[AmirHwang]

Hello there, I am new to Head-Fi forum. English is not my native language therefore please excuse all of the language errors. Here I just want to share an idea about detachable cable.

In this year, I have tried many products such as Airpods, Shure SE846, Bose QC30, Bose QC20 and JBL UA Sport Wireless Flex. Some of them are really surprise me because of their sound quality, and bose QC30 is excellent for its noise cancelling and great bass, I believe it's a proof that wireless can also deliver great sound quality.

Sony has contributed its LDAC wireless audio coding technology to Android O. What's more, Qualcomm has developed aptX-HD which resulting in a ‘better-than-CD’ listening experience. These two technologies tell us that Bluetooth can transfer lossless audio data.


As technology develops, many new technologies are applied to headphones such as voice control and lossless codec. More features may be available in the future.

Some people may own some high-end devices which can be used for a long time. However, most of them are not designed to meet future trends. They even don't know when and what will the future be when they were born.

Just like Shure released BT1 to make SE series earphones wirelessly.
Will you buy a cable to make your high-end earbuds wirelessly?

This idea is based on the following conditions:

1. Most of the headphones die because of the cable issue, but the whole headphones have to be replaced if their cable are not detachable.
2. Many high-end headphones' cables are detachable.
3. Technology grows very fast today even in audio industry.
4. Wireless headphones can't last for a long time because of the battery wear level. That means the truly wireless earbuds can't be forever although they are trends in the future.

 

[yong_shun]

I will still go for wired IEM if I want the best listening experience and best sound quality. It has less chance to have distortion and the transmission is faster (I guess) even as compared to the faster Bluetooth codec (LDAC with ~900kbps transmission speed). Wired IEM will give you more flexibility to connect to an Amp or a DAC to fully release the potential, although the freedom is compromised a little. Wireless come in handy when commuting and travelling. Noise cancellation is the one of the coolest invention ever for me - can finally listen to music and neglect all the hustle and bustle.

 

[AmirHwang]

I will still go for wired IEM if I want the best listening experience and best sound quality. It has less chance to have distortion and the transmission is faster (I guess) even as compared to the faster Bluetooth codec (LDAC with ~900kbps transmission speed). Wired IEM will give you more flexibility to connect to an Amp or a DAC to fully release the potential, although the freedom is compromised a little. Wireless come in handy when commuting and travelling. Noise cancellation is the one of the coolest invention ever for me - can finally listen to music and neglect all the hustle and bustle.

Thank you Yong Shun. Noise cancellation sacrifices sound quality to a certain extend, even Bose is. Compare with other products, I think Bose has found a balance between sound quality and noise cancellation. The bass is not powerful but comfortable, so we can listen for a long time. However, the earbuds is too big to wear for a long time... I have to put them off after two hour of use.

 

[PaganDL]

Hi AmirHwang,

It all depends on what the listener wants from their sound, not just music, personally, I am a wired man myself first & formost but I am open to wireless, especially if good in ears can be used in this fashion.
The issue in general, especially from the consumer side most seem to get 'wrong' or misguided to a certain extent is most are not comfortable with in ears or earphones due to improper tip selection so most only think of closed headphones as an option.
Proper tip selection is essential for a good listening experience as it ensures maximum comfort & isolation from from external noise, often far better than most closed headphones bar noise cancelling capable though that is debatable as well.

Subjectively in my experience so far, Sony WH 1000 X M2 are the closest to a very good comparable wireless solution headphone wise I have come across & in doing so actually own.
They also have one of the best noise cancelling out there without sacrificing what is most important, sound.
So I don't quite agree when companies scarifice sound quality just to have noise cancelling built in, there tends to be a trend where some are willing to compromise just for the sake of having a feature, be it noise cancelling or otherwise, because they think they should.

In closing, it all depends on what someone is looking for & what you as a consumer are willing to look for but more importantly listen to which appeals, after all, no one can tell you what you should like, trust your source (minimum CD quality) & your own ears.