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Wired headphones are about to have a mini revival


Wired USB-C headphones are nothing new. You can already find hi-res IEM cables with the connection. Finally you can buy an all-in-one version for hi-res lossless audio on any phone.

There are some that come close, like the fantastic DragonFly Cobalt by AudioQuest or the sleek Onyx by THX but they all require something between your phone and your headphones — by which time I’ll just reach for my best wireless set and be done. Qualcomm’s family of codecs is the best known, with the latest AptX Lossless having the technical power to do a pretty good job even if there aren’t a lot of phones or earbuds (and you need both) that support it. These “solid state” drivers aren’t designed specifically for wireless headphones but California-based xMEMS is selling its technology on the promise it delivers a HiFi experience regardless of boring things like codecs.

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mini revival