headphones acting up

[coraa]

My shiny new fancy sound-cancelling headphones have started acting up. The sound comes in fine in one ear, but it's spotty in the other ear -- cuts in and out throughout the song. Jiggling the cable/holding my head at a funny angle can correct the problem, but only temporarily. And trying to listen to something when it's playing steadily in one ear but cutting in and out of the other gives me a raging headache.

This is maddening, because I spent a bit more on these headphones than I normally would because I wanted to get a good-quality pair that would last, and they have so far had a shelf life much shorter than the cheapass Target headphones I usually buy.

So, for those of you out there in LJ-land, two questions. One: How do you keep your headphones in good working order? Because maybe I'm just abusing them grotesquely and that's why they lasted maybe six weeks. And Two: What kind of headphones do you use, how long do they last, and do you like them? (I can't wear earbuds -- my ears are the wrong shape or something, they either fall out or I have to jam them in so hard I get a headache -- but I'm not picky otherwise, except that if they leak sound it'll drive jmpava crazy as he sits in the office with me all day. Which is why I shelled out for these in the first place. Argh!)

Comments

[maggiedacatt.livejournal.com]

My favorite headphones are a pair of Jensen collapsible headphones that I have had for at least five years (which surely means they don't sell these exact headphones anymore) and have carried with me in countless headphone-abusing situations (travel, commuting on trains/buses, when holding my infant niece who likes to pull on things that look interesting and/or string-like...). I think the fact that they fold up is partially why they haven't gotten broken yet--the multiplicity of places in which the headset swivels means any tugging on the wires is not met with much resistance. I think I paid about $35 for them five years ago. They're better sound quality (much!!) and more compact than the $70 noise-canceling headphones I have on right now, but there's construction going on outside my door so I'm actually using the noise-cancellation.

Good god, what am I doing giving headphone recommendations when I should be finishing my final?! Damn you, Livejournal!

[cwendy41.livejournal.com]

I had a pair of Sony earbuds. The buds had these rubber feet-like things that fit into the ear. It came with three different sized rubber thingies so that it could fit into the ear no matter if your ear hole were big or small. Sadly, the cable by the ear pieces of that one ripped apart within a month. Currently, I'm using the freebies that come off of airplane because they're cheap and if they break, I don't get heartbroken. On occasion I also use the iPod earbugs but they don't quite fit in my ears that well.

Somebody once recommended to me Sennheiser HD590. This was about maybe three years ago so I don't know if there are better ones. I didn't buy them because of the price even though reviews say it's worth it.

[triath.livejournal.com]

I've historically bought cheap earbuds.

But I've really grown fond of the iPod ones and they're going to be expensive to replace when they eventually die (well, expensive compared to my normal cheap ones).

[sithjawa.livejournal.com]

Maybe you could try finding the correct position for the cable and supergluing it there?

For me, headphones usually last between two weeks (the $9 pair I bought that weren't even worth that much and I was relieved when they broke so I had an excuse to get new ones) and a year (the really nice $25 Sony clip-ons with a ruggedized cord). For this reason, I won't buy headphones that cost more than $30 - they don't seem to last any longer.

[kagejim.livejournal.com]

What headphones did you get?
I've been thinking about getting a really good pair sometime soon for better mixing my songs.

I'm using a pair of Kosh Pro 35t's, now.
Linky:
http://www.radioshack.com/sm-koss-titanium-portable-headphone--pi-2258483.html

Great headphones, but they do tend to break (the weak link is the inline volume control). If you get the 1 year replacement plan, you'll likely get a near endless supply of them, though, since they usually break within a year.

MINE, however, are maybe 4 years old, now. They still work fine, although the bass isn't as good as it once was (that's normal, btw).

Things to avoid, as far as I can tell are: bouncing around and humidity. My sister tend to kinda dance or something when she's listening to music and her 35t's break a lot more than mine (I think she's on her 3rd pair--but she only paid once, with the plan).

As far as sound quality goes, I have heard better outside of the $100 and above level headphones.

[kagejim.livejournal.com]

Also, I've been thinking about buying these:
http://www.amazon.com/AUDIO-TECHNICA-Stereo-Headphone-ATH-PRO5MS/dp/B00094NNA6

[donaithnen.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the earbud thing!!!

Other than that i don't really have any suggestions though =/ I always get cheap-ass headphones, my one concession to extravagance/utility is to get an extra long cord with a volume control built in near the headphone end. (Okay, i suppose that's two concessions =)

The last pair i had the foam coverings for the earpieces wore off long before they started experiencing the kind of shorting issues it sounds like you're getting =/

And they're dying after just six weeks? Is there any kind of warranty? Although i suppose if there was it would probably just be for a month or something =/

[maggiedacatt.livejournal.com]

I feel weird that I seem to be the only person here who does shell out for headphones, and so I'm compelled to justify the fact that the headphones that I've mentioned here alone cost over $100 (when they're by far not my only headphones) with the fact that I used to do video editing.

That said, these are the headphones I have and love.

[ceph.livejournal.com]

My current headphones avoid noise-leaking issues, I think, via sheer mass; they were pretty cheap. I think the over-the-ear design has a lot of advantages from a noise-isolation perspective, and it also doesn't hurt my ears (since it basically only makes contact with my head in a circle around them.) The massiveness also serves as a sort of subtle "I can't HEAR you" signal.