Change my mind: 3.5mm jacks

[teknohpile]

Never really understood LMG raging at not having a headphone jack. OK your opinion is valid, but is it really worth actually getting that mad about? I'm actually more likely to get triggered when my wired headphones get ripped off my head as they frequently do.

My opinion is they are only necessary on audiophile devices and budget devices. 
 

[Needfuldoer]

I like not having to worry about keeping my headphones charged.

[Srijan Verma]

Reasons i would like to have a headphone jack:

• being able to plug in to aux
• not have to think about charging my devices
• can use audio pass through to my pc headset using inline
• batteries degrade over time, wires dont
• they sound better
• audio latency
• wired stuff usually has mic on the cable which is located near the mouth,  has better audio, in wireless you have to reply on the headset's pickup pattern for you to be audible

[jaslion]

< removed by moderation >

 

 

It's simple reliability, universality and bluetooth on windows sucks SO MUCH it's basically unusable.

Edited December 29, 2022 by LogicalDrm

[Srijan Verma]

6 minutes ago, jaslion said:

It's simple reliability, universality and bluetooth on windows sucks SO MUCH it's basically unusable.

its honestly shocking how terrible it still is in 2022.

[Takumidesh]

I think phones should just have 2 USB C ports, they can both be power/data ports, but you can use one for charging, and another for accessories, or both for accessories, depending on your needs.

 

I don't see why we need to hang on the the 3.5mm plug anymore, USB C is sufficient, yes you will need a dongle for legacy stuff, but as adoption grows, more headphones will be shipped with USBC.

 

This also eliminates the need to have a hole in the phone for no purpose other than headphones (and some minor niche devices) and instead allows headphone users to have their plug, if desired, and allows people who use wireless to have a plug that can still be functional for them (data transfer, keyboards, whatever other accessory)

[Fendrick]

Na.

[Holmes108]

4 minutes ago, Takumidesh said:

I think phones should just have 2 USB C ports, they can both be power/data ports, but you can use one for charging, and another for accessories, or both for accessories, depending on your needs.

 

I don't see why we need to hang on the the 3.5mm plug anymore, USB C is sufficient, yes you will need a dongle for legacy stuff, but as adoption grows, more headphones will be shipped with USBC.

 

This also eliminates the need to have a hole in the phone for no purpose other than headphones (and some minor niche devices) and instead allows headphone users to have their plug, if desired, and allows people who use wireless to have a plug that can still be functional for them (data transfer, keyboards, whatever other accessory)

Yeah, regardless of what the port is, there are just obvious benefits to having a dedicated port. I have a Note 10+ (no jack), and I use wireless earbuds 95% of the time, so obviously it's not a deal breaker for me. 

 

But I'd prefer to have a port (of some kind). Sharing the charging port can be inconvenient for obvious reason, and my USB C port is also wonky right now (touch the cable and it loses connection). I charge my phone wirelessly more often than not, so for charging it's not a huge deal, but it's basically rendered my wired headphones useless, unless I can avoid touching/moving the phone completely.

 

Now this could equally happen to a 3.5mm jack... it's just bad luck my 1 physical port has gone bad. But in a perfect world, I'd have a phone that accepts 3.5, USB C and BT headphones, because why not.

[LogicalDrm]

*** Thread cleaned ***

 

Please don't reply to posts you assume are spam. Your posts will be removed as collateral damage.

***

 

Having option is imo the biggest reason for having any features. Like 10 years ago having more options and features was good thing. Now, it seems manufaturers are cutting stuff out and using very odd reasoning. Mainly "space limitations" is used. Then, when you look at features or battery size, which would benefit most from space gained, they are still lacking when compared to devices which have jack available. For example, my phone which is about same age as iPhone X. Bit smaller in overall size, maybe tad thicker, does have headphone jack. And bigger battery than iPhone. Maybe it could be made thinner if it was the size of iPhone.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

1 hour ago, Srijan Verma said:

batteries degrade over time, wires dont

I’m sorry but tf do you mean? Headphone wires most definitely degrade over time if you’re not careful. A common failure point is at the end of the connector where the cable starts because the cable bends there a lot and often is pressured there too

[kumicota]

2 minutes ago, Helpful Tech Witch said:

Headphone wires most definitely degrade over time if you’re not careful. A common failure point is at the end of the connector where the cable starts because the cable bends there a lot and often is pressured there too

You can get earbuds with connectors like mmcx(random image from google), 2 wire and more. I have one that I bought about 8 years ago and while I replaced the cable 3 times, the earbuds still works fine and the cable is cheap(about 5 USD for a basic one), while if a battery fail on a bluetooth earbud, it's another 60$ at least for it.

 

[Helpful Tech Witch]

5 minutes ago, kumicota said:

while if a battery fail on a bluetooth earbud, it's another 60$ at least for it.

No one said you have to get 60$ earbuds.
 

But your argument doesn’t change that most headphones and earbuds don’t have detachable cables anyways. anyways you proved my point that cables most definitely do degrade which was my main point in the first place

[kumicota]

7 minutes ago, Helpful Tech Witch said:

cables most definitely do degrade which was my main point in the first place

Lithium Batteries too and replacing a Bluetooth headphone is more expensive than buying one with detachable cables(which there's a lot of manufacturers and headphones) and buying years of cables 

[Helpful Tech Witch]

22 minutes ago, kumicota said:

Lithium Batteries too and replacing a Bluetooth headphone is more expensive than buying one with detachable cables(which there's a lot of manufacturers and headphones) and buying years of cables 

I never said it was cheaper to replace.

my only gripe was with saying cables didn’t degrade.

[Roswell]

I don’t care about audio jacks on phones. Would be annoying for a laptop though with speakers.

 

Personally, going back to wired headphones would be a nightmare. The cost to replace wireless ones every 4 years or whatever is absolutely worth the benefits of wireless for me.

[TetraSky]

Considering all the issues my friend has with his bluetooth headset... From ANC not working half of the time or the headset itself not connecting... I'll stay with my good old trusty cable that I know will work if I just plug it in.

 

I don't mind wireless for things like a mobile device. But on my desktop PC? Heck no. Plus, no need to pay the wireless tax, so they are cheaper for the same quality.

[jaslion]

2 hours ago, Helpful Tech Witch said:

No one said you have to get 60$ earbuds.
 

But your argument doesn’t change that most headphones and earbuds don’t have detachable cables anyways. anyways you proved my point that cables most definitely do degrade which was my main point in the first place

True cables degrade but the one counterpoint to that again is lithium ion batteries degrade much faster than most cables do.

 

I am here for choice on everything and the beauty is that for wired at least there are a couple standards for easily replaceable wires. Which sadly for bt does not exist as they are extremely integrated pieces of tiny tech which would make doing so not really feaseable. This does however not excuse the lack of replaceable batteries as third parties can do it even in horribly made things like the apple earpods.

 

 

[Vishera]

It's an open and widely adopted standard, reliable with decades of use and support.

It's forwards and backwards compatible:

Wanna use headphones from 30 years ago on modern hardware? - no problem

Wanna use your shiny new headphones on your 30 years old AV/R or AMP? - no problem

[igormp]

I like having the option, my current phone doesn't have a 3.5mm jack and sometimes I find myself without my TWS and only with wired ones around. When using my laptop, I basically use 50/50 my tws and wired headphones.

 

For my desktop I'm always using my bt headset tho, I like it better since I can move around my room without caring.

 

39 minutes ago, Caroline said:

Wait until you hear about bluetooth on Linux. It's the same, file transfer is unidirectional and you can only transfer one file at a time, at og serial port speeds. It's a tech that has never evolved for computers.

 

I know this is about audio devices, my speakers come with bluetooth but it's something I'll never try to set up because I know it'll be a nightmare or last until I shut off my computer, using a cable is faster and better.

Headphones... I wouldn't use wireless.

I have both a bluetooth headset and a TWS working just fine in both my linux systems (desktop and laptop), so yeah, insert "works in my machine" meme here lol

[darwin006]

13 hours ago, teknohpile said:

Never really understood LMG raging at not having a headphone jack. OK your opinion is valid, but is it really worth actually getting that mad about? I'm actually more likely to get triggered when my wired headphones get ripped off my head as they frequently do.

My opinion is they are only necessary on audiophile devices and budget devices. 
 

My wired headphones are 5+ years old and still work perfectly. And if I need to I can replace the cord. Wireless earbuds batteries don't last very long and the batteries will almost certainly degrade after 2-3 years which will turn every wireless earbud into ewaste.

[SimplyChunk]

I bought a set of KitSound Funk35 for like 18 quid last, last year when i had my Pixel 4a.  They are cheap and awesome true wireless buds (bit shite for calling though)  They're still going strong and I keep them in my work bag for if i have to hang back for a while (i'm a delivery driver).  I bought my sister a pair for her birthday the same year and the battery in the box is dead already.  So like anything really it's just luck of the draw for if your hardware lasts or not.  I treated myself to a set of W1000-XM4s a month back and I love them

[BobVonBob]

My biggest issue is how much additional stuff (and by extension, money) is needed for decent wireless audio and the limited lifespan because batteries.

 

I guarantee more money was put towards the drivers in my $100 USD Etymotic ER2SE IEMs than in the $250 USD AirPods Pro 2 because they don't have charging circuitry, or three batteries, or audio controls, or a DAC/amplifier, or bluetooth chips, or a bunch of microphones.

 

My phone already has all that stuff, and phone manufacturers sure as hell aren't giving discounts for taking it all away.

[Helpful Tech Witch]

3 hours ago, Caroline said:

That's why you take them off before moving? I mean. I had never had that happen, and it's not like I own $5000 headphones like some people in here do, I have a pair of counterfeit Sony that sound like rattling cans, the cable is indeed short but that's not an issue when I'm at my desk chilling.

It’s really easy for a cable to get caught on something if your using them while walking

especially if your phone is in your pocket and you’re using wired earbuds

Walking too close to a table with will make it quite easy to catch the cable on the corner and rip them out of your ears.

 

 

 

[Holmes108]

9 minutes ago, Helpful Tech Witch said:

It’s really easy for a cable to get caught on something if your using them while walking

especially if your phone is in your pocket and you’re using wired earbuds

Walking too close to a table with will make it quite easy to catch the cable on the corner and rip them out of your ears.

 

 

 

 

Yep. Or cat running across your lap, etc... all kinds of reasons it can happen.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

3 hours ago, Helpful Tech Witch said:

It’s really easy for a cable to get caught on something if your using them while walking

especially if your phone is in your pocket and you’re using wired earbuds

Walking too close to a table with will make it quite easy to catch the cable on the corner and rip them out of your ears.

 

 

 

And even if the cable doesn't get snagged, eventually the plug itself will wear out and start to crackle and loose connection. Or in my case, continuously pause my music or max the volume suddenly because it's now deteriorated to the point of sending phantom signals back to the phone.