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Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

wsj.com

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Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#291

Post by lupin_sansei »

Kaibeezy wrote: post #284
makecheck wrote: post #3

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…

> 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 i…

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

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#292

Post by eertami »

nemof wrote: post #245
derefr wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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,…

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…

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.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#293

Post by schmorptron »

alleskleber wrote: post #247
atoav wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#294

Post by eertami »

derefr wrote: post #165
makecheck wrote: post #3

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…

> 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,…

>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.)

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#295

Post by input_sh »

fleaaa wrote: post #287
atoav wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 recordi…

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).

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#296

Post by solarkraft »

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.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#297

Post by eertami »

kevindeasis wrote: post #19

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…

>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.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#298

Post by ksec »

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.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#299

Post by soneca »

ksec wrote: post #298

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 wil…

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?

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#300

Post by hdjjhhvvhga »

ksec wrote: post #298

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 wil…

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.

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