Got my hair cut today and therefore decided not to put my LCD-X on out of fear some little bit of hair somehow makes its way onto the planar drivers, and it got me thinking about what sorts of ‘precautions’ we have to take over much cheaper and more robust consumer grade headphones, but I do other things like:
When putting them into the pelican case, the 6.5mm jack goes in first so I dont end up stabbing the drivers (I’ve seen some horrific posts on this sub)
Plugging them into (or removing from) the amp only when it’s off
Putting them on *very* gently
Am I paranoid?
Ear bud tips get a little bath in hydrogen peroxide solution each month
I sticky roller mine to get the cat hair off regularly and replace the ear cushions every ~12mo.
I treat all my electronics like delicate flowers, and they all seem to last for years and years.
I’ve had a pair of OG Senny Momentum’s, corded from late 2014. Other than replacing the cable when I rolled over it/my cat chewed through it they still sound great. They’ve been on plenty of flights, dropped, kicked over and the only damage they suffered is the ear cup ripped from the plastic that holds it onto the headphone. Lil super glue and it looks like new!!
My Andromedas I am much nicer to at the moment for the obvious reasons.
You’re supposed to turn off the AMP when switching headphones?
I just try not to drop my 660S, that’s about it. They’re pretty sturdy.
Not my DT770s on the other hands have suffered through so much abuse I’m genuinely surprised they still work. Borrowed them to a friend who is a DJ and they fell into the crowd (no idea how he managed to do that). Tons of people accidentally stomped on them. Just had to bend the metal back to its original form and they looked like nothing had happened.
My HD600 has flown through the room twice already (Viva la using them at a mixer and the cable being behind the armrest of a chair and someone tries to take the chair away thus yanking my HD600’s off of the mixer straight onto the floor) and apart from a cable i’ve not had anything break, theyre quite sturdy, you just need to watch out for the headband.
My HD600 has flown through the room twice already (Viva la using them at a mixer and the cable being behind the armrest of a chair and someone tries to take the chair away thus yanking my HD600’s off of the mixer straight onto the floor) and apart from a cable i’ve not had anything break, theyre quite sturdy, you just need to watch out for the headband.
I have the Hifiman Sundaras and never hang them off the leather headband. It always hangs off the metal band. I’ve had my Sundaras since 2021 and no issues so far.
It’s better to proceed with caution, even if it is a bit overkill. I, on the other hand, am very careless and take absolutely zero precautions and none of my headphones have ever broken. If my Hifimans can withstand my abuse, I think every headphone should be good lol
I lint roll headphones with velour pads every now and then. If I don’t plan to use then soon, I just put them in a case with a soft interior
I just don’t use them when my head is wet or I’m sweating. My head is usually clean.
I wouldn’t worry about turning off the amp just to plug / unplug headphones. Neither the jack nor the socket will care, and turning it off and on often, stresses the amp electronics a lot more.
If I plug in my speakers to the motherboard jack and they’re on, they make a loud ass popping sound, seems a bit unhealthy for the drivers. But idk maybe it’s not.
Not putting headphones on when my hair is still damp has significantly extended the lifespan of my pads (looking at you HD600)
I take the earcups off my AirPods Max when I am not using them so they can dry out as they have the risk of condensation. I also put a small piece of scotch tape over the connector pin hole in each ear.
besides personal hygiene like mentioned, by some alcohol pads for cleaning Equipment, especially IEMs. Ear infections are nasty.
I always wipe off my IEMs and AirPods with a towel with rubbing alcohol on it, and make sure sure their respective cases are clean too. And every other week or so I take a lint roller to my Fidelios and Samsons to remove any small dust or fibers. I make sure to dry my hair extra well before putting any over-ears on if I happen to take a shower before going on a listening session. That’s about everything I do to take care of my stuff.