I switched back to earbuds after using headphones for three years — here’s what I have and haven’t missed
A little over three years ago, I decided to upgrade to one of the best headphones and close the book on my time with headphones – and it was one of the best things I did.
Since then, I’ve been married to my Sony WH1000XM5 headphones; they’re a comfortable, reliable way to get my audio fix while I’m sitting at my desk, on the go, at the gym, or just lying in bed creating a new Spotify playlist. But despite my love for them, I began to miss the convenience of the best headphones, so out of curiosity, I made the switch.
I opted for the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 Wireless Headphones and the Meze Audio Alba Wired Headphones, and overall it was like I never stopped using them. There are quite a few things I missed about using headphones, mainly the convenience factor, but my experience also reminded me why I switched to headphones all those years ago.
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3 things I missed:
Portability and size
Although headphones are great for comfort, carrying them takes effort and takes up a lot of space. Although models like the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones feature foldable ear cushions to make them easier to travel with, they can still take up a lot of space. Anyway, my Sony WH-1000XM5s don’t have this advantage, which makes it even more difficult.
Using wired and wireless headphones removed this inconvenience, and it was arguably my favorite part of going back. I had forgotten how nice and easy it is to keep your charging case in your pocket – a simple pleasure I didn’t know I was missing.
Don’t charge them constantly
Although earbuds and wireless earbuds require charging, I found that earbuds don’t need as much juice as earbuds, and having a charging case on hand is much easier than carrying around a plug and cable to charge your earbuds.
Plus, leaving the house with my headphones on low battery is one of the worst things, especially if you have a long train journey ahead of you. Headphones are simpler; if they die, all you have to do is put them in the charging case for a bit, and they’ll be good to use. Even if the case starts to wear out, you can still enjoy it one last time before having to charge everything again. Plus, wired headphones don’t need to be charged.
Nostalgia for wired headphones
It’s more of an aesthetic feature than a technical feature, but wired headphones are just plain cool to look at and spruce up any outfit. That aside, wired headphones take me back to the days when I first started using analog music devices. My first Apple product was the iPod Nano 5, and using wired headphones makes me desperately want to resurrect it.
3 things I didn’t miss:
Sensitivity issues
This mainly applies to wireless headphones. More often than not, I found myself having to keep pushing the headphones back, which in itself was another inconvenience, but it also triggered a lot of unwanted pauses and changes to audio settings. I also experienced this with my old pair of AirPods, which was one of the reasons I wanted to switch to headphones.
Discomfort after long periods
For the most part, both types of earbuds were comfortable, whether I was on the go, using them at the gym, or even sitting down. But this would go away after long periods of time, causing considerable discomfort in my ear canal. That’s when I found myself returning to the soft, cushiony support of the headphones, which fit my ears perfectly.
I take my phone with me everywhere
This one is for wired headphones, and while they’re a better option for enjoying the benefits of things like Spotify Lossless, it does mean you need to have your phone on you at all times when using them. With headphones and wireless earbuds, I love being able to walk around freely – and I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn’t do that with wired headphones.
I watch a lot of YouTube when I’m cooking, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve almost pulled my phone off the kitchen counter while waltzing between the stove, refrigerator, and sink.
The best wireless headphones for every budget
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