After a few months of wired listening, I’m sold on making old tech new again, but wireless buds still do this one thing better.
Key Takeaways
- Wired headphones are back in fashion and offer quality, convenience, and an everlasting battery life at a cheaper price point.
- Cords can add convenience for durability and awareness in daily life, offer stability, better connection, and avoid concerns about battery life.
- While wireless headphones have some advantages like Bluetooth connectivity and easy switching of devices, the all-rounder advantages of wired headphones are making them a preferred, trendy choice.
There's no doubt about the tight grip that the best wireless headphones have on the audio market right now. They're convenient, easy to use and carry around, so over the last few years they have found their way into almost every pocket.
However, these last few months, the trend seems to be reversing a bit, and wired headphones are back in favor not only among the audiophiles, but for casual listeners and fashion lovers alike. Even market research suggests that the wired headphones segment will likely experience significant growth in the coming years.
For the last few months, I've been one of the people who returned to wired audio full-time, leaving my wireless headphones and earbuds behind.
For the last few months, I've been one of the people who returned to wired audio full-time, leaving my wireless headphones and earbuds behind. The experience has been totally smooth, and I doubt I will be coming back to wireless audio any time soon — except for one use-case.
My new wired setup
A little over two months ago, I pulled the trigger, got myself a nice pair of wired earbuds to complement my wired over-ear headphones, and basically went back to wired life. I do not regret it one bit, and I honestly don't see myself returning to wireless headphones any time soon.
A little over two months ago, I pulled the trigger, got myself a nice pair of wired earbuds to complement my wired over-ear headphones, and basically went back to wired life.
Even without a headphone jack, you have more options than you think
Testing and listening with great wireless options, like the Galaxy Buds 2 and the Marshall Major II over ears, I don't have anything "against" wireless headphones, but going wired was a treat both as a trip down the nostalgia lane, and in the sheer usability of my headphones.
I have a dedicated MP3 player to listen to music nowadays, so I mostly use that as my audio source. However, if you want to go wired, you can also get a pair of USB-C headphones or get yourself a cheap USB-C DAC. Or, if you still have a phone with all the useful ports, including the headphone jack, you can go that route.
As for my new setup, I've switched to the budget-king KZ ZSN Pro X in-ear wired headphones as my mainstay listening tool and Samson SR850 over-ears when I want an escape from pressure build-up.
Feeling like I made a fashion statement
Not only are wired headphones convenient to use, but they also work (mostly) flawlessly, having long overcome the connectivity and quality issues of their infancy. Quality aside, the wired headphone renaissance might be a bit of a head-scratcher, but there are good reasons to stay (literally) attached to the wires.
The first big reason why wired headphones are back in mainstream culture is a fashion-forward answer — they're trendy again. The fashion for retro tech is in full swing, with vinyl and even tape making a comeback. Similarly, wired headphones are also in vogue.
Honestly, I can see why wired headphones are fashionable. Even though I don't really consider myself to be that fashion-forward, walking my pup with these different, one-of-a-kind wired headphones made me feel quite cool. Maybe it was just nostalgia transporting me back to the days of high school or middle school, but it just felt better than the boring wireless buds.
Cords can actually add convenience
Fashion is not the only reason Bluetooth headphones have fallen out of favor. Aside from manufacturers simply removing the headphone jack from smartphones, Bluetooth headphones' biggest selling point is convenience, as you're not constrained by the wires and are able to connect to or quickly switch devices without moving.
Wired headphones present another convenience that wired headphones don't have — most notably — an everlasting battery.
That said, wired headphones present another convenience that wired headphones don't have — most notably — an everlasting battery. If the device that powers them is charged, your wired headphones will last you indefinitely, no need to remember to charge them, and no need to fear running out of juice mid-song when working out or on a long trip.
The price and value advantage if you go wired
Additionally, great-sounding wired headphones are significantly cheaper than wireless options. They just don't need to have as much stuff packed into them and there's no need for a built-in battery, controls, amplifiers and DACs. You just put in a good driver, tune it well, and you can get incredible audio performance for a very reasonable price.
Cheap wireless headphones, however, can compromise on sound, skimp on the latest specs like ANC or multipoint connection, and have short-term batteries. Plus, with wired headphones, I don't risk connecting to the wrong Bluetooth output.
With wired headphones, I don't risk connecting to the wrong Bluetooth output.
Staying wired helped me stay aware
The wire, aside from better sound quality and connection stability because of the lack of reliance on Bluetooth codecs, also comes with some more down-to-earth advantages. When something is happening around me and I need to take an earbud out, I can just gently pull it out and let it nag from my ear without risking losing one bud or fumbling for the charging case.
The same is true for both headphones — if you have a wire under your shirt, they can just hang there for a bit, no need to shuffle with the charging case all the time.
The cord mobility concern after wireless for so long
One area I was concerned about was listening to music when just moving around my apartment. This, I have to mention, is not as convenient with wires hanging from your ears. Cord snagging was the only drawback I immediately faced after the switch, but once I got used to it after a week, I barely noticed and started to adapt my habits around the cord.
Additionally, since I switched, I simply listen to vinyl or my home speakers much more when doing all kinds of stuff, and I honestly welcome the change of sound from the in-ear detail to the roomy soundstage of the speakers. It's not the same, but it's certainly not a worse experience.
Wireless headphones still do this one thing better
To be fair to wireless headphones, they still do have some advantages, depending on the user. They could be better if you constantly switch devices, and they all have Bluetooth. They also don't require any external devices, contrary to some headphones that need beefy amplifiers to drive them.
However, for me, the only real-life difference that I'm seeing is that I miss using headphones when talking on the phone. I don't have a way to connect wired headphones to my smartphone, so for these last few months, I had to go back to the objectively worse way of voice calling — having the phone next to your ear.
Of course, you can buy a USB-C DAC and connect it to a phone, but it's an extra piece of tech to add to your audio set up. Plus, I'd prefer to keep my listening time to the MP3 or PC for now.
Will I be reaching back for wireless? Or sticking to wired?
Honestly, over these few months, I've primarily reached for my wired buds. Come to think of it, I'm not sure about the last time I saw my Galaxy Buds 2 case. Additionally, I also like that with wired headphones, there's less of a pressure to just buy the next thing for better, bigger specs, which has a positive environmental impact.
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Ultimately, I see myself sticking with my wired headphones for the foreseeable future, as the past few months have shown me that wired earbuds deliver great sound quality, versatility, and, ironically, even convenience. While I might opt for a wireless option while on phone calls, for the most part, I see myself adopting old tech for a new, more intentional listening future.
