KamiKaze I’ll admit I don’t have any sources beyond educated guesses and anecdotal experiences from my immediate friend circle.
Ah, so now we’ve entered the “I don’t have data but trust me bro” phase of the debate. Love that. Should we replace market research firms with your Discord server while we’re at it?
Meanwhile, back in the actual world where companies make decisions based on data, the wired headphones market is currently worth $44.86 billion (2024) and projected to hit $194.17 billion by 2032 (Data Bridge Market Research — you can search it yourself since links aren’t allowed here). But hey, let’s ignore a multi-billion dollar industry and instead base product decisions on whatever random anecdote someone’s buddy swears by.
You keep saying “consumer behavior has shifted.” No kidding — when companies collectively rip out a port across nearly every device, what choice do people even have? You frame it like the masses rose up and demanded, “Please take away this perfectly functional port and sell us $100 earbuds with batteries that die in two years!” Come on.
Let’s be real:
People didn’t stop wanting the headphone jack.
They were gaslit into accepting its removal.
And the “nobody uses it anymore” excuse? Absolute nonsense.
Millions of people still use wired headphones daily — not because they’re stuck in the past, but because they work. No latency. No charging. No random Bluetooth dropouts when your neighbor sneezes too loud.
Still using a laptop or PC from the last decade? Congrats, you have a headphone jack. And yes, people hold onto those devices for 5–10 years, especially outside the tech bubble.
Still gaming on mobile, especially competitive stuff like PUBG, CoD, or Genshin? Enjoy your 200ms lag on TWS. That’s why every gaming phone worth anything — ROG, RedMagic, Infinix GT, etc. — still includes a headphone jack.
Amazon wired headphone listings have tens of thousands of reviews each, and that’s just from people who bothered to rate. So let’s not pretend there’s no demand just because your personal circle moved on to AirPods.
And about your DAC purity argument — that’s adorable. The average user isn’t sitting around comparing signal-to-noise ratios. They just want to plug in and go. You think people shopping for midrange phones are crying into their pillow because their 3.5mm jack doesn’t use a discrete ESS chip?
You mention Moondrop MIAD 01 like it’s a one-off niche — when it’s literally proof that there’s still demand for high-quality wired audio, even now, in the “TWS era.” If the market were truly dead, a company like Moondrop wouldn’t even bother.
Also, stop equating “status quo” with “good.” The status quo also includes phones shipping with no charger, no microSD, and no meaningful innovation year after year, all while prices go up. People tolerate it because they have to — not because they’re thrilled to carry five dongles around like some modern tech janitor.
Let’s face it:
Removing the headphone jack wasn’t about saving space, improving water resistance, or pushing audio quality.
It was about removing choice to sell more accessories.
And now you’re here defending it like it’s some great evolutionary step. Meanwhile, the rest of us are still reaching for our wired gear when we need reliability, longevity, and compatibility — the things that actually matter.
But sure, keep telling yourself it’s “niche.” Nothing screams niche like a market about to cross $190 billion.
