When wireless headphones started to become popular, mostly due to the introduction of AirPods back in 2016, wired headphones became less and less common. The convenience of cableless and easily-charged wireless headphones was just too good, so wired models naturally became a not-so-common purchase.
But if you’re somebody that cares about sound quality, or doesn’t really mind having cables running from your phone (or music-listening device) to your ears, you should probably consider getting a wired pair.
If you’re on the fence, we’ve pulled together some reasons why you should consider wired headphones over wireless.
What are the advantages of wired headphones?
Wired headphones typically offer better sound quality than their wireless counterparts, as they’re able to deliver sound over cables instead of over a wireless signal like Bluetooth. Because of this, wired headphones can provide greater sound depth and quality. Audio can be delivered in its full resolution, without needing to be compressed over a wireless signal.
You might have heard that only wired headphones can pull off lossless audio, which is exactly what we’re talking about here. The term ‘lossless’ refers to the loss in sound quality when compressing a song or piece of audio to send it over a signal. This is, of course, reliant on streaming services offering lossless audio quality, unless you locally save all of your tunes.
If you hate having to charge your headphones, then you’d also find an advantage in never needing to charge, as wired models rely on the battery of the device they’re plugged into (you will of course still need to charge said device). Additionally, because they’re physically bigger than their wireless counterparts (you know, because of the wires), they’re harder to lose, which could be an advantage if you’ve lost your AirPods one too many times. Also, because the headset is wired, they’re also functionally faster, facing fewer issues with latency.
Ultimately, if you’re someone who cares about sound quality, then you likely won’t mind the wires.
What are the disadvantages of wired headphones?
Obviously, wired headphones are at a disadvantage when it comes to the wires. These things get tangled up and in the way, and are nowhere near as casual to manage as just putting your wireless headphones in your ears.
Another big disadvantage is often found with the plug. Some models use a 3.5mm headphone jack, which phones typically don’t come with anymore, meaning that you’ll need to get wither a lightning port adapter (for modern iPhones) or a USB-C adapter (for modern Android devices). Additionally, some headphones just cut the headphone jack entirely and instead offer a USB-C plug instead – which alleviates the problem, but means you can’t use your headphones while charging.
Should you buy wired headphones?
If the advantages above make sense to you, and you’re not dissuaded by the disadvantages, then it’s absolutely worth considering a set of wired headphones. Otherwise, Bluetooth could be just fine. It’s convenient and the noise quality is perfectly serviceable.