Wireless vs. Wired Headphones | Which One Should You Get ?

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When it comes to buying an earphone for yourself what is the first question that comes to your mind?

Budget?

Right? And that’s important when you prefer to buy a headphone that would last you for years and also gives you amazing sound quality.

In the past, it was easy to choose the best headphones for your use because the options were limited. But now, there are several options available to choose from ; most importantly the biggest question comes when deciding between wired and wireless headphones.

So what do you prefer? Wired ones or the wireless ones?

It’s difficult to choose, right?

Relax, in this article, I have compared the two types of headphones so that you can actually choose which one fits all your needs.

But, firstly honestly answer these questions:

  • Are you going to use the headphones to stream audio, music, and videos on a computer or on a device supporting Bluetooth?
  • Are you going to use the headphones while desk working on your computer/ laptops/ smartphones or while you don’t have to carry your device everywhere?
  • Do you want to deal with the tangled cords or do you want to avoid them?
  • Do you want a headphone that lasts for the short term or do you want it for a long durable period?

Buying headphones ? I’ve covered some really nice gaming headphones under $100 in one of my articles. If a headphone is meant for gaming, there is a great chance it’ll have excellent audio, details and bass.

Consider and compare the following factors while deciding between Wireless and Wired Headphones:

Audio Quality: 

When it comes to wireless headphones, they generally have inferior audio quality when compared to the wired headphones. But many times this can depend on the price range cause the expensive wireless headphones can give you amazing audio quality.

Wireless headphones are convenient to use as it offers wire-free experience, but the audio quality usually depends on the environment we use it and the distance the connected device is kept at because many times any device that giving a wireless signal matching the frequency of the signal used by your wireless headphones can easily interfere and disrupt and degrade the audio quality. But that’s not the case in wired headphones because it minimizes the risk of interference that affects the audio quality.

Many wireless headphones replicate the audio quality as generated by wired headphones because the wireless headphones utilize the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth technology that matches the HD quality of the wired headphones. 

You might want to check out : Best Earbuds Under $30

Battery Life: 

As Wireless headphones mostly use the Bluetooth technology to function on, they are constrained by battery life but there is no such thing in the wired headphones. Again the battery life is based on the model and the price range. 

Wireless headphones always require a power source and hence it needs a battery so that you can use it. The battery usually used in wireless headphones is AA batteries or AAA batteries or rechargeable battery and hence the life of the wireless headphones depends on the battery it uses.

The rechargeable battery usually requires a mini or micro USB cable to recharge it and takes about 3 hours to fully recharge. Whereas the wired headphones do not at any time require a power supply cause you use them by plugging them into an audio device anytime and anywhere. But sometimes even wired headphones require a battery for the noise cancellation feature, and such wired headphones used two to four AA or AAA batteries or rechargeable batteries.

Furthermore, the battery life of wireless and wired headphones are different as most wired noise-canceling headphones give between 20 hours and 30 hours of battery life and the wireless headphone’s battery life ranges from 8 hours to 12 hours, but some expensive ones even claim to give you up to 40 hours of battery life.

Portability:

Both wireless and wired headphones are portable enough, but at times it depends on the design and use of the headphones.

Say, if you desire to listen audio while working out at a gym or jogging, you would be benefited by the wireless headphones as they don’t weigh much, are easy to place in your ears and would fit perfectly in your ears avoiding to fall out while working out.

Whereas, if you work somewhere where there are many frequencies around you, you would be benefited by the wired headphones as they will deliver exceptional sound quality.

The only issue with wired headphones will be that of handling the cords, you would need to wrap the cords every time you keep them in your bag to avoid getting them tangled. 

You might want to check out : Best Earbuds Under $20

Compatibility:

Wireless headphones use Bluetooth technology, it is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled devices, whereas the wired headphones are compatible with any phone or device with a 3.5 mm jack. Hence, both types of headphones are usually compatible with any device.

While purchasing a type of headphones, you will have to ensure that they are compatible with the various audio devices so that you can use it with all the audio devices you have without the need to purchase different headphones for every device you have. Usually many wired headphones have a 3.5 mm cable that enables you to connect with the audio devices.

Whereas, most of the wireless headphones use the Bluetooth technology and hence you would need to connect it with any Bluetooth-enabled device. 

So, make sure to check the compatibility.

Price: 

Wireless headphones are normally more expensive than wired headphones, but again, this depends on your price range.

The price you pay for wireless or wired headphones depends on the features included in the headphones. If you wish to have a headphone with bare essentials, wired headphones prove to be the best as they are cost-effective options.

But if you want advanced features and also want to be hands-free with your audio devices, wireless headphones prove to be the best but the only negative point is that it is expensive as compared to the wired ones. 

Conclusion:

Which headphones are better?

Wired or Wireless Headphones?

Both types of headphones deliver a wide range of benefits and fulfill all your needs. But deciding on which one is the better choice is a bit challenging but if you consider your lifestyle, preference, needs, and budget, you can narrow the option and search for the right headphones for you.

What have you decided?

Do you plan for wireless or wired headphones?

Let us know about it in the comments below.

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