This Mobile Hi-Fi Company Might Help Spark A Wired Headphones Resurgence
Remember when Apple infamously removed the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone? With no connector, wired headphones immediately became a relic of the past, with wireless headphones fully taking over. Now, major headphone brands like Apple, Sony, and Beats dominate the market, but an unsuspecting company could spark a wired headphone resurgence.
Questyle has made high-quality sound gear for years, ranging from dongle accessories to desktop mix amps. They specialize in high-tech audio equipment, and their latest product may finally propel them to the mainstream spotlight. The NHB15, marketed as "True Lossless Earphones," offers high-resolution, lossless audio so you can hear a song just as it sounded in the recording studio. Each pair features a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and an amp, providing 192kHz studio-quality audio and an all-to-familiar, long-forgotten cord. Well, maybe not entirely familiar, as the wired headphones connect via USB-C instead of 3.5mm to accommodate modern smartphones.
However, whether it's for nostalgia or the impressive audio, you'll need to fork over a sizable amount of cash. The NHB15 retails for $350, so you either better be a massive fan of the technical side of music or really miss the feel of a pair of wired headphones.
Could we see wired headphones make a comeback?
Understandably, Questyle's NHB15s may not be in everyone's price range. However, trends always cycle back, and all it takes is one celebrity or influencer to buy wired headphones, and they'll be all the rage yet again. Case in point, shortly after Questyle dropped the NHB15s, competitor Hidizs revealed their own DAC-powered wired headphones, so who's to say it won't spark a trend?
In fact, there are plenty of wired earbuds that are actually worth the money already on the market. Name-brand companies like SteelSeries, Bose, Skullcandy, and more never left the wired headphone industry. And while they don't come with half the features that Questyle and Hidiz offer, they're also a fraction of the price and incredible fallbacks if the NHB15s are out of your price range. The only issue is that many still rely on the 3.5mm jack, but some USB-C options are available.
Surprisingly, Apple, the company that spearheaded the transition to wireless headphones, also recently returned to the wired market. With the iPhone shifting to USB-C, Apple low-key released earbuds for less than $20, which pairs perfectly with the iPhone 15 and later generations. So, if you see a sudden uptick in people using wired headphones, don't say we didn't warn you.