Hey all, After losing a good pair of earphones today (Yuin PK3's) to internal cable breakage after about 2-3 months of ownership I got wondering - have any of you found a type or brand of earphones that sound OK, and don't break every 3-5 months? Or a set that are cheap enough that it doesn't matter? I carry my Ipod with me basically 5/7 days - and the earphones regularly get shoved into the pocket that the Ipod is in. Seemingly most sets of earphones aren't built for this (which is retarded, because it's how most people use 'em...) - so has anyone found a brand that don't die too much, or found a way around the problem?
The first idea to cross my mind is that you might be able to secure the cables in place with some extra glue? Also some earphones can be opened (there's the ring around the ear-piece, just force it open with a small screw driver) and fix the connection? I've been using Sennheiser MX450s for some while and Koss Spark Plugs for good three years now and had no problems with them. Not too active use though..
Indeed, I'm not a great fan of canals because of situational awareness reduction, and the loss of ability to still talk to people while using 'em. I don't think glue would work Jipa - the problem isn't the rubber outer layer of the cables, but the actual metal wire inside (I think). I've had this happen quite a few times before, generally one ear will break first, maybe go a bit wonky for a bit (so if you hold the cable one way the sound'll work) - but this latest pair lost the right ear yesterday and the left ear today. I think I'll cut 'em open and see if I can do surgery myself, but I very much doubt that even if it worked, they'd last very long.
Yeah the point here is that you secure the rubber insulation in place so the connection don't get strain when the cable is pulled. Is the problem in the ear-piece end of things or in the connector?
99% sure it's in the connector, but I think it's possibly just in the length of the cable somewhere too.
I've been using my Sennheiser CX 300's for the past 3 years pretty much 5 days a week and they're still fine. But they're canals so.... I dunno
I know exactly the problem spec is talking about - I've had lots of headphones die the way he describes. I've currently got a pair of Sennheiser MX300's (awesome sound imho), and although I've had about 5 pairs die on me before I keep buying them, just because they rock. This pair have lasted nigh-on 3 years now, with 5 days a week use.
Ok, so the thing to do is buy MX300's and just accept that they might break every few months. This isn't my ideal solution, because Yuin's blow other earphones outta the water (and many canalphones I've used too, tbh) - but I guess it's better than spending £35 quid to get phones sent from the states and then have them break shortly after
I've been using some Shure SE210's daily for awhile now. They sound great, and are holding up just fine. But yeah, they are canals, which is sort of an acquired taste.
I'm a total hater of canal'phones. I've tried about 4 different sets from different companies trying to find a comfy pair, but they just don't work for my ears. That, and I don't want to be mown down in the street.
I'm ok with using canalphones. I used them back when they were hard to get because no-one knew what the damn things were - but these days I just prefer earphones because you can retain situational awareness so much better. I can have the music as a layer on top of my surroundings - there, but I can pay attention to things around me at a split seconds notice without much difficulty. Canals don't layer music on top of your surroundings, they compeltely replace your audio input (To apply geeky terms to a human) - I just don't want that. Sadly, the masses seem to have it in their heads now that if they want better sound they absolutely have to have cheap-**** canalphones, so earphones are dying out besides the super cheapo ones you get free, and the odd make here and there. Someone I know offered me a pair of some creative jobbies, but if they fail to bring those or the sound quality is horrific, I shall switch to MX300's.
Go for the Sennys. They have a year's warranty anyway, so if it fudges up you can get it replaced. The good news is that you can get them pretty cheap these days. I have a pair of MX550s still around - be wary, they do tend to break. (I'm on my 3rd pair). Again, just like you, the problem with both of my first 2 pairs was a connection problem, rather than a driver failure.
I've used a pair of Sony MDRE818LP earphones for years with a Zen Touch. Bought them because they were cheap but the sound is okay and I've not had any cable breakage issues. I use the Zen walking to and from work, the earphone cable is wrapped around the body of the player when it's off. Being careful with any set of earphones helps, things like avoiding putting sharp bends or folds in the cable will stop metal fatigue.
richer sounds are always giving vouchers for senny mx300's in mags and online. i think youre meant to buy something to get the voucher to work, but last two times ive tried it they gave me a pair without buying anything. (the last time i didnt even have a voucher!)
Buy a pair of cheap crap headphones. Then solder off the buds and replace them with the good ones. My apple earphones broke all the time, only one side would die so i would take another set and just replace the broken one. Just mix and match them. What do people think of apple's headphones. I have no experience with "good" sound and was wondering how you guys compare them to more expensive sets.
I've been using a set of in-ear skull candy headphones since christmas, and they sound VERY good imho, and in Canada are decently priced. They are load, they have bass but not too much, and adjustable volume on the wire too.
Apple one's are utter piss. Spending 200 odd quid on a music player and then not spending at least 10% of that on headphones is stupid and very commonly done.
Like most cheap in-ear 'phones, they produce a lot of high-energy, high-frequency noise outside of human perception but which still damages the hair cells within the ear. Even if they weren't bad for your ears they'd still be crap due to their poor frequency curve and cheap design. QFT. It's folly for anyone to assume that headphones supplied free with an mp3 player are of any decent standard. You get what you pay for. I recently had to replace my Sennheiser OMX 52s, but only because the right ear began to crackle and they lost some clarity, but that was after well over a year of use and abuse.
