Wired VS Bluetooth: What Makes You Stick with Wired Earphones

By Carrie Tsai,  Last Updated: September 22, 2020INDUSTRY

Nowadays, we live in a wireless world with a plethora of different wireless devices and gadgets. And wireless Bluetooth earphones, one of the wireless accessories, are all the rage and have been the mainstream.

Phone companies everywhere are transitioning and pushing consumers to Bluetooth earphones connections. You can see Apple removing 3.5mm headphone jack from its devices and switching to AirPods. You can see Huawei releasing its powerful FreeBuds 3 wireless Bluetooth earbuds. You can see......

Indeed, with the ability to allow for wire-free sound transmission, Bluetooth earphones are born for convenience and portability, making it the inevitable part of our daily lives. However, that doesn't mean that wired earphones are replaced entirely. They still have their position and are the primary earphones option for many public.

But why do many people still stick with traditional wired earphones over wireless Bluetooth set? Well, it all boils down to the fact that there are many advantages that wired earphones have over their Bluetooth counterparts. The following are going to discuss these advantages by comparing the two types of earphones in several factors. You'll get to know why you may want to stick with wired for your next pair of earphones.

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Sound Quality

Sound quality is the essential factor which has a great effect on determining whether a pair of earphones is qualified or not. When it comes to wired VS Bluetooth earphones comparison, better sound quality is the major advantage that wired earphones have over their Bluetooth counterparts.

Wired earphones, on the whole, have better audio quality than wireless Bluetooth earphones all the time. Although the majority of Bluetooth earphones have gained considerable improvement in this aspect, it's good wired headphones that always win the battle. The reason why the sound quality of Bluetooth earphones may not seem as good as that of wired earphones lies in the wireless Bluetooth connection.

On the one hand, the audio signal brought by a pair of wired earphones is always stronger than that given by a Bluetooth set, leading to more authentic audio. Technically speaking, Bluetooth earphones generally handle up a maximum of 768 kbps whereas wired earphones 2304 kbps. Compared to wireless Bluetooth, wired earphones always sound more authentic.

On the other hand, the difference in the way of transmitting audio data also makes wired earphones preferable in sound quality over their counter Bluetooth earphones.

For wired earphones, they allow for transmitting streaming audio data with cables connected completely, which means that they don't need to come burdened with signals converting (encoding/decoding). This leads to no audio quality loss and no latency during the audio data transmission process. Besides, completely wired connection also makes the sound quality in wired earphones free of any interference.

Bluetooth earphones, on the contrary, can easily lead to some audio quality loss, interference and lag issues, causing comparatively poor sound quality. On the one hand, wireless Bluetooth earphones works to transmit audio data by converting audio signals, which inevitably leads to some audio quality loss and latency. On the other hand, they convert audio signals by letting them move over the air, which makes the original signals easy to be interrupted by other signals with the same frequency.

In short, most Bluetooth earphones just can't match wired earphones in terms of sound quality. But it's worth noting that low-end wired earphones may be less competitive in audio quality than the advanced Bluetooth set. Keep remembering that under the same price range, Bluetooth earphones always have poorer sound quality than the wired set. And in the same sound quality, Bluetooth earphones are always much more expensive than their wired counterparts.

Power Consuming

Another benefit which makes many individuals still stick with the classic wired earphones lies in their more reliable power consuming. For wired earphones, when connecting to your phone or any other audio device, they don't require switching the Bluetooth and other connectivity features of the device on since they are connected to the device via cables. Hence, they don't consume a lot of power from your phone, making them power-efficient.

By contrast, Bluetooth earphones consume much more power of your phone on the grounds that they are connected to your phone via Bluetooth connection. That means when connecting the Bluetooth earphones to your phone, you have to turn on the Bluetooth on your phone. This indeed consumes much power of your phone, making your phone battery quicker to run out. This is a nuisance especially when you travel outside and find it difficult and inconvenient to charge your phone at once.

Although Bluetooth technology is becoming more advanced which makes more and more wireless Bluetooth earphones become power-efficient, they still consume much more power than their wired counterparts. So if you are a person who is always on the go, classic wired earphones seem to be still the way to go since they consume less power of your phone.

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Charging

When it comes to power providing, it's also the wired earphones that outperform. Wired earphones use the audio cable to connect to the ultimate device and pull the power they need from the connected device. That said, they don't need any built-in batteries to let themselves work. All you need to do is make sure the device you connect to the wired earphones is fully charged.

Bluetooth earphones, on the other hand, need to be constantly charged in order to work since they use a built-in rechargeable battery to pull the power they need to drive the audio. Besides, the pain is that the vast majority of wireless Bluetooth earphones have short battery life, which means that you may be always unable to listen to everything you need without fail.

This is even worse when you are on the go and suddenly find yourself lose one of your earphones as the battery runs out. Quite a pain, isn't it? Hence, if you'd like to use a pair of earphones while you are on the way for a long stretch of time such as travelling or business trip, it's advisable of you to carry a pair of wired earphones instead of Bluetooth ones in order to make yourself free of the additional burden of charging your earphones.

Altogether, in terms of power providing, compared to Bluetooth counterparts which need to be constantly charged to work regularly, wired earphones which pull the power from the connected device are more reliable. A good set of wired earphones is the way to go when you're travelling or when you are somewhere you cannot access electricity.

Connectivity and Compatibility

Compatibility is also what makes many earphones users stick with the classic wired earphones. Wired earphones offer you the most compatibility for that they are compatible with a great number of different devices such as phones, computers, stereos and MP3 players. This is because they always use a 3.5mm cable which connects them to almost any audio source.

Bluetooth earphones, on the other hand, make use of Bluetooth connectivity for transmitting audio data, which means that they won't work with devices which don't possess Bluetooth. Besides, it's important to check the compatibility between different Bluetooth versions in any case. After all, even if the audio device is equipped with Bluetooth connection, when the Bluetooth version isn't compatible with the version of your earphones, the connection still fails.

Hence, it's advisable of you to pick a good pair of wired earphones for a better shot at connecting them if you'd like to use the earphones with plenty of different devices.

Lifespan and Durability

Any electronic device has their lifespans. This is another advantage of wired earphones over their counter Bluetooth earphones. Relatively speaking, wired earphones tend to be more durable than Bluetooth earphones.

This is because wireless earphones are more complex with additional modules, transceivers and other complex items, which makes them easier to expose to damages. Wired earphones, on the other hand, have longer lifespan since they are equipped with simpler components.

Price

In addition to the above factors, there is another thing that will give you sticker shock - the price. On the whole, most wireless earphones are much more expensive than their wired counterparts. In the same price range, wired earphones have much better audio quality than their Bluetooth set. And in the same sound quality, wired earphones are much more affordable than Bluetooth earphones.

Moreover, wireless Bluetooth earphones are manufactured through complicated technology and contain many delicate components. They are more expensive and less durable, leading to much higher repair and replacement costs. Hence, as compared to Bluetooth earphones, wired earphones generally are much more affordable.

Final Verdict

Wireless Bluetooth earphones are a great invention since they give users both convenience and portability. However, while the world is going wireless, wired earphones still have their place in the technology field in which we stay.

With the advantages of better sound quality, less power-consuming, no need of charging, higher compatibility, longer lifespan and more affordable price, they could be a much better fit for you than the more expensive set of Bluetooth counterparts.

However, we can't declare which type of earphones is the winner. After all, both the wired earphones and the counter Bluetooth earphones have their pros and cons. Both of the two types can be the right choice for you. It all boils down to your personal preferences and your practical purposes. Hope you enjoy this article.