[anurag]

Thought I'd share this with you:
 
When XB500 got discontinued, I quickly ordered a new one from Amazon by paying $10 more than the first one.
 
The first one was purchased in 2011, and has been extensively used till now; the headband is looser, gold plating on plug has given away to nickel, black coatings on foam pads have completely disintegrated. The backup XB500 was not used much at all (may be about 100 hrs in total), it pretty much stayed inside my cupboard. I only used it for occasionally comparing the sound with the old one. Here's my observation of what happened to the sound of old XB500 in 4 years of constant use, in comparison with the backup:
 
1. Its bass has become much lower. It is still there, but I can no longer feel the can vibrate when I touch earcups with my fingers. And this is not related to loose headband. Highs have become more pronounced. As a result, it has become more neutral.
 
2. Overall volume has (steadily) reduced too much. Old XB500 at 100% volume in WMP is as loud as backup at 25%. It may be unusable after 2 years at my current rate of usage.
 
 
Question: Have you experienced something similar with expensive ($300-$400) headphones? Are expensive headphones a good long term investment?

 

[ustinj]

I started off with the XB500 as well, that was my first headphone above $30. Unfortunately, I moved up a little too quickly (it really sucks you in), and used the XB500s on and off throughout owning the HD518 also. That does sound a little strange that you had volume reduction over time ... I had my AD700s for ~4 years and I still love it to bits. However, my XB500 cuts out on the right ear, so I don't use it anymore. 
 
I would say expensive (not too expensive) headphones are a good investment because you should be using your hearing for pleasure while you still have it. If you liked the XB500, a good at-home headphone is the Fidelio X2. It's amazing, and worth $300 for sure.