper
Wires (-)
- Default headphone wires are short (but fixable)
- Headphone wire must be removed before taking off a shoulder-strap bag or shirt (can route under shirt or bag, but takes more time to put on or off and may yank wire if looking at phone so need slack in pocket)
- Tethered to source
- Taking off a face mask / shoulder-strap bag or passing a doorknob or exercising may tear headphones out of ears and damage them (need to treat wired headphones as consumable)
- Might tangle e.g. with keys in pocket, or if walking or running and putting things in and out of pocket (folding wire may help although some people thinks it damages wire; better wire materials may help)
- Some wired headphones are earbuds, so might be affected by issues people note for wireless earbuds
- Wires and ports may be fragile (may be able to solder to fix)
- Wires may crackle if not held in the right angle (although most headphones now come with replaceable cables, 2.5mm jack in headphone end)
- Annoying carrying cables
- May have cord noise
Wireless (+)
- Can change shoulder-strap bag or top without taking off headphones
- Portability: listen away from source (e.g. bathroom, up to ~40ft at home)
- Audio is fine in general (Airpods 2nd gen)
- For some (e.g. AirPods 2nd gen) no connection issues and good switching between phone and iPad (but auto-switching is not always wanted such as with an interval timer; sometimes connects to the wrong device)
- Bluetooth problems mostly solved in AirPods and Beats lines)
- Can help with hearing protection (e.g. reducing wind noise, especially on a motorcycle)
- Note that wireless headphones aren't necessarily earbuds (may have wrap-around design, although over-the-ear may hurt for glasses wearers), so some earbud issues are not necessarily linked to wireless; so longer battery life and can plug in if needed (so some people just use earbuds for sport)
- AirPods noise cancellation increases apparent loudness (also have transparency, normal mode; this is not necessarily just for wireless though)
- Not reliant on an analog jack (more device choice, one less part to fail)
- May be "cool" (but too popular so maybe "uncool")
- Convenient when moving around e.g. working out
Wireless (-)
- Don't connect, or only one connects, or randomly disconnect (possibly interference especially in crowded areas but not issue for everyone)
- Connection speed can be slow (varied experiences)
- Might connect to wrong device
- Sounds sometimes glitches out randomly (e.g. by large diesel generator), may have internal noise/audible hiss
- Bluetooth protocol - just drops stale packets, and enough dropped packets disconnects
- Earbuds fall out of some people's ears, so only use in "safe" places such as at home not outside (some people find OK for 5k run, may need better fit, and not necessarily a wireless only problem; more a problem if moving head a lot)
- Gestures and voice inconvenient without buttons as tapping just pushes into ear without registering (but AirPods Pro have buttons on stems and some use Siri/watch/phone instead of gestures; can also use device with wire between earbuds with controls and bluetooth transmitter)
- Batteries are inconvenient as need to be charged and get worse over time (can use one and swap to charge while using; maybe could have replaceable batteries - this is a HN obsession, can just resolder as cheap wholesale; wireless charging and case helps, USB-C headphones help too if used with USB-C computer)
- Latency (~200ms) means not good for pro audio or games or music or video (although some software may compensate e.g. YouTube)
- Bluetooth is not as quick to connect as DECT (e.g. Jabra DECT wireless headset suitable for all-day in call centre)
- Bluetooth is a complicated protocol with error correction and lots of failure points (software, hardware, bluetooth controller, protocol, medium, codecs) and not everything support bluetooth
- Easy to lose (would be good if had a way to wirelessly locate)
- Sometimes computer doesn't connect on bluetooth, especially on Linux and when using with mic or not
- Some models don't connect while charging (but wireless headphones can be temporarily wired)
- Other people may talk to you without realising you are wearing them if you have long hair, or think you're talking to yourself
- Bluetooth has lossy, pyschoacoustic compression (may cut out at low volumes to save battery), codec may be worse when using microphone as well (but not for all models)
- Worse for environment as finite lifetime with Li-ion battery
- Annoying carrying case (but needed for battery life)
- Expensive (but cheap clones may be OK, some say replacing every 3 years is good value for how much they use)
- Microphone can be bad
- May be security/privacy issue
- May be uncomfortable on your side
- Possible ear infections (as prevents ears from naturally clearing)
- Some complain volume not high enough
- May be heavier and bulkier
Speaker (+)
- If you're in the military and headphones will fall off, so just share music with a boombox
Individual models
- Sennheiser PX100 for good quality sound outside not driving as doesn't isolate from surroundings
- Sennheiser HD220s for radio and TV on tablet or phone late at night
- Sennheiser HD485s for music
- Bose QuietComforts (case is annoyingly big, but charges quickly)
- Bose SoundSports have wire between earbuds which clip to collar so hard to lose; also charge fast
- Galaxy Buds+ had bad battery after a year
- AirPods 150 Eur with 90min listening time after 1 year of use, 40 minutes in cold
- AirPod Pros (need to replace if has "crackling"), falls out for some not others, may be better with Apple devices, AirPods Pro take 5 hours to charge
- Nokia BH-503 on-ear bluetooth headphones lasted 10 years (minimal problems except slight pitch changes, OK sound quality but not as good as over-ears, one of first A2DP headsets)
- DT770 have bad non-replaceable cables (although can modify with a miniXLR socket), but may not be updated
- DT 700 Pro X (Beyerdynamics successor to DT770) has replaceable cords
- Shure SE215 in-ear headphones have detachable MMCX cables for 100 Euros
- Wireless Sennheiser (over-ear headphones) great audio (vs. old wired HD25), last 20 hours, plug into USB, headphone jack, bluetooth - mitigates battery issues
- Sony over-ear headphones have few isues
- Sennheiser wireless earbuds don't suck
- Sony WF-1000XM4 can pair multiple devices so don't need to disconnct then reconect e.g. phone and laptop
- Sony WF-1000XM3 "good" wireless headphones but connect to wrong device, low battery life, OK sound quality, bad voice quality on calls, one will turn on but not the other, buttons too sensitive e.g. if wearing hood or rainy/windy days, poor pairing; some people have good experience with this vs. AirPod Pros, but plug in XM3 for lossless music
- Sony WF-1000XM2s similar issues to XM3 but worse
- Sony WF-1000XM (first gen) very reliable with android but nothing else, very bad pairing
- Sony WH-1000X (headphones, not earbuds) - good audio, battery charge once a week, pairing perfect, comfortable all afternoon, but microphone low quality codec
- Bose QC45 has good quality codec even with microphone
- Apple Beats Fit Pro similar to AirPods Pro but has wingtip to keep in ear
- Bose QC15 had replaceable batteries (2009-2015)
- Beyerdynamics studio headphones last 16 years with replaced cords
- Apply corded EarPod microhpone sounds very good
Wires (+)
- Connection more reliable
- Sound quality consistent and stable (this is non-negotiable for some who won't buy a phone without an analog jack)
- Buttons on wire are convenient
- No battery worries
- Better audio "resolution", can hear more details (but theoretically wireless should be able to match "Harman target"), no compression
- Can replace cable, earpads if it fails (modular, good value Sennheiser HD25 has easy to replace parts - cable, earpad - and lasts >10 years; some manufacturers do not add 3.5mm TRRS jack)
- Clear which device is connected
- Simple and easy to understand
- Harder to lose
- Can use amp or USB DAC for sound quality
- Supported by decades worth of devices
- Better for environment as less disposable and repairable
- 1/8" RCA stereo jack is "best interface ever" (but ground connects last, plugging in may cause jumbled connections and shorts, and noises - bad with amps and speakers - partial plugging in possible, unbalanced signals; pros prefer XLR or heavy-duty cables such as Speakon, and TS/TRS cables only for patch cables such as guitar to amp; newer equipment uses audio over ethernet / Dante)
- Can convert to bluetooth with an adapter (e.g. fiio ubtr, although has less battery life) or 3d print a converter for flexibility
- Cheaper
Wires (-)
- Default headphone wires are short (but fixable)
- Headphone wire must be removed before taking off a shoulder-strap bag or shirt (can route under shirt or bag, but takes more time to put on or off and may yank wire if looking at phone so need slack in pocket)
- Tethered to source
- Taking off a face mask / shoulder-strap bag or passing a doorknob or exercising may tear headphones out of ears and damage them (need to treat wired headphones as consumable)
- Might tangle e.g. with keys in pocket, or if walking or running and putting things in and out of pocket (folding wire may help although some people thinks it damages wire; better wire materials may help)
- Some wired headphones are earbuds, so might be affected by issues people note for wireless earbuds
- Wires and ports may be fragile (may be able to solder to fix)
- Wires may crackle if not held in the right angle (although most headphones now come with replaceable cables, 2.5mm jack in headphone end)
- Annoying carrying cables
- May have cord noise
Wireless (+)
- Can change shoulder-strap bag or top without taking off headphones
- Portability: listen away from source (e.g. bathroom, up to ~40ft at home)
- Audio is fine in general (Airpods 2nd gen)
- For some (e.g. AirPods 2nd gen) no connection issues and good switching between phone and iPad (but auto-switching is not always wanted such as with an interval timer; sometimes connects to the wrong device)
- Bluetooth problems mostly solved in AirPods and Beats lines)
- Can help with hearing protection (e.g. reducing wind noise, especially on a motorcycle)
- Note that wireless headphones aren't necessarily earbuds (may have wrap-around design, although over-the-ear may hurt for glasses wearers), so some earbud issues are not necessarily linked to wireless; so longer battery life and can plug in if needed (so some people just use earbuds for sport)
- AirPods noise cancellation increases apparent loudness (also have transparency, normal mode; this is not necessarily just for wireless though)
- Not reliant on an analog jack (more device choice, one less part to fail)
- May be "cool" (but too popular so maybe "uncool")
- Convenient when moving around e.g. working out
Wireless (-)
- Don't connect, or only one connects, or randomly disconnect (possibly interference especially in crowded areas but not issue for everyone)
- Connection speed can be slow (varied experiences)
- Might connect to wrong device
- Sounds sometimes glitches out randomly (e.g. by large diesel generator), may have internal noise/audible hiss
- Bluetooth protocol - just drops stale packets, and enough dropped packets disconnects
- Earbuds fall out of some people's ears, so only use in "safe" places such as at home not outside (some people find OK for 5k run, may need better fit, and not necessarily a wireless only problem; more a problem if moving head a lot)
- Gestures and voice inconvenient without buttons as tapping just pushes into ear without registering (but AirPods Pro have buttons on stems and some use Siri/watch/phone instead of gestures; can also use device with wire between earbuds with controls and bluetooth transmitter)
- Batteries are inconvenient as need to be charged and get worse over time (can use one and swap to charge while using; maybe could have replaceable batteries - this is a HN obsession, can just resolder as cheap wholesale; wireless charging and case helps, USB-C headphones help too if used with USB-C computer)
- Latency (~200ms) means not good for pro audio or games or music or video (although some software may compensate e.g. YouTube)
- Bluetooth is not as quick to connect as DECT (e.g. Jabra DECT wireless headset suitable for all-day in call centre)
- Bluetooth is a complicated protocol with error correction and lots of failure points (software, hardware, bluetooth controller, protocol, medium, codecs) and not everything support bluetooth
- Easy to lose (would be good if had a way to wirelessly locate)
- Sometimes computer doesn't connect on bluetooth, especially on Linux and when using with mic or not
- Some models don't connect while charging (but wireless headphones can be temporarily wired)
- Other people may talk to you without realising you are wearing them if you have long hair, or think you're talking to yourself
- Bluetooth has lossy, pyschoacoustic compression (may cut out at low volumes to save battery), codec may be worse when using microphone as well (but not for all models)
- Worse for environment as finite lifetime with Li-ion battery
- Annoying carrying case (but needed for battery life)
- Expensive (but cheap clones may be OK, some say replacing every 3 years is good value for how much they use)
- Microphone can be bad
- May be security/privacy issue
- May be uncomfortable on your side
- Possible ear infections (as prevents ears from naturally clearing)
- Some complain volume not high enough
- May be heavier and bulkier
Speaker (+)
- If you're in the military and headphones will fall off, so just share music with a boombox
Individual models
- Sennheiser PX100 for good quality sound outside not driving as doesn't isolate from surroundings
- Sennheiser HD220s for radio and TV on tablet or phone late at night
- Sennheiser HD485s for music
- Bose QuietComforts (case is annoyingly big, but charges quickly)
- Bose SoundSports have wire between earbuds which clip to collar so hard to lose; also charge fast
- Galaxy Buds+ had bad battery after a year
- AirPods 150 Eur with 90min listening time after 1 year of use, 40 minutes in cold
- AirPod Pros (need to replace if has "crackling"), falls out for some not others, may be better with Apple devices, AirPods Pro take 5 hours to charge
- Nokia BH-503 on-ear bluetooth headphones lasted 10 years (minimal problems except slight pitch changes, OK sound quality but not as good as over-ears, one of first A2DP headsets)
- DT770 have bad non-replaceable cables (although can modify with a miniXLR socket), but may not be updated
- DT 700 Pro X (Beyerdynamics successor to DT770) has replaceable cords
- Shure SE215 in-ear headphones have detachable MMCX cables for 100 Euros
- Wireless Sennheiser (over-ear headphones) great audio (vs. old wired HD25), last 20 hours, plug into USB, headphone jack, bluetooth - mitigates battery issues
- Sony over-ear headphones have few isues
- Sennheiser wireless earbuds don't suck
- Sony WF-1000XM4 can pair multiple devices so don't need to disconnct then reconect e.g. phone and laptop
- Sony WF-1000XM3 "good" wireless headphones but connect to wrong device, low battery life, OK sound quality, bad voice quality on calls, one will turn on but not the other, buttons too sensitive e.g. if wearing hood or rainy/windy days, poor pairing; some people have good experience with this vs. AirPod Pros, but plug in XM3 for lossless music
- Sony WF-1000XM2s similar issues to XM3 but worse
- Sony WF-1000XM (first gen) very reliable with android but nothing else, very bad pairing
- Sony WH-1000X (headphones, not earbuds) - good audio, battery charge once a week, pairing perfect, comfortable all afternoon, but microphone low quality codec
- Bose QC45 has good quality codec even with microphone
- Apple Beats Fit Pro similar to AirPods Pro but has wingtip to keep in ear
- Bose QC15 had replaceable batteries (2009-2015)
- Beyerdynamics studio headphones last 16 years with replaced cords
- Apply corded EarPod microhpone sounds very good
Wow thank you very much!
Not sure if the article mentions it or not due to paywall, but wireless earphones are still useless for anything which is latency sensitive e.g. music making/playing a virtual instrument, and I would guess some categories of games.
The last product I worked on was a piano learning app where the user’s mobile device generated the sound of the piano, and we had to explain to users that unfortunately they couldn’t use their AirPods/other wireless headphones with the app due to this lag. IIRC it was around 200ms for AirPods, and all the way up to 500ms for other brands, though I may be misremembering.
The last product I worked on was a piano learning app where the user’s mobile device generated the sound of the piano, and we had to explain to users that unfortunately they couldn’t use their AirPods/other wireless headphones with the app due to this lag. IIRC it was around 200ms for AirPods, and all the way up to 500ms for other brands, though I may be misremembering.
One of the biggest problems with Bluetooth for me is the lack of standardization in codecs. Top of the line using codecs that come from very really generation of Bluetooth audio transmission with horrendous latency. There isn't even a cross operating system compatible basic codec that will guarantee audio and video sync within ~50ms round-trip. There's AAC which is Apple preferred but not every android or Windows 10 support. Fallback to SBC. There's Aptx, Aptx hd, aptx ll, Aptx adaptive which has genuinely come far over iterations but no ios support and windows only supports Aptx. 500$ headphones and the best codec is AAC or SBC shouldn't be acceptable to anyone. It's not about being an audiophile. The nicest DAC in the world can't recover data lost from lossy compression. LDAC is Sony's answer but that's a android supported codec and nothing else and the nicest xm4 don't support Aptx.
The interesting thing is that Chinese companies and fiio are releasing cables and products to turn wired headphones wireless. Kz Az 09 is with looking into. I just ordered a Bluetooth cable that comes with the qcc5141 chip for 40$ and decent iems around 80$ and it will sound better than the best Apple or Sony offerings. Bluetooth 5.2 and newest Aptx adaptive and tws and voice, aac, and ldac just from a cable and can be adapted to whatever iem I want.
Fiio just released the UTWS5 for adapting iems and they have the BTR5 you can plug any headset into and those even support high impedance headphones and can be used as a USB dac.
Bluetooth 5.2 also has a new audio codec LC3. [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LC3_(codec)]
All that just to be able to do what regular headphone cables do. There's nothing unexpected about people hanging onto cables. They haven't really been gone, it's weird how a headphone jack is considered a budget feature for phones when cables are the best way to transmit lossless anything.
Cables never left. But the day multiple people can connect to a single Bluetooth source to watch something at the same time, that's when people will care about bluetooth.
In a different world, where hd audio wasn't stuck behind a proprietary codec in the US. There was room fm radio to take the place bluetooth audio has been forced to take.
I personally use an an app to make my headphones wifi capable. Soundwire server listens transmits audio to my android phone 40-50ms latency. I keep wired headphones plugged in at all times. I get the range of wifi. Lossless audio transmission bandwidth is so tiny in the world of wifi, it's a rock solid connection 5 to 6 times further than Bluetooth in residential locations. I once tried it at my university and could leave my laptop at one end of the building and heard it playing in the connected building due to how they set up the network. 802.1x authentication. 400ft away minimum.
I also use viper4android for on device audio equalization on android. PeaceAPO for windows 10.
The interesting thing is that Chinese companies and fiio are releasing cables and products to turn wired headphones wireless. Kz Az 09 is with looking into. I just ordered a Bluetooth cable that comes with the qcc5141 chip for 40$ and decent iems around 80$ and it will sound better than the best Apple or Sony offerings. Bluetooth 5.2 and newest Aptx adaptive and tws and voice, aac, and ldac just from a cable and can be adapted to whatever iem I want.
Fiio just released the UTWS5 for adapting iems and they have the BTR5 you can plug any headset into and those even support high impedance headphones and can be used as a USB dac.
Bluetooth 5.2 also has a new audio codec LC3. [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LC3_(codec)]
All that just to be able to do what regular headphone cables do. There's nothing unexpected about people hanging onto cables. They haven't really been gone, it's weird how a headphone jack is considered a budget feature for phones when cables are the best way to transmit lossless anything.
Cables never left. But the day multiple people can connect to a single Bluetooth source to watch something at the same time, that's when people will care about bluetooth.
In a different world, where hd audio wasn't stuck behind a proprietary codec in the US. There was room fm radio to take the place bluetooth audio has been forced to take.
I personally use an an app to make my headphones wifi capable. Soundwire server listens transmits audio to my android phone 40-50ms latency. I keep wired headphones plugged in at all times. I get the range of wifi. Lossless audio transmission bandwidth is so tiny in the world of wifi, it's a rock solid connection 5 to 6 times further than Bluetooth in residential locations. I once tried it at my university and could leave my laptop at one end of the building and heard it playing in the connected building due to how they set up the network. 802.1x authentication. 400ft away minimum.
I also use viper4android for on device audio equalization on android. PeaceAPO for windows 10.
I just bought a few Samsung OEM Earbuds tuned by AKG. I wanted to stock up because I am not gonna switch for a long while yet, if I ever do.
They are flat out amazing! Beware of knockoffs, rejects and counterfeits however. I blew about $50, until I found a seller with the real deal, new old stock.
5 pair cost me about $25 each all in, including tossing the garbage ones. These things were $100 originally. I scored and am super happy about it.
I have tried a few bluetooth sets. Some are pretty good. If I had to, I could use them, but would be missing my wired ones constantly.
The issues for me and wireless ones are:
-Losing one.
-Then losing the same one again! That would anger me considerably. A family member did it. I fear doing it myself.
-Mic quality might be good, but I have tested the audio others get, and it is kind of lousy, like 5Khz or maybe 8Khz. AM quality. This is all software related, so air understand.
Sometimes it is better. Depends on... and frankly I did not bother past that because my wired ones are always awesome, and remain that way even when in a car window down. Others can hardly tell.
I get compliments on my call audio quality all the time on the wired pair, and they work great on my laptop and phone. Ok, moving on...
-Another charge to manage. Some people have a phone, watch, laptop and or tablet, earbuds... I got fat batteries for my phone and laptop. Can sometimes go a couple days. Can always go a whole, long day on the go. I hate charging management.
-Audio quality incoming to my ears ranges from good to crap. Nothing has been exemplary like the Samsung earbuds are. Seriously, they are great. They are better than my ears. Perfect.
-Pairing. Mostly works. May require voodoo when it does not work. To be fair, most worked great on my Samsung Note phone. I expected worse. Win 10 laptop seems a bit worse.
Audio just is not great. Hard shell design on many models do not acoustically couple to my ears well. Many I have tried do not have the tuning to get rid of resonances, response peaks and the like.
-Requires dongle / Adapter to work with all my gear. This is yet another thing to carry around, and need.
-Cost. (Though frankly, I will pay for good stuff.)
Pros:
-No wires! I really like that, and it is compelling. I totally get why people want it.
-Ambient sounds get through. I generally use one ear on my earbuds for that use case, but using two with how the ambient sounds can work is nice.
Summary:
We are closer! But, when one uses the crap out of earbuds professionally as well as personally, there is no contest. Wired sets, good ones to be clear, just work and they rule!
More people can make good use out of wireless ones than ever before, and that is good.
But, the people who count on performance, need it bulletproof and high quality at all times will struggle.
They are flat out amazing! Beware of knockoffs, rejects and counterfeits however. I blew about $50, until I found a seller with the real deal, new old stock.
5 pair cost me about $25 each all in, including tossing the garbage ones. These things were $100 originally. I scored and am super happy about it.
I have tried a few bluetooth sets. Some are pretty good. If I had to, I could use them, but would be missing my wired ones constantly.
The issues for me and wireless ones are:
-Losing one.
-Then losing the same one again! That would anger me considerably. A family member did it. I fear doing it myself.
-Mic quality might be good, but I have tested the audio others get, and it is kind of lousy, like 5Khz or maybe 8Khz. AM quality. This is all software related, so air understand.
Sometimes it is better. Depends on... and frankly I did not bother past that because my wired ones are always awesome, and remain that way even when in a car window down. Others can hardly tell.
I get compliments on my call audio quality all the time on the wired pair, and they work great on my laptop and phone. Ok, moving on...
-Another charge to manage. Some people have a phone, watch, laptop and or tablet, earbuds... I got fat batteries for my phone and laptop. Can sometimes go a couple days. Can always go a whole, long day on the go. I hate charging management.
-Audio quality incoming to my ears ranges from good to crap. Nothing has been exemplary like the Samsung earbuds are. Seriously, they are great. They are better than my ears. Perfect.
-Pairing. Mostly works. May require voodoo when it does not work. To be fair, most worked great on my Samsung Note phone. I expected worse. Win 10 laptop seems a bit worse.
Audio just is not great. Hard shell design on many models do not acoustically couple to my ears well. Many I have tried do not have the tuning to get rid of resonances, response peaks and the like.
-Requires dongle / Adapter to work with all my gear. This is yet another thing to carry around, and need.
-Cost. (Though frankly, I will pay for good stuff.)
Pros:
-No wires! I really like that, and it is compelling. I totally get why people want it.
-Ambient sounds get through. I generally use one ear on my earbuds for that use case, but using two with how the ambient sounds can work is nice.
Summary:
We are closer! But, when one uses the crap out of earbuds professionally as well as personally, there is no contest. Wired sets, good ones to be clear, just work and they rule!
More people can make good use out of wireless ones than ever before, and that is good.
But, the people who count on performance, need it bulletproof and high quality at all times will struggle.
iDweebs are back!
The thing that baffles me is, with the kind of engineering and manufacturing prowess that Apple has, they could _easily_ make far and away the best earbuds, earphones, and over-ears in the world, bar none. It wouldn't even be difficult - they can just buy Sennheiser with money from between Tim Cook's couch cushions, and then they can redesign their products to both be better and cheaper to manufacture, simultaneously. And yet my 15 year old Sennheisers still _way_ outperform anything wireless at any price. It's not even close. Also, no bluetooth dropouts, no batteries, no compression, no digital correction, no Siri, and no compromises.
Oh hey, I just bought my first pair of corded earphones in basically forever. I don't know everyone else's reasons but here are mine:
1. So-called chi-fi (Chinese Hi Fi) has made huge strides and I was able to get a really great pair of IEMs from a company called TinHiFi for $70. Definitely the best sounding pair of in-ear headphone's I've ever had, and rival some wired regular headphones I've owned in the past as well.
2. Bluetooth is worse than Hitler.
1. So-called chi-fi (Chinese Hi Fi) has made huge strides and I was able to get a really great pair of IEMs from a company called TinHiFi for $70. Definitely the best sounding pair of in-ear headphone's I've ever had, and rival some wired regular headphones I've owned in the past as well.
2. Bluetooth is worse than Hitler.