Wired headphones are making a comeback, I don’t know how they feel

Main points

• Wired headphones from the past are back in style, giving Gen Z a nostalgic feel. TikTok and celebrities are making this aesthetic popular.
• The rise of wireless AirPods has transformed wired headphones from mainstream to retro-cool. However, durability and convenience are concerns.
• While wired headphones offer advantages like durability, they may not be the most efficient option compared to wireless technology.

There was a time when wired headphones took the world by storm. Each device includes a 3.5mm jack for plugging in headphones. An iPhone or iPod purchased in the 1900s to early 2010s came with a charger for the device and a pair of wired earbuds. Of course, that was before the rise of wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Internet memes refer to those who own AirPods or wireless headphones as “rich” and those who don’t as “poor.”

Since the release of AirPods in 2016, wired headphones have gone from mainstream to niche. Once AirPods hit the market, a clear class divide emerged between AirPods users and non-AirPods users—internet memes referred to those who owned AirPods or wireless earphones as the “haves” and those who didn’t as the “have-nots.” “. There’s even a trend of users taking scissors and cutting off wired headphones to pretend they’re wearing wireless ones.

However, as younger Gen Z continue to romanticize the ’90s and ’00s, wired headphones are no longer the niche they were a few years ago. As someone who was in the “haven’t” Internet meme bucket when I was teased for not having AirPods in high school, I’m confused. Wired headphones were huge in 2010, but with wireless headphones featuring the latest technology and Bluetooth capabilities, why would Gen Z be intimidated by the aesthetics of wired music listening?

From wired to wireless: a history lesson

Wired headphones first became mainstream in the 1970s with the launch of Sony’s Walkman. Sony’s Walkman, launched in 1979, quickly became a true icon of a generation. The Walkman allowed users to listen to cassette tapes on the go using thin headband headphones connected to the device via wires (I wonder how long it will take for Gen Z to popularize cassette tapes again).

The Walkman dominated until the rise of MP3 players in 1997. Everything changed in 2001, when Apple released the iPod, a hard-drive device that played music digitally. iPod users also use wired headphones, but instead of over-ear headband headphones, Apple sells wired earbuds that require less intrusive headbands.

Music listeners have been using wired headphones for years, although wireless Bluetooth over-ear headphones were first introduced in 2004. It wasn’t until Japanese company Onkyo invented wireless Bluetooth earbuds in 2015 that audiophiles began to get rid of the shackles of wired headphones. .

Ever since Onkyo released the Onkyo W800BT, major companies have followed suit. Apple most notably released its flagship wireless headphones, AirPods, in 2016. In an effort to continue evolving its products, Apple has removed the 3.5mm jack from all iPhones since the release of the iPhone 7 in 2016, unofficially declaring that wired headphones are a thing of the past. Apple’s efforts are clearly paying off, with Apple AirPods reportedly bringing in more than $14.5 billion in revenue for the company in 2022 alone.

The TikTokization of wired headphones

This differentiation has grown since AirPods became mainstream, and now wearing wired headphones has become a statement. Wired earphone wearers in the era of wireless earphones violated norms and were considered not to succumb to trends and mainstream society. At their core, wired headphone users are nonconformist hippies from the late 2010s to 2020s—or so they think.

According to TikTok user @thedigifairy, wired headphones appeal to young Gen Z primarily because of the aesthetics they add to listening to music.

Nowadays, wired headphones and other “retro” technology are popular. Specifically, the wired headphone trend kicked off in 2021, with a TikTok video explaining the comeback of the wired headphone aesthetic, and now users around the world agree that wired headphones are in, while wireless earbuds are, dare we say, passé.

According to TikTok user @thedigifairy, wired headphones appeal to young Gen Z primarily because of the aesthetics they add to listening to music. Hundreds of TikTok users only use wired headphones when making videos. TikToker @ohmontaine’s videos revolve around wearing wired headphones while filming.

Even celebrities like Jenna Ortega and Halle Bailey wear wired headphones. During an interview with British Vogue, Bailey showed off the contents of her Gucci bag, one of which was a pair of wired headphones. “I know everyone wears AirPods, but I love wired headphones, and I think they sound louder for some reason,” Bailey said.

Internet and celebrity trends? Or a real life statement?

Sure, wired headphones have infiltrated the TikTok and celebrity world, but I needed to know if college students were actually wearing these “retro” headphones. To figure this out, I did what I always do when I have questions about what the kids are doing these days, I turned to my twenty-year-old college sister, Hannah. Although she is only three years younger than me, sometimes it feels like we live in different cultural worlds. When I asked her if she had wired headphones, she simply replied, “Yes.”

I did what I always do when I have questions about what the kids are doing these days, and I turned to my twenty-year-old college sister, Hannah.

“Wearing wireless headphones is still more common, but people are definitely wearing wired headphones,” Hanna said. “I think the wired look is popular, just like we all had Apple’s wired headphones when we had iPods.”

Wired headphones are popping up not just on college campuses but on the streets of New York City. New York native, Pocket-Lint’s A/V Editor-in-Chief, and fellow Gen Zer Christina Darby has certainly noticed that wired headphones are making a massive comeback.

“I’ve seen a lot of stylish people walking down Fifth Avenue wearing oversized blazers, Adidas samba shoes, and cool shades. Their stylish outfits paired perfectly with wired headphones, wearing an almost unofficial “uniform of cool.” Funny thing is , their phones are in their pockets or bags instead of where most people our age (myself included) typically keep them: in their hands,” Darby said.

“At first, I thought I noticed it more because I’m obsessed with fashion and headphones, but even my investment banking roommate noticed the epidemic in her office, so there must be a reason.”

When the wired headphone trend came to my attention, I couldn’t help but notice that the trend had spread across the Atlantic from New York to London. Walking down the streets of London, it’s more common to see teenagers and twenty-somethings wearing bulky over-ear or in-ear wired headphones.

To wire or not to wire?

With wired headphones becoming popular again, I find myself wondering what I’m getting into. I still own a few sets of cheap wired headphones for flying use, and I love my Bose 700 Noise Canceling Headphones , which include a 3.5mm jack and auxiliary cable to easily convert the headphones from wireless to wired.

But, at this point, I found myself thinking: wouldn’t it be easier to use wireless Bluetooth headphones like AirPods?

Every device I own no longer includes a 3.5mm jack for connecting headphone cables. In order to listen to music with wired headphones, I either have to buy a Lightning to 3.5mm jack adapter for the wired headphones I currently own, or I need to buy a whole new set of headphones. Now that Apple has included USB-C charging ports on all of its latest iPhones, my old lighting-to-3.5mm jack adapter won’t cut it in a few years.

Ironically, for me, wireless headphones are more convenient, and their smaller size makes them easier to use while running and walking.

Wireless headphones have one major drawback that wired headphones don’t: short battery life.

Wired headphones never run out of battery (and probably style), they’re harder to lose and cheaper to replace, and the microphones on Apple’s EarPods are sometimes better than the ones on my AirPods. Not to mention, they do add to the Tumblr aesthetic of 2012, which, for better or worse, continues to make a comeback.

While wired headphones don’t require charging like AirPods, wired headphones still have their drawbacks. Sometimes the audio stops working. I can’t tell you how many times before I used AirPods I had to stretch the cable in a specific way to start playing sound. On top of that, cords can get in the way of daily activities and can get tangled with other items.

Wired headphones have their pros and cons, and I don’t hate the resurgence of wired headphones, but I don’t think wired headphones are the most efficient way to listen to music. Users can still get the same music-listening headphone aesthetic by wearing over-ear headphones like AirPods Max, Bose or Sony, while also getting a more immersive ANC or Spatial Audio listening experience. Unless companies like Apple start adding 3.5mm jacks to their devices, I think wired headphones may need to stay in the past.