Fun fact: Bluetooth has Viking origins. Creator Jim Kardach was inspired by Danish king Harald Bluetooth, famous for uniting his people and conquering Norway. According to National Geographic, Harald got his curious moniker for having a “dark” tooth — the adjective for a dark color in Old Norse also means “blue.” Kardach found a use for this historical analogy of uniting or conquering all the different “tribes” and placing them under one “banner,” and thus Bluetooth was born. Even the logo is Viking — it’s a combination of King Bluetooth’s runic initials. Fast forward to today, and the technology is the default wireless audio standard across all devices. It’s convenient, takes seconds to set up, and helps you get rid of all those snaggly cables. But the moment you so much as mention buying a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones, someone is bound to push their glasses up the bridge of their nose and point out, “Yeah, but Bluetooth is worse than wired, actually.”
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It’s a common refrain in online audio communities. Bluetooth compression just ruins your songs, people say, and therefore you should always opt for wired audio devices. Does Bluetooth actually sound worse, though? Taking a closer look, you’ll find that this assumption is not as cut and dried as it first may seem. We’re here to set the record straight. Let’s discuss the truth in the claim, and whether it’s worth your money to invest in wireless cans.
