#and I'm perfectly happy using cheap headphones too

[childoferebus]

time to get heated on an otherwise innocuous post, but wireless headphones are one of the worst, most insidious products to come out in recent times but because they had one of the best marketing pushes of all times they've been universally accepted and I HATE IT.

A small disclaimer here: if you like and use wireless headphones, more power to you! I'm glad you like them, really!

Don't get me wrong, I have a pair of wireless earbuds for work (Cambridge Audio Melomania Touches, 2/10, do not fucking buy these things, but that's a different rant for a different day that is only tangentially related to the fact that they're wireless bluetooth buds.) I do use wireless and I see the appeal. They're nice to have around so you don't get tangled on things, don't pull your headphones off (or out) at mach 3 speeds, you can put your phone somewhere safe so it's not in danger of water/dust/damage/etc. That's great! That's useful!

And in every other sense they're garbage, intended to be garbage, and that's exactly how big companies want it.

From a purely technical point of view, they're a downgrade in every sense. They lag, the latency is an issue, they have to be continuously charged or they won't work. The sound quality is horrendous because you can't fit a sizeable DAC (digital-analog converter) into such a small package and can't crib off of your device's DAC with a connected wire. Not only is the battery of your headphones a consideration, so is the battery of your music device, because bluetooth is a battery hog. The microphones are always crunchy and fizzly, to the point that a $300 pair of wireless headphones can't compete with a pair of $25 wired earbuds. These issues would be bad enough on their own in isolation, but then you bring in the Big Reason Companies Want You To Use Bluetooth:

You'll need to replace them consistently for the rest of your life, which means Apple/Samsung/Google/Whoever has one hand in your wallet and they hardly even have to work for it.

A good pair of wired headphones will last you decades, assuming you treat them with any amount of care. I've used headphones that were built in the 1970s and aside from some changes in speaker manufacturing, they worked fine.

You could baby a pair of wireless headphones, never drop them, never sweat on them, only use them for a few hours a day and somehow never misplace one (or the whole set, as is the case for a set of over-ears) and they are still nothing more than e-waste. The battery has a finite lifespan and once it's done, it's done. Then your expensive pair of headphones (because you paid more for bluetooth privileges) are wiped out and whoops, you gotta get a new pair. Thus the cycle continues. This doesn't even account for loss, damage, bugs, or defects. God save you if you blow them out.

This is GREAT for these big companies. Look at how many things can go wrong! Planned obsolescence is the name of the game and not only did they con consumers into buying this trash, they charged them extra and called it convenience! This doesn't even touch on what a nightmare these things are to the environment. (Yes, I know they can be recycled. How many people do you think are recycling them and not just throwing them in the trash?)

Yeah, wired headphones are kind of a pain in the ass. They've got built-in issues of their own, I'm not saying they're perfect. But goddamn, I'd take my Mezes over AirpodsMax every day of the week.

[strawberrybuni]

🧵 anon here just wanted to say I hope your having an amazing day you are genuinely so cool and an amazing writer <3

Also regarding your recent post (I hope im not overstepping here, please feel free to ignore or tell me to mind my business lol I will not be offended) I wouldn’t worry too much about being seen as rude- i have an auditory processing disorder so I miss people talking to me or need them to repeat themselves all the time and I’ve found that people usually get that it’s not an intentional thing just a mistake if you just let them know you didn’t hear them and are not ignoring them on purpose.

I’ve found headphones are fairly easy to explain and a lot of people like to wear them in public so I’m sure most understand and I doubt anyone thinks youre rude for it (especially seeing as it is a common honest mistake) unless they’re weird about manners or kind of a dick or something in which case I don’t have an answer tbh

If you want it to be more clear that you are listening to music you could try getting some cheap overear headphones as they tend to be more visible though some people find them uncomfortable to wear.

PS re-reading some of your old stuff (the one with asking the jjk characters about a bite mark tattoo) and the reader calling Mahito a biter made me giggle really hard and also I 100% agree that’s something he’d do. Also sweet gods your dialogue is all so in character and widely varied character to character in ways that fit really perfectly and I also like the way you write the reader themself quite a lot and good lord you are so good at this I am impressed every time I re read your work

(Feel like I should mention I am very sleepy rn so this message may or may not be totally coherent, but yeah I hope you are taking care of yourself and doing well and though just hearing someone else say it isn’t super helpful I do honestly find that most people are usually not judging you for small things as much as you think especially if there is a clear and reasonable explanation which there 100% is in this case <3)

(Also again I hope I’m not overstepping or anything and I hope my sleepy brain didn’t phrase any of this in an accidentally rude way or something; my ability to convey tone goes down 100% when im sleepy but I just wanted to let you know that I doubt you are being judged and I know just being told that doesn’t solve the issue or anything but might be good to hear? Idk im gonna stop talking I think I might be starting to repeat myself now lol)

(Also sorry this got so long lol)

I swear you always know how to make me go 🥺 I hope you're having an even MORE amazing day!!

oh you're not overstepping at all!!! I always get so worried ugh, I think what doesn't help is that I use earbuds, and I have fluffy curly hair that covers my ears so people can't see if I'm wearing headphones or not(it's how I've gotten away with it at work and in class teehee), but you're right usually when I'm like OMG IM SORRY I HAD HEADPHONES IN they're always very understanding! I just overthink 🥺

no bc mahito is SO a biter like omg, but thank you so much for your kind words 🥹 I'm really happy you like how i write my reader! maybe other writers can relate, but my reader is very much myself tbh, like some of my friends who know of my blog have read some of my stuff and been like "why is that literally a conversation we've had?" LOL

you can thank my one short film teacher for teaching me his tips and tricks when it comes to writing dialog for scripts fr fr, I learned from him :3

also also don't apologize! I deeply enjoy hearing what you have to say 🫶🏻