Sennheiser HD 650 Headband Paint Cracking

How about, the as time goes to infinity, the probability of this cracking occurring approaches 100%.

Sorry, just nature of the beast with these headphones. Yours are not defective.

it seems to be a widespread issue with the HD500/600 range. if you can live with the superficial flaws, than you'll save quite a bit of money, if not, a replacement headband is your only solution. though I would call sennheiser first asking if they could rectify the issue even though the phones are our of warranty

james

pics?

Quote:

Originally Posted by iDesign 

I contacted Sennheiser and was a bit disappointed by their customer service. I have reasonable expectations of product quality and wear and tear. However, in this case the age and use of the headphones is very low and it is unreasonable for the paint finish to crack. There was clearly a mis-step in the manufacturing process and it is a defect. I fully accept that they are out of warranty but feel that Sennheiser should have at least adjusted the cost of the headband as a good will gesture. By comparison, Etymotic and Sensaphonics have won me over multiple times as a lifetime customer because of their OUTSTANDING customer service-- and  I've never had any kind of failure or warranty issue with their products.

 

Again I simply want to get a sense of how wide-spread this issue is and learn how Sennheiser has addressed it for others. If the problem is common then it alerts me that I should NOT purchase another headband. 

 

Best, 

iDesign 

sennheiser is actually better in regards to customer service than akg, i bought a akg k430 a while back from an authorized dealer, when it arrived, there were cracks in the badge on one earcup, emailed akg telling them I received a defective phone and they pretty much told me, "go contact the place of purchase, not our problem" because I had lost the receipt, i emailed them again and never got a response

Simple answer: get a Beyer headband cover. It looks better, is more comfortable, covers all paint chips and, in you're in the US, only costs about $15. (If you're not in the US it'll be twice that).

This is another reason why I haven't been able to pull the trigger on an HD 600/650...

Cracking headbands, whether the paint or the band itself, is a ridiculous problem that shouldn't even occur on $20 headphones.  I take care of all my stuff very well, and if I had a 650 I likely would have handled it exactly like iDesign has, so it's really disappointing to know that things like this can still occur no matter how hard you try to take care of them.

That headband is uglyy.

My HD600s came with this wierd light mark that seems to have been made when the phones were being painted cause its under the clearcoat

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktsai1283 

This is another reason why I haven't been able to pull the trigger on an HD 600/650...

 

Cracking headbands, whether the paint or the band itself, is a ridiculous problem that shouldn't even occur on $20 headphones.  I take care of all my stuff very well, and if I had a 650 I likely would have handled it exactly like iDesign has, so it's really disappointing to know that things like this can still occur no matter how hard you try to take care of them.

 Guys, let's get real. The 650 headband does not crack (that's the 555/595), and the paint only chips when the band is bent outwards to relieve clamping pressure. Frankly, we're making mountains out of molehills here.  

Oh good lord....

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssavage 

That headband is uglyy.

If what you say is true, how is that acceptable?  Even headphones that cost as "little" as the 555/595 (I've read that the 558/598 also have this problem) should NOT have problems with their headbands cracking and I find it hard to believe that you don't think a $400 pair of headphones such as the 650 with its paint chipping is a big deal.  These models are known to have a tight clamp for some people so it's only natural that they will try to bend the band outwards.

It just seems like for the price that Sennheiser is asking for their top models, they could have paid more attention to quality, durability, and use of better materials.  Heck, even the HD 800 is reported to look nice but feel cheap.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by pp312 

 Guys, let's get real. The 650 headband does not crack (that's the 555/595), and the paint only chips when the band is bent outwards to relieve clamping pressure. Frankly, we're making mountains out of molehills here.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssavage 

That headband is uglyy.

My HD600s came with this wierd light mark that seems to have been made when the phones were being painted cause its under the clearcoat

no. no it isn't. this is outside of preferences.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pp312 

 

Simple answer: get a Beyer headband cover. It looks better, is more comfortable, covers all paint chips and, in you're in the US, only costs about $15. (If you're not in the US it'll be twice that).

 

 

that's a good idea right there,..love my beyer's

I haven't pushed my earcups outwards to relieve the pressure and mine have paint peeling. Both HD600 and 650. I contacted Sennheiser but no joy. Basically don't want to know.

I don't think it's good on their middle/top range of headphones. The Beyer cover's a great idea though. Thanks.