3 ms·
From the comments I see the QC35 is not very durable pair of headphones. I would understand if the price tag would be under 100 euros, but the QC35's are quite
by pimeys 7y ago
From the comments I see the QC35 is not very durable pair of headphones. I would understand if the price tag would be under 100 euros, but the QC35's are quite expensive. And if they last only a couple of years, I wouldn't count that progress at all!
There are great headphone manufacturers, such as Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Focal and Grado, who make excellent studio level headphones that can easily last for decades in use, delivering that beautiful sound and feeling comfortable in daily office use.
I think the biggest problem is having Bluetooth in your headphones, which then requires a battery that is not easily replaced, and requires software and technology that either has bugs or degrades in a faster manner. I'd suggest while sitting in front of your computer, to use a corded pair of quality headphones and keep using them for years to come. Less waste, less money spent, better sound.
I've had Beyerdynamic's dt-880 model since 2003. I could still use them in the office, but them being open I replaced them with the dt-1770 pro model to not annoy my colleagues that much. Brought the 880's home and now with the lockdowns I'm again using them daily while writing software. Just replace the ear pads every five years, clean the drivers with pressurized air and you're ready to go.
- qppo 7y agoThe 880s aren't wireless, active noise cancelling cans and aren't relevant in this context. The brands you list have fine build quality, classic headphones based on the same physics and materials dating back about 50 years. They sound great, but they're not particularly novel, nor are they the same kind of product that is discussed here.
- pimeys 7y agoExactly! But the 1770 pro blocks enough noise to be used in a noisy studio and office space. No need for active noise cancellation or software to get a perfect bubble for your own thoughts. What I tried to say here is that maybe we're not witnessing progress with headphones such as the QC35. That maybe buying an expensive pair of headphones that needs to be replaced in every few years and which provide a subpar audio quality is not really that great. I understand the noise cancellation aspect in certain settings though. I own a pair of QC35's only for commuting. They work great for that, and the mediocre sound quality doesn't really bother me when I'm on the go. But the more I'm using them the more I'm getting worried are they going to be waste soon and if so, should I buy a new pair to replace them.
- josteink 7y ago> The 880s aren't wireless, active noise cancelling cans and aren't relevant in this context. Of course they are. If they provide a substantially better listening experience, at a lower cost and with passive noise-damping and less use of technology prone to failure, that makes them 110% relevant to the discussion at hand.
- lethologica 7y agoNo, they’re not. The marketing on the companies own site even agrees they aren’t noise canceling. “The semi-open headphones attenuate ambient noise, but do not exclude it completely” https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-880-edition.html https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-880-edition.html These are very different products.
- josteink 7y agoSorry. My bad. My experience are with the 770s[1], which are closed and has amazingly good passive noise damping. I don’t miss ANC one bit. [1] https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-pro.html https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-pro.html
- rconti 7y agoAnd one reason they "last" is because they're not subject to the same use profile (eg, traveling) that the wireless ANC models typically are.
- okasaki 7y agoI had Grado headphones and while the sound quality was good, they failed very quickly in several ways (first one speaker stopped working, then the foam earcup fell off, then they just fell apart). The worst built headphones I've ever used, probably worse than the cheapest headphones you can buy.
- pimeys 7y agoLet me take Grado off the list then. The Beyers and Sennheisers, at least the studio models are very durable.
- jjayjay 7y agoDid you question those people what their lifestyle is like. Does it correlate to why their headphones broke so easily? I use them in the office and on flights only. The only thing I did was replace the foam cups in 2019 due to [expected] wear. No problems with them at all ever. I've had mine since 2016. Same story for a colleague I've known for 8 years.
- pimeys 7y agoI'll come here in 30 years to tell are the Boses still working.
- mritun 7y agoI had QC15 for over 7 years and QC35m2 now over 3. Both used and abused because I don’t really care about the case. Never broke anything in them. Eventually lost the QC15 and upgraded to QC35 - a decision I never regretted even though I fly way less now and use $600 audiophile headphones. Fantastic headphone - research the analytical tests, the QC has almost flat response and the noise cancellation makes it very pleasing to listen to. YMMV.