Advantages and Disadvantages to the mass arrival of bluetooth headphones

Have you ever seen a photo of yourself, and notice what you were wearing from several or many years back. You analyze the photo and reflect, “How in the world did I put that on so confidently”. Well, similarly the same can be said in the analysis of headphones, and their journey in style, performance, and size over the years. There has always been an “In” factor, for a period of time. This “It” factor may have been influenced by famous people that gravitated to particular products. As seen from Beats by Dre, when individuals’ favorite musician wore these headphones in music videos or when your favorite Olympic athletes wore these headphones at the Olympics on such a globally televised event. This “It” factor may have even been influenced by what was seen on tv. The “It” factor in more historical eras prior to the digital age was simply what was available on the shelves in your local electronic or music store. For many, the “it” factor could’ve been from a reputable company whose products many have grown to love, need, and crave, therefore when headphones are released they flock to purchase and program themselves to love.

Can you recall the era of having a portable CD player? The CD player contained your favorite album or perhaps whatever CD you had available, with an inserted pair of headphones, with a super long cord, and a pad for your ears to restore comfort while you enjoyed the tunes. Now, if you’re even older, you may even be familiar with a walkman, which for the majority of our editorial staff haven’t experienced, but that doesn’t mean we have not heard many great things about them. All in all, this is a very interesting historical journey of the evolution of headphones.

Today

We’ve now reached a new era of the “in” style and preference of headphones. Technology progression has had a significant role in shaping which products were in demand, and as it currently sits, the preference is now “bluetooth” headphones. If you go to your local shopping store/outlet, electronics store, or music store you may find that corded headphones are being sold for a much cheaper amount. Many factors have contributed to this type of product being in demand today. Throughout this article we will break down the advantages and disadvantages of the bluetooth headphones we have grown to love, value, appreciate, and for many, preference over the traditional corded headphones.

Advantages

The bluetooth headphone has several advantages that we’ll cover in this section. These include the following:

• Size

• Cordless

• Fit

• Life cycle

Size

To begin, one of the huge advantages to bluetooth headphones is size. The bluetooth headphones, whether they wrap around the top of the head with big ear muffs to conceal sound, or are placed within the ear, allow for much more space in areas they were previously stored. As they no longer require such a cord, many of which from previous models were heavy, extremely long, and often require additional time to unwrap, and place within your device. Some of these previous product developers made various models to the preferences of specific individuals. Therefore some cords were extremely long. Some were intended for particular purposes that needed some flexibility in length, as some people prefer to be a bit more distanced than the device they are using to access the sound. As a result of more size condensed models, individuals can benefit from lighter items in weight, which makes their sound listening experience more enjoyable.

Specifically for the headphones that are placed within the ear, size advantages shift the experience users have, and their overall satisfaction while listening to their selection of sound. The fact that the entire item can fit within one’s fingertips allows for an extremely convenient process when applying the product to their ear. Additionally, a person may forget the item is placed within their ear, due to how light they are in comparison to traditional headphone products.

Cordless

The fact that bluetooth headphones are cordless may be the most important factor in why consumers, music lovers, and headphone users value these products. It can be extremely annoying and frustrating for music listeners to enjoy music when the cord of the product consistently gets tangled and one has to stop their listening to untangle these products. Various exercises and activities are uncomfortable when one has corded headphones. These include running, walking, exercising, or simply enjoying a movie, or YouTube video browsing. A person may need to adjust the position they are sitting in order to enjoy the device content. Often times people have to either have a good cord length to place the item in their pocket, or hold the item with their hand in order to be able to listen to the sounds they prefer. This exhausting process made it extremely difficult to enjoy content for an extended period of time, because humans tend to adjust their comfort position very often.

Additionally, damage is a huge component that corded headphones caused by nature of the consistent wrapping to the item in order to store it in a confined space. Oftentimes, things would be relatively smooth, and all of a sudden one ear goes out. No sound in one ear makes the experience far less enjoyable, and uneven causing consistent needs to replace the item. One could simply be walking by a pole, chair, or colleague, and the cord would get caught against another object causing damage to the item, as well as one’s ear as it rapidly gets struck from the ear. Countless incidents occur as a result of an item you need throughout the day possessing a cord as you’re on the go. One would definitely gravitate to Bluetooth headphones to avoid all of these problems with comfort when attempting to enjoy the sounds they love.

Fit

As bluetooth headphones do not have to worry about cords, tangling, and so forth, many design intangibles that needed to be strategized are eliminated, but the new areas of concentration is into the technology, and fit. Bluetooth headphones can now be strategically designed to be placed within the ear, or on top of the ear without the worries of how the cord would disrupt the listening of sounds, by sudden movement. As a result, the sound can be enhanced, and the security of the item within the ear is increased. These items can fit nicely, for an extended period of time with little movement. A person looking to try out different fits could definitely benefit from a variety of products to explore before finalizing their choice, but generally, the fit is better when cords aren’t interfering.

Life Cycle

As bluetooth earphone products aren’t tampered with so consistently prior to each use, the life cycle is extended. One can benefit from simply placing their product on their head or within the ear, and connecting to the device, and that’s all that’s needed. Therefore, confidence can go into the product and one can anticipate a length of time before the product no longer functions at a sufficient performance standard. Additionally, the habits and practices of humans with technology generally provides greater care to devices they must look after and charge consistently. An example applies to your phone, as you need this to function and be at a good battery level, so you tend to care for it a bit more, and treat it with caution. Alternatively, with a hair brush, or makeup brush, you may be less cautious in how you place it in your bag or pocket. These are also things that you may take with you on the go as well, but given its lack of technological and electronic capabilities, there is less effort and practices of care applied to these items. These patterns and benefits to the nature of bluetooth headphones contribute to the life cycle, and appeal to possess and use these items to consume sound.

Disadvantages

There are several disadvantages to bluetooth headphones/earphones as well. Throughout this section we’ll highlight some things to keep in mind as you explore these products. These disadvantages include the following:

• Radiation

• Charging/Uptime

• Loss, Theft, & Damage

• Counterfeit

• Style limitations

Radiation

For the bluetooth headphones, given that it involves such a high degree of technology and electricity components to enable its functionality, there are greater levels of radiation occurring to produce the beautiful sounds we enjoy in the manner in which we’re able to experience them wirelessly. As for many wireless items, given that the technology has its effects on the body, research has been conducted to monitor safety levels. Additional factors now come into play, with increased radiation taking place near the head with bluetooth devices. Only time will tell just how impactful these products are to several diagnosed conditions or higher chances of such conditions. As for now, with many technologies its appropriate to use at healthy levels with some elements of moderation and safety to preserve the senses and health we all need for a prosperous life. We must control the tech, and not let it control us.

Charging & Uptime

For bluetooth devices to function properly they must be charged consistently, and monitored to evaluate the uptime and amount of time you can use the product before its battery life ends. Therefore, these products require some level of discipline, organization, maintenance, and care. If you’re on the go, and perhaps you missed out on charging them the prior night, you’d need to dedicate some time on the next day to charging prior to using them. For those that find this a hassle, it would take some trials to become familiar. But, just as we’ve adapted to having portable chargers, or finding an outlet at work, school, on the train/plane when traveling, we do what’s necessary for our smartphone. Now for these items, as they diffuse and become more efficient, individuals will be competent to maximize the care needed to use these beneficial products. As a general standard, for earphones that fit nicely in the ear, they usually come with a case that itself is a charger for the product. Therefore its convenient as dropping the earphones in its case when not in use, and they’ll be charging!

Loss, Theft & Damage

Bluetooth headphones do take a bit more attention given there’s no cord. So if you happen to drop one earphone, it would likely fall if you don’t catch it. You would no longer have the support of your other earphone as you would with a corded headphone set. Similarly, for the headphones that go above the head, then if they don’t land on your shoulders, they may fall on the floor, or worse the ground. If you’re dancing a bit too much in your bedroom or nodding a bit too hard on your walk, you can risk them falling and doing some damage. The larger the product, the harder it may fall, and the greater the impact it will suffer. Additionally, for smaller earpods, given how small they are, and the lack of a cord can lead to misplacement. Perhaps if it falls and you can’t spot it within the first few seconds you’ll be at risk of having lost it permanently. Let’s say you left them out of the case, or even left your case at a library, on a bench in public, or it slipped from your belongings. Some people could be good samaritans and notify you of your items, and others could simply apply “finders keepers” and begin using your products as your own. As a general tip, keep your awareness high, and you should be able to enjoy your earphones for an extended period of time!

Counterfeit & Style Limitations

Several big brands that we have grown to love and appreciate ever release possess major influence over tech-lovers and the gadgets they intend to purchase. Apple, being one of them. Apple products are desirable for a variety of reasons, known as innovators and pioneers of style, quality, and features. Well, their release of the bluetooth headphone began another era of intense demand. However, with competitors recognizing this, their design has been imitated. The plain white look became a staple in the headphone industry, and models have been made to replicate the look, but lacking comparable quality. As a result, buyers should find ways to review, and trial products that tend to replicate existing brands, and bluetooth headphones are one category that is well-hidden in quality prior to purchase. As a result of this trend, some companies haven’t stepped out the confines of the plain white look, making buyers limited in the type of identity they can define with their purchase. Many often settle, and overall trends make bluetooth headphone users look a bit more robotic, as many look one in the same.