Thanks to online marketplaces, you can place your orders for a headphone within a few minutes. However, just before the purchase, while choosing a headphone, you may spend hours just thinking, “Should I go with the wired set or the wireless headphone?”.
Both these types of devices come with their unique benefits and limitations, pushing you to make queries about wired vs. wireless headphones. Ideally, it is better if you know their differences before purchasing so that the device meets your needs and expectations when it reaches you.
Here is all you need to know about “Whether the old wired earphones are right for you?” or “Should you adapt yourself to the new technology?”.
Differences between wired and wireless headphones
What is for sure about the difference between wired and wireless headphones is their structure. The former one comes with a long external wire that you will have to connect with your phone or other devices via a dedicated port, usually 3.5mm. On the other hand, there is no external wire in wireless headphones. You will have to connect it to the BT system of your device. While the structure-related difference is quite apparent and easily discernible, it is not the only one.
There are also multiple other aspects on which one or other of these two types of headphones is better than the other. To give you a clearer view of the ‘wired vs. wireless earphones’, the differences between the two have been categorised according to factors in which one type is better than the other.
Aspects where wired headphones are better
Here are a few points on the ground on which wired headphones give more advantages compared to wireless headphones:
Zero need for power
The wired headphones do not need any battery to run. As a result, you do not have to keep them charged and they are ready to go from the very first minute. You just need to plug in the pin of your headphone on the port of your mobile, making the process quite simple.
The wired headphones are completely different on this front since you need to charge them from time to time. It can play music until the battery drains out completely and after that, you will have to charge it again.
Unrestricted playtime
There is no limit to how long you can play songs on these headphones, except if it becomes damaged due to any maintenance-related issues. On the other hand, in the case of wireless headphones, after the charge runs out, you need to wait till the battery becomes charged up to play the music. If you cannot wait a single minute when you feel the urge for your music, wired headphones are for you.
Budget-friendly
You can easily afford wired headphones compared to wireless ones. This is because the manufacturing cost of wired headphones is much less due to their simple structure. On the other hand, to produce wireless headphones, a company needs to bear the cost of integrating BT technology. As a result, you need to pay a higher price to get these earphones.
Easy repairability
In most cases, wired headphones become non-functional due to damaged or tattered cables. You can easily get such headphones repaired by replacing the wires. On the other hand, when wireless headphones become damaged, there can be software issues/malfunction. It is quite difficult for the average repair centre to fix the issue.
Latency
Latency is one of the major aspects that you need to carefully check while deciding on headphones, especially if you are a gamer. It is the delay in milliseconds (ms) after which the audio is transferred to your ears. In wired headphones, the latency generally stays around 5-10 ms. As a result, you get the audio quickly. However, the latency in wireless headphones is higher, which can go up to 100-300 ms. Nevertheless, there are also wireless headphones for games, offering a latency of around 40-45 ms.
Sound quality
When it comes to sound quality, you can get better clarity and bass in a wired phone compared to wireless headphones, given that the price is the same. This is because manufacturers do not need to spend much on integrating BT technology and the software to run it. On the other hand, since the manufacturing cost is higher, wireless headphones with better sound quality come at a higher cost.
Thus, in terms of repairability, purchasing cost and playtime, the wired headphones hold a better position in the ‘wired vs. wireless headphones’ analysis.
Aspects where wireless headphones are better
Following are a few aspects on which wireless headphones dominate in the comparison between wired and wireless headphones:
Hassle-less mobility
Don’t you think that the cables of wired headphones put limitations on their usability?
First, you need to make continuous adjustments with the wired headphones to untangle the cable before using it. Even though you can deal with the challenge, you cannot move with your wired headphones freely without taking the source of music with you. If you even do a small task while listening to music, you need to ensure that your headphone is plugged into your music source. Nevertheless, you cannot find this mobility issue with wireless headphones.
Even though the source of sound output remains static in a location, you can go up to a certain distance, depending on the coverage of your headset. You just need to ensure that the earphone remains connected to BT. In this regard, there are true wireless stereo or TWS headphones that keep you connected for up to a range of around 10 metres.
Compatibility
Compatibility is one of the major aspects in the race of wired vs. wireless headphones, in which the smart technology-enabled device wins the race. The wired headphones come with a specific size jack (2.5mm, 3.5mm, 6.35mm, etc.). If the device giving the output sound supports only the 3.5mm audio jack, you cannot insert wired headphones with another size of jack.
Plus, you must have heard that certain brands of mobile phones have stopped adding any headphone jacks on their new handsets. However, wireless headphones can come to your rescue. You can also easily address all these compatibility issues with the help of these BT headphones. This is because you can connect your wireless headphone to any BT-compatible device, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.
Portability
In the comparison of wired vs. wireless headphones, you also see these two types of headphones from the angle of portability. The wired headphones take up more space, due to the long cables they have. On the other side, wireless headphones are compact, lighter and easily transportable. You can also find collapsible headphones which take much less size, letting you comfortably pack them in your bag after use.
The wireless earphones usually also come in a pocket-sized box. These are not only easy to pack but you can also use earphones comfortably during your outdoor/indoor activities like walks and exercises quite conveniently.
Ease of use
In terms of ease of use, wired headphones trail behind wired ones. By purchasing wireless headphones, you can permanently get rid of the bothersome activity of untangling the wire of your headphone. Also, you do not need to be worried about accidental tampering with the delicate wire, which can damage the functionality of your headphone. Although there are small and hidden wires in wireless over-ear headsets, you can find none in TWS earphones. So, in the case of TWS vs. wired headphones, TWS earphones stay far ahead of wired headphones, when considering the ease and convenience of usage.
Wireless headphones are easy to use. All you will have to do is pair it with your device via BT. After a successful pairing, you need to play songs or music on your output device. As it stays connected wirelessly for up to a distance, carrying the out device (phone, laptop, etc.) is not mandatory while you are within the range of BT.
Wired vs. wireless headphones: Which one is the best?
Now that you have an overall idea about the differences between wired and wireless headphones, you can understand that both these have their own pros and cons. You need to choose one of these according to your needs. The analogue sound coming from the wired headphones have superior clarity, letting you catch any tiny changes in voice or music clearly. This is why, generally, professional musicians go with wired headphones instead of wireless ones. In fact, they are cost-friendly and you can afford them at even a low budget.
On the other hand, if convenience and a hassle-free music experience are preferred to you, wireless headphones will be your ideal choice. After pairing your mobile phone or another device with your headphones, you can get the audio wirelessly. You do not have to keep your headphones plugged in with output devices.
Whether you will purchase a wired or wireless headphone is a matter of personal choice. You are the one to pick which one wins the race of ‘wired vs. wireless headphones’. Although audiophiles and musicians go with wired headphones considering the sound quality on a budget, wireless headphones can be more convenient for you. You can listen to your favourite songs or talk with your near ones over the call, without carrying your mobile phones in your pocket.
FAQs
Q) How is the audio transferred to a wireless headphone?
To transfer the audio to your headphone, the source device first encodes sound signals in digital format and sends them to your wireless device. After this, the headphone decodes sound information into analogue electrical signals to produce sound.
Q) Do wireless headphones transmit radiation?
Yes, BT headphones transmit radiation; however, the amount of radiation is quite low. These headphones emit radiofrequency so that they can connect with other devices, such as phones and laptops. The electromagnetic radio waves that come out from a wireless BT device are non-ionising.
Q) Does the wireless headphone deliver sounds with less quality?
Wireless headphones give you convenience but factors like distance with the audio source and environmental barriers can cause interference and thereby the sound quality can dwindle. Apart from this, if some other devices match the wireless frequency emitted by your headphones, they can interfere with the quality of sound. As a result, you may get audio with lower quality.
Q) Should I buy a neckband or wired headphones?
Whether you should buy a neckband or wired headphones depends solely on your discretion. Both these come with different sound qualities. To know which one delivers better sound quality, you need to use them separately and decide. If you want the convenience of a wire-free experience, you can go with a neckband. You can even conveniently use it while doing exercises.
Q) Which factors do I need to consider while purchasing wireless headphones?
Some of the aspects that you should check while purchasing wireless headphones are battery life, sound quality, comfort of ear tips, charging case, volume, and price.