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Wired headphone sales are exploding

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Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#481
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…

[deleted]

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#482

Lots of good theories here, but none saying "TikTok", which I think is the answer. TikTok is a big reason wired headphones are popular. AirPod microphone quality is spotty and improving the quality is non-deterministic. With wired earpods, people put the mic next to their mouth and get above-average audio quality. Like the article says, wired headphones have also become a fashion statement akin to vinyl culture.

Agree with the fashion. Big clunky headphones can be part of a signature style. No doubt anime and video game characters have had an influence here.

They also project a clear message of “don’t bother me” when worn in public.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#483
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…

> "Too many android phones copied Apple and ditched the venerable audio jack" I understand this is a personal preference, but I never understood the anger some people had over the removal when it's as easy as just using a small USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack converter to use wired headphones.

Can you charge the ohone while listening on the phone?

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#485

Audio engineer originally and a current audio software. In the pro audio, wireless was never a thing with an exception of live shows where you’d might want to be free on stage but avoid stage monitors. Notice that while Apple made everyone ditch the lovely 3.5”, on the MacBook Pros they’ve actually kept it and *improved* it. As this is HN, I’ll focus on technical aspects I didn’t notice in the article. - Active Noise…

What have Apple done to improve the audio jack on MacBook Pro

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#486
post #368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- they last forever . I still have sennheiser hd380 pro cans from 25 years ago that sound great. - cannot overstate lack of lag and simplicity. You plug in and it works, perfectly, every time, forever. - easily switch devices. I use my headphone on my phone, tablet, laptop, Synthesizer, Groovebox etc without a blink. And my phone never stops playing music and connects to our car my wife just started the way bluetooth…

I’ve used many pairs of wired headphones over the years, cheap and expensive, and never had ones with a cable that didn’t eventually fail, unless they mostly stay plugged into a single device. The article prominently highlights mobile usage, in which case wireless headphones easily win on longevity.

I’ve repaired many pairs of wired headphones over the years, as electronic repairs go they’re very simple. The same can’t be said for the wireless ones.

Plus, the more high end ones come with repleceable cables.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#487

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- they last forever . I still have sennheiser hd380 pro cans from 25 years ago that sound great. - cannot overstate lack of lag and simplicity. You plug in and it works, perfectly, every time, forever. - easily switch devices. I use my headphone on my phone, tablet, laptop, Synthesizer, Groovebox etc without a blink. And my phone never stops playing music and connects to our car my wife just started the way bluetooth…

It is worth pointing out that not all parts age equally well. The cushions especially are not that durable and should be considered consumables. Sennheiser provides replacements should you need them. The effect they have on the sound is much bigger than you might think.

I've had to replace the pads on my Sony 7506 cans as well. I was very impressed with the parts that can be replaced on these cans. The packing includes an exploded diagram of the parts.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#488
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…

Here are some lesser known facts about wired headphones that I wish I had known earlier:

- there are TRS (3 rings) and TRRS (4 rings) connectors

- TRRS has integrated mic, also ofen implements playback control via buttons

- Apple headphones volume controls won't work on non-apple devices, because they implement a proprietary protocol based in an ultrasonic chirp authentication chip[1]

- 1more headphones seem to have implemented this auth protocol, but it does not work reliably

- Headphone remotes on apple devices have tap codes (in my opinion a huge benefit), that can be used to

  play/pause (.)
  next chapter / track (..)
  prev(...)
  fast forward (._)
  rewind (.._)
  even navigate menus (_, then + or -)
  
  ---- legend ----
  .=click
  _=hold 
  +-=vol
- The same tap codes are also implemented on hardware buttons (e.g. iPod) - while fast forward and rewind only work for devices iPod Nano 6th or later (iPod Classic 2009 only has next and prev)

- Apples USB-C 3.5 Adapters work with Android and iPhones and all headphones, Android does only implement play/pause and volume

- headphones remotes are fundamentally broken on Android because Google reserves longpress (button hold) for voiceover

- there are also balanced (often 4.4mm) outputs for much higher quality, often used in high res daps from fiio or shanling, etc

1: https://tinymicros.com/wiki/Apple_iPod_Remote_Protocol

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#489
post #354

This trend story about wired headphones is possibly a "submarine" story as Paul Graham calls it[1], like a headline that "Suits make a corporate comeback": "The suit is back," it begins. Trend articles like this are almost always the work of PR firms. Once you know how to read them, it's straightforward to figure out who the client is. With trend stories, PR firms usually line up one or more "experts" to talk about t…

Possibly it's a paid for ad. But the trend is real, at least among Gen Z/Alphas. I recently modded an iPod Mini 2nd gen for my daughter and put Rockbox on it. The thing is amazing, and I am thinking about buying an iPod classic myself. The touch wheel interface is one of my favourite interfaces ever.

First off, you're a kickass parent, that's an awesome thing to do for your daughter. How easy is it to sync with music she wants to listen to? I haven't touched Rockbox in quite a while, but I imagine it's still expecting DRM-free audio files of some sort right? Other than bandcamp I can't think of any good source for finding some beyond ripping audio streams and organizing it yourself.
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