Bluetooth vs wired headphones – Which are better?

Buying headphones is a very personal thing and it very much depends on the type of person you are. Your personality can tell al lot about your preference in terms of headphones. Are you a comfortable person who puts convenience above everything else? Do you want others to do the hard job, just to avoid breaking a sweat, even if that means you don’t have a lot to say about how things are done? Or are you the creative type who goes by the saying: ‘if you want something done well, you have to do it yourself’? Do you prefer buying your furniture at IKEA or you love spending time in your improvised shop behind the house, building your own table or shelves?

Types of headphones to consider

There are a lot of choices when it comes to headphones and the large variety can be overwhelming. There are a lot of types of headphones out there, classified by different criteria:

• In-ear headphones or earbuds
• Over ear headphones (also called circumaural, they go around the ear, enclosing the ear)
• On ear headphones (also called supra-aural, they sit on the outer ear)
• Open back headphones (they have a non-sealed back that lets the air pass through and have the drivers exposed; they don’t isolate the sound and there is sound leakage, but they sound clearer and have more soundstage)
• Closed back headphones (the back on them is completely sealed, which means they isolate better and there’s no sound leakage, but there’s more pressure on the ears from wearing them for a longer while and the sound is a bit more muffled than with open back headphones)
• Semi-open back headphones (they are a mix between the other two; they sound better than closed back headphones but there will still be sound leakage with this type of headphones)

Aside from these types of headphones, there is another important classification: wired headphones and wireless headphones (that work through Bluetooth). Wired headphones have been in trend for many years, but lately, Bluetooth headphones and ear buds have taken the market by storm. There are countless wireless headphones brands out there to choose from, in all price ranges. The opinion is divided when it comes to Bluetooth vs wired headphone quality and there’s still an ongoing debate regarding which ones are better, wired or wireless headphones.

What to consider when deciding between wired vs wireless headphones?

As we’ve mentioned it at the beginning of this article, your own personality, preferences and priorities, will be the best judge when it comes to choosing between Bluetooth headphones vs wired ones.

Before purchasing a new pair of headphones, answer yourself a few questions first:

• What do you need the headphones for? Are you looking for something to have around the house, when you’re in front of your computer and just want to listen to something in peace, without disturbing the others or without being disturbed? Or do you need a pair of headphones mostly for outdoor use, for commuting, for jogging and so on?
• What is your budget? How much are you willing to spend on a pair of headphones? What is the maximum amount you are willing to spend?
• Are you an obsessed audiophile? Is sound quality one of your top priorities and a main focus when you are listening to music? Or are you just about the vibe and the message of the song?

Both wired and wireless headphones come with advantages and disadvantages and it is up to you to decide which ones fit your lifestyle and personality best. You might have different priorities than the person next to you when it comes to music and headphones. That is why we are going to present to you both the pros and cons of Bluetooth headphones and let you make a decision.

What are the advantages of Bluetooth headphones?

One of the main advantages of wireless, Bluetooth headphones is convenience. Bluetooth headphones have no wire, which means you don’t have a cable constantly dangling around and getting all tangled. If you wear your headphones a lot while moving around, exercising, commuting and so on, a long cable might get frustrating over time.

No wire also means that Bluetooth headphones also allow you to listen to your music, podcasts, etc., even if you are not close/tied down to the audio source. Bluetooth headphones have a range of up to 33 feet or more. Your phone can be in one place and you and your headphones in another. That means you have freedom of movement which is a benefit wired headphones can’t really offer. That is why Bluetooth headphones are great for traveling.

Most Bluetooth headphones come with a noise-cancelling function which isolates you from unwanted, outside noises. That makes them a good choice for crowded, noisy places or airplanes.

Most wireless headphones are usually lighter than wired headphones.

Another benefit of wireless headphones is that they are versatile. You can pair them with any device you have, such as your tablet, laptop, TV and so on and listen to whatever you want, without being forced to insert a cable in every device you want to use.

What are the disadvantages of wireless headphones?

As cool and convenient as they might be, wireless headphones still have some drawbacks that keep more old-school users away from them. One of the main disadvantages of them is the fact that you rely on a certain battery life. Granted, the battery life in Bluetooth headphones has improved tremendously over time and you can squeeze up to more than 20 hours out of them. But even so, at some point, you have to recharge them, which is not convenient for everyone.

Price is another issue with Bluetooth headphones, because they are generally more expensive than wired headphones.

Latency is another problem most Bluetooth headphones still have. Even though we are talking about milliseconds here, there are activities in which the latency of wireless headphones is unacceptable: for instance, when you are using them for playing an instrument such as a digital piano or when you are using them for professional studio work. There is a premium feature (AptX Low latency), found in some high-end Bluetooth headphones, which reduces that latency, but it still doesn’t get them close to wired headphones. Without the feature, the latency reaches 166 milliseconds and drops to 34 with that feature. However, with wired headphones you get only 7 milliseconds of latency.

Bluetooth headphones are more prone to breakage. They are more sensitive and dropping them may damage them over time, because there are more components inside that can break. Wired headphones are way more resistant and easier to fix, in case of any problems.

But the most invoked argument against wireless headphones still remains sound quality. Sound quality in Bluetooth headphones has improved dramatically over time and for a wide majority of people, the difference in sound will go unnoticed. But the true, trained audiophile will feel it…For the trained ear, wireless headphones will always lack a certain degree of fullness, clarity and depth, compared to wired headphones. Wireless headphones support a lower sound quality (a max. of 768 Kbps vs. 2,304 Kbps, supported by wired headphones) and they will always have a slightly inferior sound quality than their wired counterparts.