Articles | Which On Is Better, Wired Or Wireless Headphones?

Our high tech society has a thing for wireless things, doesn't it? Because of this fondness for getting rid of wires, we have liberated so many things from their copper and plastic tethers. From computing pointing devices to home phones, we are just crazy for wireless technology. One of the latest and most popular things to get rid of the wire are headphones. But, how do wireless headphones really stack up against the traditionally wired ones? Let us take a good hard look at this because at times, high tech does not necessarily mean better.

The first thing to consider when comparing wired and wireless headphones is where you will be using them most of the time. Will you use them at home or will you depend on them as output devices for your mobile electronics, like smart phones and tablets? This is very important as the first thing to note about wireless headphones is that they draw power from built in batteries because they cannot do so from the unit they get audio from, this means that their battery life will factor very importantly on how useful they will be. Imagine having to charge your wireless headphones every two hours, will this then be a viable choice for your iPhone or Android phone? Wireless headphones, on the other hand, are perfect for home or office use because they will allow you the freedom to move around your house or office while still hearing what you are listening to. But if you want something to take along with you when you go out, it would be better to use single ear wireless headsets instead as they consume less power and last longer. But these things are not optimized for music or video though, so wired headphones are still the best.

Which leads us to the next point: the quality of sound output. You will find wireless headphones that have great battery life, but what use would it be if the sound quality is poor? These days, multi-channel audio is king because it delivers great sound quality but it does so by transmitting large amounts of data, often only achievable via a physical connection. And often, the bluetooth technology that wireless headphones rely on can fall short in this department. Last, but definitely not the least, just how much is the extra cost you will have to shoulder for wireless headphones? Is it really practical to fork over more money for something that performs as good, or even better, wired? Wireless headphones are great, if used for the right kinds of purposes. They offer mobility and ease of use, especially at home or at the office as you can move as far away from the home unit as the model allows. But if you are only after the cool factor, you will most often waste money on them.