Why are cheap Wireless earbuds so good in 2023?
There are two main reasons why cheap earbuds and earphones have improved exponentially over the past few years, which we will list below. Of course, there are many other reasons, such as emerging markets, the lowest production, and manufacturing costs, but I think these 2 stand out as why cheap earphones sound better than ever.
The Earbud Market Exploded
Firstly we have the true adoption of mobile computing. Mobile computing? Yes, that smartphone in your pocket is way more than a phone. Today it’s an all-out functional computer that can watch videos, play games, and listen to music and podcasts.
The growth of the mobile phone industry is directly linked to the growth of the affordable earphone market. More demand for a product naturally means more companies will enter the market trying to grab a slice of the pie.
At one point, it was a race to the bottom with price, basically what was acceptable for the lowest cost. However, now that we have reached the bottom, many companies have to differentiate themselves from the competition by being better. Shocking isn’t that once companies are not trying to create the cheapest product possible, they will try to improve those products.
Technology has Trickled Down From Expensive Earbuds
The second reason is trickle-down technology from the audiophile headphone market. Portable audiophiles were always the nerdy bunch sitting in a small internet zone and obsessing about sound quality, comfort, functionality, etc.
Even 10 years ago, the community was tiny, but these people cared a lot about headphones and earphones. Soon many of these audiophiles began creating their own products, and bigger companies recognized that a seriously profitable market was emerging.
Thus over the past decade, the headphone market has exploded, and the boundaries of what was possible have been pushed. Multi BA (Balanced armature) driver configurations, hybrid earphones, electrostatic earphones, and even planar magnetic earbuds have changed how high-end audio behaves.
Then there is the attention to aesthetics, ergonomics and building on sometimes multi-thousand dollar earphones. What does this mean if you are on a budget? Many companies have absorbed those tech advancements and tried implementing them in even cheaper earphones.
This trickle-down technology has ultimately led to cheap earbuds with amazing sound. Something not possible just a little while ago.
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