Is Wireless Audio Better Than Wired?

With the emergence of wireless technology, wires have become the symbol of slavery to your audio equipment. OK, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but the idea that wires “hold you back” in a world that is always on the go is a powerful image, one that marketing teams for wireless products have capitalized on over the years. Wireless has become synonymous with “freedom.” It’s hard to market freedom as a bad thing, so wireless products have done well for themselves among the ordinary consumer masses. It’s trendy. It’s convenient. It’s great in almost every single way except the one that matters most: sound. After all, that is the purpose of the audio device or headphones, isn’t it?

But without using too many political comparisons, it’s like choosing if you want to sacrifice a little freedom for more security. In this case, it’s choosing to sacrifice sound quality for convenience. It’s up to you really. Chances are, if you’re choosing convenience over sound quality you probably aren’t a true audiophile. However, I like to think the more common trend is for people to have lots of tools in their metaphorical toolbox. There is a time and a place for everything, and at the end of the day, wireless headphones or speakers afford you the opportunity and peace of mind to be able to listen to music when you otherwise couldn’t.

On vacation with the family at the beach? No worries – there’s a Bluetooth speaker for that. Mowing the lawn? There’s a headphone for that. In many ways wireless grants freedom and convenience to be able to listen to music when and how you want to. But convenience isn’t the only argument we’re fighting here. Or the most important one.

What about the simple argument of not wanting to run wires to everything in your sound system? There is a nice and clean aesthetic to having wire-free devices, and not all of us have the time or money to re-wire or run cables through the walls of our home. The thing is, technology today allows us to go without cables, but how does that affect the sound quality? After all, audiophiles and sound purists will say that without physical cables the sound quality will only be worse in comparison. With wireless technology changing ever so quickly, is this the case?