[jkabrg]

Problem with non-wireless headphones is that they break. One side of the headphones stops playing sounds; you can sometimes spin the connector and get the sound back, but that gets annoying, and it stops working eventually. The less wires and connectors, the less things can break, no?

[pdkl95]

Cheaply made products that break easily are always a problem; there are certainly a lot of terrible headphones on the market, with or without wires.

However, the problem you are describing:

> One side of the headphones stops playing sounds; you can sometimes spin the connector and get the sound back, [...] and it stops working eventually.

I suspect that might be terrible quality wires, not necessarily the headphones. The quality of patch cable at the usual big-box consumer stores has fallen dramatically over the last ~5-10 years. It can be really difficult to find a cable hasn't changed the outer protective wrapping from traditional softer rubber(?) to some sort of cheap plastic. The wrapping on the new cables can harden badly over as little as 2-3 months, leading to sharp kinks/bends forming over time that break the delicate wires inside.

The newer cables also tend to lack protective stiffeners at the ends for protection against damaging the wires if the cables is pulled at a right angle to the connector.

Once the wire has started to break, you might be able to get it working again for a while by turning the connector (if the break is at or near the connector) or otherwise moving the cable until the broken ends of the conductor touch.

On the other hand, most of the cables that I bought in the late-80s/early-90s still work fine. (they never formed permanent kinds) The problem is race-to-the-bottom we're seeing everywhere as businesses try to squeeze every last cent out their products. This will happen to wireless headphones eventually, but for now they are in a honeymoon period where they are still a "new(-ish) tech" that is experimenting with new designs. Eventually the value engineers and must-meet-growth-targets management will get around to "optimizing" their quality and longevity too.

[blattimwind]

> traditional softer rubber(?)

FWIW audio cables in consumer stores were pretty much always PVC, though, as you like many other people discovered, there are quality plastics and cheap plastics. The former will last quite a number of years before turning hard and brittle, the latter won't, smells badly and probably gives you cancer for free, too.

Speaker, microphone and guitar cables for studio / stage use often have rubber sheathing (~neoprene), though many are just higher quality PVC.

> The newer cables also tend to lack protective stiffeners at the ends for protection against damaging the wires if the cables is pulled at a right angle to the connector.

Using the tiniest of ferrules seems to be a conscious design choice, though incorrect material and manufacture are commonly seen as well. In any case, a bad design that's poorly manufactured is not going to work.

As usual, non-consumer products don't have the problem, at all.

> The problem is race-to-the-bottom we're seeing everywhere as businesses try to squeeze every last cent out their products.

While that's certainly true, the ali/bangood-mentality also has to do with it. "Oh look, I can get $thisThing for 2.5 $ delivered from China, which normally costs 10 $". A compounding problem is of course, that the 10 $ store item is the same as the 2.5 $ Ali item, so you actually need to turn to the proper online store to get the quality matching price point.

[stordoff]

> The wrapping on the new cables can harden badly over as little as 2-3 months

Exactly what happened to my headphones. I end up replacing the cable every 6-12 months. Fortunately user-replaceable cables make it almost a non-issue.

[zokier]

While it is true that headphone cables are prone to failure, from electronics point of view Bluetooth ones are massively more complex beasts, and almost certainly will have limited lifetime (batteries can last only so long). In comparison 40 year old headphones can work perfectly fine together with modern equipment, something I would not expect from wireless headphones of today.

Also repairing a cable is really easy task generally, and there is even easier solution available: make the cable replaceable, i.e. have it also be connectorized on the headphone end.

[jkabrg]

> repairing a cable is really easy task generally

Highly subjective. Some people have other hobbies.

> make the cable replaceable, i.e. have it also be connectorized on the headphone end.

I might try that.

[lorenzhs]

I don't think the OP suggested connetorising the headphone end as something the consumer should do, but rather as a suggestion to manufacturers. Many high-end headphones already have this, as it not only allows you to replace damaged cables easily, but also choose a cable length and type (straight or coiled?) that suits you. The ATH-M50x ships with three different cables, for example.

[zokier]

You know when I was young there was this whole profession of tv/radio repairmans. Swapping a headphone cable is exactly the sort of thing I imagine they would be perfectly fitted for doing.

But of course these days the whole concept of repairing things is completely bygone thing for most people, so yeah, maybe wireless headphones do make sense.

[gaspoweredcat]

most half decent headphones these days have a standardised cable connection so replacing or upgrading the cable is very easy and can be cheap.

wireless however have other issues, what of the battery? over time it will wear like any battery does and their runtime will significantly decrease, changing the cable on a pair of wired phones will be a lot less hassle than cracking open your wireless phones to replace the battery

not to mention the fact that wireless devices have far more tech in them that could go wrong, a pair of wired headphones are fairly simple devices, theres a whole lot more tech inside a pair of bluetooth phones (battery, charging circuit, bluetooth components etc) and while theyre wireless theyll still have to be charged by way of a cable somehow so like a pair of wired phones they still have a wire, its just used for charging rather than sound but that doesnt mean it cant break just the same

[toxik]

AirPods, which I think is sort of a good reference here, charges wirelessly too. We’ll ser about the battery life though, I suspect you’re right about them eventually needing replacing. Likely a very difficult repair too!

[gaspoweredcat]

the airpods charge wirelessly but the case that charges them doesnt as far as im aware so they still have a connector thats a potential point of failure just like a jack

[TheOtherHobbes]

No. Bluetooth is far more hit and miss than a physical connection.

[threeseed]

Not with AirPods it isn't. Hence its popularity.

And as someone who has owned many IEMs over the long term those cables all end up breaking. And for IEMs with replaceable cables it's the connectors that break.

[KozmoNau7]

Try using Bluetooth anything on a crowded subway platform or in a packed plane where everyone else is doing the same.

There simply isn't enough bandwidth.

[kart23]

They are 160 dollars. Decent earbuds can be had for 20 or less. Airpods dont make sense for a lot of people.

[Casseres]

> The less wires and connectors

They probably require a wire to be charged.

They also lose charge when it's least convenient.

[threeseed]

It uses the same wire you use to charge your phone.

And so it isn't like you're carrying anything extra.

[justtopost]

Do you carry chargers everywhere you go? I top off my phone in the am and leave it at home. Do you wear cargo pants?

[Casseres]

I haven't been shopping for any lately, are there any that charge via USB-C?