Lifespan of a headphone?

[JMoore]

I know you guys can not give me an exact estimate, but about how many hours should a well taken care of headphone last sound wise? Are we talking about 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 hours, ext. If anyone of you could give me their thoughts on it I would really appreciate it.

-John

 

[xand1x]

Depends on how the headphone is used/cared for. I have an AKG K340 that's probably been in use for 10+ years. I think headphones have a pretty infinite lifespan (within reason) when cared for properly.

 

[JMoore]

Yes, that was what I pretty much meant. Thanks for your opionion. I didn't really know headphones lasted that long w/o losing a lot of their sound quality.

 

[NiceCans]

I have a 30+ year old pair that I still use . . . . not my main cans anymore, but still used often.

 

[Knuckledragger]

I have a friend named Steve in the UK who's been using the same cans since the early 80s. He probably logs at least 4 hours a day with them. I'll hafta ask him what kind they are next time we chat.

I wonder, to electrostatics have a bigger or smaller MBTF than dynamics?

 

[nsjong]

LOL, exact estimate. Oxymoron'd!

At least 30 years if you keep them in good condition. Haven't you seen on eBay? Some cans are over 60 years old.

 

[stmpjmp]

Ill agree that a headphone can FUNCTION even when it is 30 plus years old but I find it hard to believe it retains 90+% of its original SQ, even if lovingly cared for. I dont have any phones of that age but just the nature of electronics makes me believe there has to be a noticeable difference between the can freshly burned in vs. 30 years old. Would love to be proven wrong though.

 

[Duggeh]

What someone with dedication has to do is log exactly what is played on a pair of their headphones, from box to bin, then find out how long a playtime that is.

 

[stmpjmp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh What someone with dedication has to do is log exactly what is played on a pair of their headphones, from box to bin, then find out how long a playtime that is.

I dont even think an hour for hour accounting is needed, just an idea of roughly how long a can will last. If its usable life is (picking a random figure) 5000hrs then with a can like the 701 youd lose 6% of its usuable life to burn in.
It would just be interesting to see what estimations there are on cans. If only to determine a "value" for cans in various states of "used"

 

[edstrelow]

I guess it depends on what there is to wear out.

With electrostatics, unless you burn holes in the diaphragm, they should run indefinitely, In fact they will continue running even with holes. The diaphragms are usually mylar with a gold or silver coating. A similar material is used in many space probes.

I have Sigmas almost 25 years old and a friend has an SRX Mk3 which is probably closer to 30 years.

My own experience is that cables and headbands are most likely to break.

I don't know about the material in dynamic cones, whether or not it can deteriorate over time. Could the magnets might lose their power over time?

 

[swt61]

I purchased my AKG K340's in 85' and have used them extinsively since then. 21 years and goin' strong! They look and sound better than they ever have thanks to Larry @ Headphile.

 

[Zenja]

I have a feeling the sliding pole mechanism on Alessandro/Grado headphones will break waaaay before the drivers do. If the body of the headphone doesn't break, it seems like it can last a very long time. That makes it a lot easier for me to justify expensive headphones. A few hundred bucks for many years of musical bliss is an easy justification to me, even with me having little disposable income (going to university and all).

 

[sgrossklass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edstrelow I don't know about the material in dynamic cones, whether or not it can deteriorate over time. Could the magnets might lose their power over time?

Philips uses mylar diaphragms, for example, so these should be able to last as long as the ones in 'stats. Sennheiser uses some kind of composite material for Duofol diaphragms, polycarbonate and polyurethane apparently. The only kind of material that I could imagine to disintegrate is biocellulose as used for certain Sony cans, but then there are 50 year old speakers with coated paper membranes that are still going strong. I'd guess that magnets losing power would be a more important factor. There's an article on reviving vintage headphone magnets available over on Headwize, but this is referring to really old stuff from 50+ years ago or such.

Overall, I'd agree that it's the mechanics that are far more likely to fail first... either that, or the earpad supply runs out.

 

[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

 

[swt61]

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

Some older woofers had a foam surround that deteriorated pretty quickly. most newer offerings (since the 80's). Have a butyl based surround and the problem is pretty much non existant today. My Paradigm Active 20's are 10 years old and in excellent shape.