The Headset Issue!

[DiBBz]

i honestly have no clue if this happens for anyone else. but for me it happens all the dam time!

so im a big user of headphones/Headsets. i use them for everything in my day to day life that would requiring listening to something. listening to music, watching something, playing games etc etc!

however all ive ever noticed is no matter what brand of headphones or headsets i get. they always brake in the same fashion as the last 50 ive owned and used.

ive went from, turtle beach from back in the xbox360 days to triton, steel series and now to asus

all the dam time either from 8 months of use to 1 year. problems start to arise like wire degradation witch causes audio to become unbalanced. either from within the headset itself. or currently what im experiencing with my asus headset, the audio controller has problems where if i move the top plastic piece or bottom plastic piece that keeps the cable fixed. if moved audio starts to become unbalanced.

it seems i cant got 1 year and a couple months without having issues to my headsets. for this case in particular its only ever used for my home PC. and id hardly say that ive been vigorously wearing them or stressing them in any manner. il use while at my desk and use them in my bed if i want to watch a movie or something.

can someone tell me if you've gone any longer than a year and half or 2 years with a headset without any sort of problem what so ever. cause im getting sick of buying headets ever year.

 

[HumanTrainingBot]

I had quite a bit of success with Turtle Beach X12 by your standards. It lasted about two years before succumbing to bending and wire exposure just outside the inline volume control. It probably would have worked longer if I stored it properly instead of sticking it in my backpack for a semester.

I'm currently using the wireless PX3 from Turtle Beach and they're working well about a year after purchase. One plastic piece is slipping loose, which should have been glued in the first place, but some E6000 should keep it whole.

I got the X12 for $20 on sale ($50 regular) and the PX3 for about $50 ($100 regular)

 

[DiBBz]

I had quite a bit of success with Turtle Beach X12 by your standards. It lasted about two years before succumbing to bending and wire exposure just outside the inline volume control. It probably would have worked longer if I stored it properly instead of sticking it in my backpack for a semester.

I'm currently using the wireless PX3 from Turtle Beach and they're working well about a year after purchase. One plastic piece is slipping loose, which should have been glued in the first place, but some E6000 should keep it whole.

I got the X12 for $20 on sale ($50 regular) and the PX3 for about $50 ($100 regular)

the x12's where what i owned and before that the x11's problem with me tho. was that they where far to contstricting for long wearing use. sound quality was the best for such a cheap headset but dam did it have problems. the thing was i was getting more and more into watching TV shows / movies and anime as well sleeping with my headset on with ASMR back then witch was 4 or 5 years ago. and still do it to this date. but to my knowledge, i never stressed the headset in any way.

but the X12's where the worst for me. they broke right around the 11th month to a year- or so. never made it past 1 year 1 month. cause 1 audio driver would sometimes go bad or wire snapping within the cable would happen cause constant cut outs of audio if it was not properly connecting to the wire.

my current issue im having is with my asus cerberus. great headphones minus the coated leather type material around the cushions witch with long use eventually just fall of cause of the moisture that forms around your ears and what not. it just starts peeling away.

anyways been trying to get an replacement but god asus support is god awfully terrible for peripherals, and their site is even worse to navigate

 

[SomeUnregPunk]

il use while at my desk and use them in my bed if i want to watch a movie or something.

That's your problem.

1. Keep a headset for your computer and one cheap one for your bed.
2. Keep both in the same location at both spots.
3. Do your best to manage the cables better. Or buy wireless headsets. ( one for bed/livingroom and one for computer/desk.)

 

[Nunaden]

Welp, I had similar problems with all my headphones too after a time. After 8 months the catch usually wore out. Only my Sennheiser HD 380 Pro went longer (still using, since kinda 1 or 1 and a half year).
Stuff's just 'cause of bad material and degradation. (for me it was that the catch didn't like moving, I heard music while having my phone in the pocket and i always ran around xD)

 

[Kouyioue]

I've been using the same USB powered turtle beach headset for 5 years

If anything, treat your leading wires the same way you'd treat long hair and your headphones could last longer

And don't crease the ends(lots of people wrap their 360 controller cords too tightly and wonder why they stop working) when trying to box them or store them away

 

[DiBBz]

I've been using the same USB powered turtle beach headset for 5 years

If anything, treat your leading wires the same way you'd treat long hair and your headphones could last longer

And don't crease the ends(lots of people wrap their 360 controller cords too tightly and wonder why they stop working) when trying to box them or store them away

i dont take my headset anywhere. its always plugged into the PC and my bed witch is right beside my desk is completely within range of my headset and has more than enough room to go further for a 1.1m cable connected to a 1.1m 3.5mm headphone jacks so in total id say around 1.8m cause the rest i have it going up a fixed position to better organize wiring on my desk.

but this issue isnt really related to the wiring within cable. its more or less within the volume controller. tugging the top wire coming out of the plastic piece that holds the mute mic and volume controller will shift audio.

but yea i had a quick chat with asus support and put in a somewhat complain in that specific area. and talked to amazon so il be getting a replacement. i dont see the point spending more than £25 for a headset. i honestly dont!

can anyone recommend good over the ear wireless headphones. with great sound quality ? and preferably cheap

 

[NoahDVS]

All the above tips are good. Another thing you could do is simply buy higher quality headphones. It may not be a viable option for you, but the $150-300 MSRP range is really where it's at. Generally, any more and you get diminishing returns; any less and you sacrifice audio or build quality. Its just a rule of thumb, but my ATH-M50 headphones have lasted me about 4 or 5 years now and are still in pretty good condition. The earpads have been flattened, so I should probably replace them, but earpads generally aren't very expensive.

 

[DiBBz]

All the above tips are good. Another thing you could do is simply buy higher quality headphones. It may not be a viable option for you, but the $150-300 MSRP range is really where it's at. Generally, any more and you get diminishing returns; any less and you sacrifice audio or build quality. Its just a rule of thumb, but my ATH-M50 headphones have lasted me about 4 or 5 years now and are still in pretty good condition. The earpads have been flattened, so I should probably replace them, but earpads generally aren't very expensive.

im really not convinced that spending that much on a headset is at all worth it. considering ive owned the steel sereies siberia 650 headset. witch costs around £119 to £139

that broke within a year and 3 months of use. the wires within the left ear had degraded to a point where if the wire was bend or twisted in any way, audio would become unbalanced!

if i had a soldering iron i could probably fix some of the headphones, but sadly i dont so im left getting a new headset.

 

[Pandagnome]

I have a Sennheiser headset, i forget the model but it has a pink and green wire end. Although the pads are getting slightly worn out it is still functioning perfectly. At the time it cost about £30 or so had this for over 4 years.

I am sure there are better one's out there but it was cheap, light weight and comfortable for long use.

 

[Kouyioue]

Ohhh! Would earbuds work?

I use a pair of just random JBL earbuds I got from a corner store. They've lasted for a little more than 5 years as well. I've stuffed the back ends of the earpieces(since they're hollow, y'know? ) with tack to make them waaay more soundproof than they were before.

Maybe that'll save you some money, since earbuds are kind of cheap?

At that point, you just have to worry about finding a pair like mine that has good sound quality and the rest can just be hacked together with sticky tack xD

 

[NoahDVS]

im really not convinced that spending that much on a headset is at all worth it. considering ive owned the steel sereies siberia 650 headset. witch costs around £119 to £139

that broke within a year and 3 months of use. the wires within the left ear had degraded to a point where if the wire was bend or twisted in any way, audio would become unbalanced!

if i had a soldering iron i could probably fix some of the headphones, but sadly i dont so im left getting a new headset.

I can understand that feeling, but that really is where you'll find the best headphones to buy. Also, gaming headsets are NOT the same as normal headphones. The durability and sound quality typically don't even compare. If you want quality, look for equipment that is often used by audio professionals. My ATH-M50 headphones are a bit outdated, but it's a model that has been very popular. The plastic is stronger than the plastic on most headphones and the coiled wire is pretty strong as well with metal housing and a spring around the jack end of the cable.

The newer M50x model has a detachable cable, so you can replace it if it breaks.

The spot where it's most likely to break on mine is on the plastic shell around the point where the cup swivels. There is a small crack in mine right there. I haven't been the most gentle with my headphones, but I haven't been that rough either. I expect it to last at least another two years if I do what I can to keep the crack from growing. By then, I'll probably buy an even better set of headphones anyway.

 

[NoahDVS]

Ohhh! Would earbuds work?

I use a pair of just random JBL earbuds I got from a corner store. They've lasted for a little more than 5 years as well. I've stuffed the back ends of the earpieces(since they're hollow, y'know? ) with tack to make them waaay more soundproof than they were before.

Maybe that'll save you some money, since earbuds are kind of cheap?

At that point, you just have to worry about finding a pair like mine that has good sound quality and the rest can just be hacked together with sticky tack xD

I've never bought high quality earbuds, but simply based on the way earbuds are, they're probably going to be less durable than headphones. It's much easier to accidentally yank on earbud wires and the wires typically aren't as thick as the wires on high end headphones. On top of that, carrying them in your pants pocket is bad even though it's the most convenient way to carry them.

 

[HumanTrainingBot]

Ohhh! Would earbuds work?

I use a pair of just random JBL earbuds I got from a corner store. They've lasted for a little more than 5 years as well. I've stuffed the back ends of the earpieces(since they're hollow, y'know? ) with tack to make them waaay more soundproof than they were before.

Maybe that'll save you some money, since earbuds are kind of cheap?

At that point, you just have to worry about finding a pair like mine that has good sound quality and the rest can just be hacked together with sticky tack xD

I need to disagree here. My studio recording professor told the whole class, with no possibility to misunderstand, DO NOT use earbuds. It's too easy to damage the ear canal and the volume can be increased to dangerous levels with the speakers that close to the eardrums. The only exception is to see if the final mix of a song will still sound good while playing in the worst quality earbuds.

From my personal experience, earbuds an adequate job while listening to music at a desk job, but I find them to be painful, have lower sound quality than headphones, and are constantly falling out of my ears. (Possibly since my ear canals seem to be two different diameters.)

 

[Nunaden]

I need to disagree here. My studio recording professor told the whole class, with no possibility to misunderstand, DO NOT use earbuds. It's too easy to damage the ear canal and the volume can be increased to dangerous levels with the speakers that close to the eardrums. The only exception is to see if the final mix of a song will still sound good while playing in the worst quality earbuds.

From my personal experience, earbuds an adequate job while listening to music at a desk job, but I find them to be painful, have lower sound quality than headphones, and are constantly falling out of my ears. (Possibly since my ear canals seem to be two different diameters.)

earbuds can'T be better than normal headphones since they use faaar smaller magnets than everything else, the bigger tha magnets, the higher the quality, or something like that xD.

 

[DiBBz]

I can understand that feeling, but that really is where you'll find the best headphones to buy. Also, gaming headsets are NOT the same as normal headphones. The durability and sound quality typically don't even compare. If you want quality, look for equipment that is often used by audio professionals. My ATH-M50 headphones are a bit outdated, but it's a model that has been very popular. The plastic is stronger than the plastic on most headphones and the coiled wire is pretty strong as well with metal housing and a spring around the jack end of the cable.

The newer M50x model has a detachable cable, so you can replace it if it breaks.

The spot where it's most likely to break on mine is on the plastic shell around the point where the cup swivels. There is a small crack in mine right there. I haven't been the most gentle with my headphones, but I haven't been that rough either. I expect it to last at least another two years if I do what I can to keep the crack from growing. By then, I'll probably buy an even better set of headphones anyway.

fantastic and well layed out explanation... +1

but i choose gaming headset for the current purpose that its an all in one headset. i need a mic to communicate with guilds and clans etc depending on the game. and the quality is okey or pretty good for me atm.


but until i can free money from my all ready monthly budget. i doubt il ever get a headset thats meant for professional use

 

[Nunaden]

fantastic and well layed out explanation... +1

but i choose gaming headset for the current purpose that its an all in one headset. i need a mic to communicate with guilds and clans etc depending on the game. and the quality is okey or pretty good for me atm.


but until i can free money from my all ready monthly budget. i doubt il ever get a headset thats meant for professional use

welp, it never really needs to be "gaming equipment", which is often just overpriced bullshit with huge PR whirlwind and nothing. I am myself using faaaar more office equipment 'cause 1st. you can get it quite cheap from many places, 2nd. one of my parents is an editor.
For example i used for a quite some time monitoring headphones (before i got my gaming headset) and i was pretty pleased.

 

[NoahDVS]

fantastic and well layed out explanation... +1

but i choose gaming headset for the current purpose that its an all in one headset. i need a mic to communicate with guilds and clans etc depending on the game. and the quality is okey or pretty good for me atm.


but until i can free money from my all ready monthly budget. i doubt il ever get a headset thats meant for professional use

If having a mic attached to the headphones is important, you can buy a separate mic that can be attached to headphones. It'll cost you extra to have things setup like that, but you get access to better headphones and if something bad happens to the mic or the headphones or you want to upgrade later, you don't have to replace everything.

 

[NoahDVS]

earbuds can'T be better than normal headphones since they use faaar smaller magnets than everything else, the bigger tha magnets, the higher the quality, or something like that xD.

The thing about driver size affecting quality for dynamic drivers is supposed to be a myth.
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/tv/features/headphones-101-choosing-the-right-type-of-drivers-770574
https://www.headphonezone.in/pages/headphone-driver-unit
If you want some diagrams and explanations of how the different driver types work, here's a link:
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/headphone-driver-types/