[Sotiris]

i know that the car -speakers need to be replaced after some years (3-4) due to the fact that the cone that is it attached to the coil start to collapse (i hope to use the right words) .what happens in the case of headphones?how is their life circle?How many hours?It worth buying headphones that they are 2 years old?

 

[Chu]

2 years seem extremely conservative.

I have a pair of Grado SR-125's that are almost 10 years old and still kicking. The right driver did just die, but the amp probably killed it (and another set before I realized what was happening).

I have a set of Sony MDR-V6 that I've had for 8 years that are also still going strong.

I had a set of HD600s last 4 years before a driver died to mechanical shock (cable got caught in my chair, gave it a yank, broke the coil internal to the driver). I wore these headphones at least 5 hours a day and the sound quality was perfectly fine when they died.

A lot of the collector headphones in the $1000+ range are at least 5 years old. K1000s and R10s and such.

A lot of people around here love AKG Sextetts, which haven't been made in at least 5 years, probably closer to 10. I believe some of these are pushing 30 years.

 

[Chu]

By the way, I know it's not your question, but this is my lifecycle of headphones:

1. Be perfectly content for 1-2 years.

1. Current headphone breaks. Go to head-fi/headwize to see if I can figure out what's wrong.

2. Instead of sticking to my thread, do the stupid thing and explore to see what I've missed in the meantime.

3. Get tempted by something, want to experiment. Drop money on some new gear, enjoy it for a bit, join some commentary, dip back into the headphone arena wholesale.

4. After a couple months realize that I just love my HD600s too much and end up back there. My Grados and V6 are specialized phones so they're not exactly subject to upgraditis. Sell a lot of my new toys wondering how I got sucked in again.

5. Goto #1.

Guess what stage I'm at right now.

(the above sounds a lot more bitter than I intended. I love experimenting with new phones even though I always end up back at start. One day I'll have enough disposable income to start exploring amps. I've been wanting a M3 and a GS1 forever)

 

[Sotiris]

there are two points that i disagree with u.
1.In a place, like this forum, where there are so many people with different budgets i think its better in some discussions to try to keep to the subject to a level which is closest to all.So when u talk me about a $1000 priced headphones where the material are top notch then it will difficult to end up to a conclusion for a wider range of headphones.i talk about Audi and u talk about Ferrari. Even Ferrari need service after some kilometers
2.i believe there is no material which it keeps its prime state of shape texture and resilience after being used for 3-4 years or even less....

 

[Chu]

SR-125's were $150 when I bought them ages ago. No clue what inflation has done to the price.

I've never demoed them vs. younger SR-125s, but they still have their characteristic Grado kick and they're certainly better than newer SR-60's and SR-80's I've heard.

The V6s were $100 when I bought them and apparently are $80 now for some reason. These have taken a ton of abuse and kept on kicking, they were my LAN headphone when I was traveling around to lan parties and are being held together with a large amount of epoxy after getting crushed in various ways. I don't know how they compare to when they were young, but the quality is enough to impress people who borrow them.

I don't know what Sextetts were originally, but their replacement retails for around $200 these days.

If headphones alter their sonic characteristics after burn-in and how fast is an open question, but well built dynamics headphones don't really wear out.

That being said, I've heard some great speakers that are ~20 years old, however I have no clue how ~20 cheap speakers would fare.

 

[smeggy]

Most Staxes are happy after 20-30 years. Few of my phones are less than 15 years old.

 

[dcpoor]

many of us have headphones from the 70's or even older than still work fine.

 

[cerbie]

Floor standing speakers manage to last 10+ years, too.

Car speakers are going to get exposure to more nasty chemicals, possibly a good bit of sunlight, and ridiculously greater physical impulses (how many Gs is it when you hit a hard pavement change?), compared to most others.

 

[capeta]

they will last very long (may be over 20 years) if you take care of them well

 

[Zorander]

I have a fully functional AKG K20. Anyone knows roughly which year they came from?

 

[-=Germania=-]

Hmm lemme see.

AT-701's - 32 years old
k400 - 16 years old
CD1000 - 17 years old
QP85 - 20+ years old
ProLine 2500 - 3 years old

I have the SR-5's coming and those are at least 30 years old as well.

I own not a single current production headphone, even the FreQ has closed until the new year.

Team Vintage only?

 

[krmathis]

I have had headphone which were 25-30 years old and still running strong.
As with everything else I think it mostly comes down to how you take care of the item. Handle with care and it will last a long time...

 

[sunseeker888]

K240s from roughly 1980.... and If we're talking loudspeakers I have a set of Fishers from the late 60s which still wound great-- 15" woofers and 4 way crossover too.

 

[ericj]

I have headphones that are more than 30 years old and still working quite well.

You can't use car stereo as a benchmark for anything. not even for car stereo. It's the most jack stupid of all audio persuits.

Yeah, no material retains it's ideal operating characteristics forever, but for the polymers used in headphone drivers, and especially in high quality headphone drivers, the plateau phase where performance remains largely unchanged, has a very large window.

Larger, indeed, than we have yet to see the end of.

There are people here who own HD414's that are almost 40 years old and still going strong.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Two years? Let's see, if you listen 20 hours a week, that's 4,000 hours.

Why, the headphones are just beginning to get broken in.

. You'd probably need another 2,000 to 3,000 hours of burn-in for them to sound their best. And it helps if you leave your amp on 24/7 for about a year so it's properly warmed up.

Suppose that's why I've gotten so much pleasure from my 35 year old speakers.