I like wireless, I just fucking loathe earbuds. Unfortunately, they have completely replaced the wrap around on-ear headphones that were the best for wearing while running errands or exercising.
I don’t want something big and bulky while I’m walking around, but I also don’t like having shit jammed into my ears. And critically, those on ear headphones are just the right size to have a convenient button layout so I can easily pause or go back a few seconds in my audiobook whenever I need to.
But Apple decreed that wireless earbuds were the future and the market for everything else fucking died.
Have you tried bone conduction earphones? Shokz are pretty sweet, I use my pair all the time.
Used to have a pair of these. Motorola S305. They were the perfect running headphones. Big chunky buttons for volume and track skipping, a plastic band that wrapped the back of your head and over your ears so it would never fall off but otherwise wireless. The only downside was really old Bluetooth tech so connection was sketchy at times. Also audio has improved a lot since then.
Modern buds don’t stay in my ears. I’m using the pixel buds pro right now. The right ear stays in pretty good but the left is completely unpredictable.
Having the pixel buds myself, I feel your pain. Do a little bit of physical activity and at least one side gets loose and slippery.
I found that I simply dont have symmetrical ear canals, I use the mid size plug on one and the smallest plug on the other ear. That way they seem to fit somewhat reliably.
I had some jaybird buds that have the wrap around wire with a clip to your shirt so you can pop one out without tugging the other, also they came with all sorts of ear mounts so they can stay in your ear, I have really found anything that work as good for use while working
Have neckband Bluetooth headphones of various kinds too (I’ll never ever use those tiny plugs, I’d be worried about losing them and chances are they won’t fit well). Got a regular sport model, and recently got a cheap air conduction headset too.
I’m using the pixel buds pro right now. The right ear stays in pretty good but the left is completely unpredictable.
I wonder if it’s their manufacturing or something, because I have the same issue with only the left bud.
Usually one bud is the primary one which connects to the phone and maintains the link. Then it pairs with the other and relays the Bluetooth session encryption key so the second bud can play it’s part of the audio
I think peak design was the on-ear, behind-the-neck style. They rested on the top of your ears, and your hair didn’t get all fucked up from the headband. I don’t know why they had such a short-lived popularity.
I’ve tried the wired Koss independent on-ears, but you lose clarity of lows without the pressure of a neckband or headband.
They still exist, although aren’t as common. Plenty of places have them if you order online
The form factor exists, but not in competitive terms. Good luck finding them with high quality drivers. I tried for years and gave up.
I felt this comment in my bones. It’s too bad my over ear buds are so old now the plastic has degraded. Regular earbuds just don’t stay in and I find them uncomfortable.
Now the real winner would be looped over your ear but using that spacial localized speaker thing Valve puts into their VR. That stuff works great, has surround sound, and you don’t feel a thing. A wonder if only exists on that headset and that headset alone.
Seems to be rather unique to them.
https://www.valvesoftware.com/en/index/deep-dive/ear-speakers
To be fair, I’d be like one of two people in this world who’d rock those in public. They’d catch an eye, haha
This might be the right thing for you:
Wraparound on-ear headphones with USB-C plug. I can’t vouch for them personally though.
The problem with most USB c earphones (which are not super expensive) is that they sound like shit because they have a cheapo small DAC (digital to analog converter) in them. Our phones - most of the time - have decent enough DACs, at least had them when they had the 3.5 mm jacks
RIP that headphone jack
Those things are solid. It’ll be fine.
I used to dislike wireless earbuds until I tried them. They really are much more convenient, especially while riding a bike.
I switched to wireless during the covid pandemic. Otherwise it was really painful to put on and off the mask each time I entered public transport. And I agree, it’s super convenient in many other situations as well.
But such a tiny, energy-optimized DAC can’t sound really good, can it?
I have both wireless and wired. The wireless ones sound fine although if I switch from one to the other the wired are a noticeable improvement. The real issue I have with them is that there’s a noticeable delay that makes watching every video like a dubbed movie. Secondary to that I have never been able to get ones that fit perfectly so I’m constantly having to poke them back in especially if I’m eating or something and my jaw is moving around and there’s just a lot of general bluetooth issues that are annoying. I have a much easier time with the wired ones just working.
For the places I need portable headphones for,I really don’t care that much about sound quality. And it is by no means terrible.
It can’t match proper headphones. But I listen to podcasts and books, so the audio quality is not that important.
The sound is higher-quality than the files we’re getting from the streams, so it’s fine.
The sony wf series sound honestly amazing. Not very repairable though. That counts for every brand though.
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But useless when you need to get audio out of a phone into another sysyem
Yeah, but for casual use almost all relevant devices have bluetooth nowadays
You’re not wrong but I audio engineer and dongles are extra points of failure
I don’t have a problem with wireless headphones when it comes to mobile devices. It sucks, and I wish I still had a headphone jack, but I’ve kinda come to peace with the fact that wireless accessories for phones are apparently the future.
However, I wish there were “mid/high-end” Bluetooth/wifi cans. All the wireless headphones are either earbuds, IEMs, or overpriced Skullcandy/beats/Bose/apple/etc. I want an AKG or Audio-Technica pair of wireless headphones that go over my ears, and I want an option between closed-back and open-back headphones. I prefer closed-back due to the sound isolation and I’m annoyed that there’s a price gap where it’s hard to find closed-back headphones in the $300~$600 range.
…or at least it was when I checked a year or two ago; everything with a closed back was either entry (<$100), low-level (<$300) or too expensive (>$600 + $100 or more for an amp, because at that price range most headphones need one).
Edit: oh yeah, and a optional balanced cable that uses a standardized connector, like miniXLR
Sennheiser has a few wireless cans in that category for ~$400
^ This person audio-engineers.
No judgement - just from reading your comment I definitely get this vibe. I get it though. Most wireless stuff is either going to be heavily EQed consumer trash or overpriced audiophile stuff with all the latest buzzwords. There just doesn’t seem to be much of a market for reference-grade stuff in a wireless format.
Not that I could justify spending a bunch on good headphones though, so I’ve settled for a low-end pair that sound acceptable for what they are.
Maybe too basic for you but the ATH-M50X bluetooth has served me well for mlre than 5 years and the only complaint I have is the faux leather comming off.
Focal Bathys? They are expensive and delicate though
I recently bought the samsung A15. And even though it came out this year it still has the headphone jack. If you don’t have special use cases for your phone that you need a lot of power for I can realy recomend the low end samsung phones. They work absolutely fine. I used my last low end samsung phone for 5 years before replacing
I would but all the cancer samsung packs into their goddamn OS is just too much.
Just root the phone and use LineageOS for example :D It’s what I’ve been doing and it’s great
but I thought lineageOS is not compatible on samsung phones.
Oh sorry, it’s been a while since I last used Samsung phones. I’ve switched to OnePlus several years ago. But before that, I had absolutely no problem with LineageOS on Samsung. Has this changed over the years?
Yeah but not that many samdungs are supported by lineage officially.
You can’t root Qualcomm snapdragon galaxies… doubtful the A line is different
Still typing this on my S10! I’ve replaced the power button twice as it eventually started falling out. I have to admit I mostly use wireless earbuds these days but options are nice.
I’ve been getting the Samsung ‘plus’ models several years after they come out for a couple hundred bucks and still can’t find a reason to upgrade from the S10+
New phones are way too expensive for a better camera and marginally faster apps, which would be entirely out matched by a dedicated camera at the same price.
Surprise surprise, I also drive an old ranger that has aux but no Bluetooth so everything works out
The S10 is such a good phone! Things like samsung dex and being able to cast to TV are really useful - I’m guessing the later models have these, but I’d hate to lose them either way. I rarely use the headphone jack nowadays but it’s still nice to have. Hopefully I can get a few more years out of my S10.
options are everything, i’m rocking 500gb removable storage, feel like a pig in shit
I just traded in my s10 this past November and I still miss the headphone jack.
If you’re also bitter about it, don’t buy wireless earbuds from the phone brands. Samsung, Apple, etc.
Admittedly it’s not a big thing, but I don’t think we should directly financially reward the same people who took the aux port from us.
Sennheiser is good but sometimes at bit more spendy. I like Jabra Elite 8 Actives, for dust/dirt/sweat resistance. Maybe the sound isn’t quite as nice, but I’m fine with it. And Jabra isn’t a company that took the aux port out of our phones.
Yep, about a month ago I finally broke down and bought a sennheiser momentum 4. Pricy, but down are they nice.
God I miss my S10. It really was a perfect phone. I finally had to let it go when the screen cracked. Replacing it cost more than a refurbished S22 or S23, and I couldn’t justify purchasing another S10, since it will probably fall victim to planned obsolescence soon.
My S10e is cracked but only all over the backplate. Which is also no longer really attached to the phone. I’m driving this thing into the ground.
Still using the S9 with only the back and sides cracked. Only put 50€ into replacing the battery and jack. This has got to last until 2027 at least until replaceable batteries hopefully become a thing again.
I have an old S9 right here on my desk. I cracked the screen, and took it to one of those screen replacement places, and he asked if I had insurance. I told him I didn’t, and he said, wellllllll it’s going to be a lot more expensive than you think to replace this screen.
That wraparound screen they had was basically also the frame of the phone - you’re not so much replacing the screen as you are moving the rest of the components to a new phone body. I wasn’t sold on value of that wraparound screen in the first place; this didn’t improve my opinion of it.
We put a plastic screen protector on it and a new case, and I used it for a few months until we were ready to upgrade phones.
S9+ still going strong after over 6 years. I dread the day I will need a “new” phone.
I still use my s10e every day on my commute with the headphone jack plugged into a radio tuner so I can listen to podcasts
me seeing this while still using wired headphones at the moment on my phone listening to music :)
My phone would drop and just detach from the phone jack and still fall, sometimes ruining the headphones in the process. My phone has a case and takes a fall better than my headphones. But it’s also older (Samsung note 8), so there’s that
Heroes never goes out of style
Get an USB-c to aux adapter for phones without aux connector.
Or get a phone who still has the port from a company like Sony or Asus or whatever
I love my Sony but the camera is so dogshit that I couldn’t recommend it to anyone 😢
The usb-c would have popped right out and let your phone be smashed into smithereens.
those will start getting loose. at one point if i even thought about slightly grazing the adapter it would lose connection
Why not buy a Sony phone with an earphone jack?
Not only does the Xperia have a headphone jack, it supports aptx for Bluetooth headphones! No matter if you prefer wired or wireless, it’s not skimping on either.
I abandoned wired earphones before this whole mess with headphone jacks because I grew tired of replacing the every other month because the cable stopped working
USB C to 3.5mm Dongle Adapter (Amazon link)
If you need to charge and listen at the same time, they make split adapters for that too. Adding 2" of wire to your wired headphones is a very minor inconvenience.
There are also wired headphones with USB-C plugs if you don’t want to bother with adapters.
I just don’t want a dongle. I’m not willing to buy one, I’m not willing to keep track one one, and I’ll never have it when it need it. I’m not willing to charge wireless earbuds, and they’re going to get lost after 2-3 uses anyway.
Just give me a fucking 3.5mm jack and be done with it.
This is true. The only caveat I’ll add is that not all USB-C-to-3.5mm + power delivery adapters are created equal, which is annoying. I bought this one a couple years ago and it has an audible buzz when plugged into power, so it’s basically junk.
I kind of can’t believe we’re still having this conversation. It’s ridiculously cheap and easy to use wired earbuds with a modern phone if you want to. I got it back when it was just iPhones and Apple was selling lighting to 3.5 adapters for like $7k, but that’s obviously not the case anymore. If someone wants to hold on to their 5+ year old phone and run it dead, that’s great. More power to them. Doing it to avoid getting a phone with no headphone jack is a little silly at this point, though.
Here’s the problem, it’s a solution to a problem nobody had. Never once have I heard someone say “well it’s a solid phone but God I just wish it didn’t have that pesky 3.5mm headphone jack!” It’s just another feature stripped from the phone to clearly get you to buy more shit. I don’t want yet another damn thing I have to charge. I dont want to deal with keeping track of two tiny ass earbuds and if I lose one I gotta get a whole new pair. I don’t want to deal with the fact that now if I want to listen to wired I have to buy more shit like an adapter and if I lose those headphones, now I gotta buy another one of those along with new headphones. And I hate that if I do go wireless and lose them or they break, I can’t fall back on wired because it’s not even an option unless I happen to also have the adapter.
It’s just another in a long line of clear middle fingers to consumers and it’s annoying. Does it like ruin the phone and the experience of a phone? Of course not. Is it a completely pointless pain in the ass with the obvious and sole purpose of funneling consumers into buying a cycle of products they almost definitely don’t need and don’t already have? Absolutely. And for that I say they can eat a big bag of crap.
Technology has been solving problems people don’t have since… Always. No one had a problem listening to music from an 8 track tape, but that technology still died and we moved on. The truth is that an increasing majority of consumers either don’t care or even prefer wireless headphones. If you consider not having a headphone jack a deal breaker, then you’re not the market most phone manufacturers are after. Sorry to break it to you. Good news though, there are still several smartphone models that have a headphone jack. Buy one of those. Or get whatever phone you want and get a $5 adapter. Or just sit on the internet seething every time a new phone comes out without an increasingly niche feature. Up to you.
