Tech News and Commentary

Dave and the team discuss Apple’s big settlement, NASA’s light pollution smartphone plan, Google’s article reading feature, smart assistants and addiction, open access to Smithsonian collections, a new streaming service, LinkedIn’s CEO stepping down, and more.

Michael in Marshall, Texas listens on KTBB and asked: “I recently got a High Definition Sony Walkman. I was looking for earbuds for it and I’ve come across some that are well over $100. Is there a real difference between $100 pair of earbuds, or a $20 pair?”

Michael, yes, there can be a quite a big difference in the quality of a $20 pair of earbuds and a $100 pair.

Normally, we’d ask you to consider whether you’ll appreciate that improved sound that much more, but if you went out of your way to buy a high definition music player you might be in the niche group of users, like the ones that were interested in Neil Young’s PONO or Jay-Z Tidal for their high definition music, that might be willing to pay more for improved quality.

Most users will notice two kinds of sounds coming from their earbuds: terrible and good. If that doesn’t sound like you, then it might be worth buying earbuds with proper drivers and well balanced sound, just make sure that this is a product you want to keep for the long term so you offset the value of the initial purchase through your years of use.

Also, in today’s world $100 may get you good quality, but you’ll find out pretty soon that there are innumerable brands and models that go very far north of $100.

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