Why are most earphones crap?

[Here Comes Mongo]

At least affordable ones. I'm not so much interested in audio quality, I'm more interested in longevity. For years I bought cheap ones, which tended to cark it within a few months - I'm sure many of you are familiar with that infuriating flickering business whereby you turn your head to one side and the audio switches on and off at a rate of knots.

So last year I invested in a more expensive pair of earphones by Sennheiser. The sound quality was definitely superior to those I'd bought previously but now six months down the line the bass has completely gone.

Why is it beyond the wit of man to manufacture an affordable pair of of earphones which don't conk out after a few months?

[Urinal Cake]

When manufacturers realised they were akin to fashion accessories rather than electronic equipment.

Usually DJ or studio/monitor models have better durability. I had AKG 81Djs that lasted about 2 years. Sennheisers are breaky little shits. I've solved this problem by buying wireless headphones so I don't accidentally pull the cord loose and treat them with respect. 

[Hat FM]

dont the Sennheisers come with a two year guarantee?

[Shit Good Nose]

Sennheiser are living on long-past glories and are not the company they once were - the QC on all but their top-end 'phones has been dreadful for the last 10-15 years, and they completely changed the general crowd-pleasing sound signature on their most popular CX line about 10 years ago to something which alienates most. 

I recommend peeps avoid Sennheiser 'phones completely every time the subject comes up, and I would only recommend their flagship IE800s, which have a Real Rip-off Price of £600.  They are stunning 'phones and incredibly well built.  But the rest...  (at this point I should say that most of their cans are pretty decent - this just applies to their in-ears)

More generally, the fact of the matter is that most in-ears simply aren't built to last.  You've got to be looking over £100 before you can be fairly confident with long lasting 'phones, but even that's not guaranteed.

Out of what is currently available, the only "cheap" 'phones I would recommend are SoundMagic, RHA (probably the best bang for buck in terms of build quality, even rivaling many makes three or four times the cost) and, if you can find them, BeyerDynamic. 

After that, my suggestion, especially if you regularly listen to a portable source or "plug in" to a non-portable source, is to either invest in some cans instead, or increase your in-ear budget significantly.

[Black_Bart]

Why is it beyond the wit of man to manufacture an affordable pair of of earphones which don't conk out after a few months?

No. But if you buy something that lasts longer, then you don't need to buy it so much.

[BeardFaceMan]

Do they make wireless in-ear headphones? As in old school ones that go in your ear but not noise-cancelling or noise-isolating, I can't get on with those at all. I struggle to find decent wired in-ear headphones and they usually last about 3 months before one ear goes.

[mrpupkin]

I put my pair in a little leather pouch to help them survive the daily abuse a bit longer...I suppose you could do the same for earphones

[Bhazor]

Anything sub 30 quid is garbage. I went through a couple of those things in Uni, probably spent hundreds over the years. Then I spent 50 on a pair of brass Sony's in ear phones and they've worked flawlessly for two years now.

[hewantstolurkatad]

I bought Shure SE215s under the assurance that I could potentially get five years out of them.

If they last that long, it'll be a fucking steal to avoid those times where one ear just stops working.

[buzby]

Failure goes with the territory for in-ear headphones, mostly due to broken wires. They need to be light, which limits you to thinner cables with fewer , thinner strands. Combine that with the cable constantly getting bent, rolled or scrunched up and they will fail eventually, even the more expensive cable with flexible silicone insulation.

You can buy earbuds with detachable cables so thry can be replaced. I think they have even standardised on a connector at the bud end too, so you don't have to buy a replacement from the same manufacturer.

Saying all that, I've still got the Sony in-ear headphones that came with my Discman back in the 90s. They had almost daily use for about 15 years (and occasional use since) and are still in perfect condition. They made an interesting design choice on the cable though - it's a standard figure 8 cable that runs to one ear, then a thin single cable comes out to run round the back of your neck to the other ear. The thin single cable will only need to flex when you take them on and off, and the thicker double cable is better able to cope with the flexing when moving about or taking the device in and out of your pocket etc.

[Roy*Mallard]

I bought Shure SE215s under the assurance that I could potentially get five years out of them.

If they last that long, it'll be a fucking steal to avoid those times where one ear just stops working.

I've had some since October last year and used them very regularly since. Good quality sound and seem to be quite durable. You can also change the cable, which is very useful.

Best of luck!

[Uncle TechTip]

My shure noise isolating in ear phones had a tough piece of plastic acting as a mould to divide the wires going to each bud, but also it had the simple improvement of a plastic sleeve that you slide up to the buds, so that the two wires are held close together. Doesn't get tangled, reduces strain on the bud ends,  very simple mod that works wonders.

Also storing them on something you can wrap the wires around can help. Pound land sells a piece of rubber that you fold over the phones and works well.

[kngen]

I got so sick of replacing my Sennheiser in-ears every six months that I switched to Soundmagic. Haven't had to replace them after 4 years of use.  That's good enough for me.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

After decades of breaking normal in ear headphones I've finally made the jump to a set of bluetooth ones.


Even found a decent pair for dirt cheap prices too:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/soundpeats-qcy-qy8-cheap-bluetooth-headphones-review-2015-10?r=US&IR=T

I got these for £10 on Ebay, the battery lasts for about 5 hours and the sound quality is absolutely fine for what I need. Another benefit of them is using them down the gym and not having the wire get in the way.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I got so sick of replacing my Sennheiser in-ears every six months that I switched to Soundmagic. Haven't had to replace them after 4 years of use.  That's good enough for me.

I did the same. Sadly my ears seem a bit waxy and block up the mesh, which I then managed to dislodge when cleaning with peroxide, problem solved, I suppose.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Anything sub 30 quid is garbage. I went through a couple of those things in Uni, probably spent hundreds over the years. Then I spent 50 on a pair of brass Sony's in ear phones and they've worked flawlessly for two years now.

I bought a pair of Koss Porta Pro's about 7 years ago that I've used nearly every day in work (in ears were playing havoc with my ears for that long). They're light and sound good. The foam sort of collapsed but you can get replacements for that. The'd be a bargain at twice the price.