[aztec]

Resurrecting this thread, in light of the release of the new iPhone 7. Although the demise will be slow, I believe Apple's decision to nix the 3.5mm headphone jack from the new iPhone decisively put a nail in the coffin for the consumer wired headphone category in the long term. We will certainly continue to see wired headphones in professional use for now.
 
Their will undoubtedly be folks who'll point out that Apple has < 20% of the world's smartphone market share, but my counter argument is that Apple sets trends that others follow - and we've seen countless examples of this in the past.
 
Perhaps its best to start a new thread that focuses exclusively on reviews and comparisons of wireless headphones.

 

[Marc Lian]

Wireless headphones are undoubtedly the future, just like many other things i.e. wireless charging, wireless tethering, wireless transfer. It's only a matter of how far or near in the future, Apple is clearly making a push to bring that future nearer and I think the technology is almost there to allow that to happen too. Now it's up to the rest of the consumer and professional audio industry to actively accept and develop that future.

 

[Bernardo]

Waiting for that new thread that's been prophesied because there are a whole bunch of wireless earbuds but the spread in terms of quality and price has to be vast what with kickstarter constantly coming out with wireless headphone projects and major handset and accessory manufacturers like apple and jabra and motorolla running with the idea.
 
My question is, where are sennheiser, AKG, shure, etc with all this? Have YOU heard of a wireless in-ear from them? Or any wireless in-ear that comes from a reputable manufacturer that would be worth investing into this early? (Not Bose cause they always were, are, and will be overpriced.) I sure haven't.

 

[Marc Lian]

 
My question is, where are sennheiser, AKG, shure, etc with all this? Have YOU heard of a wireless in-ear from them? Or any wireless in-ear that comes from a reputable manufacturer that would be worth investing into this early? (Not Bose cause they always were, are, and will be overpriced.) I sure haven't.

 
Believe me, wireless headphones from the beloved brands are either in development or they are scrambling to develop it. Why? Because now there is a big player (Apple) pushing for wireless with the iPhone 7 omitting the headphone jack.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I strongly doubt wireless headphones will ever outperform the sound quality of the best wired headphones that cost thousands...but I guess wireless does make sense for more affordable portable equipment.

 

[LajostheHun]

Apple only sets trends who follows THEM,[they have a name] for the rest of us we could care less. Yes wireless headphones are the future as they already outsell wired headphones. Of course the died in the wool old school enthusiasts will never bother with it for ideological reasons, so they will be tethered to their beloved HPs for all eternity.

 

[LajostheHun]

Believe me, wireless headphones from the beloved brands are either in development or they are scrambling to develop it. Why? Because now there is a big player (Apple) pushing for wireless with the iPhone 7 omitting the headphone jack.

I'm sure some believe that, but in reality the push for wireless happened long before the rumors of the iPhone 7 and it's fabled missing headphone jack.

 

[vrln]

For mainstream and most of the high end sector? Yes, but it won´t happen fast. The Apple W1 chip is a promising development. Perhaps by second or third iteration if they start licensing it out (just like lightning) the Apple ecosystem will at least go fully wireless.
 
It´s not just the wireless aspect that´s intriguing, it´s the fact the DAC/headphone amp circuitry will be customized for that particular headphone. Add in some digital signal processing (fixing frequency response issues that cannot be fixed mechanically) and there are some very promising developments coming in the next few years.

 

[Priyajeet]

I am definitely curious to see what the market brings in the next few months, specially before the holiday season. I want a decent pair of IEMs but having a primary use case for gym use  (and even swimming, with the new Apple Watch) I am interested in something wireless and waterproof. Right now if you want sound quality you cant go wireless, let alone waterproof. I just hope this gap reduces eventually. I don't expect the totl IEMs going wireless now or perhaps ever, but surely ones below can. Just came across https://zipbuds.com/ (Catalyst - 2ba+2d), but I have been burnt by kickstarters before, so I am just gonna wait and see.

 

[Sylmar]

As long as there are better portable sources in sound than mobile phones I don't see the audiophile market change much. Sure the main consumer market will change but I see that as a different group of people.

 

[Sylmar]

Apple only sets trends who follows THEM,[they have a name] for the rest of us we could care less. Yes wireless headphones are the future as they already outsell wired headphones. Of course the died in the wool old school enthusiasts will never bother with it for ideological reasons, so they will be tethered to their beloved HPs for all eternity.

I agree with this viewpoint. Apple may have a big influence on the mass market but even a big influence can influence only so much.

 

[Marc Lian]

I'm sure some believe that, but in reality the push for wireless happened long before the rumors of the iPhone 7 and it's fabled missing headphone jack.

 

 
In reality how strong was this "push" before the iPhone 7? I don't think any other push was as strong as omitting the headphone jack on a phone that has as much appeal by an influential brand in the consumer electronics industry.

 

[Marc Lian]

This isn't the first time something like this is happening, remember when the iMac removed the floppy disk drives? Remember when the MacBook Air removed the CD drive? 
 
The consequences were clear, all the other manufacturers followed suit. This will be no different.

 

[Billheiser]

Yes, wireless may be the future, and if the quality of the signal and the ease of the pairing get better, it will be quicker. But wireless's advantage is CONVENIENCE, and really there's no problem in having 1 skinny cable going from headphones to pocket - compared to signal drops, pairing problems, and recharging headphones. For now, despite the marketing hype, wireless is LESS convenient.

 

[Marc Lian]

Yes, wireless may be the future, and if the quality of the signal and the ease of the pairing get better, it will be quicker. But wireless's advantage is CONVENIENCE, and really there's no problem in having 1 skinny cable going from headphones to pocket - compared to signal drops, pairing problems, and recharging headphones. For now, despite the marketing hype, wireless is LESS convenient.

 
You'll feel different about having a skinny cable when you engage in physical activities (i.e. working out). I don't think the ceiling is sound quality or ease of pairing, have you seen the how quickly and easily the AirPods pair with the device? Or how we already have Bluetooth 4.0, AptX and AAC encoding? It's the fact of having to charge your earphones and the low capacity these batteries have. What would really advance wireless and frankly many other electronic devices is battery technology. Lighter, smaller, higher capacity and quicker charging batteries is the breakthrough we need.