In a face-off like wireless earbuds vs. wired earbuds and headphones, most self-described audiophiles will insist wired wins. But Bluetooth headphones and earbuds have come a long way in recent years in terms of solid audio quality and reliable connectivity. That’s a big part of the reason why today’s featured MacBook Pro setup user chooses AirPods Pro 2 almost all of the time, despite owning excellent wired headphones and in-ear monitors. It really just comes down to convenience.
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Wireless earbuds vs. wired earbuds: Why Airpods Pro 2 prevails
AirPods Pro 2 are a fantastic pair of earbuds for your iPhone, delivering terrific sound quality, excellent ANC, and advanced features like Personalized Spatial Audio.
- Fab sound quality
- Excellent ANC
- Hearing Health features let them double as clinical-grade hearing aids and active hearing protection
- USB-C wireless charging case
- Hard to come up with one
Redditor matt778022 shows off the sharp and relatively minimal setup in a post entitled, “My minimal setup (w/ LG C2 OLED).” I recently covered Matt’s awesome 42-inch LG C2 OLED smart TV used as an external monitor. But their audio gear sparks interest, too. And that’s in part because they said they choose AirPods Pro (2nd generation) over pretty fancy wired headphones and earbuds most of the time just for the sake of convenience.
“It’s a Fiio e10k [headphone amp], and I use the [Beyerdynamic] DT 770 Pros and Moondrop Aria 2s [in-ear wired earbuds] with it,” they said, describing their gear. “Though, only really for critical work. I [mainly use] AirPods Pro 2 pretty much for everything, lmao, convenience wins.”
‘Convenience wins’
So there you have it. The convenience of high-quality wireless earbuds with decently long battery life. The convenience of easy pairing and use with Apple devices. The convenience of no cables getting in the way. When it comes to daily use, convenience wins a lot of the time.
And that’s no small thing, considering Matt owns high-quality closed-back wired headphones, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Studio Headphones. And his in-ear monitors (wired earbuds) are no slouch, either — Moondrop Aria 2S In-Ear Headphones. Both are specifically designed for extremely articulate, high-fidelity audio with low distortion, suitable for studio use.
Wireless keeps getting better
So, just for a bit of background: Until recently, no audiophile would have chosen wireless earbuds over wired headphones of any kind. That’s because the wiring guaranteed high-quality audio and reliable connectivity much more-so than early generations of Bluetooth headphones and earbuds. But advanced products like AirPods Pro 2, with advanced processors and Bluetooth codecs, change that equation. Their sound quality and connectivity are good enough so that many folks — other than hardcore audiophiles, music producers and audio technicians — ditch the cabled gear. Most of the time, AirPods Pro 2 get the job done well — and conveniently.
AirPods Pro 2 are a fantastic pair of earbuds for your iPhone, delivering terrific sound quality, excellent ANC, and advanced features like Personalized Spatial Audio.
- Fab sound quality
- Excellent ANC
- Hearing Health features let them double as clinical-grade hearing aids and active hearing protection
- USB-C wireless charging case
- Hard to come up with one
Shop these items now:
Photo: [email protected]
Audio gear:
- AirPods Pro (2nd generation)
- Edifier R1280DBS Active Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers
- Fiio E10k USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier
- Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Studio Headphones
- Moondrop Aria 2S In-Ear Headphones (wired)
Computer and dock:
Display:
Input devices:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually work fine). Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
