Bay 12 Games Forum
Finally... => Life Advice => Topic started by: Gunner-Chan on May 27, 2012, 04:41:32 pm
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Okay. I'm getting sick of this. It seems every pair I get goes out in a month or two and I want something that lasts.
Every single time too, it always starts with the left channel, usually letting me mess with the wire to get it working, then it goes out completely. Then the other side dies around a week later.
So I'm looking for suggestions. With a few points in mind.
1. Durability, THIS. IS. IMPORTANT. I live a rather chaotic yet occasional sedentary life most of the time. There can be anywhere from 0 to sometimes NINE people all crouding around me making noise and moving around. Sometimes someone has accidentally sat on the wire or tugged it, I'm sure this makes lifespan shorter for these things. I don't expext something made for this kind of haphazard treatment off and on, but I do want something that's gonna survive contact with well. My life.
2. Quality. Obviously. I listen to a lot of music. It helps me relax. Not to mention I play a lot of FPS games, knowing what is where and having good sound quality overall is extremely important to me.
3. Convenience. Because lots of people are around and talking to me, sometimes I need to split attention. So I need to be able to remove or not listen to an ear so I can hear my friends sometimes.
4. Size, mostly. I don't want something that's gonna take up a ton of room. Or on the other hand something that's gonna go missing if my daughter has been looking around my bed for whatever reason.
So yeah. Any suggestions guys? Earbuds are preferred for points 3 and 4, but a set will do. Also note that certain obligations towards shy and concerned friends mean I CANNOT accept a full headset. It has to be listening only. I'd prefer amazon links to whatever is recommended, since I really can't order from anywhere else if I make my choice.
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I'm in much the same situation, and I'm pretty sure that it is just that the wires used for earbuds are too thin, regardless of how lightly they're used. The 'solution' that I eventually settled with was buying a decent pair of headphones, which have lasted for three months with no problems. Obviously, you lose a degree of portability and it is rather awkward to perch them so that you have a free ear, but in both cases you can just hang them around your neck when you need to. In addition, I've found that the sound quality, both for music and for things like Counterstrike, is much better. So it is a bit less convenient, but you aren't forced to replace them every month or two, and they sound better.
I can't recommend any set of earbuds for durability, but if you really want to stick with them, what I would suggest would be to just buy a couple pairs of really cheap ones every now and then, expecting that they'll go out, rather than dropping $20-30 every month or two for good ones. Obviously you lose out on sound quality (to a certain degree), and you're still having to replace them, but it costs a bit less.
:|
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Most earbuds are so cheap they usually break exactly like you described after a few months. It's a lot better to just invest some cash into headphones, they hurt your ears less and they last a long time. Skullcandy is an okay brand, lasted me about 6 months before breaking.
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Well if it comes down to it I'm fine with outright headphones like I said. Just I don't know any good models or brands. Last time I personally shopped for nearly anything electronics related I was 16.
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wireless earbuds?
TBH I kind of take for given that earbuds are not made to last, and buy the cheapest avaiable. And if I happen to be in a railroad trip in which they're handed for free, I do my best to grab a bunch of them.
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These are the only headphones that I can personally vouch for (http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-Pro-80-Closed-Studio-Headphones/dp/B0016MNAAI). That is because the school I'm going to provided them for me out of my tuition last April when I started, they are the only pair of headphones I have ever personally owned, and they are still in very good working condition. I use them both educationally and personally on a regular basis, and once I start making money I will have been using them professionally as well.
I realize that this may not the best option for you, mostly because of the price tag and size issues associated with them. I might be able to give you a second recommendation when these actually break, and I've got to get another set for myself. Though I may very well just buy a second set of these given how well they've worked for me...
Pre-edit: Don't go wireless. Wireless audio systems are expensive to get anything worth a damn, and they are going to be even more susceptible to outside interference than wired systems. Wireless is always a compromise and never a first-line solution.
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Oh fuck. Yeah I probably got some flexibility but I can't really splurge on $200 headphones.
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http://www.jlabaudio.com/jbuds-j4-rugged-metal-earbuds---highly-durable-with-flat-cable-p-279.html
These are pretty good. I used them for >1 year before losing them.
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Just to repeat what Willfor said: Wireless should always be assumed to be worse than wired for equivalent prices.
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Nigh-indestructible headphones do exist.
They're just really expensive.
With thick heavy wires.
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I'd definitely recommend wireless headphones if you want durable, as what normally breaks on headphones is the wire. Specifically, the connection between the cable and the circuit either just inside the headphones, or the inline volume control. In my experience the connections at the inline volume control are particularly shocking, so you could try a set of corded headphones without one.
I personally have a giant set of Sennheiser cordless headphones that recharge on the transmitter unit when not in use. They cost a bomb but have lasted me years. I also have a cheap folding set, which hiss really loudly all the time. Don't go cheap!
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I've been using these for about 18 months:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Series-Headphones/dp/B00001WRSJ
Bulky but they fold up compactly for traveling. They sound great and have held up. No kids here but we have many cats who like to attack them.
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My friend has a pair of Rocketfish wireless headphones that he basically listens to 24/7.
Wireless headphones also come with the added benefit of people like me going "Where's the cord on your headphones?" about once a week. In addition, there's the classic covering up your phone because I think a youtube video is about to start playing, only to realize only you can hear it, and the occasional confused stares as I figure out how your equipment works.
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Koss KSC75 (http://www.amazon.com/Koss-KSC75-Portable-Stereophone-Headphones/dp/B0006B486K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338278455&sr=8-1)
- Okay durability. It's always lasted longer than my Koss PortaPros, but don't expect miracles from a $15 set. Generally, if the cord gets tugged on, the headphones fly off your ears rather than stay on your head, which is nice, since there's less risk of accidentally bending the jack. The cord is short enough that it doesn't get caught on things very often as well. The main durability issue with them is that the cord is physically superflimsy. They deal fine with weather, and I didn't have any brittle-cord issues, which I had with the PortaPros which were the cause of most of my headphone griefs similar to yours. However, like I said, being physically superflimsy, they don't deal well with being caught in rolling-chair wheels and such. I had a huge rip in mine, but they worked fine, so I just taped them up.
- Basically, durability-wise, the KSC75 cord does great against normal wear, but does poorly against hard stress like getting pinched, at which point, the wire sleeve is prone to tearing. Failure is more likely to occur on the wire rather than the actual jack or wire-driver connection.
- Great sound quality for the price. If I lost all my headphones and I were strapped for cash, this would be the first headphone I buy. May not have as much bass presence as you'd like though. I like them a lot for female vocals.
- Easy to store, since it uses a clip-on design.
- Clip-on design also makes it easy to share music or listen from one ear.
- They are not the comfiest headphones to wear, but I like them a whole lot better than equally-priced earbuds and IEMs which tend to hurt my ear. You might have some sore ears after a long period of listening.
- Covered by KOSS's limited lifetime warranty, but the costs of shipping makes it difficult to justify sending it to them when it costs $15 for a new set.
I've been using these for about 18 months:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Series-Headphones/dp/B00001WRSJ
Bulky but they fold up compactly for traveling. They sound great and have held up. No kids here but we have many cats who like to attack them.
These are nice too.
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Patchys suggestion is looking like a winner to me. I'm gonna look up more about that particular model and decide if I should go with that.
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Something I failed to notice was that you were using it for FPS games. In which case, the KSC75's don't do that hot. They aren't the greatest in visualizing space, and comfort issues might bug you. However, I still think they have the best balance of all 4 of your factors at their price point.
At a peak budget of around $30, you can't really go wrong with KSC75, but again, don't expect it to be astounding at all 4 factors.
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Wireless Headset is a winner. I've been using it for almost 2 years. No wires to mess with. One good thing about wireless headset is the ability to take the sound with you without the hassle of short wires. My wireless headset has a wide coverage before losing the sound.
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Every single time too, it always starts with the left channel, usually letting me mess with the wire to get it working, then it goes out completely. Then the other side dies around a week later.
This absolutely happens to me with every earbud set I've had, and every earbud set my friends have had too. The headphones that I have have lasted me forever, but earbuds never last more than a few months for anybody I know.
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Patchys suggestion is looking like a winner to me. I'm gonna look up more about that particular model and decide if I should go with that.
I can vouch for Koss headphones being awesome. Admittedly, I only bought one pair (http://www.amazon.com/Koss-T55959-UR-20-Home-Headphones/dp/B00005N9D3), but they've lasted me for years, and have only recently started getting the one-channel problem. Super comfortable and has a really thick, durable cord. It also has additional support where the cord connects to the headphones to prevent wear. They're huge, though, so you may want to check out other models.
DERP: You said no full headsets. Nevermind then! Koss is a good brand, though.
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I have Gigatech HM-5000. Not only have they lasted for two years now, they're also the comfiest headphones I've had so far.