Do headphones deuterate

[Adzup]

hello I was wondering if Headphone deuterate with use overtime? I have a pair of senn HD598s which are about 4 years old now, so I was wondering how long I should keep them before replacing them 

[Estiar]

6 minutes ago, Adzup said:

hello I was wondering if Headphone deuterate with use overtime? I have a pair of senn HD598s which are about 4 years old now, so I was wondering how long I should keep them before replacing them 

Unless you are putting some serious power in them, a good pair of headphones will last you a very long time. Just don't put 600W into a 10 Ohm pair of earbuds

[Brooksie359]

Most things deteriorate over time it's just a matter of how much. That being said I have heard speakers generally last a long time before it becomes an issue so I would imagine the same would be said for headphones of good quality. I would even go so far as to say the wiring to the headphones and the physical headband would likely go bad before the speakers in the headphones themselves. 

[Adzup]

Just now, estiar said:

Unless you are putting some serious power in them, a good pair of headphones will last you a very long time. Just don't put 600W into a 10 Ohm pair of earbuds

no I don't abuse them. the reason why i asked this question is because im getting many mixed messages online. 

[Tigerleon]

7 minutes ago, Adzup said:

hello I was wondering if Headphone deuterate with use overtime? I have a pair of senn HD598s which are about 4 years old now, so I was wondering how long I should keep them before replacing them 

What you really need to replace is headbands or pads. You probably think the sound has "deteriorated" because of you getting used to them. But as with most if not all electrical stuff, they degrade slowly over time. Headphones can last a long time.

[Adzup]

Just now, Brooksie359 said:

Most things deteriorate over time it's just a matter of how much. That being said I have heard speakers generally last a long time before it becomes an issue so I would imagine the same would be said for headphones of good quality. I would even go so far as to say the wiring to the headphones and the physical headband would likely go bad before the speakers in the headphones themselves. 

if that did happen I could just replace the wire. my headphones don't sound cloudy or overly muddy at all so im guessing  that's a good sign.

[Adzup]

1 minute ago, Tigerleon said:

What you really need to replace is headbands or pads. You probably think the sound has "deteriorated" because of you getting used to them. But as with most if not all electrical stuff, they degrade slowly over time. Headphones can last a long time.

ok thanks, that's probably the most logically thing 

[Tigerleon]

3 minutes ago, Adzup said:

if that did happen I could just replace the wire. my headphones don't sound cloudy or overly muddy at all so im guessing  that's a good sign.

It is not the cable that would be the issue. It is the small components inside of the speaker/driver. The voice coil or the membrane, those are the things that would probably degrade faster over time than a cable.

Edit: It is called a diaphragm. Probs can call it a membrane as well

[Adzup]

1 minute ago, Tigerleon said:

It is not the cable that would be the issue. It is the small components inside of the speaker/driver. Voice coils, the membrane, those are the things that would probably degrade faster over time than a cable.

oh ok. I think my headphones are fine, as you said I've probably just used to the sound  

[Brooksie359]

20 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

It is not the cable that would be the issue. It is the small components inside of the speaker/driver. The voice coil or the membrane, those are the things that would probably degrade faster over time than a cable.

Edit: It is called a diaphragm. Probs can call it a membrane as well

That is a very personal thing tbh. I have broken alot of cables of headphones after about 4 to 5 years but that is because I tend to tangle it up the cord and abuse my headphones a bit. 

[Heats with Nvidia]

Headphones usually really last a long time. For example, the headphones i use the most are nearly 40 years old and the drivers in them work just fine. Although i had to replace straps that pull the headband down, the earcups and the cable. But it was worth it.

 

Sound degradation can happen, when the earcups get too hard or deformed and don`t form an airtight seal to your head anymore and if you can hear noises that sound like something scratches on a membrane, try getting all the hair out of the drivers. If that doesn`t help, the voice coil might have been damaged. But this usually happens, when the headphones get used at a too high volume. Then the voice coil gets too hot, the glue holding the wire degrades and now you have one or more o the windings dangling around.

 

But this problem usually is not related to the age of the headphones, but more to how they are used. I have repaired plenty of newer Headphones with this problem.

 

TL:DR: Headphones usually last very long. If you dont use them too loud, the cable, the earcups and everything else made out of foam or rubber will fail long before the actual drivers.

[GamerDude]

Most of the time, it's just the headband, or the earpads that have deteriorated (flaking earpads, the sponge earpads on my Grado literally fell apart, or the earpads become too thin and worn out to be worn comfortably, or the headband suffers similar issues with the earpads), other than that, the drivers on the headphones should last a very long time (IF not abused).