Earphones keep breaking after a few months of use

[Scryder]

I've had this problem with in-ear earphones for the past couple of years. No matter what brand or model I buy, I can't seem to stop them from not working in one ear a few months after I buy them.

I mainly use them to listen to podcasts and occasionally music, on a 4th Gen ipod touch. I wear them in the office, and have a habbit of getting it caught on things like side of the desk, or dropping the ipod etc. The last two I bought were Sennheiser CX 200 Street II (lasted about 2 months) and Creative EP-630 (lasted 3 months). Seems that whichever make I get, this keeps happening and I was wondering if this happens to anyone else, or am I just not that careful with them? Anyone got any tips for making them last a bit longer?

[Dooms]

I know where you are coming from. I usually get the Sennheiser CX200's and generally they will last me 6ish months (so not quite on the level you are at) and I've tried a few others like my last pair which were some sound magic e10's which are just died one me. I've just sort of grown to accept it as a consumable cost of £20-30 a couple times a year.

Sure I could look after them more but I use them daily, they are shoved into pockets/bags, used when cycling in the rain, slept on, dropped, normally end up in the washing machine at least once in their life time... So lasting 6 months I think is OK

[kalniel]

I had the same until I got some earphones that came in a case. Now that I have to put them away each time (or at least, discipline myself to) they've been fine.

[GeorgeStorm]

How are they breaking?
Just be more careful how/where you store them and you shouldn't have any problems making them last far longer, taking a little care is worth the saving you'll make I would have thought.

[scaryjim]

If you're catching them on things a lot you're probably stressing the solder joints to the 3.5mm plug - that's where cheap headphones always used to go back in the day (to the extent that I always used to pul them apart and rewrap the wires round the conductors, holding them in place with some insulation tape!).

I have to say I've not had any problems with any in the last few years though - my main pair is a set of Senny MX170 (I have a couiple of spare pairs of - I think - Sony MDR-E828LP) that just get wrapped in a loop and shoved in a bag, although I've been a lot better at not getting them stuck in things or dropping my music player recently then when I was in my teens

[Scryder]

Thanks for the replies. Yep, guess I need to get better at storing them. I do tend to use them all the time, as at home, I put them on when cooking etc, so never get a chance to put them away somewhere safe. I have been considering getting some more expensive earphones, but think I'll need to get better at taking care of them before shelling out.


@GeorgeStorm: The sound just goes out in one ear. Think it's because the cable get's pulled and it's usually at the jack as Jim said...

[herulach]

I have always had etymotic in ear phones, not everyone gets on with them comfort wise, and they may be too isolating for around the house, but I've had 3 pairs in 6 years, which have only been replaced because I lose the damn things. My present ones are EC5s which aren't quite as good as the hf5s I used to have, but they're still pretty great sounding for £40.

[Splash]

As a fellow abuser of headphones I invested in a set with a removable cable. When the cable inevitably failed I emailed their support to ask for another and managed to blag 4 from them (they were shipping from Sweden, so it made sense if they were just going to have to post out again in 3-4 months).

When they all die I'll just buy a bunch of standard mini-jack cables off eBay and replace them when they fail. Sadly if you're a fan of the in-ear variety rather than the over-ear ones I'm not aware of any that fit the bill. There's also the option of a bluetooth set if you're using them with your phone - the Aftershockz Bluez that someone on here linked to recently look tidy, and I'm tempted to look into a set of those for when out jogging (as the over-ear cans tend to get my ears into a sweaty mess).

[probedb]

You must really be abusing them or they're just naff

My current phones are Westone as are my previous ones, they've lasted 7 years between them. They are used everywhere, work, walking, gym. At work they're left on my desk but otherwise just lightly folded and stuffed in a pocket. I don't take any special care of them.

[Scryder]

Guess I'm just no good at keeping them safe, pretty sure they're a good pair, as a mate of mine has the same and he doesn't have the same problem.

Came up with a new plan, got 2 pairs, one for work and one for home. Can hopefully keep them working for longer this time.

[jimborae]

Double post

[jimborae]

You must really be abusing them or they're just naff

My current phones are Westone as are my previous ones, they've lasted 7 years between them. They are used everywhere, work, walking, gym. At work they're left on my desk but otherwise just lightly folded and stuffed in a pocket. I don't take any special care of them.

Nope I can sympathize with the OP, I wear headphones for maybe upto 10hrs-15hrs a day, some days (I even sleep with them on due to Tinnitus). Yet to find a set that's lasted more than 10 months. As for Westone's if I knew they would survive I might be tempted to invest in a set but the cost is too high for me take the risk.

Here's what I've owned

Sure E2c - Great but cable has a break after many years use(didn't wear earphones as much as I do now). I'd re-cable if I could somewhere to do it a reasonable price.
Sennheiser CX300i - poor build quality, so-so sound, right earbud gone quiet
Denon AH-C260R - similar to the Sennheisers and suffered same fault but cheap.
Denon AH-C560R - Great sound quality, but awful cable quality, sleeving became very brittle and stiff; eventually broke in a number of places. Earbud still work and I'd re-cable if I could somewhere to do it a reasonable price.
Logitech Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 - Fantastic sound, massive earbuds so you look like a Cyber-man and can be uncomfortable for some people. Good build quality even though plastic, expensive.
Etymotic HF5 - Expensive, great treble, ok mids, no bass. Expensive and poor build quality, left earbud casing broke after a few months. Etymotic didn't want to know and blamed user wear & tear. Will not touch this company again.
RHA M450i - Great build quality, good sound but not very/overly bassy, excellent value for money. Wear these for at least 6 hours a day for over 6 months. Would buy again especially as good customer service (replaced one set as the sound went in one ear.
Monoprice 8320 - For the money, £4.99 these are the best value earbuds bar none. Sound is very good for the price, build quality is ok but for the money they are disposable! Looks are not good but what do you expect! Buy the black ones if you can find them as the chrome look really cheap and nasty.
SoundMagic E10M - Good sound and despite flimsy looking cable have stood up to the abuse very well and have lasted well (+6 months).
NuForce NE700M - Ok sound but difficult to drive and probably best suited with a separate headphone amp also they've not lasted well, in less than 4 months one of the buds is showing signs of failure.

[b0redom]

It was me who linked to the Aftershokz Bluez. Mine are still going strong and they're getting a LOT of use now I'm racking up the training miles in preparation for my Ironman.

If you don't want 'phones which leak sound etc it's worth knowing that Argos (yes really) do a guarantee for a fraction of the cost of a new set of headphones which will give you a new for old replacement.

[drone567]

I've got a pair of Sennheiser RS170 wireless headphones which are robust, sound great (3D boost+surround sound). I wear them all day for music and Tv, also in bed, brilliant. What I'm not so happy about is the Creative Omega Recon 3D wireless headphones. They were billed as top of range. Sound great! Poor design,part snapped can't be repaired or replaced. Now when I touch lead, they turn off! I'll find a company with better standards, whose top of range, is!

[psi]

These look good when they get released: http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-th...ctible/#!Walit

[heinsmit]

I realised I was spending more replacing cheap earphones than if I had just bought a decent expensive pair. So I did just that almost 2 years ago and have had no problems.