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Wired headphone sales are exploding

bbc.com

31–40 of 752 posts

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#31
post #4

here's hoping that someday headphones without pressure (e.g. active/passive noise cancelling) will make a comeback, too. But then again I think there still exist cheap wired ones without such "advanced" technology. As one woman in the article said best: "'I don't like how this feels' and we're all kind of returning to the last place we were comfortable."

I avoid noise cancelling as well; I find that it very rapidly gives me a headache. I prefer a nice set of headphones that physically block outside sound.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#32

For me, using Bluetooth headphones with my (Samsung) phone is smooth and trouble-free. The experience is miles better than wired headphones, and I would never go back. Meanwhile, connecting to my TV with Bluetooth is an exercise in pure frustration. So it seems to me like the problem isn't Bluetooth, it's shitty implementations of it. And it's not just cheap devices. My TV is a fancy LG OLED. For the price I paid it…

It's super inconsistent across devices and implementations. I've had so many issues with it over the years.

I've had headphones where a slight change in the environment around me while walking would disconnect audio. Or IEMs not syncing properly the L and R channels.

Even in the best of cases using headphones with multiple devices is just terrible. Also syncing audio to picture rarely works as it should.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#33

While using wired headphones, my spouse's car never steals my audio when it starts or pulls into the driveway. Also, I can join a meeting seconds before it starts without spending a few minutes scrambling to verify that my BT headset will allow me to hear/be heard.

A good bluetooth experience requires that both the headset and the audio source device implement bluetooth well, which is hard. That said, I have zero problems with my AirPods Pro pairing with my Mac or iPhone ever, it's pretty nice.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#34
I like my EarPods, except that the wires keep tangling up. T for that I want to try those zipper hacks

They have a good mic and fit properly.

AirPods, nope nope nope. I could throw them away after one year and the multi device “dream” s was a nightmare.

I still have my HD580, but I don’t want to have the big cups on anymore

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#36
post #10

Please let this mean that they'll start bringing back the headphone jacks to phones. usb-c is too unstable, and I prefer not having to deal with charging more devices and with pairing shenanigans when switching devices.

Please, it's the one thing I miss on my Pixel 10

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#37

For me, using Bluetooth headphones with my (Samsung) phone is smooth and trouble-free. The experience is miles better than wired headphones, and I would never go back. Meanwhile, connecting to my TV with Bluetooth is an exercise in pure frustration. So it seems to me like the problem isn't Bluetooth, it's shitty implementations of it. And it's not just cheap devices. My TV is a fancy LG OLED. For the price I paid it…

Yeah, I'm reading these comments and I would have agreed 10 years ago, but I'm regularly using three different pairs of wireless headphones plus a Bluetooth speaker and have literally zero issues. My Bose headphones are usually even paired with two phones.

Yeah, charging is a bit annoying, but the added comfort is worth it to me and I can't tell that the audio quality is any different.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#38
post #18
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> usb-c is too unstable Would you share more? I've never had an issue with a USB-C cable. Helps to buy well constructed ones with legit specs.

I'm talking about this specific context, rather than in general. I find that for usb-c earphones and small dongles/dacs, they disconnect more when I'm walking around with phone in pocket. They also tend to wear down with use much faster than normal aux cables. Usually, they last a few months for me before I start having issues. And when usb-c phones disconnect just a little, usually the phone will pause the music com…

That problem might be considered a software problem, not a hardware or physical problem. The instant pausing of the music is the real problem. Software developers probably don't move around as much as you do, and I'd bet if they did, this problem would be fixed quickly with a simple timeout setting or something.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#39

I never got on board with wireless headphones. * Having to charge them is a PITA * Having to pair them is a PITA * Having more points of failure is a PITA * Paying more is a PITA On the other hand: * Wires are fine

Counterpoint: wires really suck and are not fine. AirPods Pro are great, I can afford them and they improve my quality of like quite a bit.

Different strokes I guess.

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