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I hated it at first but having wireless headphones is awesome. I haven’t missed my wired headphones at all since I got galaxy buds+ with 11hr per use. I tried t

by graphe 3y ago

I hated it at first but having wireless headphones is awesome. I haven’t missed my wired headphones at all since I got galaxy buds+ with 11hr per use. I tried the newer better sounding buds 2, the low battery life is atrocious (4hr). You can always use a BT repeater for headphones too, I went that route at first along with dongles and gave up. I miss it but I moved on, reluctantly.

mulletbum 3y ago
People like to complain, that is why this is still a complaint. There is only one situation where wired is needed: Charging and Listening at the same time. Otherwise, people can still use wired headphones all they want, especially now with USB C headphones. Even charging and listening at the same time can just be done with a splitter. The premise is just a talking point because people want to use AUX. Well I still want to use VGA, doesn't mean they should be putting them on video cards.
- wkat4242 3y ago
  The thing is that Jack headphones are so ubiquitous. When you forget your plugs or the battery is dead you can just grab a wired set for 3 bucks. Forgetting doesn't help with adaptors which aren't really standardized, especially the passive ones. And the active ones are expensive.. My work phone still has a jack plug. I don't use it much but the times I do use it I'm really in need of it because I don't have anything else to use.
- graphe 3y ago
  I often use my Bluetooth headphones when my phone is charging, often in the next room. ;)
- nirvdrum 3y ago
  Off the top of my head, here are some reasons people still want a headphone jack: * Invested in quality audio equipment that they'd like like to continue using without a crappy dongle * Bluetooth dongles don't have the same level of integration that EarPods do, for instance (e.g., button presses don't work the same way) * Lightning or USB-C headphone adapters are easy to lose track of * Lightning or USB-C headphone adapters are awkward sticking out of your phone and risk breaking the port * Dislike the environmental impact of trashing perfectly fine equipment * Dislike like the environmental impact of moving to a model of disposable equipment with non-replaceable batteries * Tired of the inconvenience of dropping wireless ear phones and not being able to find them (e.g., this happens frequently on flights¹) * Weary of dealing with Bluetooth issues (e.g., my AirPod Pros randomly disconnect from my iPhone with regularity and I have to click multiple things to switch from my phone to my work laptop) It's fine if these don't apply to you, but they're a little more substantive than the Luddite hand-wringing you suggest.. And for them the trade-off to get a slightly slimmer phone wasn't worth it. That's not to say there aren't advantages to wireless headphones, but supporting one doesn't mean having to preclude the other. ¹ -- https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/16uuyse/the_amount_of_lost_earbuds_my_boyfriend_found/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/16uuyse/...
  - ozzmotik 3y ago
    another reason, namely the reason that I specifically do not use wireless headphones: due to the nature of wireless communications, real time audio is effectively impossible and as such there is almost always some amount of noticeable latency when performing tasks that rely on real time audio (eg music production). a little of latency is okay sometimes but the amount that wireless devices introduce is typically on the offer of maybe 100-200ms and when you're trying to play a section or some such it makes it damn near impossible to hit a note on the mark you're aiming for.
    - graphe 3y ago
      Your comment is actually probably one of the most relevant ones, I was thinking who cares? You're not producing music on your phone. On long calls, I will have delayed audio or glitches, sometimes from facetime, or the network but because of your comment I tried to use the speaker and it was better. I'll try disconnecting them occasionally thanks to your comment. Thanks!
  - tzs 3y ago
    > Invested in quality audio equipment that they'd like like to continue using without a crappy dongle They likely can get better audio with a dongle. All audio sources on a phone are digital. When you use headphones with a built-in jack the analog outcomes comes via a DAC and amplifier built into the phone. When you use a Lightning or USB-C dongle the DAC and amplifier are in the dongle. If the former case you are forever limited to the quality of the DAC and amplifier built into the phone. In the latter case there are higher end options available.
    - toastal 3y ago
      In 2024, most built-in DACs on a phone costing more than $200 new (so not picking bottom-barrel parts) is going to be of similar quality from a human-perception perspective. If anything a cheap dongle is more likely to have a PoS DAC. And even still, a lot of DACs will suffice for like an audio cast & provide a lot of convenience, but that wouldn’t prevent you from using a dongle DAC for a difference audio setting--even with the dongle’s downsides.
wongarsu 3y ago
The thing is, you were already able to use wireless headphones on phones with a 3.5mm jack. Removing it didn't add new capabilities, it only removed a feature many people liked in a thinly veiled ploy to get everyone to buy Airpods. Sure Airpods are great, but my wired headphones were great too, and in many ways better.
- graphe 3y ago
  We’re having 2 different conversations. I’m talking about adapting to new phones, you’re talking about why headphone jacks are good.
  - bheadmaster 3y ago
    You're not having 2 different conversations, he's raising a perfectly good point. Your argument is "new thing is good". His argument is "new thing existed before old thing was removed, so removing old thing didn't make new thing better".
- The_Colonel 3y ago
  Headphone jack represents an opportunity cost - including it means you can't use the volume for e. g. baterry, camera or simply nothing (making the phone smaller).
  - user_7832 3y ago
    I don't think that's happened in practice. If anything in recent times the smallest phones are getting bigger, and truly small phones (like the iPhone minis) no longer exist.
    - The_Colonel 3y ago
      So you think that the space which was previously occupied by headphone jack is now a hole of empty space within the phone? I don't believe that, either the space is used for something else, or the phone is in some way made smaller.
sandworm101 3y ago
>> having wireless headphones is awesome. I haven’t missed my wired headphones at all since I got galaxy buds+ with 11hr per use. No. Wireless buds are evil. They get lost. They loose battery life over time, usually asymmetrically. And then there is the horror of "pairing" Bluetooth devices without a proper interface, holding buttons down and such. I love my Sony over-ear noise cancelling headphones, but when away from my desk I opt for wired devices every time.
- scarface_74 3y ago
  Horror of pairing? You mean you don’t just open your case, click a button on one of your devices and it’s not automatically paired to all of your devices connected to your login?
  - sandworm101 3y ago
    "automatically paired" = waiting a random 5/10/15 seconds before all three devices agree to talk to each other. Then one of the three gets angry at the other two and I end up listening to music in my left ear as the little girl in my right ear says "pairing" and "disconnected" every few seconds.
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      That’s why I have AirPods (expensive) and Beats Flex (disposable $69). Those aren’t issues I deal with between my iPhone, iPad, Mac, AppleTV and Apple Watch…
  - jayknight 3y ago
    My problems with bluetooth pairing tends to be with bluetooth speakers and cars. Cranking up the car and all of a sudden being on the phone with whoever my wife (in the house) is on a call with is pretty weird.
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      Yeah Thad’s definitely a thing. Reason #3462 I won’t buy a car that doesn’t support CarPlay
htrp 3y ago
> I tried the newer better sounding buds 2, the low battery life is atrocious. Or you could have wired that last as long as your phone battery does.
justsomehnguy 3y ago
It's always amusing to hear 'but now when I was deprived of 3.5 I'm happy with a wireless headphones!'. I used a wireless headphones when some of HN visitors didn't even exists, I have a plenty of experience with them. No, I'm not happy with wireless headphones, partially because my old-style wired headphones works always. Not just 'always, though sometimes I need to re-pair them, or find the charging case for a super-mega-fast-charge for 10 minutes, or find the left one despite I swear I placed them both in the case' but always.
- krisoft 3y ago
  If we are entertaining each others with stories I can tell you about the pains of untangling wired headphones or the fact that all my headphones failed due to a "contact" issue the jack developed. Or the number of times my headphones got yanked because I was walking with them on and the cables got entangled in something. Or how with wired headphones one needs to remove to be able to step away from the computer, while with a wireless one I can keep listening anywhere around my home.
  - justsomehnguy 3y ago
    > about the pains of untangling wired headphones First world problems. Also they still can work, so in a pinch you can just insert them tangled. > all my headphones failed due to a "contact" issue the jack developed If all your headphones are susceptible for this then it looks like the problem is not in the headphones. > Or the number of times my headphones got yanked because I was walking with them on and the cables got entangled in something. Yep, they are wired. > one needs to remove to be able to step away from the computer Yes, they are wired. Are you annoyed what you need to stand up to step away from computer? Wired headphones has some disadvantages compared to wireless ones, but the problem lies again in what Apple said 'fuck you consumers you will eat it and ask for more', consumers ate it and asked for more and idiots followed the suit, too. You know, BT (if we are talking only about phones) headphones are an old thing, 20 years if we count only BT EDR. All^W Most of those years anyone could choose the tech they like more. But now Apple fanbois and you tell me what I need to ditch my wire headphones, because wireless are working better for you. No, it doesn't work better for me. More so, I tried it multiple times and I can surely tell what it's not not just as an opinion, but backed by my actual experience. And I love what I can forget my headphones for a month and they would still work even if I forgot to charge them the last time I used them, lol. NB: the last year I smashed my phone up to the broken screen, first time in my life (Ericsson A1018 doesn't count, it was only a battery cover clip). I smashed it not because it was laying on the table while I stepped away with my headphones already inserted both in the phone and my ears, but because I was quite drunk (or more like drunk AF) and didn't noticed that. Is this a table problem or my phone problem (hey, only 1+ meter high!) or it's my problem? While it wouldn't happen with a wireless ones, the common sense says it's not the headphones' fault.
BriggyDwiggs42 3y ago
My car is from 2013 so its bluetooth doesn’t work, which has caused hours and hours of annoyance over time as the phone dies on long trips or the fragile dongle breaks. I would much prefer to have the option when i purchase the phone rather than having apple’s vague, utterly useless futurism shoved down my throat.

by graphe 3y ago

mulletbum 3y ago

People like to complain, that is why this is still a complaint. There is only one situation where wired is needed: Charging and Listening at the same time. Otherwise, people can still use wired headphones all they want, especially now with USB C headphones. Even charging and listening at the same time can just be done with a splitter. The premise is just a talking point because people want to use AUX. Well I still want to use VGA, doesn't mean they should be putting them on video cards.

wkat4242 3y ago
The thing is that Jack headphones are so ubiquitous. When you forget your plugs or the battery is dead you can just grab a wired set for 3 bucks. Forgetting doesn't help with adaptors which aren't really standardized, especially the passive ones. And the active ones are expensive.. My work phone still has a jack plug. I don't use it much but the times I do use it I'm really in need of it because I don't have anything else to use.
graphe 3y ago
I often use my Bluetooth headphones when my phone is charging, often in the next room. ;)
nirvdrum 3y ago
Off the top of my head, here are some reasons people still want a headphone jack: * Invested in quality audio equipment that they'd like like to continue using without a crappy dongle * Bluetooth dongles don't have the same level of integration that EarPods do, for instance (e.g., button presses don't work the same way) * Lightning or USB-C headphone adapters are easy to lose track of * Lightning or USB-C headphone adapters are awkward sticking out of your phone and risk breaking the port * Dislike the environmental impact of trashing perfectly fine equipment * Dislike like the environmental impact of moving to a model of disposable equipment with non-replaceable batteries * Tired of the inconvenience of dropping wireless ear phones and not being able to find them (e.g., this happens frequently on flights¹) * Weary of dealing with Bluetooth issues (e.g., my AirPod Pros randomly disconnect from my iPhone with regularity and I have to click multiple things to switch from my phone to my work laptop) It's fine if these don't apply to you, but they're a little more substantive than the Luddite hand-wringing you suggest.. And for them the trade-off to get a slightly slimmer phone wasn't worth it. That's not to say there aren't advantages to wireless headphones, but supporting one doesn't mean having to preclude the other. ¹ -- https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/16uuyse/the_amount_of_lost_earbuds_my_boyfriend_found/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/16uuyse/...
- ozzmotik 3y ago
  another reason, namely the reason that I specifically do not use wireless headphones: due to the nature of wireless communications, real time audio is effectively impossible and as such there is almost always some amount of noticeable latency when performing tasks that rely on real time audio (eg music production). a little of latency is okay sometimes but the amount that wireless devices introduce is typically on the offer of maybe 100-200ms and when you're trying to play a section or some such it makes it damn near impossible to hit a note on the mark you're aiming for.
  - graphe 3y ago
    Your comment is actually probably one of the most relevant ones, I was thinking who cares? You're not producing music on your phone. On long calls, I will have delayed audio or glitches, sometimes from facetime, or the network but because of your comment I tried to use the speaker and it was better. I'll try disconnecting them occasionally thanks to your comment. Thanks!
- tzs 3y ago
  > Invested in quality audio equipment that they'd like like to continue using without a crappy dongle They likely can get better audio with a dongle. All audio sources on a phone are digital. When you use headphones with a built-in jack the analog outcomes comes via a DAC and amplifier built into the phone. When you use a Lightning or USB-C dongle the DAC and amplifier are in the dongle. If the former case you are forever limited to the quality of the DAC and amplifier built into the phone. In the latter case there are higher end options available.
  - toastal 3y ago
    In 2024, most built-in DACs on a phone costing more than $200 new (so not picking bottom-barrel parts) is going to be of similar quality from a human-perception perspective. If anything a cheap dongle is more likely to have a PoS DAC. And even still, a lot of DACs will suffice for like an audio cast & provide a lot of convenience, but that wouldn’t prevent you from using a dongle DAC for a difference audio setting--even with the dongle’s downsides.

wongarsu 3y ago

The thing is, you were already able to use wireless headphones on phones with a 3.5mm jack. Removing it didn't add new capabilities, it only removed a feature many people liked in a thinly veiled ploy to get everyone to buy Airpods. Sure Airpods are great, but my wired headphones were great too, and in many ways better.

graphe 3y ago
We’re having 2 different conversations. I’m talking about adapting to new phones, you’re talking about why headphone jacks are good.
- bheadmaster 3y ago
  You're not having 2 different conversations, he's raising a perfectly good point. Your argument is "new thing is good". His argument is "new thing existed before old thing was removed, so removing old thing didn't make new thing better".
The_Colonel 3y ago
Headphone jack represents an opportunity cost - including it means you can't use the volume for e. g. baterry, camera or simply nothing (making the phone smaller).
- user_7832 3y ago
  I don't think that's happened in practice. If anything in recent times the smallest phones are getting bigger, and truly small phones (like the iPhone minis) no longer exist.
  - The_Colonel 3y ago
    So you think that the space which was previously occupied by headphone jack is now a hole of empty space within the phone? I don't believe that, either the space is used for something else, or the phone is in some way made smaller.

sandworm101 3y ago

>> having wireless headphones is awesome. I haven’t missed my wired headphones at all since I got galaxy buds+ with 11hr per use. No. Wireless buds are evil. They get lost. They loose battery life over time, usually asymmetrically. And then there is the horror of "pairing" Bluetooth devices without a proper interface, holding buttons down and such. I love my Sony over-ear noise cancelling headphones, but when away from my desk I opt for wired devices every time.

scarface_74 3y ago
Horror of pairing? You mean you don’t just open your case, click a button on one of your devices and it’s not automatically paired to all of your devices connected to your login?
- sandworm101 3y ago
  "automatically paired" = waiting a random 5/10/15 seconds before all three devices agree to talk to each other. Then one of the three gets angry at the other two and I end up listening to music in my left ear as the little girl in my right ear says "pairing" and "disconnected" every few seconds.
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    That’s why I have AirPods (expensive) and Beats Flex (disposable $69). Those aren’t issues I deal with between my iPhone, iPad, Mac, AppleTV and Apple Watch…
- jayknight 3y ago
  My problems with bluetooth pairing tends to be with bluetooth speakers and cars. Cranking up the car and all of a sudden being on the phone with whoever my wife (in the house) is on a call with is pretty weird.
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    Yeah Thad’s definitely a thing. Reason #3462 I won’t buy a car that doesn’t support CarPlay

htrp 3y ago

> I tried the newer better sounding buds 2, the low battery life is atrocious. Or you could have wired that last as long as your phone battery does.

justsomehnguy 3y ago

It's always amusing to hear 'but now when I was deprived of 3.5 I'm happy with a wireless headphones!'. I used a wireless headphones when some of HN visitors didn't even exists, I have a plenty of experience with them. No, I'm not happy with wireless headphones, partially because my old-style wired headphones works always. Not just 'always, though sometimes I need to re-pair them, or find the charging case for a super-mega-fast-charge for 10 minutes, or find the left one despite I swear I placed them both in the case' but always.

krisoft 3y ago
If we are entertaining each others with stories I can tell you about the pains of untangling wired headphones or the fact that all my headphones failed due to a "contact" issue the jack developed. Or the number of times my headphones got yanked because I was walking with them on and the cables got entangled in something. Or how with wired headphones one needs to remove to be able to step away from the computer, while with a wireless one I can keep listening anywhere around my home.
- justsomehnguy 3y ago
  > about the pains of untangling wired headphones First world problems. Also they still can work, so in a pinch you can just insert them tangled. > all my headphones failed due to a "contact" issue the jack developed If all your headphones are susceptible for this then it looks like the problem is not in the headphones. > Or the number of times my headphones got yanked because I was walking with them on and the cables got entangled in something. Yep, they are wired. > one needs to remove to be able to step away from the computer Yes, they are wired. Are you annoyed what you need to stand up to step away from computer? Wired headphones has some disadvantages compared to wireless ones, but the problem lies again in what Apple said 'fuck you consumers you will eat it and ask for more', consumers ate it and asked for more and idiots followed the suit, too. You know, BT (if we are talking only about phones) headphones are an old thing, 20 years if we count only BT EDR. All^W Most of those years anyone could choose the tech they like more. But now Apple fanbois and you tell me what I need to ditch my wire headphones, because wireless are working better for you. No, it doesn't work better for me. More so, I tried it multiple times and I can surely tell what it's not not just as an opinion, but backed by my actual experience. And I love what I can forget my headphones for a month and they would still work even if I forgot to charge them the last time I used them, lol. NB: the last year I smashed my phone up to the broken screen, first time in my life (Ericsson A1018 doesn't count, it was only a battery cover clip). I smashed it not because it was laying on the table while I stepped away with my headphones already inserted both in the phone and my ears, but because I was quite drunk (or more like drunk AF) and didn't noticed that. Is this a table problem or my phone problem (hey, only 1+ meter high!) or it's my problem? While it wouldn't happen with a wireless ones, the common sense says it's not the headphones' fault.

BriggyDwiggs42 3y ago

My car is from 2013 so its bluetooth doesn’t work, which has caused hours and hours of annoyance over time as the phone dies on long trips or the fragile dongle breaks. I would much prefer to have the option when i purchase the phone rather than having apple’s vague, utterly useless futurism shoved down my throat.