Headphones with cable tested 2022

Wired headphones will still be popular in 2022 – for good reasons. We present four buying tips from the in-ear, over-ear and on-ear categories.

Wired headphones: These are the advantages

First of all, the question arises: Why should you still buy wired headphones these days when everything seems to be replaced by wireless Bluetooth models? Well, that “apparently” is the whole point. Wireless headphones offer a number of advantages that still apply:

• need wired headphones no own power supply (battery) and draw their energy directly from the player (e.g. tablet) via a jack cable. Bluetooth headphones, on the other hand, have to be charged regularly – until the (often permanently integrated) battery dies and no longer charges at all.
• Wired headphones sound better – or at least they have the potential to do so. Why is that? Music transmission via Bluetooth is digitally compressed and therefore lossy, but music transmission via cable is not. With particularly high-quality models and good recordings, this can make a decisive difference in the sound quality do. In professional recording studios you will therefore still only find wired headphones today.
• cause wired headphones no latency. From the jack output of the source, the analogue music signal travels via the cable to the converters in the headphones at lightning speed – without any delay worth mentioning. Anyone who plays an electronic musical instrument or DJ knows the problem: even the lowest latency (with Bluetooth transmission) has a disruptive effect. The topic can also be relevant for hardcore gamers. Therefore, when in doubt, the following also applies here: cable is king.
• Wired headphones are mostly something cheaper than sound-comparable Bluetooth models. No battery, no digital-to-analog converter (DAC), no amplifier components – wired headphones don’t need any of that. This leaves the manufacturer with more budget for better drivers and materials (e.g. ear pads).
• Wired headphones are retro and hip again. Just as fashion keeps returning to past decades, there is (rarely) a return to the world of technology. The resurrected vinyl record or exorbitant prices for used tape machines are examples of this. When it comes to headphones with a cord, it’s best to look around in hipster strongholds like Berlin-Mitte: the current one “Y2K style” (more info on Desired) also include the good old Apple Earpods with the white cable.

What should I look out for when buying wired headphones?

the Purchase checklist of cable headphones is pleasingly short and uncomplicated:

The right one plug: The most common is the 3.5mm “mini jack” – it’s usually the analog headphone output on cell phones, tablets and laptops. The large jack socket (6.35 mm) is sometimes found on mixing consoles (or DJ mixers). Cable headphones can also be connected to devices without a jack socket: either they already have a corresponding plug (Apple Lightning or USB-C) or you plug in a suitable one adapter (external headphone amplifier) ​​that offers a 3.5mm jack.

Length of the cable: Depending on the intended use, you should already have the correct cable length account. If you use your headphones to watch a film and plug it into the receiver on the TV, you theoretically have to bridge the entire living room. Fortunately, there are also inexpensive extension cords.

The right one resistance: What matters is the “impedance” that is in Ohms (Ω) is specified. It expresses how easily (= low value) or difficultly (= high value) the headphone model can be driven by an amplifier. Mobile devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players or tablets are often equipped with somewhat underpowered amplifiers, so a headphone impedance of 32 ohms or lower is recommended here. High-impedance headphones can sound too quiet on weak smartphone jacks. On the other hand, professional headphones with 250 ohms can also be plugged into the mixer in the studio or the external headphone amplifier, as there is enough power available.

The best wired headphones: this is how I picked the recommendations

How we test at GIGA and why you trust our judgement we have explained here:

Long before the first Bluetooth models came onto the market, I was dealing with headphones (at that time, logically, all with a cable): Lots of listening tests, a few bad buys, but also a few hits – headphones are a science in themselves. I will show you below four modelswhich I can personally recommend with a clear conscience and which have also been positively evaluated by the global trade press.