Philips HS900 bites the dust. Philips = Fragile?

[Davie]

After just a few weeks of service, my beloved Philips HS900 broke apart -- literally. I was unfolding it and the headband just snapped. There was a vague warning about a problem with these on Amazon.co.uk, which I referred to in my previous HS900 thread. And there's scattered talk about problems with other Philips cans.

So my question is, are Philips headphones particularly fragile? It would sadden me if this were the case because in general I seem to enjoy their sound and find them to be a good value.

In the case of the HS900 the problem is particularly frustrating because it represents not so much cheap construction as foolish design. There is a thin plastic joint right near the pivot where the earcup connects to the headband. This broke apart under very moderate (I would not hesitate to say, normal) pressure on my part. I think that the reason this happened is because, the way these things are designed, there is another part of the headband that acts as a lever and presses against the headband right where this thin joint is located. This may be a bit confusing, but the basic idea is that they've designed the headphone so that one part of it is putting pressure on another part right at the weakest point. This strikes me as just plain dumb.

I've gotten a second pair of the HS900 and I *think* they should be OK if I treat them with care, but it all seems like a problem that I shouldn't have to deal with in the first place.

Anyway, does anybody have other Philips stories, either good or bad?

 

[bosh]

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...562#post306562

 

[Earwax]

is there any reasonable way to reinforce the weak area so you don't run into the same problem again?

 

[asdf916]

well i have the Philips HP550:

im guessing when u was talking about the headband, u was talking about one of the two string thingies? well, i've had the hp550's for over a full year of almost everyday use and i've never had a problem with the headband. i'd pull the two "earmuffs" away from each other so i could get them to clamp a lil less...i would pull them apart far until it would reach its limits...never a problem

about the "swivel points"...i've had them break on me too, but its a very ez fix...i simply cut off one of my gundam wing stick weapon thingies and then super glue it, making sure that it sticks to the part where the headband connects only...it works really well! its been there for about 6 months now

edit: o yea...forgot to say that i have the v6's now that i bought from ebay. i didnt notice much improvement over the hp550 until i listened to the v6's for about a day and compared em to the hp550's...and now they sound like crap compared to the v6

and i thought the hp550's were good headphones...

 

[terrymx]

hmmm...i've read a review on the hs900 and a guy broke it jsut after the put it on his head. and my profession is breaking heaphone. i'm willing to try it out if it can be fix with super glue. the only thing left to worry about is where can i buy the paint that is used to color the headphone black.

 

[DLP]

A friend of mine had the HC870 from Japan, and they broke after a few months even though he's not the abusive type to his headphones.

 

[Alex Altorfer]

My Philips SBC HP 800 held toguether very well for almost two years of daily use. They look a bit fragile and the plastic employed in its construction is a bit thin. Ultimately, both earcups broke apart from the headband.
Cheers,
Alex Altorfer

 

[pbirkett]

Philips are well known for having sub-par build quality and reliability on almost all of its products. I have never come across a Philips product in this house that didnt break, except my Philishave, but I hardly ever use that...

 

[Alex Altorfer]

Huh, yeah, my Philishave DID break after about a year's worth of daily use. The blades needed replacement and the rechargeable batteries died.
Cheers,
Alex Altorfer

Quote:

Originally posted by pbirkett Philips are well known for having sub-par build quality and reliability on almost all of its products. I have never come across a Philips product in this house that didnt break, except my Philishave, but I hardly ever use that...

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally posted by pbirkett Philips are well known for having sub-par build quality and reliability on almost all of its products. I have never come across a Philips product in this house that didnt break, except my Philishave, but I hardly ever use that...

I've had other Philips products that didn't break, but were kinda flakey. For instance, one of their early-model PCDP/MP3 players had a nasty habit of draining your batteries while the unit was switched off. But I just wrote this off as a "version 1.0" product.

 

[Ymer]

Especially their entry level headphones are VERY fragile. I'm REALLY careful with all my stuff... and I still managed to break 3 pairs thus far.
But then again, you get what you pay for... I doubt higher end models are that fragile.

Anyone wanna buy a HP1000 pair and find out? (and write a review while at it)

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ymer Especially their entry level headphones are VERY fragile. I'm REALLY careful with all my stuff... and I still managed to break 3 pairs thus far. But then again, you get what you pay for... I doubt higher end models are that fragile. Anyone wanna buy a HP1000 pair and find out? (and write a review while at it)

Suggested stress test for the HP1000:

--Place it on your head and remove it. Do this repeatedly (at least several dozen times).

--Pick it up from a flat surface and put it down again. Repeat. Then drop from successively greater heights ranging from one to six centimeters.

My sarcasm arises mostly from the fact, which I stated above, that the problem with the HS900 is not cheapness per se but stupid design. The HS900 headband is actually quite an intricate construction, so intricate that once it breaks it is hard to put back together again. In contrast, the headband of Sennheiser's budget 2x2 and 4x7 series headphones is a simple piece of molded plastic that would be virtually impossible to break. It attaches to the earcup with a simple plastic ball bearing that likewise is pretty foolproof. Apparently one company put a little more thought than the other into how to construct a budget headphone.