Why would someone who reviews tech for a living not be living the wireless life?
Yup, thats right youve reached yet another article lamenting the extinction of the headphone jack.
There even some Bluetooth headphonesI really like!
Sound quality
Im not interested in good enough acoustics.
I want the most awesome, melt-my-face off sound quality I can achieve at a given price point.
For that, I need wired headphones.
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These range from options far cheaper than most Bluetooth cans to four-digit headphones for the most dedicated audiophiles.
Bluetooth headphones rarely go past the $400 mark.
Longevity
Bluetooth headphones are far more subject to rapid obsolescence.
Bluetooth codecs improve, charging standards change, lithium batteries die.
As new Bluetooth headphones add more features, older models seem, well, old.
Wired headphones keep improving too, but chances are your investment will last longer.
Grados SR80 has been going strong since 1994, and Koss PortaPro has been recommended since 1984.
There are numerous others.
That brings me to my next point.
Repairability
By and large, traditional headphones are easier to repair.
If something goes wrong, you probably just need to re-solder a component or replace a faulty driver.
Charging
Its a cliche complaint, but no less true.
Until long-distance wireless charging becomes a thing, you still have to charge your wireless headphones every few days.
Yes, you’re free to argue that its better than having to be tetheredall the time.
you could get most of the benefits of Bluetooth headphones while keeping your options open.
And on some enthusiast earbuds, you could simply replace the cable with a wireless alternative.
Using multiple devices
Surprisingly few Bluetooth headphones allow you to pair to multiple devices at once.
Even then, its usually no more than two devices.
But in the real world, I find myself needing to connect to many devices.
Maybe Im visiting friends or family, and need to use their computer.
Maybe Im testing a new laptop or phone.
Maybe a friend wants to borrow one of my headphones and needs to pair it to their own equipment.
With wired headphones, a cheap $5 splitter lets you share the experience with a friend.
Speaking of…
Latency
Bluetooth headphones introduce latency.
AptX Low Latency tries to solve this issue, but few headphones and even fewer computers support the feature.
Wired headphones have just a 7-millisecond delay.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, I know wireless headphones are the future.
Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, and in some way Bluetooth headphones do!
But wired cans still sound better, are more reliable, are more affordable, and are more versatile.
Wired headphones just work.
