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Buying Headphones in 2018 is Going To Be a Fragmented Mess (theverge.com)

Vlad Savov, writing for The Verge: At CES this year, I saw the future of headphones, and it was messy. Where we once had the solid reliability of a 3.5mm analog connector working with any jack shaped to receive it, there's now a divergence of digital alternatives -- Lightning or USB-C, depending on your choice of jack-less phone -- and a bunch of wireless codecs and standards to keep track of. Oh, and Sony's working hard on promoting a new 4.4mm Pentaconn connector as the next wired standard for dedicated audio lovers. It's all with the intent of making things better, but before we get to the better place, we're going to spend an uncomfortable few months (or longer) in a fragmented market where you'll have to do diligent research to make sure your next pair of headphones works with all the devices you already own.

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  1. grrr. audio snobs ... by swell · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My brother is an audiophile. I can't imagine he'll ever use Bluetooth headphones. But I, OTOH, can accept reasonable sound quality. Bluetooth works with all my devices effortlessly and the quality of sound is better than any of the speakers on those devices.

    Most nights I'll watch a TV show or movie with my headphones, especially if they are from the UK in accents that I struggle to understand- they are much more clear on the 'phones. When I'm on a bus or train or waiting for someone at the county jail, the BT 'phones are a blessing, giving me quality content while filtering external noise. The obvious headphones discourage people from trying to talk to me too. Perhaps the biggest blessing is NO WIRES pulling and getting tangled everywhere. And I'm not an audio snob who has to hear the latest pop music with super high quality electrostatic headphones. So brother- take your ancient 3.5mm jack and shove it!

    --
    ...omphaloskepsis often...