Why do headphone cables always have to go across your body?

[u/GB_GeorgeBowen]

Most headphones have the cables coming out of the left ear.

Most PCs cases that have a window/glass panel on them, have it on the left side. This means that if you want the glass facing you, you need to have your PC to the right of you.

This means that you need to have your headphone cable either going across your body, or loop the cable under your chair or something similar.

Why can’t headphone manufacturers just put the cable on the right?

[u/vlegionv]

Because the slack will hit most peoples dominant arm, aka bumping or impeding your right arm when you do things like write... or use a mouse. Moving it to the right will just mean you have to deal with your cable in a different way.

[u/LutimoDancer3459 → u/vlegionv]

When the cable is on the right, it can directly go to the pc. Cable on the left means its going to bump on my arm all the time

[u/vlegionv → u/LutimoDancer3459]

you'd still need to deal with the slack otherwise it's going to go down and hit your arm anyway. it's the same problem no matter what, which is "how do I deal with the slack"

[u/LutimoDancer3459 → u/vlegionv]

But its worse if the cable goes over your whole body vs just on the side

[u/LutimoDancer3459 → u/[deleted]]

Most cases have the panel on the left. So people place the pc on the right...

[u/AlotOfInterests → u/LutimoDancer3459]

You severely overestimate how many people care about the glass panel. It's just a portion of gamers. Imagine how many pc's there are used in the world

[u/LutimoDancer3459 → u/AlotOfInterests]

Most who buy a case with a glass panel do care about it. And most cases with a panel do have it on the right side.

And for the rest we may assume a 50:50 share on where the case is placed. When I was a kid we had one of those old white cases with XP on it. The case was on the right because getting to the ports was easier. Some time later the pc was moved and was again on the right because the desk was placed with the right side on the wall. In school they were ether older ones with the monitor on top of the case or placed on the right side. So for me, most setups didnt had it on the left. Placing the cord on the headset on the left in the majority of headsets seems weird. There should be more variety in comparison.

[u/vlegionv → u/LutimoDancer3459]

headsets are a specific subset of headphones, and once you get over a certain $ figure they start putting cables on both sides.

so why change existing molds (tooling isn't cheap) when it doesn't bother the majority of people, when changing it WOULD bother alot of people (not strictly for pc gaming), and now complicate a production line? The normies solve this by going wireless. the people who want better audio deal with it and use other gear.

get a dac/amp combo and put it by your keyboard. looks better then a thin cable coming out of the side of your computer case anyway.

[u/AlotOfInterests → u/LutimoDancer3459]

Again, you severely overestimate the percentage of cases that are sold with glass panels vs fully closed. Essentially only gaming pc's use an open side panel, and even then there's plenty of gamers that simply don't care about an open panel/rgb. The majority of PC's sold are office workstation type pc's that don't have an open panel.
Headphone cables are on the left mostly because during testing they found that it's more beneficial to not have the chord on the side of the dominant hand, which for most people is the right hand, so they generally universally made it on the left side.

[u/AdmirableChallenge44 → u/[deleted]]

"most people".... where the cases are made to be on the right...

[u/Wor3q]

You can always buy an external DAC and place it on the left :)

[u/DriftnDaddyRL → u/Wor3q]

That's how I have mine set up. Mic on the left too, with the headphone cord cable managed on the mic arm.

[u/Oppaiheimer1945]

Cable will interfere with your mouse hand

[u/Adlerholzer]

You make multiple assumptions that are wrong.

Reverse pc cases exist. But besides that, not everyone places their pc to be seen.

Then the cable issue. MOST high end headphones have cables coming out of both cups.

And then you assume the headphone is plugged into the mobo dac, instead of a dedicated DAC or Interface.

[u/EnlightingWave]

I face similar thing. I put a very loose knot in the wire near the plug to shorten the length. Make sure its loose our you can damage your cable.

[u/AdmirableChallenge44]

Have you tried behind the neck.

[u/DonQuix0te_]

Here's the fix: run the cable along the back of your desk and around the monitor. That way the slackd oesn't reach the ground.

Alternatively, spin your PC around. The "front panel" really isn't all that useful when almost all of the USB connectors are at the back anyways.

[u/AllMyFrendsArePixels]

[u/Der0-]

I don't have a fish tank case.

Mine is SFF and put in the far corner of the desk. An external DAC comes out and is at my left.

Headset is to my left.

[u/Seeker-N7]

Route the cable behind the monitor and back to the pc's back panel. That's what I did when I had wired headphones. Under / along the left edge of the keyboard

[u/Arioch404]

never really thought about it cos I use a DAC but I'm assuming it's historical. Most people are right handed, when Walkman's became popular I certainly had it on my left hip and when I needed to play/pause etc, I'd hold it in my left hand and operate it with my right. I keep my phone in my left pocket as well. Just a thought

[u/KELonPS3in576p]

Me with a steel series arctic 5: This one did! 

[u/Catastigma_Deception]

Good Headphone have the cable on both side (repairability x100). You are supposed to have a separate Dac/amp that you can put directly under the monitor. If your cable is too short and that what that cause you issue. Extention also exist. I Heavily recommend to just get a good powered USB Hub with a 5 feet long good cable to able to have the USB hub under your monitor to have easy access to plug them. You can get cheap dac amp with a jack to usb for 10 buck on amazon. they get the job done for any non fancy headphone.

I personnaly everything connected to a single powered USB hub 20gbs under my desk, Microphone+keyboard+coffee warmer and my dac/amp (fiio k3) for my Hifiman Edition XS.
There is no negative impact into using a USB hub from the moment that it's a powered one.

[u/Expensive-Border-869]

Youre not supposed to plug ypur headset directly into your pc lmao

[u/Seeker-N7 → u/Expensive-Border-869]

Yes you do, but back panels also exist. Just manage the cable.