I switched back to earbuds after using headphones for three years heres what I have and havent missed

Date:
Mon, 23 Mar 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Description:
From travel convenience to overall aesthetics, here are three things I've missed with using earbuds and three things I haven't.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
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successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Just over three years ago, I decided to switch to one of the best headphones and close the book on my time with earbuds and it was one of the best things Ive done.

Since then, I have been married to my Sony WH1000XM5 headphones ; theyre a comfy and reliable way to get my audio fix for when Im sitting at my desk, commuting, at the gym, or just lying in bed making a new Spotify playlist.
But despite my love for them, I started to miss the convenience of the best earbuds , so out of my own curiosity, I made the switch. I opted for the Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 wireless earbuds and the Meze Audio Alba wired earbuds , and overall, it was as though I never stopped using them. There are quite a few things Ive missed about using earbuds, mainly the convenience factor, but my experience also reminded me why I swapped to headphones all those years ago. Article continues below You may like Im ditching true wireless earbuds for Chinese IEMs in 2026 here's why The best wireless
earbuds for all budgets, all tested by our reviewers Sony's XM6 buds are crammed with tech here's my top 3 hidden features 3 Things Ive missed: Portability and size (Image credit: Future) While headphones are great for
the comfort factor, lugging them around requires effort and takes up a lot of space. Though models like the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones have folding ear
pads to make them more travel-friendly, they can still take up a lot of room. But regardless, my Sony WH-1000XM5s dont have this perk, making it even more difficult.

Using both wired and wireless earbuds removed this setback, and it was arguably my favorite part about switching back. I forgot how nice and easy it is to keep your charging case in your pocket a simple pleasure I didnt know
I missed. Not constantly charging them (Image credit: Future) Although both wireless earbuds and headphones require charging, I found that earbuds didnt need as much juice as headphones, and having a charging case on hand is a lot easier than carrying around a plug and lead to charge your headphones.

Also, leaving the house with my headphones on low battery is one of the worst things, especially if you have a long train journey ahead of you. Earbuds are simpler; if theyre dying on you, all you have to do is pop them in the charging case for a bit, and theyll be good to use. Even if the case is starting to run low, you can still get one last kick out of it before you
need to put the whole thing back on to charge. Plus, wired earbuds don't need any charging at all. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. The nostalgia of wired earbuds (Image credit: Future) Its more of an aesthetic feature rather than a technical feature, but wired earbuds are just cool to look at and make any outfit look better. That aside, wired earbuds take me back to the days when I first started using analog
music devices. My first Apple product was the iPod Nano 5, and using wired earbuds is desperately making me want to resurrect it. 3 Things I havent missed: Sensitivity issues (Image credit: Future) This mainly applies to wireless earbuds. More often than not, I found myself having to keep pushing the earbuds back in, which in itself was another downside, but it also triggered a lot of unwanted pausing and audio setting alterations. I experienced this quite a bit with my old pair of AirPods, too, which was one of the reasons I wanted to make the switch to headphones. Discomfort after long periods of time (Image credit: Cambridge Audio) For the most part, both types of earbuds felt comfortable whether I was commuting, using them at the gym, or even sitting still. But this would wear off after longer periods of time, causing quite the discomfort in my ear canal. This was when I found myself reverting to the soft, pillowy support of headphones, which fit perfectly over my ears. What to read next I tested 30 pairs of headphones in 2025, and these are the 4 I still want to use Best earbuds: top buys, all TechRadar-tested and recommended Presidents' Day Shokz deaks make these already great earbuds even better Taking my phone with me everywhere (Image credit: Future) This one is for wired earbuds, and while theyre a better option for reaping the benefits of things like Spotify Lossless, it means you must have your phone on you at all times when using them. With wireless earbuds and headphones, I like being able to walk around freely and I kept having to remind myself that I couldnt do this with wired earbuds.

I watch quite a bit of YouTube when I cook, and Ive lost count of the number of times I nearly yanked my phone off the kitchen counter when waltzing between the stove, fridge, and sink. The best wireless earbuds for all
budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best earbuds 1. Best overall: Technics EAH-AZ100 2. Best mid-range: Cambridge Audio A100 3. Best budget: Nothing Ear (a) 4. Best for noise-cancelling: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra 2nd Gen Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/i-switched-back-to-earbuds-aft er-using-headphones-for-three-years-heres-what-i-have-and-havent-missed


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