But the task theyre attempting is impossible.
Bluetooth headphones are just fantastic, and Bluetooth earbuds are a level higher than that.
But one thing Bluetooth can never, ever do is eliminate that delay.
Urbanista
Latency
This delay is also known as latency.
It’s not caused just by the wireless transmission itselfthere are latency-free ways to do that.
Then transmitting this stream of ones and zeros over the air using a complex modulation scheme.
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This is all done to ensure reliable over-the-air transmission.
For listening to music or podcasts, this doesnt matter.
The delay is only noticeable when you press play and is so short that you wont notice it.
But with games and music-creation apps, even a tiny delay is noticeable.
If you tap a piano key in GarageBand, you expect to hear the sound instantly.
Even a minuscule delay will soon drive you crazy.
The background music sounds fine, but any sound effects tied to your on-screen actions will be similarly out-of-sync.
In 70ms,sound can travel almost 60 feet.
Alternatives
Speaking of live concerts, musicians get around this delay in a couple of ways.
The modern way is to use special wireless earbuds, called In Ear Monitors (IEM).
The difference is that IEMs arent digital.
So, in terms of latency, IEMs are better," says Brown.
These are fine for live musicians, but theyre impractical and still expensive compared to consumer-grade headphones for gaming.
Also, says Brown, gamers prefer over-the-ear headphones, and IEMs are more like earbuds.
The answer, then, is one that you might not want to hear: Wires.
“The downside, of course, is a lack of mobility that results from being tethered.”
Wires have their drawbacks.
They can get caught up.
Theyre just not cool.
But maybe sometime soon, there will be a revival, like with vinyl, cassettes, and film.
