Apple Dumps The Headphone Jack - Wireless Headphones Are The Answer

It’s official. Apple have ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack. And while this is not an audiophile’s decision of choice, it is a telling sign of where we’re headed with this whole portable music industry: wireless baby. Sure, you’re going to get better sound quality through a pair of lined in cans. It goes without saying. But considering that Apple’s EarPods – far from the best audio bud on the market – are the most popular headphones in the world, the jury is out. The masses aren’t all that fussed with high-end audio. So the difference in quality between bluetooth and lined-in is not one most people are presently concerned with. Apple – our tech version of Jesus – has spoken, and the word from the mount is we’re going wireless, people. 

Look, our opinion on all such matters – digital, bluetooth and the like – is if you damned heathens are going to do it then you’d better do it right. We’re not anti digital or bluetooth, we’re anti crap. No point doing this if all you get is the sound response of two tin cans and a piece of string. Contrary to what most people are used to, true music isn’t supposed to sound flat, congested, 2-dimensional and oppressed by muddy bass. But that’s exactly what you get with average cans and buds, especially in the bluetooth range. The beauty of this whole vinyl revival thing is that people are returning to a quality source of audio reproduction. So when we all go home and play our LP’s we’re getting gorgeous playback, and as a result we’re going to expect the same thing from our portable tunes, bluetooth or not. So with all this in mind we’re happy to introduce to you Pendulumic’s range of bluetooth cans, the Tach T1 and the Stance S1+.

First thing’s first: battery life. One of the big bummers about bluetooth headphones is the small battery life and the bitch of having to constantly recharge your cans. Not such a problem with Pendulumic. Their inbuilt battery life on a full charge provides 18hrs of playback – three times that of my current bluetooth headphones. And when you add a couple of AAA’s as a backup it gives you another 12 on top. That makes 30hrs of playback before you have to recharge. Not bad, Pendulumic, not bloody bad at all. They come with a beautiful hard case, airline adaptor, usb to micro-usb charging cable, and a 3.5mm audio cable with inline remote/mic. All the controls for charging and power selection are on the left ear cup, while on the right you get volume and track control – plus you can answer your calls. So far so good. But it’s all for nothing if it don’t sound good, right!

Not to worry, peeps. When it comes to sound quality these bad boys are the real deal. The bass response is modest so it won’t overpower your vocals, the detail is excellent, and they offer great dynamic presentation. It’s in the mids and the treble where these cans take flight, with a very beautiful timbre that offers an engaged listening experience. And when you put all of this together you get the convenience of going wireless without sacrificing your sound quality. Bluetooth doesn’t have to sound compressed, flat, and lifeless, and Pendulumic’s range of bluetooth cans prove just that. Music’s true power over the soul is stripped when you compress its dynamic qualities – sucking the life out of it. But it’s when your music’s warm and lush, tonal and spacious, that it makes you feel invincible, and that kind of feeling is well worth the investment.