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Comment by nebalee | Hacker News Reader

Wired USB-C earbuds exist.

Batteries are just one of the many issues when headphone jacks are removed. (Also you can totally use wireless/usb-c headphones with phones with jacks, but that's something hopefully people realize.)

They do exist, but USC-C headphones include an entire USB sound card instead of -- you know -- just some headphone electromagnetic bits.

So use any of the ~10$ USB-C to headphone dongles with your favorite headphones. For example the Apple or Google adapters work fine.

The Apple USB-C to 3.5 mm TRS adapter in particular is a great value. https://www.audioreviews.org/apple-audio-adapter-review/

Except for the not-so-minor issue for us Android users: The default gain on Apples adapter is far too low for most proper headphones, and Android doesn't touch the gain and just relies on software-mixer for volume control. This results in a far too low volume. On Apple and Windows devices on the other hand, they are excellent.

"an entire USB sound card" is literally a single piece of silicon (plus some passive components like resistors and capacitors) that can cost less than 10 cents to manufacture. Not exactly a huge burden here.

Additionally, unlike a 3.5mm jack, you don't need to deal with a 'sound card' that can handle almost anything you can plug into it. You get to tailor your headphone/headset drivers specifically to your attached devices. The general-purpose device that can handle anything you can throw at it costs much more.

You know the wireless earbuds have the exact same circuitry built in, right?

You know what doesn't have any active electronics at all?

Regular headphones.

It's just wire and magnets, with some plastic.

That wire and magnets isn’t gonna do anything unless it’s hooked up to at the very least an amp (+ a dac if were talking digital)

Such functions have historically (for many decades) been provided by devices with which headphones are intended to be used.

She every computer still come with a floppy drive? Times and needs and technology change.

No, of course not.

But the floppy drive was supplanted by other means of data transfer and storage that were broadly perceived to be bigger/better/faster/stronger.

Is there some aspect of active headphones that is bigger/better/faster/stronger than regular passive headphones?

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