Do GOOD headphones go bad?

[Good4it]

Do good sounding headphones wear out? Not the ear pads or other wear items but the speakers?

Does it depend on how loud you play them?

 

[tyhjaarpa]

In years the speaker elements can start to break down and if this happens you will hear distortion and it will be noticeable. How ever I know people with 10 to 20 year old headphones still going strong without any issues. I guess it really is up to build quality, how you keep your headphones and how loud you listen at.

 

[markw]

Anything could go over time. They are vulnerable to the same things as speakers such as surrounds (or the cones/membranes themselves) drying out , but thereby making them more vulnerable to being overdriven. Plus, there can be other things hat time or circumstances will dictate.

I just had a pair of Koss ports-Pros I've had for over ten years develop a chirp in one channel. Don't .know why and they didn't get that much use and were never abused, but things happen. I'm just glad they come with a lifetime warranty.

 

[lovinthehd]

I've had my current headphones, Denon AH-D210s, for over 20 years (could be 30, I don't really remember when I got them). The pad covers peeled off years ago but they are fine otherwise. Thought the cord was crapping out not too long ago, but it was my extension cord that had developed an issue....

 

[lsiberian]

I've had my current headphones, Denon AH-D210s, for over 20 years (could be 30, I don't really remember when I got them). The pad covers peeled off years ago but they are fine otherwise. Thought the cord was crapping out not too long ago, but it was my extension cord that had developed an issue....

I'm not sure I want to know how the extension cord developed an issue.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm not sure I want to know how the extension cord developed an issue.

I'm not sure I want to know what crossed your mind....

 

[markw]

One time, many, many years ago, I made the mistake of buying a 25' coiled headphone extension cord. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but if I ever had to extend the cord, which was anything more than five feet or so, I would have to fight the cord which had a proclivity to want to "unextend" itself.

...not one of my better ideas.

 

[lovinthehd]

One time, many, many years ago, I made the mistake of buying a 25' coiled headphone extension cord. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but if I ever had to extend the cord, which was anything more than five feet or so, I would have to fight the cord which had a proclivity to want to "unextend" itself.

...not one of my better ideas.

Sounds familiar, I still have the coiled cord and it still works, annoying when you try to get all 25' for sure, but it was the non-coiled 25 footer that replaced the coiled cord that failed....

 

[highfigh]

Anything could go over time. They are vulnerable to the same things as speakers such as surrounds (or the cones/membranes themselves) drying out , but thereby making them more vulnerable to being overdriven. Plus, there can be other things hat time or circumstances will dictate.

I just had a pair of Koss ports-Pros I've had for over ten years develop a chirp in one channel. Don't .know why and they didn't get that much use and were never abused, but things happen. I'm just glad they come with a lifetime warranty.

I got my Porta Pros over 30 years ago and the only problem I have had was caused by little ol' me. I was getting ready to go for a bike ride and after I put the tape in my Walkman (it's the playback only version of the Walkman Pro), placed it in the pouch under the bike seat, put my 'phones on and swung my leg over the seat. The only problem- I didn't pass the cord under my leg, so I ripped the wires out of the mute switch. I dropped them off at the HQ and had to argue with the woman about picking them up- I don't see any reason to ship them if I live less than 5 miles away from the factory.

 

[highfigh]

I'm not sure I want to know how the extension cord developed an issue.

It had a bad childhood.

 

[markw]

I sent in my Porta-Pros and, with the $9.00 they require (shipping and handling, they say) and the shipping to them, it still winds up costing less than half what a new pair would cost. I have two other pair that are fine that are kept in two travel packs with my Zune and CD player.

But, getting a bug up my a$$, I bought a pair of those $14 headphones I posted about in another thread. Got 'em in two days. Know what? They sound pretty durn good. ...as good as I remember the Pro-35's sounded. Now, if they just folded for travel...

 

[highfigh]

I sent in my Porta-Pros and, with the $9.00 they require (shipping and handling, they say) and the shipping to them, it still winds up costing less than half what a new pair would cost. I have two other pair that are fine that are kept in two travel packs with my Zune and CD player.

But, getting a bug up my a$$, I bought a pair of those $14 headphones I posted about in another thread. Got 'em in two days. Know what? They sound pretty durn good. ...as good as I remember the Pro-35's sounded. Now, if they just folded for travel...

I used to carry mine when I traveled, so I would have something to listen to during the flight- I would have my laptop as my carry-on and I had a good amount of music on it. Now, I have a smart phone and a set of Pioneer ear buds that I got from one of my distributors, which really aren't bad and they act as ear plugs, so the air pressure changes don't affect me as much. It also lets me not worry about some bag ape at the airport crushing them.

I rarely use headphones, these days- I liked the Porta Pros for bike rides, but we have had several attacks on riders recently and I want to be able to hear if someone is approaching.

 

[markw]

I hear ya on the earbuds. We do a considerable amount of flying and waiting in airports. I've been playing with some Sennheiser $30 -$40 earbuds and they do seem to sound very good but I just don't like the feeling of having something stuck in my ear.

 

[highfigh]

I hear ya on the earbuds. We do a considerable amount of flying and waiting in airports. I've been playing with some Sennheiser $30 -$40 earbuds and they do seem to sound very good but I just don't like the feeling of having something stuck in my ear.

I wear ear plugs when I go to any place where the SPL will be excessive and have for decades, which is the reason I can still hear high frequencies. As long as they're soft and flexible, it's not bad. Oh, I have exposed my ears to some seriously dangerous sound levels, but not in a very long time.