Live data from Hacker News

Wired headphone sales are exploding

bbc.com

131–140 of 752 posts

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#131
post #83

This isn't a Vinyl vs CD thing where a clearly inferior technology lives on due mainly to sentimental reasons. There are a number of concrete advantages to wired headphones over bluetooth headphones. - They don't need charging. Charging may seem like a minor inconvenience, and we're used to charging a lot of devices. However, even a minor inconvenience is still an inconvenience. - They're harder to lose. When Apple a…

I agree but stuck with Apple ecosystem. I like the cheap wired lightning headphones they do. The audio quality is acceptable on public transit, they’re cheap enough to lose and the mic is surprisingly good. Weirdly if Apple stopped making these I would jump ship for an Android phone with 3.5mm.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#132
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For wireless headphones I've gone to bone conduction and open-ear. Started with some cheap models from Ali-Express to see how I liked it. I did. Shokz had a black friday deal on Open-Run Pros and those are my goto. Admittedly, they are not as convenient as my Airpods were, but my ears appreciate not being bombarded with noise canceling.

Every headphone that has noise cancelling also gives you the option to turn it off, and also to enable audio pass through.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 at least just allows varying levels of passthrough. You can have noise cancelling or noise cancelling + sound from the outside mike. You cannot have noise-cancelling off for better battery life or to cope with windy conditions

They're awful in several other ways too, which is sad for what should be their flagship model

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#133
post #122
post #66

I wonder what percentage of the people driving this trend have either only had AirPods (they make me dizzy, and I think the sound quality is terrible), Beats (even worse) or no-name $20 bluetooth headsets. I have a nice high-end set of Sennheisers that cost ~ $150, and they're much better than my old wired set (both in-ear, both noise isolating, similar prices). The bluetooth ones win because they eliminate cable noi…

I personally think people who jog with anything more intrusive than earbuds are bonkers.

There's a guy who runs around my neighbourhood with airpods max, I don't understand it, it's a literal brick on your head.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#134
post #83

This isn't a Vinyl vs CD thing where a clearly inferior technology lives on due mainly to sentimental reasons. There are a number of concrete advantages to wired headphones over bluetooth headphones. - They don't need charging. Charging may seem like a minor inconvenience, and we're used to charging a lot of devices. However, even a minor inconvenience is still an inconvenience. - They're harder to lose. When Apple a…

All valid points, but I don’t miss having a tangle of wire in my pocket or that wire failing after a couple of months meaning I have to get a new set of headphones.

I've replaced wires of my main headphone 2 times over 10+ years. 40 dollars for something I use 8 hours a day, not too bad.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#135

The elephant in the room is "chi-fi". There's been a huge growth in small Chinese companies with unusual names making amazingly cheap, yet great-sounding over-ear headphones, IEMs, and earbuds within the past few years, and the vast majority of these are wired.

I’m by no means an audiophile and it had been years since I owned a pair of wired headphones, but I picked up a pair of Linsoul 7HZ x Crinacle Zero:2 (yes that is actually the name) IEMs after seeing some glowing reviews online and I was absolutely blown away by how they sounded despite costing only 240 SEK (around 25 USD). Back in the early 2010s when I was more interested in hi-fi audio you definitely couldn’t get as great sounding IEMs around this price.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#136
post #83

This isn't a Vinyl vs CD thing where a clearly inferior technology lives on due mainly to sentimental reasons. There are a number of concrete advantages to wired headphones over bluetooth headphones. - They don't need charging. Charging may seem like a minor inconvenience, and we're used to charging a lot of devices. However, even a minor inconvenience is still an inconvenience. - They're harder to lose. When Apple a…

I agree but stuck with Apple ecosystem. I like the cheap wired lightning headphones they do. The audio quality is acceptable on public transit, they’re cheap enough to lose and the mic is surprisingly good. Weirdly if Apple stopped making these I would jump ship for an Android phone with 3.5mm.

But you have wired earpods, both lightning and usb-3. I cannot be happier with those for my iphone and ipad, resp.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, same boat. That's why I had kept my pixel 4a for years until is finally kicked the bucket 2 years ago.

> That's why I had kept my pixel 4a for years until is finally kicked the bucket 2 years ago. RIP I'm sure it was a noble device. My Pixel 3a is currently my wireless router for very German reasons. I worry this will kill off the still-decent battery life, as has happened with my OG Pixel. I have since allied myself with what I personally consider the devil of consumer electronics just to stay on this boat.

I recently upgraded my 4a to a 10 two months ago. Besides getting security updates again, it feels like a downgrade in every way that matters to me.

Can't lie flat due to camera bulge. No headphone jack. Fingerprint sensor on the front that screen protectors interfere with. No sim slot. Ai bullshit triggers if i keep my thumb to close to where you touch to switch apps. Ai bullshit also replaces the old power menu, which now requires a combo button press.

Such a let down.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#138
post #104
post #83

This isn't a Vinyl vs CD thing where a clearly inferior technology lives on due mainly to sentimental reasons. There are a number of concrete advantages to wired headphones over bluetooth headphones. - They don't need charging. Charging may seem like a minor inconvenience, and we're used to charging a lot of devices. However, even a minor inconvenience is still an inconvenience. - They're harder to lose. When Apple a…

> With Apple's proclivity for proprietary standards, I'm amazed they (or others) haven't rolled their own wireless audio standard by now. Can you imagine Europe's reaction? They'd fine Apple to the moon -- no innovation allowed unless it interoperates with other products that don't exist yet.

> no innovation allowed unless it interoperates with other products that don't exist yet

Products that don't exist yet... so, future innovation? No innovation allowed unless it incentivises and streamlines further innovation? Count me in!

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#139
Maybe I am just old, but I have absolutely no idea what this passage is about -- why would people be fiddling with Bluetooth on a date and why would it cause them to forget their network?

>"Bluetooth does not work," Kravitz said in a recent interview, and it's not just headphones, but Bluetooth connections in general. "It's ruining important moments. Imagine the amount of times that you're with someone on a date, you're trying to set a vibe, and then you have to forget the network. On a date!"

Post reply on HN