Headphone Appreciation Thread

[Easykill]

Ok, all you headphone freaks, help me out. I need a new pair of earbuds(not headphones, teachers get mad at headphones) that can last more than a few weeks in my care. I do not take care of my stuff, although I've been trying to fix that. I sort of expect it to be as strong as I am. Most often it'll just be one of the buds not working and the other will continue, but I've also had the wire break completely pretty often, the wire breaking partially somewhere and leaving me constantly fiddling with it to try and get the connection working, the actual buds breaking apart, and others that I don't even know the cause of at all. So, is there an invincible earbud out there somewhere for me, or am I better off just buying cheapo ones en mass?

 

[zoozilla]

I get my headphones for .99c at FYE. They generally last about two months.

I've been considering investing in a nice set of headphones, but I honestly don't know if the increase in audio quality is worth the huge price increase.

That's highly subjective. For me, the answer is "yes"; I tried using the cheap earbuds/headphones included with iPods and other players, and I just wasn't happy with them after having heard the "good" ones. (This is a good point).

My suggestion would be to go to an audio store and try out some of the "over the ear" full-sized headphones (for wall units and component stereo play) they have out as demos... listen to how they sound to you. If you do find a big enough difference that you feel going upscale is worth it, then you can take the step to pricier portable earphone models with a bit more confidence.

-- Steve

Then again, maybe you should refrain from listening to high-quality 'phones and stick with the cheap, replacable ones.

I mean, if you find that the sound quality is spectacular, you're going to either have to buy better headphones or forever view your current ones as inferior.

I'm sure a lot of people think the sound quality of their iPod buds is good - once you listen to quality headphones, though, it's hard to go back. If you have the money, I'd definitely put some down for a good pair - but be prepared to spend at least more than $50.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

I think there are a few rare cases of Sennheisers falling apart. I remember my friend had a pair, and a small plastic plate kept on falling off (it was glued on). Anyways Sennheiser still glues the plate, but they also added a screw to hold it tight. My previous pair of Sennheiser earbuds were stepped on and they didn't even dent. So I think Sennheiser kept their sturdy building policies.

Mine don't fall apart; the compenents are really solid and I have no complaints there. It's that the wiring connections keep cracking at the plugs, leading to either drop-out or horrible crackling, and I find the braided conductors they use to be utter bastards to rewire by hand with more durable plugs so I can't repair them myself. I do know of a couple of other people with PX-100s, and they've both had to replace the plugs too. (A pity, because acoustically they're great.)

-- Steve