How long do your headphones last before breaking?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I use mid priced noise canceling headphones to watch tv. They work well eliminating fan noise from my HVAC. They’re bluetooth and connect reliably. Charged battery life is about 10 hours.

Seven months after my purchase the left band began splitting open just above the joint with the ear piece. I taped it together.

2 months after that the right side did the same thing. More tape.

Thankfully there is no cord to short out. :wink:

The foam on the ear pads is already showing. The fabric is shedding and leaving fluff on my pillow.

I’m pretty careful with these headphones :headphones:.

Is this normal? :thinking: Should I budget $82 a year and plan to buy a new set? That’s $7 a month to use headphones and clearly understand the dialog on tv.

2

I use a Logitech USB corded headphone for Zoom and telephony (VoIP application). I usually get five or six years out of them. I have one where the plastic slide thingie that lets you adjust it to fit your head cracked; and one that’s still in daily use has many places on the cord where it’s been run over by the computer-chair wheels and the insulation is torn. But they’re pretty solidly constructed overall.

I dont know if this is useful info given the difference in type and purpose of headphone.

3

I had the same crack. Band starts separating. The ear piece would eventually break off without fixing the bans with tape.

There is a stress point on the band when I lift the ear piece off my ear. Have to do that when I take off the headphones.

4

I’ve never had that happen to my headphones, but if you’re being reasonably gentle with yours and it still happens, have you considered switching to earbuds?

5

I buy pricier headphones with replaceable foam pads. A $179 pair of Massdrop-Sennheiser HD6XX (for all intents and purposes identical to the old $300 HD650 - they literally came from the same factory line in Ireland) + new $18-30 pair of pads every year or two or three, beats the crap out of buying a new cheap $82 set every year.

ETA: Added expense if you need a headphone amp to drive them + they aren’t wireless. But they will sound much better than a cheap set. But even if those don’t work for you, in general the advice holds - but a set where you can replace quickly worn parts.

6

As with many things there is a spectrum from cheap to expensive and you will get different quality along that spectrum.

In general, the cheap shit is shit and the expensive shit is just overpriced. There should be a sweet spot where you get the best value for money. Generally, that is more than the median price but still well below max price.

And, everything wears out with use. Many good headphones will have replaceable ear pads and/or headbands. If you use your headphones frequently this might be something to check when buying.

7

That’s a valid point. I’ll look into more expensive headphones with replaceable parts.

I have ear buds for music. They’re good for an hour or two. Longer makes my ear canal sore.

8

They last until I pass out with them on and they fall on the bed/floor and I roll over/step on them. Which seems like about every 6 or 8 months. Technically they still work in that they still connected and blow sound. But the headset parts are mangled so they can’t stay on my head in a practical way anymore.

9

I’ve got three sets. Two Logi-tech, and one silly expensive Mark Levinson. All with a mic. I use them for work meetings mostly.

The completely over the ear ones get a little hot because of no air circulation IMHO. The foam headset does not block out outside noise, which, I kind of prefer.

I use them about weekly, at different locations for about 3 years now. Never broke a pair.

10

My oldest pair are Grado SR-80’s that I’ve had for about 25 years, I’ve had to replace the foam rings on them once. While they still sound great I no longer find them comfortable for extended wearing. Currently I’m using a pair of Master & Dynamics, model unknown that I got about 5 years ago for my computer audio needs.

I had a budget pair of JBL headphones that lasted about 3 years before my cat chewed through the cord. I tried to repair the damage, but the conductors in the cord were more like copper ribbons than wires and I wasn’t able to solder them back together.

11

I appreciate everyone’s comments. Apparently the headphones I bought aren’t made well. They sound good. I’m watching the Voice and the music is very clear.

I’ll upgrade whenever these fail completely.

12

…my logitech has lasted for ten years…admittedly not overly heavy use

13

My daily headphones are at least 40 years old. They’re AKG, but the model number has long ago rubbed off. They were hugely expensive at the time (I’m thinking $300 or so) and I’d never want to shell out to replace them with today’s equivalent, but if they do break I’ll definitely go with AKG again.

14

The white Samsung headsets that came with my various phones still usually work okay with my Mac.

Some headphones arrive broken (sorta): The Creative SDX sound great when they work yet so many times using the mic I’ve been told it’s turned off while I was talking.

Yet aargh…the worst was a really nice pair of Seinheisers that my GF had bought me and I (sadly) plugged into the armrest of a 777. And the two guys next to me had already proclaimed they had really expensive photography shit in the overhead and I had to go elsewhere. And then the guy in the middle pulls up the armrest and shreds my relatively new headset.

15

Well, I’ve had good luck with Grado (open ear) sets, where the ear pads are easily and cheaply replaceable.

But now since I use studio monitors at the home office (cheap KRK Classic 5s put on speaker stands), I really rarely use headphones. I get ear fatigue pretty easily, and prefer to avoid cans when possible.

I like the AKG K240s…very basic headphones, with a semi-open design, but the nice advantage is that the cord comes out of one and only one side of the cans, and is easily replaceable for cheap, with a brand new cable in a standard format.

Pretty flat response…not much juicing of the bass or any other frequency by design. Also doesn’t absolutely require a headphone amp, although you could certainly use one. (I don’t recall off hand the impedance…nor any other specs, really, but I believe I’ve used them directly off a mobile phone or tablet without any real problems).

Pretty standard basic models that I think music studios tend to buy in bulk for standard uses, such as when tracking, and so forth.

Not hi-fi, nor wireless, but sturdy workhorses that can be expected to last under all kinds of abuse, with minimal cost to repair using no special tools or skills.

Acceptably comfortable, somewhat, and IMHO, not pretty headphones as far as looks go (not completely atrocious industrial-style enormities such as from sixty or seventy or more years ago, but not a sleek design…strictly utilitarian), but I don’t see those failing anytime soon. At least in any way that can’t be quickly repaired with cheap, off-the-shelf extra cables or even ear pads.

16

I just bought a headphone amp and wired Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Headphones for guitar practice

I haven’t used wired headphones or ear buds in at least ten years. All that gear is bluetooth. But the special headphone amp plug in for guitar requires wired.