[Martiler]

Over the last three years or so, I have had to be replacing headphones every four months or so - sometimes even less. In my last two pairs of headphones - bought from Skullcandy and Phillips - the left earphone has failed. Admittedly, none of the headphones I have ever bought cost more than £35, but this still seems very poor value for money.

I was wondering what sort of mileage you can expect from ANY headphone set, and also what sort of price you're looking at to be able to get a set of small, pocket-fitting headphones that will last for...oh, at least a year.

What is causing my headphones to die? Is it the cheapness? Is it that I don't take care of them - although I hardly misuse them; In fact, my Skullcandy headphones were always wrapped away in the supplied case. Is it the repeated taking out and putting back in of headphones that I do? Or is it simply that no headphones can really be expected to last very long?

I would appreciate any help available on this matter. Thankyou.

 

[chinesekiwi]

Cheap materials. Pure and simple. Both brands you mention are known for sub-par build quality. Other brands = fine build quality wise.

Anyway, time for some new in-ears right?

What's your budget?
What music do you listen to?
Source?
How will you be using them?

 

[jinx20001]

the value with more expensive earphones is in the warranty and service. most people that spend thirty quid on a set of earphones dont even think about sending them off for repair or replacement but you should always check what sort of warranty you have.

if you was to spend just a bit more you may find your earphones will last longer, perform better and the service and warranty becomes a step up. if you simply get into shure,westone, ultimate ears or etymotic territory you will find not only is the sound quality up there with the best available today but they will last longer and in most cases you get a superb 2 year warranty.

i for example had a pair of shure se530's for a little over a year when they got damaged, i sent them off and received a brand new set within a week. thats a brand new, wrapped package in no time for me to start enjoying all over again!. this is when you realise it was a good move to just spend more on your music if you enjoy it so.

 

[Martiler]

My Budget ATM is around £100, but normally it's further below £50. I listen to just about every type of music there is other than Rap/Dance/Hip-Hop. I'd be using them in a near-daily basis to listen to music while commuting, working, relaxing at any volume from near-silent [late at night] to blasting [drowning out the stupid bus radio]. I could buy them either online or from a high-street retail supplier [Currys/PC World/HMV/Dixons/etc.]

 

[jinx20001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martiler /img/forum/go_quote.gif My Budget ATM is around £100, but normally it's further below £50. I listen to just about every type of music there is other than Rap/Dance/Hip-Hop. I'd be using them in a near-daily basis to listen to music while commuting, working, relaxing at any volume from near-silent [late at night] to blasting [drowning out the stupid bus radio].

you sound like an etymotic man, you dont require big bass, you require a good clean sound with quality midrange and highs.

you can certainly afford some er6i's and these will provide the beans if you dont require thick dense bass...and with a lack of hip/hop, rap and dance in you musical vocabulary you certainly dont.

have a look around for even the er4p, although it may be tough to get a deal around £100.

if the ety root does not look for you maybe another fair option would be the ultimate ears super fi 3.

try to steer towards a set of balanced armature earphones because dynamic driver phones may deliver unwanted and un-needed bass.

edit: its worth me pointing out that with a good quality set of IEM's ( in ear monitors ) you shouldnt even need to adjust volume to block out noise, you will be or should be impressed how deaf you become to the world.

 

[Nailzs]

I have Coby earphones I used before I found Head-Fi and they still work. Are you pulling your earphones out of your ears by the wire? Do they have plenty of slack in the wire to not pull the earphones when you wear them? I have 6 pair of earphones and they all work, the oldest are over 2 years old.

 

[Martiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx20001 /img/forum/go_quote.gif you can certainly afford some er6i's and these will provide the beans if you dont require thick dense bass. have a look around for even the er4p, although it may be tough to get a deal around £100. if the ety root does not look for you maybe another fair option would be the ultimate ears super fi 3. its worth me pointing out that with a good quality set of IEM's ( in ear monitors ) you shouldnt even need to adjust volume to block out noise, you will be or should be impressed how deaf you become to the world.

Thankyou - could you possibly link to a few suppliers? Also, I wouldn't necessarily say I need no bass - Muse is one of my favourite bands, and they have some killer basslines.

 

[jinx20001]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martiler /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thankyou - could you possibly link to a few suppliers?

ofcourse.

heres a good catch from shure,

Shure Se310 Sound Isolating Earphones- Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

these are good well balanced earphones, and a good price.

here is the ety's.

Etymotic Research ER6i Isolator In-Ear Earphones: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

again a decent price.

i can link to other places if you like but they shouldnt be hard to find, ebay and play etc will all sell them but you should be careful on ebay and play is a little bit expensive.

here is the super fi 3.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Ear...4383575&sr=8-1

this is the cheapest i have recommended but they are clearly not as well designed as the shures and the shures do sound smoother.

if you do want a good amount of bass with a brilliant balance of mids and highs these could be for you, and wow these are a good price here.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Denon-AH-C75...4383808&sr=1-3

^^^^ there is one left at this price, if it goes your looking at about £120+ as found here,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Denon-AH-C75...4383808&sr=1-1

 

[Kataphraktos]

Devil's advocate here...

My Shure SE530s are awaiting a recabling project because I can't find my receipt...

My SA6s are waiting for replacement cables, as are the SA6s of dozens or hundreds of other owners...

Meanwhile, my cheap-as-crap Sony behind-the-head headphones that I have been sweating into at the gym for at least five years sound as "good" as the day I bought them... and, you know, work as opposed to sitting useless in a desk drawer.

Of course, I'll still continue to buy and use the good stuff, just tempering the comments about build quality and warranty quality you'll get for your money...

 

[kmhaynes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kataphraktos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Devil's advocate here... My Shure SE530s are awaiting a recabling project because I can't find my receipt... My SA6s are waiting for replacement cables, as are the SA6s of dozens or hundreds of other owners... Meanwhile, my cheap-as-crap Sony behind-the-head headphones that I have been sweating into at the gym for at least five years sound as "good" as the day I bought them... and, you know, work as opposed to sitting useless in a desk drawer.

Yeah, I love listening to me MS1 & NE-7M, but when I get into bed, I pop in my $15 Sony MDR-829 -- sound good and I have about 3 or 4 years on them so far!

 

[Michiyo-Fir]

I've heard some people say that Shure products have a lot of cable problems. However my SE210s have been through an unnaturally large amount of abuse and they're still working perfectly.

It was left on the floor one day and my automatic vacuum ate it up. When I finally managed to pull the mangled thing out if the vacuum, with half an hr of detangling and straightening the twisted and messy wires, I believed they were ruined for sure. Surprisingly when I plugged them in, they worked fine! I think Shure has great quality products.

 

[cyberidd]

The best headphone I can think of for someone who goes through them quickly is the Koss PortaPro (they have a lifetime, no questions asked warranty so if you trash them you can just get a new pair for free), but they are over the ears and don't really isolate. Worst case scenario with the PortaPros you just send off for another pair!

 

[R3SET]

I know you have had bad experiences with Philips, but at 100€/pound i think the SHE9850 are hard to beat. Very well build quality too.

 

[Bigburger]

OP: Even headphones from Skullcandy, Philips etc should last more than just a measly four months - that just seems to be far too short a life cycle. I think you should definitely consider how you're treating them.

You did mention that you store them in the case, but it might just be how you're handling them. Make sure you don't wrap the wires too tightly, try to ensure you don't bend or tug on the cables ,especially at the jack and where the cable connects to the earpieces. Don't put excessive pressure on anything - make sure they don't get squashed, squeezed, dropped. I've never had any headphones or earphones that have broken or failed, even those free pack-in type earphones (not that I ever use those).

I don't even keep mine in cases, but i do ensure the cables are well looked after (particularly when wrapped) and the earpieces are safe. While the build quality on expensive gear is generally better, you should probably treat it even better since it costs more!

 

[sugrhigh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kataphraktos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Devil's advocate here... My Shure SE530s are awaiting a recabling project because I can't find my receipt... My SA6s are waiting for replacement cables, as are the SA6s of dozens or hundreds of other owners... Meanwhile, my cheap-as-crap Sony behind-the-head headphones that I have been sweating into at the gym for at least five years sound as "good" as the day I bought them... and, you know, work as opposed to sitting useless in a desk drawer.

This is what my friends and call the "oh no, my baby" reaction. Typically it applies to our guitars/instruments because I'm the only "audiophile" in the group but basically the principle is the same.

You pay a lot for a piece of equipment (whether it's a guitar, headphones, or a BMW) and you baby it. You clean the filters, you clean your strings, and change your oil and clean fuel injectors VERY regularly.... But if you have a cheap 1981 honda hatchback... dings and dents fall to the wayside and don't matter. Yeah, you change the oil but so what if it idle's hard? The car is worth $500 and the shop fee would easily be $300 so whats the point?

I also suggest a higher-grade headphone/IEM. Ety's have been recommended and although I've never heard them, I've seen nothing but good reviews. Personally, I use Ultimate Ears for almost all my headphones (except for studio stuff where I use Senn's and Grado's) although I do not know where in the UK (I assume that's where you are) you can get them although I do know Amazon stocks UE stuff and they're international.

I hope something in this rambling helps