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

Posted by msmash on from the best-interest dept.

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.

20 of 276 comments (clear)

  1. Don't buy... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't buy hardware that doesn't adhere to established, working standards, like USB, USB-C, or 3.5mm jack.

    The Pentaconn thing seems interesting, as it's still an analog connection.

    1. Re:Don't buy... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If a phone is thinner than 3.5mm, it's difficult to hold anyway. What's the obsession with making phones paper-thin at the expense of durability and utility anyway? A few mm of thickness isn't a portability issue. OTOH, it being hard to find a screen smaller than 5.5 inches is a real issue -- footprint detracts from portability much more than thickness.

      Errr-merrr-gerd, my phone is 5-6mm thick, but I can replace the battery in 15 seconds, add storage using an SD card, and use any set of headphones made in the last few decades.

    2. Re:Don't buy... by nctritech · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "Don't buy hardware that doesn't adhere to established, working standards, like a 3.5mm jack."

      Fixed that a bit for you. For audio, especially audio on consumer playback devices, USB and Lightning are NOT "established working standards." 1/8-inch jacks have been the only standard for these things for many decades while 1/4-inch has been standard for headphones on hi-fi decks for longer than that. There is no need to reinvent this wheel. Wired headphones for portable use should have a 1/8-inch (3.5mm) jack, end of story. Any wired headphones that don't should be disregarded. Vote with your wallet against this crap.

    3. Re:Don't buy... by swillden · · Score: 5, Informative

      If a phone is thinner than 3.5mm, it's difficult to hold anyway.

      According to hardware designers I've talked to, the thickness of the 3.5mm plug isn't the issue. The problem is its volume and placement. It consumes 240 mm^3 on an outer edge, on one end of the phone, which is incredibly valuable real estate in a modern phone, because that's pretty much where the antennas have to be -- and phones have a lot of antennas, because they have a lot of radios (e.g. LTE requires 8 radios, and most phones support 5+ bands, plus Wifi, bluetooth, GPSr and NFC). It's also where speakers have to be, and they also require some depth, so significant volume. And where the charging/data port has to be.

      So from their perspective, being able to shift audio output functions to the data port and wireless frees up important volume and makes it easier to fit ever more stuff into an ever-smaller space (yes, phone thickness does come into play here).

      What's the obsession with making phones paper-thin at the expense of durability and utility anyway?

      Dunno. But it's undeniably what consumers want. Thick phones don't sell. Maybe it's not what you want, but the market focuses on volume.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    4. Re:Don't buy... by Shotgun · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I can buy a great sounding pair of headphones for ~$20 with a 3.5mm jack

      Which is why they're being pushed out by the big players. Bose can't charge $1,000 for a decent set of ear buds, so they have no incentive to make them. The market has been sufficiently covered by Chinese manufacturing. The only answer is to make something proprietary that you can charge ridiculous dollars to license.

      --
      Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
      Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
  2. Five headphone connectors by swb · · Score: 5, Funny

    Would someone tell me how this happened? We were the fucking vanguard of headphones in this country. We made the headphones to own.

    Then the other guy came out with a three-connector headphone. Were we scared? Hell, no. Because we hit back with a little thing called the Turbo Headphones.. That's three connectors and an aloe strip. For moisture. But you know what happened next? Shut up, I'm telling you what happenedâ"the bastards went to four connectors. Now we're standing around with our cocks in our hands, selling three connectors and a strip. Moisture or no, suddenly we're the chumps. Well, fuck it. We're going to five connectors.

    1. Re:Five headphone connectors by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 5, Funny

      But I bet you didn't see them taking the connectors off completely! Not even an aloe strip to heal your wounds. You need to go to -1 connectors. That's right, people are going to have to plug their headphones into something else, to listen to your music.

    2. Re:Five headphone connectors by DickBreath · · Score: 5, Insightful

      > Would someone tell me how this happened?

      Apple had the courage to remove a decades old, industry standard headphone jack.

      But industry standard is an understatement. This jack was used by much more than smartphones and tablets. It was the standard on PCs. Old stereo equipment back to the early 1980's had this jack. Walkman cassette players. Car entertainment systems use this jack. MP3 players and personal video pod type players. I can just barely describe how widely used this jack was and for how long. This jack was used everywhere on the entire planet. It was way more standard than electrical outlets which vary by country.

      But . . . Apple!

      The king of ever changing non standard connectors that have "premium priced" cables, dongles, etc. Do you see a pattern yet?

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    3. Re:Five headphone connectors by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The public cares more about what advertisers tell them is cool than what's functional. Otherwise, we'd all be driving Volvo 240s :)

    4. Re:Five headphone connectors by Pascal+Sartoretti · · Score: 3

      Old stereo equipment back to the early 1980's had this jack.

      Mmmmh, no. In the 1980's, stereo equipment had a 6.35 mm jack connector, as had my Revox headphones. During the transition to the new 3.5 mm jack, we had to use dongles. Just like an recent iPhone needs a lightning dongle for the audio jack.

      The problem today is not that a new standard is coming, but that I can't figure yet what is the safe choice for the next 5-10 years. Until then, I will stick to the 3.5 mm jack and dongles.

  3. Re:I need help by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't know how to complain about companies ditching the 3.5mm jack without sounding like a Luddite.

    I'm listening to your comment with my $350 Bose noise cancelling, wireless headphones, using the 3.5mm jack because farting around with Bluetooth audio is not how I like to spend my time.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  4. Re:I need help by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What's wrong with being a Luddite?

    Not that this is really Luddism -- interchangeable parts were a big part of the Industrial Revolution.

  5. Re:4.4mm? by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 3, Insightful

    >they dropped 3.5mm because it was too big?

    No, they dropped the 3.5mm jack because the phone was too thin. Battery life suffers also. Thicker phone -> Thicker battery and 3.5mm jack. It's a win, win.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  6. Re:What's wrong with the existing 3.5mm jacks? by Stormwatch · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It lacks a very important feature: vendor lock-in.

    --
    Circumcision is child abuse.
  7. Re:Stand your ground by HornWumpus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You did have a choice, but you made the wrong one.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  8. only two connectors count by swschrad · · Score: 5, Insightful

    3.5mm stereo and 1/4-inch. everything else is a gimmick that will be crap in several years. stand your ground!

    --
    if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
  9. Re:Yup. It's already a mess. by sexconker · · Score: 3, Informative

    Even the "standard" 3.5 mm jack is fucked now.

    There's TS (mono), TRS (stereo), TRRS (stereo+mic), and now TRRRS (fucking bullshit). TRRS has been abused a lot in the past, with people using one connector for video, moving ground around, etc. The most recent disaster with TRSS was the confusion between the OMTP and CTIA standards. One has left, right, ground, mic, the other has left, right mic, ground. Depending on what your device has and what your headset (or TRS headphones) have, you can have issues ranging from added noise, the mic not being detected or usable, or even the voltage being fucked to the point you can't drive your headphones.

  10. Re:Yup. It's already a mess. by arth1 · · Score: 3, Informative

    The Switch uses a standard headphone jack.

    No, it doesn't. A standard headphone jack takes a 1/4" plug. The Switch has a standard mini jack taking a 3.5mm plug.
    And it's not a standard headphone jack either, because it is TRRS headset jack and not a TRS headphone jack. Depending on where the connectors are, it may not work. It's a "works with most", not "works with all".

  11. 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...
  12. No it wont. by Qbertino · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The inventor of modern headphones still is quite conservative about their lineup and they still build some of the best in the industy. If you only look for expensive fidgety mainstream junk, you're in for trouble. Don't.

    For best cost/performance ratio I recommend the Custom 1 Pro +. ... Yeah, admitted, that name does suck. Then again they are genuises at headphones and a little low profile on marketing - who cares? And, yes, it's a regular headphone with a nice and neat 3.5mm jack, as it should be. Made in Germany, btw., not some chinese sweatshop. If that should mean something to you.

    You're welcome.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca