[astroid]

They never really fixed it for the 5x5 series, its a design fault , the swivel happens inside the cup arm and slowley puts pressure on the plastic sides. On the 4xx the swivel happens above and not inside the cup arm hence no issue!
 
Plan view of cup arms :
 

 

[extrabigmehdi]

I'm frustrated because I've  cracked both my srh940, and my hd595.
At the end it's the srh940 that I  wear, because I've also ripped the pads of my hd595, after reading "how easy" you  could remove them.

 

[MetaLicca]

I've got a pair of HD 428's, and a pair of HD 600's, and I've experienced no issues with cracking. Only isse I've got is that the wire on the 428's is starting to get shot, so sound only comes out of one earphone sometimes. 

 

[s4nder]

My HD600 and HD555 cracked and I treated both of them very carefully. No problems with HD800 this far.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

My HD600 and HD555 cracked and I treated both of them very carefully. No problems with HD800 this far.

Problems with paint of hd800 it seems

. And that super tangling cable ...

 

[kmj2587]

I've had the HD 595 for about 2 years now of almost daily use (first as primary phone and now as a work phone) and it shows no signs of cracking.  Astroid has a point though in bringing attention to the design of the cup swivel on the 5xx series though and I suspect whether or not the cup arm cracks is related to how far the cups swivel when they fit on your head.
 
I also have a pair of HD 650s that are about a year old and have no cracks.  I am certainly not hard on my headphones, but I wouldn't say I treat them with any special care either.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

I used at least two years my hd595 before noticing cracks. It was much faster with my srh940.

 

[cyberdynet800]

Ive seen cracks in other peoples HD650's, but I think the main problem is over bending the headband, it just aint build for bending like that, treated with kid gloves & they are fine.

 

[MomijiTMO]

You don't bend the HD6x0 headband at all. The ear cup design means you slide them on, like a glove. It's easy to see why people bend them, you can with just about every other headphone. When I had my K701, I would just pull them apart and pop them straight on my head. That action would definitely break the HD6x0.

 

[BrownBear]

Also, I know it's not the HD650, but it IS an HD ***. Lol. I'm talking about the HD280 and its 'tendency' to crack on the headband after a few years of use. At least, I've read of quite a few cases of that happening. I don't use mine all that much anymore, but I've had a set of HD280s for about five years, and aside from the earpads tearing, there's been no damage to them. The headband is perfectly fine.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Also, I know it's not the HD650, but it IS an HD ***. Lol. I'm talking about the HD280 and its 'tendency' to crack on the headband after a few years of use. At least, I've read of quite a few cases of that happening. I don't use mine all that much anymore, but I've had a set of HD280s for about five years, and aside from the earpads tearing, there's been no damage to them. The headband is perfectly fine.

 
Years--make that decades--ago I suggested (in jest) that my friend tell the ladies at the bar that he drove a Vette.  It was true.  He had a Chevette.

 

[7un4]

Noob question, what country is Shure from?

 

[astroid]

Quote:

Noob question, what country is Shure from?

USA

 

[IEMCrazy]

Quote:

I think the main problem is with gamers abusing their phones and continually dropping them and having their chairs run over them. Others wear them in bed and end up sleeping with them on. What can they really expect?

 
How does one drop headphones more than VERY rarely if even that??

  It's not like they'll fall off your head with that kind of clamping force....
 
Quote:

Noob question, what country is Shure from?

 
US, and formerly known as "Shure Bros." on their older gear.
 
 
 
Anyway for the OP, I think the headband cracking as others said was more an HD5xx issue.  But people do break their HD6xx bands too I believe by overstretching them.  Sometimes I will pull them apart slightly when removing them...while I hear subtle plastic stress in doing so, it thankfully hasn't cracked on me and that's over 5+ years of use.   They're more durable than they look, and some people do abuse their headphones.  Badly.  I wonder if most of the cracked headband issues are from people with really wide heads or people that don't open the headband enough?  HD6xx somehow makes it much too easy to not extend the band enough and not realize it.

 

[Krater47]

My experiences, for another data point.
 
I've owned the HD515, HD555, and HD595... in that order, over a period of approximately 10 years (maybe more? not sure), with approximately 3+ years on each set. I did not travel with them, and they never left my desk. I was careful with how I used them, though I'm sure there was a hard bump once or twice (hey, we're talking about a decade of use). I would guess my average daily use is approximately 8 hours. Yes, I know that's excessive, though I believe it's about right. So, did mine crack? Yes... all three of them. Absolutely they all cracked. In my estimate, due to design flaw.
 
I took measures with glues, epoxies, tape, and zip ties to extend the usability of each set. I wasn't about to throw them out once they started showing the cracks, because they still sound great, are very comfortable, expensive to replace... and, it's not a fashion statement for me.
 
Obviously I enjoyed the phones enough to continue buying them.... but, I'm not convinced it was the best move. Probably should have gone with HD600 or HD650 10 years ago, and just replace pads over time. Better phones, and overall better value in the long run. (Mind you, this is for extensive daily use, for years at a time.)
 
Currently using HD650, and enjoying them. But, I hope Sennheiser has fixed this flaw with the more recent HD5x8 models... if they have, and they sound similar to the HD5x5 models, Sennheiser may have the best moderately priced, open, phones on the market.