[odigg]

I've been looking at different headphones over the last few weeks and I've become curious about something. I've had a pair of Sony headphones for close to 10 years now. They still work well, the frame is in good shape, but the earpads are toast. Sony doesn't sell any replacements for them.

So my question is, which headphone company builds their headphones to last? Which brands keep stock of replacement parts for years after you've purchased your headphones? Which brands would be the ones you wanted if a repair was needed 5 years after you purchased?

Basically, if you planned to keep a pair of headphones for a really long time (10+ years), which brands would you trust?

 

[kejar31]

Well I just got replacement parts for a pair of 30 year old headphones from AKG. I would also have no problem trusting Sennheiser, Koss, Grado and many other recommended companies here. Most of them keep stock on replacement parts for years after they have been discontinued. In fact Koss offers a liftime warranty and are very good about replacing pads for free, even on 20+ year old headphones.

 

[ZarakiSan]

HD-25. My dad has a pair of 15 year old ones and only replaced the pads, which will still be available in 3015.

 

[tjumper78]

i've had a pair of beyer dt880 made in 1980. it is now owned by another member, and it's still working great.
that is some long lasting product!

 

[kjpmkjp]

Well, considering my Dad bought AKG K340s back in the early 80s, and they're sitting on my desk right now, behaving perfectly fine.

That's more than 10 years, yes?

 

[tfarney]

If you take care of them, any decent headphone should last more than 10 years, but pads wear out and cords can get damaged, so a company's willingness to stock parts for older models and provide service for years is probably a bigger factor. I've had my Sennheiser HD580s more than 10 years, but I've replaced the earpads twice and the headband pad once.

Tim

 

[REB]

I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990's from the mid-80s. The headband is a bit worn and the pads have been replaced, but it still sounds incredible. The old Beyers did not look like much, but they were built to last. Then again, I had a vintage AKG K340 that also looked quite spry for its age.

 

[Styrbjorn]

Sennheiser HD25

It's very hard to destroy them completely, and you can always replace any part.

 

[ktm]

My current favorite cans are a 33 year old set of
Stax SR-40's. Most quality brands will last a very long
time.

 

[ericj]

Any quality headphone that you treat with care.

Not having really bad pleather earpads helps, though.

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by odigg /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've had a pair of Sony headphones for close to 10 years now. They still work well, the frame is in good shape, but the earpads are toast.

Let me guess... These are the MDR7506 or V6? If so, the thing to do would be to replace the worn-out pads with the ones for the beyerdynamic DT-250. They're stocked, and even billed as fitting the Sonys, at B&H.

 

[Seidhepriest]

Anything AKG-made. The K-240 Monitor from 20 years ago can take the same parts as a new K-240 Studio.

 

[ericj]

honestly the only head-fi approved headphones that are not likely to last 10 years are some of the cheap philips models that sound good but have major structural design defects that guarantee that the plastic will break.

 

[Nugwin]

Sennheiser and Grado are good about replacement parts for old, discontinued headphones.

 

[GarageBoy]

The only gripe I have is finding replacement foam