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I listen to audio before bed. I'm going to use a earplugs/earbud hybrid like this to listen to audio: http://www.amazon.com/Plugfones-Contractor-Improved-Headphones-Protection/dp/B00RC301N4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

But if I move in the night, I would jerk the wires of the earbud and this might knock a laptop off a desk. This means that the device must be on the floor, preferably underneath something like a table or positioned in a place further away so I don't step on the device by accident when I wake up.

This leaves the problem of me accidentally yanking out the wire and then the audio wakes up some my apartment neighbors. And also the problem of interacting with the device when browsing (if the device further away from the floor next to the bed, then it will be hard to interact with because it will. If I put the device under a table, it will be hard to interact with as well

Can you help me kick around some ideas for this to make this work in terms of what device to use, where to place it, and how to route the earbud wires? I imagine I will be using a long earbud cord extender. Getting this to work would be a huge gamechanger for me

Some more details

I'm ruling out bluetooth headsets because eventually they disconnect and make a buzzing noise in the middle of the night. Also the act of physically taking off the headset wakes me up a bit when I'm close to falling asleep. That leaves wired earbuds. The device will probably have to be a full windows device with ethernet or USB 3.0 because my wifi is finnicky and my ethernet is great.

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    Why don't you connect it to a more mobile device? Ipod, cellphone
    – Just Do It
    Jan 7, 2016 at 15:23

4 Answers 4

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Try using an extender and wiring it so that it comes to you from above and behind your head while you are in bed. This would have the least chance of tangling. Suspending it on top of the headboard would help.

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Extension cords can cause a significant loss of audio quality, unless you use USB headsets and USB extension cables. There's also the issue of self strangulation.

Since all the other answers already require additional hardware, let's offer a foolproof solution: Use a wireless headset.

To address your concerns, you can either search for a headset that doesn't buzz on disconnect, or use this workaround:

Loop an extra audio file in the background with volume set to 1%. You won't hear anything, but the connection won't turn off.

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  • An extension cord would have to be really badly made to cause significant loss of audio quality. Spend $5 and this won't be an issue.
    – Hobbes
    Jan 19, 2016 at 8:38
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Two solutions springs to mind:

  • Use a playback device which pauses when disconnected – Some devices, like the iPod devices, automatically goes to pause if the earphones are disconnected. This would allow for them to be unplugged during the night without disturbing others.
  • Use an extension cord which is fastened – If you fasten the extension cord so that if you pull the ear plugs/buds cord, it will disconnect from the extension cord. This will still leave the extension cord plugged in to you playback device, but no sound will be heard as a wire is still connected and additionally the playback device will not be touched as all the force when they disconnect is at the joint between the extension cord and the ear plugs/buds.
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I used google (q=magnetic headphone cable) and came up with this: MagSafe for headphones

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  • Though an interesting concept, the article states quite clearly that this product doesn't exist yet, and is most likely not to be produced due to patent rights.
    – holroy
    Feb 15, 2016 at 13:45
  • It's just to set the concept indeed. Maybe a diy project like instructables.com/id/… can help Feb 15, 2016 at 14:51

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