[InchoSnail]

Hello,
 
I've been frequenting this forum for a couple of years now and am just now deciding to join. My problem today is that all of my in-ears have died on me on one side within half a year or less and I'm not completely sure what the cause of it is. I'm beginning to believe that my laptop's audio port could be it. I can use a new pair of headphones in my mp3 player, phone and desktop for a while without problem—much more than a year—but when I plug a new pair into my laptop (MacBook Pro '09) and use them mostly for my laptop one side goes.

Things that I do that could be the cause:
-I occasionally listen to my music loudly.
-I leave the headphones in the laptop after I'm finished.
-I leave my headphones in when my laptop is charging. Maybe the heat is affecting the plug? (Battery is close to the port.)
-I've been having "greying out" problems with my laptop where I try to adjust the volume but it does not change.
-Most, if not all, of my headphones are/were sub-$30 (JVC, Skullcandy, etc.). Could that be a problem in itself?

Is there a way to stop one side from dying such as detachable cord headphones, or not doing one of the things listed above? Should i look into getting my audio port looked at/repaired? Any kind of suggestions, tips, headphone recommendations and advice will be greatly appreciated and may help save me money in the long run.

Thanks for your time. C:
~Incho

 

[rubinstein]

If you think that the problem is only at the jack of the head phone, you can easily replace the jack (I assume that you can solder or you can easily get them soldered by other means).
 
I have a pair CX 400 II which I bought 2 and half years ago. I have been using them on a daily basis to listen music from ipod when I go to sleep. This one is going to die any time soon. But lasted long enough.
I have another pair of CX 550 that I use in office. They are 4+ years old. I  do not keep them always connected to laptop.
Suppose if you are buying CX series earphones, make sure that you are buying original ones (amazon is good source, but you can find a lot of fake ones in ebay for very cheap price).

 

[InchoSnail]

If I'm honest, I'm not completely sure what the problem is; if it's really the jack or not. Saying that it could be the jack was mostly speculation on my part.  Thanks for mentioning your headphones, I'll have to look into them sometime soon.

 

[InchoSnail]

If one of the sides were to go out on a pair of detachable cable headphones, would changing the cable help? I've probably spent so much money on replacing $20 in-ear headphones that I could have had a very nice, almost high-end pair by now.  [I apologize for my ignorance if the answer is obvious.]

 

[rubinstein]

  If one of the sides were to go out on a pair of detachable cable headphones, would changing the cable help? I've probably spent so much money on replacing $20 in-ear headphones that I could have had a very nice, almost high-end pair by now.  [I apologize for my ignorance if the answer is obvious.]

you are right.
But I do not see any problem to invest on a IEM which costs about 50$ and lasts for about 2 years on a daily basis of usage.

 

[InchoSnail]

Thanks a lot for your help and patience.

 

[rubinstein]

you are welcome. let us know what you have bought