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Earbud Durability

SuperPichuSuperPichu
edited April 2010 in Technology
For some reason almost every single pair of ear buds\headphones I have bought have broken in less than a year. I believe I am taking good care of them (although obviously this is not the case.). I use my mp3 player (Creative Zen X-Fi) everyday. When I put it away I wrap the cable around the player and either put it in my backpack or my pocket. The only ones I have had survive were $10 Sony ones. Am I doing something wrong here?
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Comments

  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    Am I doing something wrong here?
    Probably not. Earbuds are small and fragile. That being said, less than a year is pretty bad. I recommend trying Skullcandy buds, as they have a really good warranty. I've heard stories of people having a set break, sending it in, and occasionally getting two sets back in return.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    I bought $40 Sony ones and they've been great for some time now.
  • SuperPichuSuperPichu
    Yeah I am looking at some nice isolation ones. Just wanted to see so I didn't waste all the money just to have them break a month later.
  • AprecheApreche
    I keep getting etymotic isolation ones, and they keep breaking. The problem is that the wire seems to be really fragile down near the jack. They had been kindly giving me free replacements via RMA well beyond my warranty. However, I recently decided to fix my ER-6i on my own. I went to radio shack, bought a TSR connector, cut the cord on my headphones and changed it out. It was harder than it should have been because I discovered that the cord was really really fragile. Shocker! I eventually got it to work, though, and now they are much more durable.

    Still, if etymotic would just use some hardcore durable cables, like Sony, the earbud part has never failed me. Just their fragile cords and jacks.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    My ER6is have failed once in about five years and Etymotic replaced them. In my case, the cable came loose at the earbud end, causing the sound to cut out.

    On a related note, I'm working on making my own custom fit ear-tips.
  • SuperPichuSuperPichu
    some hardcore durable cables, like Sony
    Well that explains why the only pairs to not fail were Sony.
  • Nine BoomerNine Boomer
    My ER6is have failed once in about five years and Etymotic replaced them. In my case, the cable came loose at the earbud end, causing the sound to cut out.

    On a related note,I'm working on making my own custom fit ear-tips.
    Mine are pretty much worthless now. I've had to order 20 plus filters because no matter how gently I treated mine there were times the filters would last up to a day. Now the rubbery noise insulation bits have gone and broke and they're worthless. Since I'm in Europe it costs more money to ship them back and so my parents can't be bothered to have them replaced, warranty or not.

    Also, I've gone through upwards of 10 cheap earbuds costing less than 10 euros and after a couple of months the wiring inside would always become flimsy and break near the jack, causing one side to break. It's even happened with two expensive headsets. I do everything to my ability to be gentle but it seems like just normal use causes one side to fail. Hell, even now I have wireless headphones and one side is broken. How the hell did that even happen? I'm sending that one back to be replaced since it's still under warranty.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    My Sonys get accidentally yanked out of my ears pretty often and still work. Just saying.
  • RochelleRochelle
    My Sonys get accidentally yanked out of my ears pretty often and still work. Just saying.
    Got a link for them? I have been in the market for some new ones and don't feel like dropping the money on etymotic ones, especially since Scott keeps saying how fragile the wire is.

    I've been using JVC HA-FX33 Earbuds and had a few go out on me from wear and tear of the wires near the earbuds and jacks. They are inexpensive, but I wouldn't mind dropping money on something that will last long.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    Got a link for them?
    MDR-EX55. Not sure if they're still made, they revise them ever couple years.
  • AprecheApreche
    Even if people want to avoid getting etymotics because of fragility, and who can blame you, make sure you get some sort of isolation earbuds. Your hearing is more important than your wallet.
  • RochelleRochelle
    Got a link for them?
    MDR-EX55. Not sure if they're still made, they revise them ever couple years.
    Found some on Amazon. They range from $20-$40.

    There is also the MDR EX300 that looks pretty nice.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    I should take a photo of my 5 pairs of broken apple earbuds at home. All have been broken due to really stupid things like treading on them, or jogging with the wire hanging loose and it snapping when caught on a door handle. D'oh x 5.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited April 2010
    Mine are pretty much worthless now. I've had to order 20 plus filters because no matter how gently I treated mine there were times the filters would last up to a day. Now the rubbery noise insulation bits have gone and broke and they're worthless. Since I'm in Europe it costs more money to ship them back and so my parents can't be bothered to have them replaced, warranty or not.
    The thing, I find, that ruins the filters, is moisture; I let my eartips dry for at least 15 mins on some toilet paper before putting them back on the headphones.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • Dr. TimoDr. Timo
    After breaking the fourth pair of ~$15 earbuds in as many months I decided to go one price category higher and bought these. They have a non-stretch cloth weave cable to protect against breaking, a good jack design and fairly reasonable sound quality. I've generally mistreated them (including stepping on them and yanking the cable) and they still work fine after a year of use now.
  • SuperPichuSuperPichu
    These are if you want to look stupid.
  • SuperPichuSuperPichu
    reasonable sound quality
    What exactly do you mean by that?
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    edited April 2010
    Theseare if you want to look stupidly awesome.
    Post edited by Li_Akahi on
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    edited April 2010
    Theseare if you want to lookstupidly awesome.
    Cans FTW. My current set.

    1) Approach indie girl with giant headphones, preferably Grado SR80is
    2) Say "Nice cans," pause for a second for her to look shocked. Smile charmingly and gesture toward her headphones.
    3) ????
    4) PROFIT!
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • SailSail
    edited April 2010
    Hahaha. When I got my Grados I mentioned how I had gotten some "new cans for my birthday" on Facebook. My friends then went on to speculate why I had undergone breast augmentation surgery.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • Dr. TimoDr. Timo
    reasonable sound quality
    What exactly do you mean by that?
    I mean that I'm not an audio expert and appreciate the fact that there are probably better buds out there, but that for me these are perfectly fine for listening to music.
  • RymRym
    As Scott said, the only important factor is that they substantially block external ambient sound. Anything less than that is likely to be extremely damaging to your hearing.
  • SuperPichuSuperPichu
    these are perfectly fine for listening to music.
    Okay that's pretty much all I needed to know. I have just ordered a pair.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited April 2010
    ER6i's - A challenger appears..?

    "The MEElectronics M6 earphones are a great value for bass-addicts, thanks to solid sound quality, a rugged design, and plenty of features." - CNet review.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • Dr. TimoDr. Timo
    "The MEElectronics M6 earphones are a great value for bass-addicts, thanks to solid sound quality,a rugged design, and plenty of features." -CNet review.
    From that review: "...cable that is double coated in silver and then clear plastic, which gives it a bit of a shine and also makes it impressively thick and reasonably tangle-resistant." Which I interpret to mean that the "weave" pattern you can see on the cable is just cosmetics instead of being the real deal. And tangle resistant is not the same as stretch/yank resistant which is what I need.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Durability with headphones mostly comes down to how securely they connect to the ear pieces and jack. Even the Etymotics wouldn't snap unless you did something crazy.
  • ChurbaChurba
    Durability with headphones mostly comes down to how securely they connect to the ear pieces and jack. Even the Etymotics wouldn't snap unless you did something crazy.
    Bollocks - My etymotics broke at the Jack after about 8 weeks, with nothing more extreme than having them connected to my phone, in my pocket, as I was walking around.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    edited April 2010
    Bollocks - My etymotics broke at the Jack after about 8 weeks, with nothing more extreme than having them connected to my phone, in my pocket, as I was walking around.
    When I said snap, I meant the cable itself snapping part way along. The jack snap or coming loose at the earbud is probably how they're going to die. As such, worrying about cable strength isn't important.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • Dr. TimoDr. Timo
    edited April 2010
    As such, worrying about cable strength isn't important.
    Cable strength is everything! Earplugs need to have small diameter cables (you wouldn't want to have half inch thick wires hanging from your ears), but thin wire has horrible resistance issues. Thus the solution is to use even thinner wire but lots of them (increases the effective surface area of the conductor). Cut an old earplug cable in two and take a look for yourself, those wires are thin, and even though they won't collectively snap, individual strands of wire will snap if you breathe on them. If you give the cable a good yank you can be sure that at least some strands will have snapped. Over time the accumulated breakage will result in significant deterioration of sound quality and ultimately failure. It is thus extremely important that the sleeve is resistant to stretching.
    Post edited by Dr. Timo on
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Ok.. that's news to me, do you have any references?
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