Lifespan of a headphone?

[harrydog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c001m4n Umm...This is an OT question... Will the same principles apply to loud speakers? Indefinite lifetime if cared properly? The reason I am currious is because I need to prove to my parents old used speakers are as good if not better than brand new (different) ones

My Celestion SL700s are 15 years old and sound as good as ever.

 

[robertburchell]

My Vegas are 20 years old, needed a recone a few years ago, surround rotted away.

 

[wakked1]

I generally think headphones wearing out is the least likely scenario... most just plain break or simply get tossed out due to age. Decent speakers can last decades (barring manufacturing or material flaws) and are subject to far more stress than our lowly headphones.

 

[milkpowder]

VERY VERY LONG indeed. The part that will go first is usually the earpads, then the headband. The drivers should last for ever. Replace/mod the earpads and you'll have a new pair up and running. Of course, this is if you take good care of your headphones.

 

[RedLeader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edstrelow Could the magnets might lose their power over time?

Well typically no, not in the timespan we're talking about here. By the time a magnet will have lost a noticable amount of power (call it 10%) the rest of the headphone will most likely have succumbed to something else in the 100 years that it has been in use. For an average very rough estimate (of course, changes for materials, usage, etc) call it 1% power loss over 10 years.

 

[skylinedo]

my friend has a pair of Koss 4/ProA's from the 70's and he still uses them, very neutral cans