5 ms·

>Their battery life was infinite. However, the life of the cable was a few months at best in my experience.

Wowfunhappy 5y ago
Well, you had to pay more for better headphones with better cables. But wireless headphones are expensive anyway. (And have non-replaceable batteries which will also permanently die after a couple years.)
- ziml77 5y ago
  The best cables still break when they're moving a lot. The important thing is for the headphones to have replaceable cables. But only the high-end headphones and earbuds have that feature.
  - soylentcola 5y ago
    I can only speak from my own experience, but I've been using the same set of wired KZ ZSN in-ear-monitors for the past few years. They're nothing ground-breaking, but they cost under $25. The wires loop back behind my ears so they don't get pulled out easily, the wires have yet to short out, and they are replaceable in case I ever want or need to replace them. I almost always use them with my phone, so the USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle that came with my phone is typically attached to the end. I don't mean to shill for this or any other brand in particular, but I'm pretty sure there are several affordable, decent quality earbuds/IEMs out there with replaceable cables.
    - dont__panic 5y ago
      Replaceable cables are a game changer in this space. The buds will last for years and years, and make up the bulk of the cost of a set. The cable could get ruined by one unlucky event... but if you have a couple of backup cables like me, it doesn't really matter. You can buy replacement cables off of Aliexpress for <$10.
  - mcronce 5y ago
    I mentioned this elsewhere, but I've never had a headphone cable fail. Including a cheap pair of airport earbuds that were used weekly for air travel (tightly wrapped, basically a worst case scenario for cable strain) for multiple years, and the detachable cable that sees daily use on my 598Cs. And I can buy a lot of $17 wired earbuds for the price of one set of AirPods. At my rate of failure, literally a lifetime supply.
mcronce 5y ago
What were you doing with your headphone cables? I've been using the same one with my current pair since I bought them three years ago. Prior to switching to cans, I used the same set of cheap wired earbuds for five years - and they're still working
- 0xcde4c3db 5y ago
  I've had cables go bad in multiple sets of headphones that I barely even used, let alone subjected to the expected rigors of travel or heavy use. As far as I can tell, a lot of cheap 3.5mm plugs have strain relief that's basically just ornamental, and even a modest amount of flexing or vibration will quickly break one of the wires.
- megapolitics 5y ago
  >What were you doing with your headphone cables? Getting them caught on door handles, mostly.
guggle 5y ago
I'm smiling at this while enjoying music on my 20 years unmodified Senheiser HD25.

Well, you had to pay more for better headphones with better cables. But wireless headphones are expensive anyway. (And have non-replaceable batteries which will also permanently die after a couple years.)

ziml77 5y ago
The best cables still break when they're moving a lot. The important thing is for the headphones to have replaceable cables. But only the high-end headphones and earbuds have that feature.
- soylentcola 5y ago
  I can only speak from my own experience, but I've been using the same set of wired KZ ZSN in-ear-monitors for the past few years. They're nothing ground-breaking, but they cost under $25. The wires loop back behind my ears so they don't get pulled out easily, the wires have yet to short out, and they are replaceable in case I ever want or need to replace them. I almost always use them with my phone, so the USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle that came with my phone is typically attached to the end. I don't mean to shill for this or any other brand in particular, but I'm pretty sure there are several affordable, decent quality earbuds/IEMs out there with replaceable cables.
  - dont__panic 5y ago
    Replaceable cables are a game changer in this space. The buds will last for years and years, and make up the bulk of the cost of a set. The cable could get ruined by one unlucky event... but if you have a couple of backup cables like me, it doesn't really matter. You can buy replacement cables off of Aliexpress for <$10.
- mcronce 5y ago
  I mentioned this elsewhere, but I've never had a headphone cable fail. Including a cheap pair of airport earbuds that were used weekly for air travel (tightly wrapped, basically a worst case scenario for cable strain) for multiple years, and the detachable cable that sees daily use on my 598Cs. And I can buy a lot of $17 wired earbuds for the price of one set of AirPods. At my rate of failure, literally a lifetime supply.

mcronce 5y ago

What were you doing with your headphone cables? I've been using the same one with my current pair since I bought them three years ago. Prior to switching to cans, I used the same set of cheap wired earbuds for five years - and they're still working

0xcde4c3db 5y ago
I've had cables go bad in multiple sets of headphones that I barely even used, let alone subjected to the expected rigors of travel or heavy use. As far as I can tell, a lot of cheap 3.5mm plugs have strain relief that's basically just ornamental, and even a modest amount of flexing or vibration will quickly break one of the wires.
megapolitics 5y ago
>What were you doing with your headphone cables? Getting them caught on door handles, mostly.

guggle 5y ago

I'm smiling at this while enjoying music on my 20 years unmodified Senheiser HD25.