[pianoplayer88key]

...the left side audio channel and the cables of my Phonak Audeo PFEs.

I had only had them 3 months

and had expected them to last 15 years.

Quick review / rating, IMO:
overall sound quality - quite good compared to cheaper ones I've used. (I haven't listened for any length of time with any headphones > $150, so I can't make high-end comparisons.)
bass - anemic, especially below 40 Hz. I listen to a lot of piano and organ music that goes down to 16 Hz and below, and I expected much better bass response.

isolation - ok, IF the tips would stay in!

I use the large silicon tips (my foams got ear-waxed badly) and they keep breaking seal and falling out every 20-30 seconds.

durability - I was expecting these to last at least 10-15 years (I have a few other electronics items that have lasted that long), and I barely got 3 months out of them.

sensitivity - these are a bit weaker than I was hoping even driving them at full volume with my computer (which itself is a bit weak too), or near full volume on my mp4/etc player...

Ok... the left side has lost sound - looks like the cable has cracked all the way through, and the inside wires are barely hanging on by a thread.

I understand (from the other thread I was referred to, and which I've been participating in some) that they're working on some new material for these. Thing is, I kinda need something NOW - as in within the next 8-12 hours or so.

I'm going on a trip out of town (leaving at like 7-8am PDT) for the weekend and hopefully can pick up a serviceable ECH for $5 or so at Walmart or equivalent to hold me over till I can get the PFEs repaired or replaced. (I do have a pair of earbuds that came with my new cell phone I just bought, but those are extremely uncomfortable, almost to the point where I feel like I'm going to draw blood when I insert/remove/exercise with them.)

If for some reason I was wrong in getting the Phonaks... what should I look for instead? (Budget would be about the same.)
Criteria:
good sound quality, although this is subjective so I'll really need to listen to them in the physical brick-and-mortar store in San Diego, CA, before I buy them. Music I will most often be listening to is vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, often organ music, classical, etc. (Not much rock/hip hop/etc though.) I do want good low bass - for example good enough to accurately reproduce what would be a good recording of the 18-foot piano in this youtube video, or this 64-foot organ stop or simulated 128-foot organ stop.
comfort, fit, isolation are also quite important. For the price, I don't think the Phonaks quite measured up. They went into my ear just fine, but kept falling out.

Also the cables never would stay in the ear guides so I eventually quit using them.
I think, though, that one of the most important things would have to be durability. I really want this to be the last pair I buy for the next 15 years. I actually want to have a reasonable chance that I will replace something because I found something better that was within my budget at the time, NOT BECAUSE THE ******* PIECE OF **** BROKE!!

So, besides the fact that I'm going to have to get something at Wal-Mart to tide me over, should I send my Phonaks in for repair/replacement, or look for something else?

 

[Zalithian]

I would probably ask for a refund and buy a new pair once they fix the wiring and stuff soon. I think it should be 2-4 weeks but I don't know for sure.

I have to ask though, you seriously expect a $150 pair of headphones to last you 15 years? I hope you're being sarcastic, but if not - there's no way any pair is going to last that long. Maybe 5 years max, but most likely 2-3.

Either way, I think you should look at something else. Maybe some Audio Technica's, Monster Turbines, or Denon's. PFE's aren't the most robust IEMS around, and if you don't like their bass - get something with more.

 

[HONEYBOY]

...the left side audio channel and the cables of my Phonak Audeo PFEs.

I had only had them 3 months

and had expected them to last 15 years.

haha Is the build factor really that bad? LOL I'd say try getting a refund or get it replaced! ahh well Dearly Beloved.............

 

[TheMarchingMule]

You aren't the only one with build quality issues: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/p...thread-418044/

 

[pianoplayer88key]

It's just that I'm absolutely sick

of spending as much a year as I do on headphones and other things.

A couple examples of things I have that have come closer to my expectations for how long an electronic device should last include my Panasonic RQ-SW20 cassette player (early 1990s vintage - got my first one for $100 (yes we overpaid), am on like my 3rd or 4th now but they last several years, and haven't paid more than $10-15 each), and my TI-92+ graphing calculator (mid 1990s, $175 or so, still working fine). [size=x-small]WHY DON'T OTHER THINGS LAST NEARLY AS LONG?!??!??![/size] (Also this isn't an electronic item, but I own two pianos built in the 1950s that I got for a total of $350 that are still in quite good shape.) And yes, I expect a pair of $150 earphones to last 15 years, considering I have other $150 items that have lasted 15 years, and a $0 (yes I got it used) non-electronic item (acoustic Baldwin Hamilton upright piano) that has lasted upwards of 59 years and counting... So What is up with manufacturers skimping on quality of items the last several decades? What happened to having something that lasts long enough so that we can leave it to our great grandchildren in our will when we die?

If I was manufacturing things like that I would be building them to LAST! Sure they might cost a bit more up front - like maybe Etymotic ER-6i price for an entry-level ECH (like Sennheiser CX-300), but over the life of the product it might only cost an average of 40-50¢/year.

Also I'm leaning toward a refund. I've had them 3 months and the box isn't exactly in good condition (looks like it was run over with a tank on an active battlefield, to put it mildly) - would I be likely to have issues with getting a refund?

 

[walkingman]

A piano will only last as long if people take care of it. I have seen plenty of dead pianos, cars, guitars etc. because the owners treats them like crap. The same rule applies to headphones. Take care of it and it will serve you a long long time. Our plastic CX 300 (which my partner now uses at work) is still going strong more than two years after we got it. Not bad for something that costed us less than £18.

Besides you are comparing apples and oranges here. One is a huge stationary device, another is an ultra small product designed with lightweight-ness (normally less than 10g) and portability in mind.

I am not trying to defend PFE here, but 3 months for the cable to turn up like that? Even my Shure e2c lasted far longer... It looks like a dog chewed on it...

 

[Sinocelt]

You already posted those pictures in another thread, and when asked how you'd managed to get your IEM in such a wretched state, you answered:
Quote:

Originally Posted by pianoplayer88key /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess it's what happens when they get tangled around sharp objects, for example bicycle gears (when I've temporarily taken them off so I can put my helmet on (and hung them over my shoulder but they fall off)), or I get up from the computer to go into the other room and forget that I'm wearing them, or walk away from the table where my music player is sitting with the IEMs plugged into them, and forget that the cable isn't 100' long, or someone trips over it, among other things...

If you expect any IEM to survive that kind of treatment, you'll keep being disappointed. Phonak is clearly not responsible.

 

[olblueyez]

Dont let the cat chew on them anymore.

 

[steviebee]

Eh? - after all that abuse, your PFE's housing still didn't crack?

Blimey- I'd be sending Phonak a congrats letter! Yours must be made of hyperspatial uber-plastic.

 

[Earwax]

From your larger closeups in the other thread http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/p...ml#post5754161, the wire and bottom of the earphone clearly looks like it was chewed on. Headphones don't stand a chance against bicycle gears.

I've felt bad after my cat chewed on a headphone cable, so I can imagine how you feel, but I didn't blame the manufacturer for what happened.

 

[xkRoWx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinocelt /img/forum/go_quote.gif You already posted those pictures in another thread, and when asked how you'd managed to get your IEM in such a wretched state, you answered: If you expect any IEM to survive that kind of treatment, you'll keep being disappointed. Phonak is clearly not responsible.

Booked..

 

[Djren12]

I had this happen to some Klipsch x10s and i was pissed cause i lost receipt in a fire and they would not budge on replacing them but i understood their position. After posting on their forum Amy Pm'ed me and sent me an RA # and I am good to go now. Mine broke because i had to roll em up small to fit in the case they provided and eventually they wore out and the rubber broke exposing the wire and killing sound in both speakers.

 

[ksu06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zalithian /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have to ask though, you seriously expect a $150 pair of headphones to last you 15 years? I hope you're being sarcastic, but if not - there's no way any pair is going to last that long. Maybe 5 years max, but most likely 2-3.

I have to disagree, it is possible for IEMS to last a long time. I am on my 8th year with Sony MDR-EX71 which I take to the gym every other day. However, I will concede that it wouldn't last seconds to a bicycle gear.

If you want to avoid Phonak's quality issues, I would go with the refund. While I understand Phonak's customer support and replacement policy are quite fantastic, these are just not the first qualities I look for in a manufacturer, in fact it's probably a better sign to not hear about a company's fantastic replacement policy at all. Just my two cents. Good luck!

 

[Zalithian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksu06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have to disagree, it is possible for IEMS to last a long time. I am on my 8th year with Sony MDR-EX71 which I take to the gym every other day. However, I will concede that it wouldn't last seconds to a bicycle gear. If you want to avoid Phonak's quality issues, I would go with the refund. While I understand Phonak's customer support and replacement policy are quite fantastic, these are just not the first qualities I look for in a manufacturer, in fact it's probably a better sign to not hear about a company's fantastic replacement policy at all. Just my two cents. Good luck!

I would say 8 years is an extraordinary case. I think if you took a survey, you would find most do not last longer than a 2-3 years, if that. Even so, 8 years is just beyond half of 15 and I am pretty confident they will not be working in 7 more years. Not saying the build quality on the PFE's is fantastic, but asking for 15 years on an IEM is not even close to a reasonable request.

 

[qusp]

busted!!! OMG; I cant even believe you are going to try and return them; if you treat them like the post ^^ up there of yours says; Phonak are NOT to blame; I think you are just trying to cash in on the quality control issues phonak are having and IMO this is very dishonest!! it seems that you dont look after things as good as you said in the post in this thread. caught in a bicycle wheel for 15 years hey?? that would be some serious trick. also you say the box is all ^$%^d up, funny that hey??

for you to be expecting a tiny plastic electronic item to be lasting the same amount of time as a wooden and metal object that sits on the living room floor (piano) is absurd!! get a grip and take responsibility for your own items; take care of them and they will last; treat and them like crap they wont, simple as that really.