6 ms·

This is why I love wired headphones. Even if I lose them, I can replace them quickly for a lot less than $250 and I never have to worry about syncing or batteri

This is why I love wired headphones. Even if I lose them, I can replace them quickly for a lot less than $250 and I never have to worry about syncing or batteries or disconnecting or any of the other problems that routinely plague bluetooth devices.

jb1991 3y ago
There are pros and cons, sure. But AirPods are actually very nice.
- wannacboatmovie 3y ago
  "I dropped my wired headphones into a sewer" is likely not a very common occurrence. In fact they have a built-in anti-sewer lanyard... Unlike AirPods which fall out of your ears continually.
  - dzhiurgis 3y ago
    Wired headphones used to drop much more frequently for me - cables get snagged and headphones yeeted. Cables used to last much less than wireless.
    - kibibu 3y ago
      I snagged my wired headphones and ripped my phone out of my hand, which then detached and hit the concrete. That said, I use wireless over-ears which are also very unlikely to fall in a sewer unless you live somewhere with open sewers
    - dredmorbius 3y ago
      And replacing wired headphones will run you ... what fraction of Airpods' cost? If you're not especially partial to quality, $5 to $25 will get a replacement set. Roughly 10% of the cost of Apple's kit.
  - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
    You can easily buy lanyards for your airpods pro.
    - wannacboatmovie 3y ago
      I'm glad there exists an accessory for purchase that turns your $250 wireless earbuds into $19 wired ones.
      - deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
      - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
        My comment was meant sarcastically even though such accessories exist.
      - jb1991 3y ago
        There is a lot more to the AirPods than the fact they are wireless. They sound great, good noise cancellation, and very comfortable to wear for long periods. I am amazed how short-sighted many of the comments here are. You cannot find a cheap wired headphones with anything close to the overall comfort and quality of Air Pods.
        bigstrat2003 3y ago
        Well, when one product costs 10x as much as the other does, I would expect it to be a nicer product. But for me, it is not even possible for a product to be so much better as to justify that price increase. Headphones have exactly one use case for me: listening to music (or playing a game on a handheld device) when in public, so as not to disturb others. So we're talking 1h max of quick and dirty use. All the features you mentioned don't actually add any utility for my usage.
        kibibu 3y ago
        The KZ ZSNs are on par for audio quality
        3y ago
  - jb1991 3y ago
    I've had my AirPods Pro for 3 years and they have never once fallen out of my ears, but I don't wear them while biking or running or anything like that. But like I said, they are very nice. I've had probably 100 headphones over the years and these are the ones I enjoy the most. They are indeed a nice product.
  - esskay 3y ago
    > Unlike AirPods which fall out of your ears continually. If you genuinely have that problem you're doing something very wrong with your Airpods when many of its users are able to do long walks and runs without them ever budging. I wear mine to the gym, on hikes, long runs etc - I can confidently say I have never, ever had them fall out in 3 years of ownership.
    - cfn 3y ago
      That is a bit too harsh, his ears may not be the right size or shape. I have had a lot of problems with AirPod like headphones and had to try several models before I found ones that don't fall off.
      - kaba0 3y ago
        Maybe you are talking about different things? The normal AirPod has a fixed shape - it either fits your ear canal or it doesn’t. You definitely should try it out before buying it. The AirPods Pro has changeable sizes, so it really shouldn’t fall off anyone’s ear.
        wannacboatmovie 3y ago
        But it does. So maybe it isn't a perfect product.
        cfn 3y ago
        I haven't tried the AirPods yet and the shops around here (remote Atlantic islands) don't have an unboxed pair for me to try. From my experience the Pro models would work fine but the other models will probably fall when I am doing work in the woodshop or doing yard work. I have maybe three or four in ear headphones lying around that didn't fit the bill. For some people, that type of headphones don't fit.
        Zanfa 3y ago
        Couldn't get my AirPod Pros to stay in with any of the tips I could find. Tried silicone, foam, all shapes and sizes, different amounts of pressure and depth in ear, but nothing worked. They'd just slowly creep out and eventually drop out, especially if I spoke. Regular 2nd gen AirPods are like glued in though, I could headbang or do handstands and they wouldn't go anywhere. Go figure...
- raverbashing 3y ago
  Not everybody stands in-ear headphones for long periods of time (the other ones are much easier to handle for me). Maybe this was an issue only with Airpods 1 but still, earbud types or over-ear are more comfortable
drstewart 3y ago
are you under the mistaken impression that the cheapest pair of wireless earbuds is $250?
- autoexec 3y ago
  Well, I did honestly think that was what a pair of airpods cost. Apple isn't known for being cheap. Apple's website says they want $170 for "AirPods (3rd generation) with Lightning Charging Case" though so I don't know what you have to buy to pay $250 for pair when you already have a charger! I also assumed that non-airpods were not an option because most people who have airpods only have them "because apple". I mean, airpods aren't known for being the best when it comes to sound quality compared to other bluetooth options. Even Macworld thinks beats sound better (https://www.macworld.com/article/550796/beats-fit-pro-review.html https://www.macworld.com/article/550796/beats-fit-pro-review...). Beats as in "Beats by Dr. Dre" which are also well known for being expensive and stylish while under-delivering in terms of quality. I'm not even an audiophile, but I've seen it said over and over again that you can get more for your money if you're willing to avoid overpriced status symbol brands.
  - ycombinete 3y ago
    That's a small irony given that Apple owns Beats as well.
  - vxNsr 3y ago
    You can currently purchase 3rd gen apple AirPods for less than $100 on Amazon
    - FireBeyond 3y ago
      Sounds entirely legitimate. Actually I looked closer, and I cannot see any such thing. In fact, even refurbished 2nd generation AirPods are $93: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-AirPods-Charging-Case-Renewed/dp/B07SKLLYTW/ https://www.amazon.com/Apple-AirPods-Charging-Case-Renewed/d...
      - 3y ago
dguest 3y ago
They do indeed have a lot of nice features: - Intuitive pairing interface - Built in lanyards - Excellent bass response - Standard connection protocol - Infinite battery life - Unbreakable encryption Wires can be great. Unfortunately it seems like high quality wired ear buds are getting harder to find: a lot of distributors seem to have swapped them out for the wireless version of the same product.
- theK 3y ago
  > Unbreakable encryption All wired earphones I have ever used had a line connect which is analog and completely unencrypted. What wired earphones have you had that where encrypted?
  - stavros 3y ago
    The advantage here is that you need a physical connection to decrypt the content.
    - rpigab 3y ago
      Not if you have a good microphone and the sound is loud
      - stavros 3y ago
        That's not a failure of the protocol but of the user. It's like saying PGP for email can be broken if you have a telescope to look at the user's screen.
        tmpX7dMeXU 3y ago
        [dead]
    - infinityio 3y ago
      I wonder if there are attacks based on RF emissions along a cable to get the sound
stavros 3y ago
I bought wireless headphones (for $20!) because I got tired of getting tangled up in the cable and yanking the headphones (or my phone) away when cycling, and never looked back.
- bonton89 3y ago
  Definitely the killer feature of wireless headphones I'd say. Although I bet if you used some kind of easy break magnetic connection like Apple used to have on macbooks you could get a lot of the same utility back with wired.
  - vel0city 3y ago
    Not really, because I'd still have to have a wire flopping around and when it does get snagged I lose my audio. Its still not as good as just not having a wire at all. I can pair my headphones to my laptop, start playing something, and then walk all around my house without any interruptions. I can't do that with wired headphones, I'd have to carry something around with me everywhere I go. I can walk around the room without issue. I can quickly get up and go make some food in the kitchen without interruption. I can answer the door and sign for a package. All kinds of things that don't require me to then change to a different device, restart some stream there, etc. Its just freedom to get up and move.
littlecranky67 3y ago
Best of both worlds: I got a Fiio BTR 5 [0] and now headphones become "wireless" when I want. Plus, use them as HQ DAC on your laptop or phone in non-wireless mode. [0]: https://www.fiio.com/btr5 https://www.fiio.com/btr5
- mackrevinack 3y ago
  i have one of these and the smaller btr3 as well. i really love that you can use them while theyre recharging as well
edude03 3y ago
Not sure why the price is relevant here, I use wired headphones and they’re (moondrop variations) about 500 USD. They’re also less convenient since I “need” an external dongle to drive them and a lightning to usb adapter. Basically there are trade offs both ways
earthboundkid 3y ago
My rule is use wireless headphones for phones and wired headphones everywhere else. For a phone, the phone is in your pocket a lot, and having a wire from your pocket to your head is a pain, and you have to untangle it and whatnot. For a laptop or desktop, the computer is open in front of you. The pairing and unpairing process to turn wireless headphones on and off is 5000x less convenient than just plugging headphones in. You don't need batteries for wired headphones and they never accidentally are connected or disconnected at the wrong time. The physical difference of the two scenarios makes a big difference. Also maybe someday they will make a Bluetooth software stack that doesn't suck, but it hasn't happened yet.
taskforcegemini 3y ago
> This is why I love wired headphones. Even if I lose them, I can replace them quickly for a lot less than $250 and I never have to worry about syncing or batteries or disconnecting or any of the other problems that routinely plague bluetooth devices. I switched to bluetooth because I always broke my wires. however, I still manage to break wires in the bluetooth headphones (and I don't like the earpod type)
jonwest 3y ago
This plus a Qudelix5K is my headphones endgame at this point. I can’t stand TWS earbuds for many reasons, but having the ability to apply DSP tuning to whatever headphones I plug in, and still have “wireless” freedom has been great.

jb1991 3y ago

There are pros and cons, sure. But AirPods are actually very nice.

wannacboatmovie 3y ago
"I dropped my wired headphones into a sewer" is likely not a very common occurrence. In fact they have a built-in anti-sewer lanyard... Unlike AirPods which fall out of your ears continually.
- dzhiurgis 3y ago
  Wired headphones used to drop much more frequently for me - cables get snagged and headphones yeeted. Cables used to last much less than wireless.
  - kibibu 3y ago
    I snagged my wired headphones and ripped my phone out of my hand, which then detached and hit the concrete. That said, I use wireless over-ears which are also very unlikely to fall in a sewer unless you live somewhere with open sewers
  - dredmorbius 3y ago
    And replacing wired headphones will run you ... what fraction of Airpods' cost? If you're not especially partial to quality, $5 to $25 will get a replacement set. Roughly 10% of the cost of Apple's kit.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  You can easily buy lanyards for your airpods pro.
  - wannacboatmovie 3y ago
    I'm glad there exists an accessory for purchase that turns your $250 wireless earbuds into $19 wired ones.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
      My comment was meant sarcastically even though such accessories exist.
    - jb1991 3y ago
      There is a lot more to the AirPods than the fact they are wireless. They sound great, good noise cancellation, and very comfortable to wear for long periods. I am amazed how short-sighted many of the comments here are. You cannot find a cheap wired headphones with anything close to the overall comfort and quality of Air Pods.
      - bigstrat2003 3y ago
        Well, when one product costs 10x as much as the other does, I would expect it to be a nicer product. But for me, it is not even possible for a product to be so much better as to justify that price increase. Headphones have exactly one use case for me: listening to music (or playing a game on a handheld device) when in public, so as not to disturb others. So we're talking 1h max of quick and dirty use. All the features you mentioned don't actually add any utility for my usage.
      - kibibu 3y ago
        The KZ ZSNs are on par for audio quality
      - 3y ago
- jb1991 3y ago
  I've had my AirPods Pro for 3 years and they have never once fallen out of my ears, but I don't wear them while biking or running or anything like that. But like I said, they are very nice. I've had probably 100 headphones over the years and these are the ones I enjoy the most. They are indeed a nice product.
- esskay 3y ago
  > Unlike AirPods which fall out of your ears continually. If you genuinely have that problem you're doing something very wrong with your Airpods when many of its users are able to do long walks and runs without them ever budging. I wear mine to the gym, on hikes, long runs etc - I can confidently say I have never, ever had them fall out in 3 years of ownership.
  - cfn 3y ago
    That is a bit too harsh, his ears may not be the right size or shape. I have had a lot of problems with AirPod like headphones and had to try several models before I found ones that don't fall off.
    - kaba0 3y ago
      Maybe you are talking about different things? The normal AirPod has a fixed shape - it either fits your ear canal or it doesn’t. You definitely should try it out before buying it. The AirPods Pro has changeable sizes, so it really shouldn’t fall off anyone’s ear.
      - wannacboatmovie 3y ago
        But it does. So maybe it isn't a perfect product.
      - cfn 3y ago
        I haven't tried the AirPods yet and the shops around here (remote Atlantic islands) don't have an unboxed pair for me to try. From my experience the Pro models would work fine but the other models will probably fall when I am doing work in the woodshop or doing yard work. I have maybe three or four in ear headphones lying around that didn't fit the bill. For some people, that type of headphones don't fit.
      - Zanfa 3y ago
        Couldn't get my AirPod Pros to stay in with any of the tips I could find. Tried silicone, foam, all shapes and sizes, different amounts of pressure and depth in ear, but nothing worked. They'd just slowly creep out and eventually drop out, especially if I spoke. Regular 2nd gen AirPods are like glued in though, I could headbang or do handstands and they wouldn't go anywhere. Go figure...
raverbashing 3y ago
Not everybody stands in-ear headphones for long periods of time (the other ones are much easier to handle for me). Maybe this was an issue only with Airpods 1 but still, earbud types or over-ear are more comfortable

drstewart 3y ago

are you under the mistaken impression that the cheapest pair of wireless earbuds is $250?

autoexec 3y ago
Well, I did honestly think that was what a pair of airpods cost. Apple isn't known for being cheap. Apple's website says they want $170 for "AirPods (3rd generation) with Lightning Charging Case" though so I don't know what you have to buy to pay $250 for pair when you already have a charger! I also assumed that non-airpods were not an option because most people who have airpods only have them "because apple". I mean, airpods aren't known for being the best when it comes to sound quality compared to other bluetooth options. Even Macworld thinks beats sound better (https://www.macworld.com/article/550796/beats-fit-pro-review.html https://www.macworld.com/article/550796/beats-fit-pro-review...). Beats as in "Beats by Dr. Dre" which are also well known for being expensive and stylish while under-delivering in terms of quality. I'm not even an audiophile, but I've seen it said over and over again that you can get more for your money if you're willing to avoid overpriced status symbol brands.
- ycombinete 3y ago
  That's a small irony given that Apple owns Beats as well.
- vxNsr 3y ago
  You can currently purchase 3rd gen apple AirPods for less than $100 on Amazon
  - FireBeyond 3y ago
    Sounds entirely legitimate. Actually I looked closer, and I cannot see any such thing. In fact, even refurbished 2nd generation AirPods are $93: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-AirPods-Charging-Case-Renewed/dp/B07SKLLYTW/ https://www.amazon.com/Apple-AirPods-Charging-Case-Renewed/d...
    - 3y ago

dguest 3y ago

They do indeed have a lot of nice features: - Intuitive pairing interface - Built in lanyards - Excellent bass response - Standard connection protocol - Infinite battery life - Unbreakable encryption Wires can be great. Unfortunately it seems like high quality wired ear buds are getting harder to find: a lot of distributors seem to have swapped them out for the wireless version of the same product.

theK 3y ago
> Unbreakable encryption All wired earphones I have ever used had a line connect which is analog and completely unencrypted. What wired earphones have you had that where encrypted?
- stavros 3y ago
  The advantage here is that you need a physical connection to decrypt the content.
  - rpigab 3y ago
    Not if you have a good microphone and the sound is loud
    - stavros 3y ago
      That's not a failure of the protocol but of the user. It's like saying PGP for email can be broken if you have a telescope to look at the user's screen.
      - tmpX7dMeXU 3y ago
        [dead]
  - infinityio 3y ago
    I wonder if there are attacks based on RF emissions along a cable to get the sound

stavros 3y ago

I bought wireless headphones (for $20!) because I got tired of getting tangled up in the cable and yanking the headphones (or my phone) away when cycling, and never looked back.

bonton89 3y ago
Definitely the killer feature of wireless headphones I'd say. Although I bet if you used some kind of easy break magnetic connection like Apple used to have on macbooks you could get a lot of the same utility back with wired.
- vel0city 3y ago
  Not really, because I'd still have to have a wire flopping around and when it does get snagged I lose my audio. Its still not as good as just not having a wire at all. I can pair my headphones to my laptop, start playing something, and then walk all around my house without any interruptions. I can't do that with wired headphones, I'd have to carry something around with me everywhere I go. I can walk around the room without issue. I can quickly get up and go make some food in the kitchen without interruption. I can answer the door and sign for a package. All kinds of things that don't require me to then change to a different device, restart some stream there, etc. Its just freedom to get up and move.

littlecranky67 3y ago

Best of both worlds: I got a Fiio BTR 5 [0] and now headphones become "wireless" when I want. Plus, use them as HQ DAC on your laptop or phone in non-wireless mode. [0]: https://www.fiio.com/btr5 https://www.fiio.com/btr5

mackrevinack 3y ago
i have one of these and the smaller btr3 as well. i really love that you can use them while theyre recharging as well

edude03 3y ago

Not sure why the price is relevant here, I use wired headphones and they’re (moondrop variations) about 500 USD. They’re also less convenient since I “need” an external dongle to drive them and a lightning to usb adapter. Basically there are trade offs both ways

earthboundkid 3y ago

My rule is use wireless headphones for phones and wired headphones everywhere else. For a phone, the phone is in your pocket a lot, and having a wire from your pocket to your head is a pain, and you have to untangle it and whatnot. For a laptop or desktop, the computer is open in front of you. The pairing and unpairing process to turn wireless headphones on and off is 5000x less convenient than just plugging headphones in. You don't need batteries for wired headphones and they never accidentally are connected or disconnected at the wrong time. The physical difference of the two scenarios makes a big difference. Also maybe someday they will make a Bluetooth software stack that doesn't suck, but it hasn't happened yet.

taskforcegemini 3y ago

> This is why I love wired headphones. Even if I lose them, I can replace them quickly for a lot less than $250 and I never have to worry about syncing or batteries or disconnecting or any of the other problems that routinely plague bluetooth devices. I switched to bluetooth because I always broke my wires. however, I still manage to break wires in the bluetooth headphones (and I don't like the earpod type)

jonwest 3y ago

This plus a Qudelix5K is my headphones endgame at this point. I can’t stand TWS earbuds for many reasons, but having the ability to apply DSP tuning to whatever headphones I plug in, and still have “wireless” freedom has been great.