Wired headphone sales are exploding. What's with the Bluetooth backlash?

healsdata

My wired headphones never run out of battery. They also don't drop the connection if my pocket is at the wrong angle from my ears.

Tarsul

here's hoping that someday headphones without pressure (e.g. active/passive noise cancelling) will make a comeback, too. But then again I think there still exist cheap wired ones without such "advanced" technology. As one woman in the article said best: "'I don't like how this feels' and we're all kind of returning to the last place we were comfortable."

hurricanepootis

I bought a pair of IEMs. A while back, the cable broke, and I was able to repair by just buying a new cable. Also, I enjoy not having another device to charge. I recently have been wearing a traditional Casio watch more often instead of my smartwatch.

worldsavior

Wired headphones is the style these days.

bpev

Please let this mean that they'll start bringing back the headphone jacks to phones. usb-c is too unstable, and I prefer not having to deal with charging more devices and with pairing shenanigans when switching devices.

pathartl

It's simple, I can buy some IEMs that sound better, cost less than a third of a barely-even-comparable wireless earbud, and roughly conforms to market standards so I can swap out the cable and tips. And I never have to charge them. I have a pair of Airpod Pros that I use solely for audiobooks and podcasts when I'm doing chores or shopping, but the audio quality is so garbage that's all they're really good for.

nitwit005

Backlash is probably wrong. There was some hype around wireless technology, but that always fades eventually. You can see this in other electronics like "smart" home appliances: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/01/half-of-smart-applia... It seemed cool, people bought it, and then eventually many realized they didn't care about the fancy feature(s).

deckplecksetter

For me, using Bluetooth headphones with my (Samsung) phone is smooth and trouble-free. The experience is miles better than wired headphones, and I would never go back. Meanwhile, connecting to my TV with Bluetooth is an exercise in pure frustration. So it seems to me like the problem isn't Bluetooth, it's shitty implementations of it. And it's not just cheap devices. My TV is a fancy LG OLED. For the price I paid it should handle Bluetooth just fine. It's a real shame. When Bluetooth works, it's awesome, but a lot of people have had their opinions tainted by bad devices.