upvote
It wasn't a solved issue because 3.5mm is too anemic to power modern ANC. Remember when headphones like QC15 had a single AAA battery to power that? Maybe it's not an important feature to everyone, but ANC is critical to my experience on long distance transportation.

Multipoint is also cool too. I like listening to music, taking a call, going to the toilet, and coming back to music all without doing anything.

If there's a silver lining to the last 15 years, it's that replaceable cables became a standard feature and that there are IEMs with direct USB C cables now. If/when Moondrop/KZ/Linsoul release IEMs that can be used like wireless earbuds with ANC, and can also connect and recharge via USB C, they can just take my money.

reply
iPod Shuffle + Shure SE215 was the pinnacle of portable audio. The ritual of maintaining a separate playlist that would actually fit made it intentional. Allowing Spotify to slip into an infinite stream of slop is so easy these days.
reply
The trick is to use Google music. The recommendation algorithm is so bad that your brain rejects the slop it thinks you will like.
reply