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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

#81

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

NobodyNada wrote: post #59
Eelongate wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Easy to mispolarise I've never given polarization any thought and never had any problems, so I don't buy this being an actually a problem in practice. > not earthed NEMA-1 aren't earthed, but NEMA-1 sockets have been forbidden since the 60s, so that fails the "unchanged" part of coldtea's assertion. NEMA-1 plugs may still be used on Class II double insulated appliances, which is fine. And NEMA-5 does have a ground.…

> I've never worried about it, never been hurt by it, and never heard of anybody being hurt by it. Just as my anecdotal experience: I've shocked myself at least twice because my finger slipped over the contacts while I was trying to plug/unplug something in the dark. I have of course learned my lesson and am much more careful when plugging stuff in, but it's a relatively easy mistake to make if one is tired or not pa…

The US used to use Edison bases for appliance sockets. The current design is an improved safety upgrade from that.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#82

Post by redisman »

bagels wrote: post #67

I'm always amazed that more people aren't bothered by having to constantly charge wireless headphones. Wired ones never run out of battery.

Apples design genius really shows here. The container that you’d immediately lose the buds without charges them

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#83

Post by stemlord »

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 form factor and noise cancelling aspects of the airpod have nothing to do with it being wireless though. Wired phones could have those things too.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#84

Post by joecot »

da39a3ee wrote: post #64
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…

You don't have to accept wires to not have buds. There are 4 options: 1. Wireless buds 2. Wireless non-buds (some sort of wrap-around design to keep them on) 3. Wired buds 4. Wired non-buds I go with (2) personally, but mainly because Apple stopped me using wires. My main problem with bluetooth is that the headphones aren't loud enough (yeah you have to watch the line between loud and damaging but headphones are my o…

Whenever I've done it I've always gone with #2, wireless non buds. I've gotten multiple pairs. While they don't get lost, I have always ended up with two fundamental problems with them

#1 Bluebooth connectivity to computers. If I was just using my phone they were mostly fine, but at a computer it was a constant fight to get them to connect, to work with whatever app I'm using, and especially when I'm switching back and forth between using them for listening to music or using them to video conference. This might also be partly because Linux is my main driver, but having to switch back and forth between high quality audio output for music and two way cell phone quality audio sucks.

#2 Having owned multiple pairs over the years, none of them would connect over Bluetooth while charging. Let me make my wireless headphones temporarily wired.

At this point I use an over the ear headphone with a mic and a USB DAC. I specifically only get phones with a minijack so I could use them with that too.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#85

Post by hammock »

Skunkleton wrote: post #63
PikachuEXE wrote: post #60

One of the issues with wireless buds/headphones for me is the DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter). The DAC is quite critical for final sound quality (responses to different frequencies, amount of noise...). Most wireless use built-in DAC and provide no method for using an external/standalone one. Another obvious issue would be the connection stability which is why I still use 3.5mm on my iPhone 6s (or previously iPhone…

How would you envision using an external DAC with Bluetooth headphones?

Yeah it would have to be connected via wire to the headphones. Lol

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#86

Post by brewdad »

squarefoot wrote: post #26
fastball wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would it be very easy to make the battery user replaceable? I don't even know where they stuck the battery.

The battery is contained in the stick coming down from the AirPod body. They could make them threaded with concentric tracks at the top making contact with springs, so the user could simply unscrew them and swap with fresh ones, so that the parts cost of replacing the battery would be the battery itself plus a piece of plastic, some wire and a small almost empty pcb, surely not the entire device.

I know I would fidget with mine and end up unscrewing them partially leading to erratic behavior and eventually completely leaving me without a power source.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#87

Post by Animats »

glitchc wrote: post #36
coin wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's so bad about them?

Here’s a link explaining why the UK Type G plug is so much better: https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-electrical-plugs-and-socke... Photo of a type G plug (this is an adapter): https://www.rcjaz.ca/jazrider-type-british-3pin-electrical-a...

This is a type G outlet strip.[1] It's huge. 6 outlets in a 19 inch unit.

[1] http://www.internationalconfig.com/icc6.asp?item=60150

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#88

Post by brewdad »

GekkePrutser wrote: post #45
LAC-Tech wrote: post #37

Wired in ear phones are a nightmare. If I use them every day I end up going through about 2 pairs a year. No I am not surgically precise with them, but at the same time I'm not a gorilla - nothing else in my life breaks this much.

True but they cost almost nothing. 5 bucks for a decent pair of Sonys. Though I have to say the Bluetooth ones are also really cheap now. I got a Xiaomi true wireless pair for 15 bucks and they work amazingly well.

This. I used to run daily with a pair of Sony corded earbuds that hooked over my ear. I think they cost me $10 and lasted about a decade before I finally bought a phone without a headphone jack.

They now live in my carry-on bag for use with the inflight entertainment systems.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#89

Post by shmerl »

> Since Apple launched the Bluetooth-enabled headphones in 2016, they’ve become an inescapable feature of daily life

Really? I thought bluetooth headphones were a thing way before Apple woke up about it. This "Apple made wireless headphones the feature of daily life" is just bizarre to me.

May be for people who are stuck with Apple, anything that happens outside it doesn't exist.

Re: Corded headphones are making an unexpected return

#90

Post by saberience »

dharmab wrote: post #52
Ancapistani wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have AirPods or AirPods Pro? I was a fan of the originals, but bought the Pros shortly after they came out. I'm on my second pair now - the first pair came down with the dreaded "crackling" and Apple replaced them. I find that they stay in my ears well enough that I regularly use them when driving my Jeep without doors, even when I'm not listening to music. They provide some level of reduction of the wind nois…

It's pretty common for motorcyclists to wear hearing protection- as little as 18mph of wind can cause permanent damage with extended exposure.

Does a helmet not provide that protection or are you referring to riders who don't wear helmets?
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