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Wired headphone sales are exploding

bbc.com

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Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#731

Post by throw0101c »

saltcured wrote: post #564
saalweachter wrote: post #449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The killer feature of CD players is shuffling and skipping tracks. Heck, it used to be all the rage to get a three or five CD changer and shuffle the whole thing, comfortable unpredictability, forty or fifty songs you like but never knowing which is next. You could likewise just listen to an album on your phone, in order, but it's too easy to let your distraction kick in and switch it halfway through.

As someone who grew up during the transition, the killer feature of the CD was amazing audio quality and the lack of degradation from every playback. The period where we started finding albums marked "DDD", for fully digital production, was also amazing. It saddens me a little that, in spite of all the technology, actual Hi-Fi listening seems to have become less accessible or prevalent. I'm still not sure how much th…

> It saddens me a little that, in spite of all the technology, actual Hi-Fi listening seems to have become less accessible or prevalent.

I believe that hi-fi is not less accessible or prevalent than in past years/decades, it's just that most people don't care (and never have).

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#732

Post by throw0101c »

saalweachter wrote: post #688
saltcured wrote: post #564

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who grew up during the transition, the killer feature of the CD was amazing audio quality and the lack of degradation from every playback. The period where we started finding albums marked "DDD", for fully digital production, was also amazing. It saddens me a little that, in spite of all the technology, actual Hi-Fi listening seems to have become less accessible or prevalent. I'm still not sure how much th…

I mean, CDs replaced vinyl and cassettes for a lot of reasons, and the shuffle probably wasn't number one on anyone's list. But still, I would be shocked if I listened to any CD straight through more than once, immediately after buying it. Once straight through to hear all the tracks, and then every time after that it'd be skipping around through my favorites or shuffling on repeat until I got tired of it and switche…

> But still, I would be shocked if I listened to any CD straight through more than once, immediately after buying it. Once straight through to hear all the tracks, and then every time after that it'd be skipping around through my favorites or shuffling on repeat until I got tired of it and switched CDs.

I think that a reasonable number of people had audio gear (boomboxes) that could play a CD and record it to tape at the same time (and also record the radio to tape).

I think that for a number of years a lot of folks used mix tapes to listen to their favourite tracks from a CD (or a number of CDs).

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#733

Post by Ferret7446 »

beloch wrote: 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 used to be a stubborn wired only person, but I'm pretty fond of wireless now. All of the problems have improved as to be insignificant (pairing, quality, battery life), and not having to deal with wires is amazing, as my desk is enough of a rats nest as it is, and headphones are especially bad because it locks your head in place (e.g. you can't spin your chair or get up)

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#734

Post by perilunar »

rkagerer wrote: post #723
perilunar wrote: post #714

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can remove the sticky vulcanised coating by rubbing will isopropanol or acetone. It's a bit of work, but beats throwing a working device out.

Yeah but then you're left with a hard plastic surface. Have you ever successfully re-coated?

No, I've just left it smooth. You can buy spray-on rubber paint that would probably work though.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#735

Post by shlant »

otherme123 wrote: post #458
shlant wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> AirPods became popular because they were fashionable and now they’re unfashionable. You don't think a significant number of people use Airpods because they are good value and convenient? I know that's why I got them. The noise cancelling alone is worth it

Airpods didn't invent noise cancelling, Bose has been selling them since 2000. Price/quality has been always on the side of the wired devices. Unless you need wireless, get something wired. Airpod, and similar, are almost always less than 1 meter away from the phone.

> Airpods didn't invent noise cancelling, Bose has been selling them since 2000

I didn't say they did but the Airpods are essentially best in class for this

> Unless you need wireless, get something wired

Them being wireless is a huge part of the "convenience" side of the equation

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#736

Post by anal_reactor »

exitb wrote: post #368
NikolaNovak wrote: post #335

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.

Yes exactly. I went wireless exactly because wires fail very fast.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#737

Post by duskdozer »

ajolly wrote: post #727
duskdozer wrote: post #710

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll put it this way: I also often use earplugs that are rated about as high as they go, and it's still not enough. So adding ANC on top is also helpful for me

What's the best in-ear ANC you found? I usually stick with over the ear and bose still has the best that I've tried compared to Apple or Sony

So far, sony wf1000-xm5, but they're also the most expensive I've tried. (OTOH, not a fan of the bose qc ultra over-ear despite the cost). Earfun airpro 4 were probably second after the sony.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#738

Post by vladvasiliu »

asdff wrote: post #728
vladvasiliu wrote: post #703

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is on the headset side. Some can be tedious to take apart and replace the cable.

Why take it apart? You can just cut it mid line and splice directly to that. Chances are the failure point isn't right on the last bit of the headset end of the cable length.

IME it's either at the plug side, or at the headphone. I've never had a cable go bad in the middle. I think it's the same kind of issue as apple's power connectors: they always go bad next to the connectors.

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#739

Post by xeonmc »

loloquwowndueo wrote: post #330
crote wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> removing the option of using wired headphones I am personally a fan of wired headphones with USB-C connectors. I am only ever going to use it with my phone, laptop, or desktop anyways - and all of they have at least one USB-C port. In theory it could also be the best option for audio quality: if you move the DAC all the way to the headphone itself you minimize the length of the analog chain, which should also reduc…

Got recommendations for good USB-C wired headphones? I don’t find wireless (AirPods) all that convenient, so when they inevitably die of battery illness I’d like a pair that won’t suffer the same fate.

Apple EarPods Type-C

Re: Wired headphone sales are exploding

#740

Post by 7bit »

muddi900 wrote: post #483
MrDresden wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "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?

I don't think I ever charged my phone while listening to music on my wireless in-ears. So that's a non-issue for me
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