Can wireless headphones sound better than wired ones?
Yes, it can!
It could be the shortest article, as the answer can generally be one word: yes or no! However, there will surely be someone who will argue with this statement. Therefore, we explain it to you! Along the way, we will of course talk about the obvious advantages of wireless headphones, but we will also mention the disadvantages.
Do wired headphones sound better than wireless headphones a priori?
Of course, this argument is correct when comparing models comparable in level and price, but, as they say, there are nuances. Usually we are talking about professional solutions and expensive equipment. If we talk about custom headphones, then the difference may be in favor of wireless solutions. Or the devices may be comparable in capabilities, being the cheapest and most comfortable wired headphones to use.
In short, wired headphones for 500 rubles are likely to lose compared to wireless headphones for 10,000 rubles. If we compare headphones in the same price category, for example, the wired AKG K371 and the wireless Plantronics BackBeat Fit 6100, then the wired solution is sure to win, with a good sound source also by a margin.
Turn on the gramophone!
Unfortunately, we often forget that headphones are needed for playback, but in addition to them, the sound source itself is important, both the playback device (player, smartphone, computer) and the sound file itself. We live in an age where there are lossless formats like FLAC and ALAC (high sound quality with minimal information compression) and lossy files like MP3 (medium to low quality with different compression ratios). Don’t forget about streaming services, which mainly stream compressed music over the network (there are lossless services too, but they’re not as widespread). All of this can affect the sound image on both wired and wireless headphones.
In a recent article on wired headphones, we noted a number of headphone characteristics that depend on the sound source. First of all, it’s about impedance, a parameter that is very different for different wired models. Without getting into the subtleties, let’s just say that not every player or smartphone can “rock” wired headphones so that they sound loud enough and at the same time high-quality.
In the case of wireless headphones, this feature is omitted, since a music player, smartphone, tablet or computer are only sources of information about the sound, and the amplifier that generates a signal for the speakers is located in the headphones themselves, And believe me, this is a harmonious tandem.
Thus, it is not uncommon for situations where, with a particular smartphone, good wireless headphones can produce a more balanced sound than comparable wired ones, because the smartphone simply “can’t cope” with the latter. . There may also be a situation where, when playing a file with poor sound encoding quality in “ears” with cable, you will hear all the imperfections of the recording, and in wireless, the sound will appear more “smooth”.
However, wireless transmission imposes restrictions on the amount of transmitted audio information, so even on a relatively inexpensive HD player, for example, the Sony Walkman NW-A105, combined with successful wired headphones worth up to 10 thousand rubles, the same files will sound better than on any smartphone with wireless headphones.
And if you have the opportunity to listen to your favorite music in high quality on an advanced player for several tens of thousands of rubles with no less expensive wired headphones, then you will no longer want to play on a smartphone again, especially on wireless headphones.
BUT! The truth of life is that the vast majority of people today listen to music from streaming services or social networks (it reads in mediocre quality). Yes, many don’t really listen to it at all, because there are also videos and podcasts, games and audiobooks, all those scenarios where the quality of wired headphones turns out to be redundant and the convenience of wireless is undeniable.
