My headphones break all the time!

Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud

I am in this endless cycle of breaking and buying earbuds. I use them at work constantly but I wrap them up pretty frequently. The earbuds are usually the first to break and I'm left with an earbudless speaker that then becomes an uncovered speaker with exposed covering and magnetic pieces. The other way I break them is shutting them in one of the many doors at my work and ripping them off, or by stepping on them and crushing them.

I've used skullcandy and regular cheapies. Are there any really durable earbuds? I can't use over-the-headphones at work.

Thanks!

Noisymunk

Stop wrapping them up, stop doing those other things, coil them loosely and keep them in an altoids container. There aren't any earbuds on the market that will tolerate being stepped on, and as you go more expensive they only get more delicate.

wonderpug

Instead of trying to find earbuds durable enough to withstand your rough use, have you thought about going the other direction and get good quality budget ones? The earbuds Philips makes are astoundingly good quality for their <$10 price. They've been my go-to for the workplace since they work so well without me having to worry about them getting lost or stolen.

Thrack

Every set of earbuds that came with a phone or music player I've owned have shorted out, same with the OneGood(tm) earbud I bought since I tend to only have one in at a time.
I finally gave up and bought a few pairs of these and they're great. And if I break or lose one I just open another box.
(I also bought a few pairs of these and really didn't like them. The cord is super tangly and they don't fit in my ear comfortably)
I mostly just listen to podcasts and a little music on my phone, so sound quality is not a big deal to me.

tinwhiskers

I have the same issue, plus my dog like to eat them. Bought theses http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003EM6AOG/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
off amazon because they were like $5 with free shipping and the sound is decent. The other thing I've found helpful is keeping multiples and packing them away when I'm going from place to place. I don't need my headphone for the walk out of work to my car, so they go into my desk at the end of the day. Gym headphones go into the gym bag when I leave the gym.

undergroundmonorail

Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud wrote: »

I can't use over-the-headphones at work.

Can you use behind-the-headphones, like this?

If so, depending on whatever you're plugging your headphones into, you might want to look into a bluetooth set. I've used bluetooth headphones for the past couple months (paired with my phone) and I've very much enjoyed the experience. They're not without their downsides (as we speak, I can't listen to music because I haven't charged my headphones in a week or so and they died this morning) but I used to constantly break my headphones and they way that they broke was almost always related to the cord, so a wireless pair makes sense.

If you can't wear headphones like that, you may be out of luck. Your best bet may be what the other posters have suggested, buying ones you don't mind replacing.

Donovan Puppyfucker

Firstly, stop wrapping them.

Secondly, run the cord under your clothes and just have the buds resting on your shoulders or in your shirt pocket when they're not in your ears. This should help stop you shutting them in doors and stepping on them.

Thirdly, get some better built earbuds. http://www.audiofly.com/en/headphones/af56-detail.html

bowen

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AIRUOI8/

I did find these the other day.

TehSloth

bowen wrote: »

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AIRUOI8/

I did find these the other day.

the lower end model from them are also pretty decent if you're looking for bluetooth.

I've totally been there though, I ruin earbuds all the time, I recently just decided to say eff it and wear cans over one ear at work now but keep a pair of buds for if I go for a walk -- I just keep a few pairs of cheapies from monoprice -- <$8 and not too bad

www.monoprice.com/Search?keyword=8320‎

There's some newer/cheaper models as well but the monoprice 8320s have a surprisingly large following and get a lot of praise as sort of a go-to cheap earbud. I also recommend looking into different tips, I like complys but they're a little pricey and they kind of fall apart over time, sony hybrid tips are also pretty solid and will last longer but are pretty different -- it's all personal preference -- either fits pretty well onto those buds.

Akilae

Go out and spend more than $100 on your earbuds. Break them if you want. Spend another $100, then another.

Soon you will learn to stop treating earbuds like disposable items, and more like the audio equipment you should be treating them as. The fact that your earbuds are breaking off means you are using too much force to wrap them up. If you're shutting the door on your earbuds and stepping on them, then you shouldn't have them dangling in the first place.

Fireflash

Try buying them at a place like BestBuy and checkout the details of their extended warranty. A friend of mine usually needs to replace his earbuds every few months so he bought a good quality pair and got the extended warranty on them. He just goes and replace them for "free" whenever he needs.

EggyToast

If you buy them off Amazon or Monoprice or eBay, you can at least save some money. Typically the best way to avoid breaking headphones is to stop closing them in doors and stepping on them.