3 ms·

My first though when I buy headphones is, "will these fall apart after a week?"

jotux 9y ago
I don't have ears good enough to hear the difference and I don't mind lossy compression but I really care about comfort and durability.
wvenable 9y ago
Even that is not an easy question! I got a really good deal on $300+ over-the-ear headphones and they physically broke within a year from just regular usage. I bought much cheaper Sony headphones to replace then and they've been going strong for way longer (and more comfortable to boot).
frou_dh 9y ago
I got out of that game by starting to buy bluetooth earbuds in bulk from eBay. They are less than $10 a pair (Bluedio N2) and surprisingly comfortable (YMMV. I take off the 'struts') One side stops working after ~5 months, they get chucked immediately and I pull a new pair out of the box. Zero anxiety about babying expensive gear.
- lostlogin 9y ago
  A little wasteful though. If you get an ok pair they can last 10+ years.
  - frou_dh 9y ago
    Not in my experience of pricey Etymotic, Klipsch and Sennheiser earbuds they don't! Earbuds/IEMs in their contemporary form are just fundamentally fragile things. The manufacturer making a fat margin doesn't change that.
    - lostlogin 9y ago
      Interesting. I was thinking of cans when I replied so that's presumably a big factor.
- icebraining 9y ago
  What's the battery life like? I'm using some $15 no-brand phones and they have quite a surprising capacity, but they're over-ears. I can't imagine those things packing much of a battery.
  - frou_dh 9y ago
    Put it this way... plug them in at night at the same time as your smartphone and you'll be fine for heavy usage.
lb1lf 9y ago
I'm happy as can be with the Audio Technica ATH-M50x; reasonably priced (somewhere near the $100 mark), built like a tank (granted, a plastic tank, but still...), incredibly comfy, detachable cord. (I know you didn't ask for recommendations; it just so happened that I am listening to an album using these now - after accidentally sitting on them half an hour ago...)
petra 9y ago
One thing you can do to help, is buy headphones/earphones with a replaceable cable, since it's often the cable that breaks. Also your cable(either modular or not), should have good "strain relief", it's a small mechanical structure that protects some of the more sensitive parts of the cable.

I don't have ears good enough to hear the difference and I don't mind lossy compression but I really care about comfort and durability.

wvenable 9y ago

Even that is not an easy question! I got a really good deal on $300+ over-the-ear headphones and they physically broke within a year from just regular usage. I bought much cheaper Sony headphones to replace then and they've been going strong for way longer (and more comfortable to boot).

frou_dh 9y ago

I got out of that game by starting to buy bluetooth earbuds in bulk from eBay. They are less than $10 a pair (Bluedio N2) and surprisingly comfortable (YMMV. I take off the 'struts') One side stops working after ~5 months, they get chucked immediately and I pull a new pair out of the box. Zero anxiety about babying expensive gear.

lostlogin 9y ago
A little wasteful though. If you get an ok pair they can last 10+ years.
- frou_dh 9y ago
  Not in my experience of pricey Etymotic, Klipsch and Sennheiser earbuds they don't! Earbuds/IEMs in their contemporary form are just fundamentally fragile things. The manufacturer making a fat margin doesn't change that.
  - lostlogin 9y ago
    Interesting. I was thinking of cans when I replied so that's presumably a big factor.
icebraining 9y ago
What's the battery life like? I'm using some $15 no-brand phones and they have quite a surprising capacity, but they're over-ears. I can't imagine those things packing much of a battery.
- frou_dh 9y ago
  Put it this way... plug them in at night at the same time as your smartphone and you'll be fine for heavy usage.

lb1lf 9y ago

I'm happy as can be with the Audio Technica ATH-M50x; reasonably priced (somewhere near the $100 mark), built like a tank (granted, a plastic tank, but still...), incredibly comfy, detachable cord. (I know you didn't ask for recommendations; it just so happened that I am listening to an album using these now - after accidentally sitting on them half an hour ago...)

petra 9y ago

One thing you can do to help, is buy headphones/earphones with a replaceable cable, since it's often the cable that breaks. Also your cable(either modular or not), should have good "strain relief", it's a small mechanical structure that protects some of the more sensitive parts of the cable.