[chef napalm]

Hi there. Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

There's always lots of talk here about sound quality, and rightly so given that this is an audiophile forum, but not much is ever said about durability. In my capacity as a DJ, I've had occasion to try lots and lots of different headphones and, as you can imagine, have broken most of them. In fact, I've broken three sets of high-end DJ phones in as many years. It's not that I'm hard on my gear; I am careful to treat all of my beloved electronics with the respect that they deserve. However, DJ headphones, in particular the circumaural designs that I favour, are all prone to breakage in either the band or where the band meets the ear-cup.

Anyway, I'm fed up with broken headphones and I'm looking for the toughest design. I'm looking for something made of metal. Or carbon fibre. Seriously though, sound aside, what are the toughest headphones on the market?

 

[Jap]

[size=small]Most indestructible phones? Probably either the Beyerdynamic DT48 or the Sennheiser HD-25-I/II.[/size]

 

[Cool_Torpedo]

x2 on the HD-25. If those don't survive you, nothing will do.

 

[MaZa]

Beyerdynamic DT770. If you can break those then you are a walking disaster. THICK plastic cups and metal headbands and all.

Higher-end Beyerdynamic headphones generally are built to last, they are like tanks. There is even a video where DT770 gets driven over by a car...

 

[nc8000]

Yes DT770 Pro or HD-25 (not SP).

 

[Tiemen]

The BeyerDynamic DT150 not only looks like a tank, it's built likewise.

 

[Uncle Erik]

The Grado HP-1000 is tough, but you probably wouldn't want to take a pair out to DJ with.

The Beyerdynamic DT48 is also incredibly tough and designed for studio use. I had a pair that had been used hard for 20+ years and still worked and sounded great. The drawbacks are that they're not always easy to find or order and they're strongly tipped towards reproduction of acoustic and vocal material. They're wonderful for that, but you're not going to get thumping bass for dance tracks.

 

[gav17]

MB Quart QP-805HS

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gav17 /img/forum/go_quote.gif MB Quart QP-805HS

X2.
There is a video of someone trying to mess them up......
They seem to be unbreakable.

 

[soMn]

A friend of mine has been DJing for some 10-12 yrs now, and he swears by Sony MDR-V6s. He described them once as the Technics SL-1200 of headphones; consistent, reliable performance and built like a tank. I've never owned a pair personally, but I've listened to his, and they felt very sturdy and comfortable.

 

[Sherwood]

DJ headphones are, en masse, a disaster. They're made for pretend DJs. Real DJs are professionals, and they need professional headphones.

Sennheiser HD 25.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jap /img/forum/go_quote.gif [size=small]Most indestructible phones? Probably either the Beyerdynamic DT48...[/size]

That's what I thought as well, but I managed to destroy my pair within 5 minutes! They were clamping something fierce on my big noggin, so I attempted to stretch them out. The metal band just doesn't have any give in it like you would expect, so no matter how much you try to stretch it out, it just jumps right back to where it was, which is in a vice-like position, exerting way too much pressure on my head.

So I tried a little harder to stretch them, convinced that I would win, and then snap! The metal headband is now busted in two. My fault entirely, and not something anyone with a normal size head would ever encounter because there would be no need to attempt to stretch them out to begin with.

 

[Sherwood]

Most of us are nowhere near as strong as you, Wayne.

 

[Fitz]

He's been hanging around Tyll too much.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sherwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most of us are nowhere near as strong as you, Wayne.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitz /img/forum/go_quote.gif He's been hanging around Tyll too much.

Strong smelling, ya I know, I get the reference to Tyll.