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The woes of USB-C audio on mobile phones - and is the jack coming back?

The Window 8 tab I'm using at the moment is also having problems, the battery taking a long time to charge and not lasting very long.
As this is used for work when I'm out and about and charging all the time is impractical, this will have to get changed at some point in the near future.
My problem is Android tabs just don't have the same software and that means translate is a big issue (I have to look at a lot of foreign sites) so I'm hanging on as long as possible.
I don't want Windows 10.
 
Right, so for various reasons I've ended up with a phone without a jack socket and can say with 100% certainty I was completely right about it being a fucking pain in the arse.

I've gone through two USB adapters and now the one I'm using on a long rail journey has fucked up. So no music for me. Fuck's sake.
 
editor said:
Right, so for various reasons I've ended up with a phone without a jack socket and can say with 100% certainty I was completely right about it being a fucking pain in the arse.

I've gone through two USB adapters and now the one I'm using on a long rail journey has fucked up. So no music for me. Fuck's sake.
Click to expand...

It's a ball ache, but maybe time to embrace Bluetooth?
 
Don Troooomp said:
The Window 8 tab I'm using at the moment is also having problems, the battery taking a long time to charge and not lasting very long.
As this is used for work when I'm out and about and charging all the time is impractical, this will have to get changed at some point in the near future.
My problem is Android tabs just don't have the same software and that means translate is a big issue (I have to look at a lot of foreign sites) so I'm hanging on as long as possible.
I don't want Windows 10.
Click to expand...
We both have Lenovo tablets. Excellent.
 
Thing is, if I'm going to the pub and want to listen to music on the way, I don't want to chance taking a snazzy pair of Bluetooth earphones, so I guess I'll keep buying adapters until I find one that lasts more than a week. I concede that I'm going to have to buy some wireless ones too at some point.
 
UnderAnOpenSky said:
It's a ball ache, but maybe time to embrace Bluetooth?
Click to expand...
It's not a ball ache at all. Excellent sound quality can be found in many blutooth earphones and headphones for reasonable cost now if you know what to look for and most people's USB adapters last for ever if you really insist on using old fashioned tech.
 
editor said:
Thing is, if I'm going to the pub and want to listen to music on the way, I don't want to chance taking a snazzy pair of Bluetooth earphones, so I guess I'll keep buying adapters until I find one that lasts more than a week. I concede that I'm going to have to buy some wireless ones too at some point.
Click to expand...

Not as cheap as wired, but I use these and think the are pretty good for £16. Although I'm often running, so find not being connected to my phone quite an advantage.

Bluetooth Headphones, Wireless Headphones TaoTronics: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Bluetooth Headphones, Wireless Headphones TaoTronics: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
www.amazon.co.uk

Spymaster said:
It's not a ball ache at all. Excellent sound quality can be found in many blutooth earphones and headphones for reasonable cost now if you know what to look for and most people's USB adapters last for ever if you really insist on using old fashioned tech.
Click to expand...

Well yes. But clearly the editor does find it so.
 
Portable battery packs are quite cheap these days. Useful too, charge phones, Bluetooth headsets, portable speakers and all sorts.
 
NoXion said:
Touchscreens are a well fucking shit interface, though. The idea that they represent inevitable technological progress rather than a deliberate decision by manufacturers is a load of nonsense.
Click to expand...

The kindle keyboard was an absolute belter of a design and new touchscreen ones are a pile of shite.
 
after many trials an tribulations with cheap cables I’ve learned my lesson. Just spend the money on the higher quality stuff because by the time you’ve gone through x amount of shit cables you may as will have bought the real deal.

if you’ve got a bag on you then get something like I have Which I use for my daily 2 hour commutes on trains. Seriously adds next to nothing weight wise. Inside is AirPods (with case fully charged that’s 24 hours of usage. defo recommend something along those lines. The cases are small and fit in your pocket easily when not in a bag. There’s plenty of anker/tt/xioami models that are affordable) an anker portable charger, usb c charger, Apple lightning cable and an Apple Watch charger)

E2F8A422-2104-4678-993A-FFC8035B2CF0.jpeg6BEE5926-AA12-448A-BD19-A8317CB3EB7E.jpeg
 
In my experience all minijack headphone sockets on every portable device I've owned, have without fail, failed eventually.

Resulting in many months of twisting the connection around in the socket to get a working stereo signal until I give up and upgrade. I really do not miss them.
 
So what is a decent pair of affordable Bluetooth earphones which are necklace style (I really wouldn't trust myself not to lose the ones that just stick in your ear)? I don't want any weird over the ear hooks or whatever, just something that looks like this, with Android play/stop/volume controls and a half decent battery life and a decent bass response.

1581279171915.png

Sony WI-C310 Bluetooth Wireless In-Ear Headphones with Mic/Remote

Buy Sony WI-C310 Bluetooth Wireless In-Ear Headphones with Mic/Remote from our Headphones range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com www.johnlewis.com
 
Yeah I've got loads of cheaper older USB cables and they always give up goast fairly quickly.

I've made a bit of an effort to pay more for USB C and they definitely last longer.
 
editor said:
So what is a decent pair of affordable Bluetooth earphones which are necklace style (I really wouldn't trust myself not to lose the ones that just stick in your ear)? I don't want any weird over the ear hooks or whatever, just something that looks like this, with Android play/stop/volume controls and a half decent battery life and a decent bass response.

View attachment 198103

Sony WI-C310 Bluetooth Wireless In-Ear Headphones with Mic/Remote

Buy Sony WI-C310 Bluetooth Wireless In-Ear Headphones with Mic/Remote from our Headphones range at John Lewis & Partners. Free Delivery on orders over £50.
www.johnlewis.com www.johnlewis.com
Click to expand...

The ones I linked to come with a kit so you can change the hooks that go in the ear (not over it) or take them of completely and different sized buds. Unlikely to fall out with out them if your on public transport or walking to the pub.
 
Personally I couldn't have anything with a cable attaching two earbuds. It would just annoy me, and inevitably get caught on something. Nor would I have anything with one of those rubbery tipped ends which block you entire ear canal - I prefer the safety of a bit of ambient sound, and not to hear myself breathing.
 
skyscraper101 said:
Personally I couldn't have anything with a cable attaching two earbuds. It would just annoy me, and inevitably get caught on something. Nor would I have anything with one of those rubbery tipped ends which block you entire ear canal - I prefer the safety of a bit of ambient sound, and not to hear myself breathing.
Click to expand...
I can guarantee that I would lose on earbud fairly quickly if they weren't attached. Plus the Apple ones and the clones that are supposed to be quite good look ridiculous to my eyes.
 
I still have a Sony flash mp3 player. I refuse to move on... ;) it plays so much better music quality than my phone (which does have a 3.5mm jack still). It also has about 30 hours' battery life plus... so so good.

I like bluetooth for external speakers but havent got into it for headphones and I am a bit cautious of it cos of potential security issues and killing battery life generally. But I dont want to be a dinosaur so I'm quite tempted to buy a pair and give em a go.
 
cybershot said:
Maybe stick to the budget brand we all adore. Pretty sure you can remove the curvey ’wings’ off them. I do mine. I use these In bed. as I know i’d break my AirPods in bed. maybe newer ones available. Plenty of other anker variants on Amazon.

Anker Wireless Headphones, Upgraded SoundBuds Slim: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Anker Wireless Headphones, Upgraded SoundBuds Slim: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
www.amazon.co.uk
Click to expand...
The best I’ve had are Sennheiser CX6 which are awesome but cost £60. Anker Soundbuds are very good and hard to beat at £25 though. It’s important to get a good fit for bass response so you often need to muck about changing the rubber lugs to get the beat seal for your own ears.
 
You know the most comfortable headphones I ever had were the now sadly discontinued Sony - MDR-W08L

I guarantee if they were to bring these babies back with added bluetooth, then they can take my cold hard cash on day one.



2568885_ra.jpg
 
Most comfortable I've had are Sennheiser MM100. They are bluetooth but also discountinued. The sound is superb too and the band goes round the back of your neck which is handy if you're wearing a hat. Only issue is that the on-ear design leaks sound, so people nearby will hear what you're listening to at louder volumes.

1581326711359.png
 
We had a strange incident this weekend. Mrs Spy shouted to me and was freaking out, "there's music coming out of the router". I told her not to be daft because that's impossible and the router doesn't have speakers. "Well come and fucking listen to it then". I went to have a look. The router is on the floor by an armchair and sure enough there was music coming out of it, clear as a bell. Proper spooky stuff. I thought we were both going mad. Closer inspection revealed that a pair of bluetooth headphones had fallen down the side of the armchair, gone underneath it and not disconnected themselves from a laptop. :D
 
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