How long do headphones last?

[Bubble99]

I paid about 40 to 60 for headphones and use it every day probably about 4 hours a day. And it last about 10 years.

Now some one was saying headphones should last about 15 to 20 years is that true? So how long should headphones last?

Are there some brand headphones (Bose headphones or Sony headphones) that last long time?

 

[Plutonius]

It depends on what you are using them for .

 

[DeltaMac]

I have this pair of Sony MDR-V6, use them daily, and a primary tool now for Zoom sessions.
Bought in 1986(?) give or take a year, so getting close to 35 years. They're a bit beat up, and the acoustic foam in the ear cups is a bit raggedy. Still has good sound, and sometimes are comfortably on my head for several hours. Looking at replacing, but not a priority for me.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Depends on the price of the headphones and what you use them for. I’ve found headphones not to last very long but I haven’t really spent more than $100 on headphones for the last ... few decades.

In the last few years I’ve splurged on Beats and a nice pair of Logitech gaming headphones. They definitely handle wear and tear better - though I don’t imagine the batteries on the Beats are going to last 10 years. The wired Logitechs? I used them for gaming and they’re showing their age after a few years.

Someone gave me a Bose QuietComfort 26? (The wired ones) - and the ear muffs were falling apart with black flaky stuff all over. I replaced the ear muffs then they died. <shrug>.

My airpods are lasting me years and I’m enjoying them so much I think they’re going to be my primary headsets for the foreseeable future.

 

[HappyMBAowner]

It depends on how careful you are. If you don't take care of them properly, they may last a year - or forever if well taken care.

 

[Richard8655]

I paid about 40 to 60 for headphones and use it every day probably about 4 hours a day. And it last about 10 years.

Now some one was saying headphones should last about 15 to 20 years is that true? So how long should headphones last?

Are there some brand headphones (Bose headphones or Sony headphones) that last long time?

I'm not sure listening to headphones for that long every day is all that healthy for the ears. I prefer loudspeakers as a more natural way to listen to music, with occasional headphones.

Exeperts worry that children's spike in headphone use may lead to early-onset hearing loss

Six tips on how parents can protect their children's hearing while using headphones.

www.healthyhearing.com

 

[Erehy Dobon]

My oldest pairs of headphones are both around 15 years old: a pair of Grado SR-60s and a set of Plantronics (with a microphone, useful for today's videoconferencing).

I've had to change the foam cushions on both twice. I'll keep my Grados in good standing until they die but I'm not so sure about the Plantronics anymore.

I have a new pair of Razer Blackshark V2 gaming headphones, Bose QC25s, and a set of mass-market AKGs. I will try to maintain the former two. When the AKGs start to fall apart, it will be adios since the cost of replacement parts won't be worth.

As Richard8655 points out, it is best to minimize headphone/earphone/earbud usage. Hearing damage is cumulative and irreversible. 20-30 years from now hearing aid manufacturers will make a ton of money off of Millennials and their busted ears.

 

[44267547]

Quality of construction and proper maintenance is key (Especially for’ heavy usage’) When it comes to electronic devices, I’m super cautious when it comes to using proper storage cases, I’m not physically hard on my headphones and I store them in controlled temperatures.

I don’t have headphones that are ‘old’ per se, but I would suspect that with some of the new-er brands that I have like the Sony XM’s/Audio Technica, I could easily achieve 6 to 8 years, at least with lithium ion technology if the battery is properly maintained.

 

[Bubble99]

I'm not sure listening to headphones for that long every day is all that healthy for the ears. I prefer loudspeakers as a more natural way to listen to music, with occasional headphones.

Exeperts worry that children's spike in headphone use may lead to early-onset hearing loss

Six tips on how parents can protect their children's hearing while using headphones.

www.healthyhearing.com

Yea I use it mostly for voice, podcast and talking than say music and normally turn volume up to around 10 to 15 than say 90 or 100.

That if you listen to music a lot and turn the volume way up you could have hearing problems when one get older.

 

[Pakaku]

I'm not sure listening to headphones for that long every day is all that healthy for the ears. I prefer loudspeakers as a more natural way to listen to music, with occasional headphones.

Exeperts worry that children's spike in headphone use may lead to early-onset hearing loss

Six tips on how parents can protect their children's hearing while using headphones.

www.healthyhearing.com

As long as you listen to music at a reasonable volume, it shouldn't harm your hearing even after a couple of hours.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It depends on the brand of the headphone, the price (because there is a rough - but, not absolute - equivalence between price and quality), the quality, what you use them for, how long you use them, and how you treat them.

B&W is my preferred brand, and I find them excellent.

They are well made, comfortable, sturdy, and they have lasted me several years.

 

[eyoungren]

$30 pair of headphones bought for my daughter - 1 week before she snapped the band.
$250 pair of Beats bought for my son - about a year before he snapped the band.
$150 pair of Beats bought for my wife - about two years before we had to replace the ear cups.

$50 pair of J-Lab wireless - about a month before they stopped working entirely
$80 Sony wireless - still works, I just don't use it
Free pair of red Beats given to my mom on a Verizon promo that she then gave to me - several years and still going.

 

[Tech198]

It depends on what you are using them for .

For sure... They last a verry long time if you never use them.

 

[satcomer]

Yea I use it mostly for voice, podcast and talking than say music and normally turn volume up to around 10 to 15 than say 90 or 100.

That if you listen to music a lot and turn the volume way up you could have hearing problems when one get older.

Yep I was popular kid in College Radio (Won my city’s radio three weeks in row my senior Year). Poluar because I had Thursday drive time slot and was in local paper too and that time(1992) and popular dance show Thursday night and would ask the coming on DJ fir ideas for my last set! He would give dance vocal songs and he had great tastes!

 

[Pilot Jones]

I have this pair of Sony MDR-V6, use them daily, and a primary tool now for Zoom sessions.
Bought in 1986(?) give or take a year, so getting close to 35 years. They're a bit beat up, and the acoustic foam in the ear cups is a bit raggedy. Still has good sound, and sometimes are comfortably on my head for several hours. Looking at replacing, but not a priority for me.

Oh my goodness. I also have MDR-V6's, but they're just 2 years ago.

To say this post gives me new faith in my beloved headphones is an understatement. 35 years 💀

 

[ignatius345]

A well made pair of headphones should be able to last a long time, particularly if they're straightforward and don't have lots of extraneous electronics, batteries, etc to wear out or break.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Had my Bose QC35’s a few years now. The only issue is the ear cups look a little worn. I might have them on for 5 hours in the office as I use them for music and my phone. I need to get something else for working out though. Probably AirPod pros when I get my bonus.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

For me they last probably 3-4 years before I break them. I’ve mostly used Apple EarPods and I usually end up breaking the cable or treading on one of the ear pieces. I never pay too much for headphones for this reason.

I have just bought a pair of wireless over ear headphones - ‘Soundcore Life Q30’. I intend to look after these as they are the most expensive I have bought to date and I have to say they sound excellent. I could never buy something like the AirPod Max or Pro’s as I know they’d be a huge waste of money for me.

 

[Apple fanboy]

For me they last probably 3-4 years before I break them. I’ve mostly used Apple EarPods and I usually end up breaking the cable or treading on one of the ear pieces. I never pay too much for headphones for this reason.

I have just bought a pair of wireless over ear headphones - ‘Soundcore Life Q30’. I intend to look after these as they are the most expensive I have bought to date and I have to say they sound excellent. I could never buy something like the AirPod Max or Pro’s as I know they’d be a huge waste of money for me.

My Bose are the only expensive headphones I ever bought. The noise cancelling is the best feature. Just makes plane travel so enjoyable.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

My Bose are the only expensive headphones I ever bought. The noise cancelling is the best feature. Just makes plane travel so enjoyable.

Yeah I’m enjoying the noise cancelling feature the best. It’s great when I’m cooking with a noisy extractor fan and totally cancels it out. I haven’t been on a plane since I’ve owned them and can’t see me going to our office abroad in the near future. I only paid £59.99 for mine so not hugely expensive but went for them based on reviews more than anything.

 

[44267547]

Had my Bose QC35’s a few years now. The only issue is the ear cups look a little worn. I might have them on for 5 hours in the office as I use them for music and my phone. I need to get something else for working out though. Probably AirPod pros when I get my bonus.

I owned the Pros. The problem I had with them personally, they became uncomfortable after about 30 minutes due to the in-design versus with the regular AirPods, those rest on the outermost portion of your ear. But obviously for the noise cancellation, you have to have the In-ear design, which is why the Pros are designed that way.

The great thing about the Pros, they have the active noise cancellation which is excellent, the ambient noise feature is really cool, and they’re significantly louder over the regular AirPods.

There’s lots of sale prices on the Pros, so keep watch, and definitely don’t pay full retail.

Side note/rant:

Not really related, but this whole ‘Pro’ moniker is really overused for all these products. There’s nothing really ‘Pro’ about the AirPod Pros, it’s just Apple trying to hype up their product so the consumer knows the difference between the regular AirPods and the Pros. It’s just annoying that everything is labeled ‘Pro’ today (Phones, laptops, gaming consoles, the list goes on) when it really doesn’t mean anything at all in terms of what’s considered ‘Pro’.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I owned the Pros. The problem I had with them personally, they became uncomfortable after about 30 minutes due to the in-design versus with the regular AirPods, those rest on the outermost portion of your ear. But obviously for the noise cancellation, you have to have the In-ear design, which is why the Pros are designed that way.

The great thing about the Pros, they have the active noise cancellation which is excellent, the ambient noise feature is really cool, and they’re significantly louder over the regular AirPods.

There’s lots of sale prices on the Pros, so keep watch, and definitely don’t pay full retail.

Side note/rant:

Not really related, but this whole ‘Pro’ moniker is really overused for all these products. There’s nothing really ‘Pro’ about the AirPod Pros, it’s just Apple trying to hype up their product so the consumer knows the difference between the regular AirPods and the Pros. It’s just annoying that everything is labeled ‘Pro’ today (Phones, laptops, gaming consoles, the list goes on) when it really doesn’t mean anything at all in terms of what’s considered ‘Pro’.

Well Pro used to mean something else but that's for a different forum! But yes agree it is way overused. Maybe premium would be better.

 

[Bubble99]

$30 pair of headphones bought for my daughter - 1 week before she snapped the band.
$250 pair of Beats bought for my son - about a year before he snapped the band.
$150 pair of Beats bought for my wife - about two years before we had to replace the ear cups.

$50 pair of J-Lab wireless - about a month before they stopped working entirely
$80 Sony wireless - still works, I just don't use it
Free pair of red Beats given to my mom on a Verizon promo that she then gave to me - several years and still going.

Yea from what I gather is wired headphones last longer. Well price may not be only factor but the brand.

I hear Sony and Bose make really good headphones but are really costly.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Batteries fail on wireless.
Cords fail on wired.

 

[44267547]

Batteries fail on wireless.
Cords fail on wired.

1.) Lithium ion technology is pretty consistent (And has matured a lot) , and if it’s managed properly through frequent charging and not allows to deplete consistently, you’d be surprised how long it lasts. Heck, I still have phones that will power on from 10 years ago, simply just because I managed the battery efficiently and it was stored in ambient temperatures.

2.) Cords fail on wired? Never had that happen. Again, I think it really depends how you treat your device. I remember when people were saying that the wire on the standard 3.5 mm EarPods (Included with older iPhone models) were prone to fail, and I still have three pair that have no issues with the wire whatsoever. Seriously, I think people don’t take ownership for their actions on how they treat their devices, therefore they emphasize the blame on the manufacturer. Kind of all too common in this world.