A contrasting anecdote would be that I've got a pair of QC 15s, which are now probably ~6 years old. I quickly dumped the awful bulky case, so they've been thro

A contrasting anecdote would be that I've got a pair of QC 15s, which are now probably ~6 years old. I quickly dumped the awful bulky case, so they've been thrown unprotected into all manner of rucksacks and other luggage, and have been squeezed into multiple overhead lockers. A cat chewed one of the cables, and I had to replace the ear cushions (for a few bucks from eBay) but they're otherwise going strong, despite a fairly tough life.