One of the biggest improvements to hit wireless headphones is the inclusion of lossless audio via USB. Instead of relying on a wireless Bluetooth connection, which always introduces compression and therefore some loss of musical detail, the newest headphones let you connect to a smartphone or computer using a USB-C cable, which lets 100% of those digital music zeroes and ones stream to your cans, with no compression at all.
Sadly, being tethered once again via a cable to our devices is the price we must pay for digital music perfection. And generally speaking, I’m OK with that (though lossless via a wireless connection would be so much better). What drives me nuts, however, are the thick, inflexible USB-C cables that often ship with USB Audio headphones.
Take, for example, the Beats Studio Pro. They were the first Apple-created headphones to support USB Audio when they debuted (the AirPods Max with USB-C has since been updated to support this feature too). Despite their fairly high $350 price, they come with USB-C cable that might be fine for charging, but is unpleasant to use while you wear them.
Lest you think I’m picking on Beats, I’ve seen the same problem with other cans, too. JBL’s $399 Tour One M3 — a mesmerizing technological achievement — also come with a USB-C cable that needs to have its kinks worked out by a massage therapist. Paying more for your headphones doesn’t necessarily solve the problem. Lately, I’ve been spending time with Focal’s incredible Bathys MG, a $1,299 set of wireless cans that sound amazing, especially when connected via USB-C. You’d think that at that price, Focal would include a thin, buttery soft, tangle-free, braided USB-C cable. Nope. It’s only microscopically more manageable than the Beats and JBL cables.
What’s my beef with beefy cables? They’re awkward and they feel bad. Try plugging one of these hefty cords into a laptop. You’ll quickly find that your arm bumps into it regularly. Since there’s very little give, that translates into movement you can feel through the headphones. If you’re on the go, plugged into your phone, you may be able to hear the noise of the cable being jostled. Thick cables conduct more than just electricity; they conduct vibrations, too.
Ironically, the best USB-C cable I have come across, didn’t even come with a set of USB Audio headphones. It’s the power cable that comes with Master & Dynamic’s MC300 headphone stand. It’s as thin and light as a standard analog cable, and very supple. I don’t think Master & Dynamic (M&D) ever intended it to be used as a lossless digital cable, but it works beautifully in that role. In fact, I think M&D simply gets the whole cable thing in a way that other audio companies don’t. Both the USB-C and 3.5mm cables that come with the company’s flagship MW75 wireless headphones, are thin, supple, and braided — a joy to use.
Am I making too big of a deal out of cable quality? Perhaps. But I suspect that very soon, mine won’t be the only voice asking audio companies to create better cables. I also suspect that these same companies know that people care about cords. Beats may not ship the Studio Pro with a nice USB-C cable, but it will happily sell you a premium USB-C cable in your choice of four colors, for $19. It’s still not as good as M&D’s cables, but with a tangle-free, braided cover, it’s a big improvement over the stock Studio Pro unit.
And hey, Sony, if you’re reading this, I have some advice. Rumor has it that you will soon launch your next-gen XM Series wireless headphones, which will almost certainly be called the WH-1000XM6. And while I’ve heard nothing definitive about their specs, I’d be shocked if you didn’t finally include USB Audio (honestly I don’t know how you’re so late to this party). If this is true, please, for the love of lossless, give us a USB-C cable that’s as thin and flexible as the analog cables you’ve been giving us for years (or as close to that as possible).
Consider this a call for a higher caliber of cable. The kind of cord we can count on; a more pliable wire. Because if we’re going to enjoy all the benefits of lossless listening, we need to lose these lousy leads.