He adds that he’s been here for nearly six years, “which, as an obsessive reader of the site before joining the team, is hard for me to fathom.”

When asked to share his favorite gadget at the moment, he took a couple of days to consider his choices, but ultimately, he highlighted a pair of wired EarPods.

When did you buy the EarPods, and what went into the decision to buy them?

For years, I have been a strong advocate for AirPods, but lately, I’ve become slightly frustrated with intermittent pairing issues and concerns about my microphone quality during calls. Earlier this year, I bought USB-C EarPods, curious about shifting back to wired headphones – at just $19, I thought it was a minor risk – and it has been a great decision.

I still use my AirPods every once in a while, but I usually opt for my EarPods.

What do you like about them?

With EarPods, a solid connection is as easy as plugging the headphones into a device, and they’re compatible with basically every device I use day-to-day, including my iPhone, Mac, and gaming handhelds. I also like that I can bank on my voice sounding great in meetings and for the occasional recording for The Verge, too.

Is there an advantage to using wired instead of wireless?

Improved mic quality. No battery to worry about. Low price. The physical buttons for adjusting volume and playing / pausing audio. And this is a weird one: if I need to step away from my computer, the fact that the headphones are wired means I need to take them off, which helps me unwind when I’m not at my desk.

Is there anything about them that you dislike, or that you think could be improved?

I wish the cord was just a tad longer. Sometimes it gets in the way of my keyboard.

Who would you recommend it to?

Anyone who wants a solid pair of affordable headphones. And at $19, they aren’t too expensive to replace if you lose them – much cheaper than if you have to replace a pair of AirPods! (Ask me how I know.)