Are You Missing Jack?

#41

The first problem with wireless headphones is; for wireless headphones to sound good, and work well, they not only need good driver engineering; but also a high quality DAC, amp, and Bluetooth receiver built in, along with a good battery. So the overall cost of good wireless headphones is unavoidably higher than wired equivalents.

The second problem is, that most of them have non-replaceable batteries that only last 2-3 years, especially since you can never use them wired thanks to the lack of a jack.
So instead of high end headphones being a long term investment that could last 10+ years, they become an item that has replacement cycle, much like a smartphone.
And every smartphone company making that extra cost (not to mention waste of material), unavoidable with the removal of the headphone jack; is pretty disappointing to be honest.

#42

I think there are a lot of cases where wired still is simpler and makes more sense, so it will remain out there. Airplane video, laptop, desktop, high end sound systems, anywhere that latency and time sync matters (video applications).

And I have very old (20 years?) wired headphones that work great, havenā€™t had to replace and they havenā€™t failed in any way. I donā€™t have anything that is bluetooth and battery based that still works after more than 5 years. Anything that uses rechargable and non user serviceable batteries is designed to end up in the garbage sooner rather than later.

It isnā€™t a question of going back, just of what provides the most bang for your buck and effectiveness for your application.

#43

Video latency shouldnā€™t be a problem. More and more apps and websites automatically delay the video to account for Bluetooth latency.

On iOS, the YouTube, Hulu, Netflix and prime video apps all automatically do this. This is in addition to all the Apple apps that exist.

#44

I prefer wired, but wireless is very convenient until you donā€™t have any battery

#45

I usually have 2 BT headsets in my bagā€¦ if one goes down, there is second one as back-up

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#46

Same here!

#47

Ha I have two BT headsets each with a battery case, but most of my work requires me on the phone so I still run out sometimes :confused:

#48

Childā€™s play. Right now I keep 3 in my backpack :laughing:

#49

Thanks for putting together a solid article mate!

Iā€™ve felt for a long time that one is sacrificing audio quality when they go wireless, but in all honesty Liberty 2 Pro have been the first true wireless earbuds where Iā€™ve felt there hasnā€™t been a sacrifice made at all in terms of audio for convenience. Of course, working for Soundcore I could be a tad bias :wink:

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#50

Haha yes love this

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#51

Hope there is enough space for a replacement short! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

#52

Itā€™s getting harder and harder to find a flagship experience without the headphone jack though!

What brand did you move to? Do you miss any of the functionality of your old phone?

#53

Iā€™d be interested in a blind test where people have to decide whether theyā€™re listening to wireless or not.

What do you think the results would be?

#54

Iā€™m currently using a Oneplus 5T which is due for replacement. The 7T has dropped the Jack so I suspect that I will go to a Samsung Galaxy s10+ when the time comes. I love wireless for everyday use, but there are times on long days when wired lasts longer!

#55

wired I feel will always be better but I like the benefits that wireless give re ease of use

#56

In cold days, outside those wires may get stiff and not feeling so comfortable.
But on the other hand wired earbuds need less care. NO charging.
And at last. As my old IPODS dont have any bluetooth so I am stuck to those.

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#57

Iā€™m not missing jack but may come in handy when bluetooth headset dies. Otherwise, no issues.

#58

I love the ability to not think about anything beyond ā€œare they in my bagā€ for wired headphones. Every time I get on a plane and didnā€™t have time to think about charging the night before.

#59

@Chiquinho I may have found you a Bluetooth solution, Anker style.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Soundsync-Bluetooth-Connection-Headphones/dp/B07H5C2BQX/ref=asc_df_B07H5C2BQX/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584207577448451&psc=1

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#60

My biggest issue with wired headphones, is that I tend to move a lot. So, I found they were getting caught on stuff such as getting caught on a door, and caught as I move around to do stuff. At home, I had my dogs getting tangled in them if they wanted to come lay with me or having to watch out for them. You had to watch out that you potentially did not hit something to have them pulled out. My last thing is there is no great way to put them up and away nicely (although I seen a couple neat tricks). Most of us usually have them wadded up in our pockets. Heck, I have put Jack to his death (get the pun) several times throughout the years by having them in my pockets when they were washed and dried. So I do keep a pair but have not used them for a while.

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