Have you tried bone conduction earphones? Shokz are pretty sweet, I use my pair all the time.

Used to have a pair of these. Motorola S305. They were the perfect running headphones. Big chunky buttons for volume and track skipping, a plastic band that wrapped the back of your head and over your ears so it would never fall off but otherwise wireless. The only downside was really old Bluetooth tech so connection was sketchy at times. Also audio has improved a lot since then.

Modern buds don't stay in my ears. I'm using the pixel buds pro right now. The right ear stays in pretty good but the left is completely unpredictable.

I think peak design was the on-ear, behind-the-neck style. They rested on the top of your ears, and your hair didn’t get all fucked up from the headband. I don’t know why they had such a short-lived popularity.

I’ve tried the wired Koss independent on-ears, but you lose clarity of lows without the pressure of a neckband or headband.

I felt this comment in my bones. It's too bad my over ear buds are so old now the plastic has degraded. Regular earbuds just don't stay in and I find them uncomfortable.

Now the real winner would be looped over your ear but using that spacial localized speaker thing Valve puts into their VR. That stuff works great, has surround sound, and you don't feel a thing. A wonder if only exists on that headset and that headset alone.

Those things are solid. It'll be fine.

I switched to wireless during the covid pandemic. Otherwise it was really painful to put on and off the mask each time I entered public transport. And I agree, it's super convenient in many other situations as well.

Sennheiser has a few wireless cans in that category for ~$400

^ This person audio-engineers.

No judgement - just from reading your comment I definitely get this vibe. I get it though. Most wireless stuff is either going to be heavily EQed consumer trash or overpriced audiophile stuff with all the latest buzzwords. There just doesn't seem to be much of a market for reference-grade stuff in a wireless format.

Not that I could justify spending a bunch on good headphones though, so I've settled for a low-end pair that sound acceptable for what they are.

Maybe too basic for you but the ATH-M50X bluetooth has served me well for mlre than 5 years and the only complaint I have is the faux leather comming off.

I would but all the cancer samsung packs into their goddamn OS is just too much.

My S10e is cracked but only all over the backplate. Which is also no longer really attached to the phone. I'm driving this thing into the ground.

I've been getting the Samsung 'plus' models several years after they come out for a couple hundred bucks and still can't find a reason to upgrade from the S10+

New phones are way too expensive for a better camera and marginally faster apps, which would be entirely out matched by a dedicated camera at the same price.

Surprise surprise, I also drive an old ranger that has aux but no Bluetooth so everything works out

The S10 is such a good phone! Things like samsung dex and being able to cast to TV are really useful - I'm guessing the later models have these, but I'd hate to lose them either way. I rarely use the headphone jack nowadays but it's still nice to have. Hopefully I can get a few more years out of my S10.

If you're also bitter about it, don't buy wireless earbuds from the phone brands. Samsung, Apple, etc.

Admittedly it's not a big thing, but I don't think we should directly financially reward the same people who took the aux port from us.

Sennheiser is good but sometimes at bit more spendy. I like Jabra Elite 8 Actives, for dust/dirt/sweat resistance. Maybe the sound isn't quite as nice, but I'm fine with it. And Jabra isn't a company that took the aux port out of our phones.

Not only does the Xperia have a headphone jack, it supports aptx for Bluetooth headphones! No matter if you prefer wired or wireless, it's not skimping on either.

Or get a phone who still has the port from a company like Sony or Asus or whatever