As a person who has dedicated a significant portion of his professional life to helping people find the best audio/visual hardware, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I think hi-fi is cool.
This is a key reason why I always do a happy dance (on the inside) whenever I see people sharing in said passion. For those who are curious, it’s a similar one to Carlton’s in the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series.
Most recently, I felt a minor swell of pride when I saw fresh reports from The Guardian, CNN and more, suggesting that young people are getting into another type of “retro” audio gear. Specifically, wired headphones.
And for me, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
For one, What Hi-Fi? has long championed wired sets for serious listening, especially at home, paired with a decent headphone amp, or phone with a solid DAC.
A decent set of cabled headphones or earbuds brings a lot of potential benefits, after all. Chief among these is not having to rely on a lossy Bluetooth connection to transmit audio.
With a decent source, this makes a big difference and is a key reason I use a pair of cabled Hifiman HE400S, connected to my Chord Mojo 2 and smartphone, streaming Tidal, in my home office. Trust me, it sounds way better than most wireless headphone and smartphone combos.
That’s why you'll find plenty of wired headphones in our best audiophile headphones guide.
Sure, I don't believe the vast majority of these people are choosing EarPods for wired audio perfection (thankfully) but rather for ease of use, simple connectivity and perhaps the handy placement of the in-line mic for calls.
But any love going to the category can be seen as a good thing, especially as EarPods could be a gateway to some of the more serious wired sets on the market.
However, as I checked the comments section of said articles, I rapidly realised that many of the other people purporting to be hi-fi fans or even audiophiles, did not share my positivity.
Instead, many seemed to focus on the negative, arguing it's just another vacuous TikTok trend based purely on aesthetics and a desire to emulate one of the multitude of celebrities who have been papped wearing a pair of EarPods recently. That list, apparently, includes Zendaya, Lily-Rose Depp, Paul Mescal, Bella Hadid and Apple Martin.
I am sure there are some people for whom this is the entire story – and we have seen this play out before.
Take the vinyl revival as an example. I personally know lots of people who buy records because “they’re cool”, but never bother investing in anything more than a Crosley Bluetooth system – if indeed they buy a turntable at all – because they believe vinyl records are there to be seen as much as they are heard.
I also know that there are plenty of earbuds available that sound better than the EarPods and don't cost an awful lot more – the last set we reviewed got a three-star rating.
Jump to our best wired earbuds guide, and you’ll see a wealth of more accomplished recommendations, some of which only cost around £10 more than the EarPods.
But you know what, after reading the sea of negativity once again bashing young people, my main thought was “chill the fudge out”.
Yes, even though I wouldn’t recommend EarPods if asked which wired earbuds to get, I think the trend is still perfectly fine and if anything, a positive.
Why? Because, for me, as I’ve talked about before, hi-fi and a love of music is a great hobby – and it can start anywhere.
And while audiophiles, like any passionate fan base, always have strong opinions and a slightly cliquey nature, I firmly believe it should still be an inclusive space –. one where a lot of the bile I saw getting thrown at EarPods users has no place (though I did chuckle at the one saying, “bl**dy kids, they’ll be raving about Mini Discs next”).
Sure, we may know there are better-sounding options available. But if they’re happy using them, let them – not everyone has 100s of pounds ready to splash on a pair of earbuds or headphones.
EarPods only cost £19/$19, so it's a no-brainer that so many cash-strapped kids may decide they're a perfectly good option.
And who knows, these same people may one day want to make the jump to something a little better, at which point some of us can offer helpful suggestions rather than an 'I told you so' monologue.
For anyone reading who does want a direct upgrade on the EarPods, try the SoundMagic E80D, which are only £40 in most places right now and offer a much more engaging and detailed sound than the Apple EarPods. But the choice, is yours.
MORE:
These are the best headphones we’ve tested
We rank the best wireless headphones
Our picks of the best Apple headphones
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