I've got some Sony bluetooth / noise cancelling headphones, I don't like the lag but that's only an issue for videos and it switches to low latency (low quality) for voice calls. But I really appreciate not managing a cable, it's always in the way, or touching my arm or something (some sensory things really annoy me while sitting at a computer). Plus, great battery life.

And it Just Works. Although my Mac has a tendency to switch back to my speakers (also bluetooth) after ~15 minutes without my input, that's really annoying. Might have to do with the speakers turning themselves off?

> And it Just Works. Although my Mac has a tendency to switch back to my speakers (also bluetooth) after ~15 minutes without my input, that's really annoying.

So, what you're saying is, it doesn't just work!

I promise I’m not trying to be sassy! This is exactly the type of issue I always run into with wireless audio, and basically never experience with wired headphones. I hate these types of little, persistent annoyances.

I don't like wires either, to be clear, but I think they're a small price to pay for their reliability.

I agree completely. Little gnomes never sneak up on me and switch the wire from one device to another, then demand I go through weird unplug/plug rituals involving four levels of deep-presses to get the thing connected back to the device I want, all while 20 people are waiting for me to start a presentation. The signal doesn't randomly drop out or connect to the car that just pulled in the driveway. The batteries don't go dead.

The point is predictability. Wires have it, bluetooth doesn't. Yes, they predictably snag on things sometimes. In my experience, this annoyance happens far less frequently than any of the many annoyances that bluetooth brings.

There's one major annoyance with Sony headphones and earbuds - no way to mute/unmute yourself - you must walk back to your laptop to do it. Why, oh why, Sony?

I have a wireless headset for my PC and it's hard to go back to wired. I have much nicer wired headphones, but I rarely switch to them. Being able to get up and walk around while not interrupting what I'm listening to is great (yes desktop speakers would let me do the same but they also let everyone hear what I'm hearing). Also with wired headphones I had a constant issue where no matter how I routed them, they would end up tangled in my chair. It was super easy to think they were resting safely on my desk, only to turn my chair and fling them to the floor.

Use the right tool for the job. Sometimes that's wired headphones. Sometimes that's bluetooth headphones.

Though being able to use the right tool, in circumstances where that is a wired set, can be a problem on some platforms.

This is true (iPhones, iPads, and plenty of Android phones these days), but can be mitigated by carrying a USB-C to 3.5 mm audio adapter in the pouch that contains the IEMs. I wish people didn't have to, but it's a straightforward solution that widely improves wired compatibility.

> ... that widely improves wired compatibility.

"Wired compatibility" was ubiquitous before. It didn't have room to "improve". Removing the jack is what broke "wired compatibility".

Needing a dongle for sth is not an "improved" form of using it, when you could have just used it without a dongle.

Adding a small adapter to where you carry your wired headphones fixes the problem of the current reality where many devices do not have audio jacks. My assertion is to provide a practical solution to the current state of affairs, instead of claiming that the present is better than the past state of affairs (where there were ubiquitous audio jacks) due to audio adapters.

Due to forces beyond the individual's control, it's highly unlikely that audio jacks will once more become ubiquitous, so the second-best outcome is for wired headphone users to start carrying an adapter.

That's entirely besides the point.

The "right tool" might be an adapter or hub.

Do you never get up to make a drink or something?