billybuckwheatWired headphone sales are exploding
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260310-wired-headphones-are-better-than-bluetooth
I've never had a pair of headphones with a cable connection that survived more than 2 years. Can't say that about the Airpods Max.
Like, I have opinions about high-end headphones based on how easy the cords are to replace. That shouldn't be the case.
I was a discrete headphone amp guy, just to situate myself in this market. I didn't expect to get good wireless headphones and think "I'm never going back", but that's precisely what happened.
Wired headphones are also 1/10 of the price of airpods. So they still come out ahead on the cost of ownership front.
What high quality wired headphones (that you’d drive with a dedicated amp and have a replaceable cable) cost $55?
For context, I was generally using H6's, HD-280s, and HD-550s (when open-ear "ear-mounted speakers" are OK). The price point here is $100-$300. All of them have replaceable cables, but none of them are standard cables, so you have to stockpile extra cables for them.
The audio quality difference between that class of headphone and Airpods Max is within the threshold of "speaker cable differences". All 4 of them put you in territory where source quality and delivery is the primary issue.