A sharp jump in the development of wireless technologies has led to the fact that manufacturers began to massively abandon wires. An example is Apple, which made iPhone owners forget about the headphone jack. However, none of these "businessmen" has ever thought about the dangers of radiation when using Bluetooth technology. Does it affect the brain and the human body as a whole? Or is it just hysteria caused by "specialists" in the field of medicine? Are wireless headphones harmful? Let's try to understand this issue. But first, some general information about Bluetooth technology and the relevance of its use for sound transmission.
Bluetooth technology and sound
Transfer audio stream using Bluetooth learned a long time ago. Wireless headsets have become commonplace andmost people no longer look at a person talking with the help of "gills" as a psycho. However, for such purposes it is not at all necessary to achieve high-quality sound. It turns out to make out the words - and it's normal. But in relation to music, such a philosophy is unacceptable. You need to correctly convey the scene, work out all the tools and show the depth. Even wired headphones are not always capable of this. And there is nothing to say about wireless. If the headphones themselves do not support the AptX HD data transfer protocol, then there is nothing to think about high-quality sound. Moreover, the device itself with music must support this protocol. And there are still very few such devices. The vaunted Apple AirPods, for example, fail to deliver the right sound. And for what, one wonders, to give such money?
Another thing is expensive models that cost from 20,000 rubles and more. They can at least something to please lovers of high-quality sound. But expecting from them the same result as from wired counterparts is still not worth it. If there is AptX HD technology on board the gadget that plays music, then the situation can still be corrected. However, only a few are capable of this. Yes, these devices are very expensive. The average user has to be content with mediocre sound quality. Without any options. This raises the question of the practical value of acquiring wireless headphones. Experts unanimously argue that there is no sense in acquiring such gadgets yet. And they have to believe. However, they are bought in bulk. Apple just didn't give users a choice, while others buy thembecause of comfort.
How wireless headphones work
So is it worth buying wireless headphones at all? We will now analyze the principle of operation (description of the main characteristics of the signal). The fact is that when using the usual Bluetooth 4.2 data transfer protocol, the data stream arriving at the transmitter is compressed in the most merciless way. This is done so that the transmission speed can be increased. But with compression, the quality of the data deteriorates very much. So, if you try to listen to FLAC with 24 bits of depth and 196,000 Hertz on your smartphone, then in headphones you will still hear some kind of incomprehensible MP3 with a bit rate of 128 kilobits per second. And therefore, for the mass use of wireless technology in the transmission of sound is still too early. There will still be no quality.
Apple AirPods
This is Apple's wireless headphones. They are almost the only way to listen to music from the iPhone. However, Apple wireless headphones, the description of which is freely available, are unlikely to provide high-quality sound. They use the AptX protocol for data transfer. But without the HD prefix. This means that the quality level will be somewhere around MP3 192 kilobits per second. Whatever sound source is played on the smartphone. Thus, we can say with accuracy that "wireless AirPods" are not able to provide a high-quality audio path. It means to givesuch money for these "plugs" does not make any sense. However, Apple marketers will say otherwise and present their evidence. Whether or not to listen to them is up to the individual user.
HBQ TWS i7S
The i7s wireless headphones, which are described on the official website of the company, from HBQ are a pathetic parody of Apple products. They look exactly like the popular AirPods and even have almost the same features. But the dynamics there are much worse. In addition, i7s are not even adapted to use AptX. The usual Bluetooth protocol is used, which cannot even transmit high-quality sound. However, people are buying them. This can be explained by the fact that they are much cheaper than the original product. And these headphones tend to get lost often. They are miniature and devoid of wires. Therefore, losing them is easy. Because of this, all kinds of replicas are in fairly large and steady demand.
Reviews from owners of wireless headphones
Are wireless headphones harmful? Let's ask those who actively use them. There are actually a lot of Bluetooth lovers. And they use such gadgets for more than one year. Many owners of such devices note that they do not experience any discomfort after prolonged use of the gadget. Moreover, these headphones seem to them much more convenient than the usual wired options. Others note that after purchasing wireless headphones, they started having headaches. There is also a generalfatigue. However, this is most likely a feature of the body, and not at all a consequence of using a wireless gadget. To get such results, you need to keep the device in your ears day and night. And there are no such inadequate people. In general, reviews of wireless devices are positive. The vast majority of users have not noticed any harmful effects of radiation even after several years of using the gadget. All of them are happy with their devices. But no one mentioned the sound quality. Either they simply did not hear the real sound, or they use such headphones exclusively for talking. Then of course. No difference.
The effect of wireless headphones on the brain
Are wireless headphones bad for the brain? There is no specific answer to this question. Now in the world there is a struggle between manufacturers and representatives of medicine. The former claim that the radiation from Bluetooth is negligible and cannot somehow affect this organ. Academicians, on the other hand, are trying with crazy persistence to prove that wireless technologies cause brain cancer and other bad diseases. They even measured the radiation from a Bluetooth transmitter and declared that this amount of harmful rays is quite enough to have a detrimental effect on the brain. Who is right is still unclear. But one thing is certain: the radiation from wireless headphones and smartphones is of the same nature as the radiation from microwave ovens (microwaves). And it is definitely harmful.
Harm from wireless headphones according to doctors
Are wireless headphones harmful? Some medical professionals think so. In their opinion, the use of Bluetooth technology in close proximity to the brain is fraught with various diseases. The list includes such things as headache, memory impairment, problems with the brain (it is not specified which ones), neuroses of various kinds, general overexertion of the nervous system, the occurrence of tumors in the area of the auricles, and so on. Frank pessimists even suspect the possibility of developing brain cancer. But the latter has not yet been confirmed. But everything else is quite real. But for this you need to wear a wireless headset day and night. Not filming. In general, there is some effect on the human nervous system from wireless headphones, but it is too small to talk about any serious consequences.
Version of manufacturers and developers
If you ask manufacturers if Bluetooth wireless headphones are harmful, you can get a very specific answer. There is no harm from them. Manufacturers and developers claim that they made special measurements in their laboratories and the level of radiation from wireless gadgets was several times lower than normal. These guys even provide links to relevant information. All this is very easy to check. However, they cannot be trusted. Their income depends on it. And they would have acted unreasonably if they had not hidden the facts confirming the harmfulness of radiation. That is why there is still a war between doctors and businessmen. And so far there are no winners. It is likely that manufacturers will consider when a customer dies of brain cancer caused by radiation from wireless gadgets. But even then they will try to hush everything up.
Conclusion
So, we tried to understand whether wireless headphones are harmful to he alth. There is no specific answer to this question yet. But if you focus on the reviews of the owners, then we can safely say that there is no harm from them. However, it is not recommended to purchase them for listening to music. Even models for 20,000 rubles and above will not be able to provide high-quality sound. For this money it is better to buy good headphones with a wire. That's when you can enjoy the sound to the fullest. But in terms of comfort, wireless headphones definitely win. And this is an indisputable fact. Even Apple AirPods cannot compete with wired models. If you belong to the category of "audiophiles", then do not even think about buying wireless headphones. You will only be disappointed. If you don't care what sound flows into your ears, then this version of gadgets is just for you.
