How to counteract planned obsolescence in earphones?

1. Buy earphones (who the fuck calls them this!?) at Costco and use their unlimited time return policy when they break.

2. Purchase them anywhere and use a credit card that adds an extra year to the manufacturer's warranty for free.

>>55934267
Buy ear budes which have replaceable cables. Shure and other companies make them; generally start at around $150. Or not be a faggot, learn how to solder, and cut off the damaged portion of the cable and add a new connector.

>What can I do?
Stop sucking.

panasonic rp hje120's for chump change are all you need on the go. buy a million pairs, abuse them, toss them, flush them, sennheiser earphones are memes.

>>55934467
>1. Buy earphones (who the fuck calls them this!?)
Non-native speakers, retards, etc..

>at Costco and use their unlimited time return policy when they break.
Good advice, but I don't think I have that option. No Costco (Europe) and I don't know of any stores here that would do this.

>2. Purchase them anywhere and use a credit card that adds an extra year to the manufacturer's warranty for free.
Good idea, will do next time.

>>55934473
>Buy ear budes which have replaceable cables. Shure and other companies make them; generally start at around $150.
Will look into that, thanks. I had AKG headphones for a while with a replaceable cable. I replaced it a few times, but this was also getting pretty expensive after a while.

>Stop sucking.
;_; I know

>>55934530
>panasonic rp hje120
Cool, I can get them for ~9€ and the hje125 for 6. Reviews seem ok. Thanks!

>>55934267

Buy a car
Pair radio with bluetooth
Go to work places etc...
Profit

>>55934267
I always have the same problem as well. This time I bought a headphones along with the extended warranty from The Source, and I've already had my current replaced once without any hassle (brought nothing but the headphones to the store, walked out with a new pair)

my three pairs of rock zircons don't have this problem.

>>55934765
How much did you pay for your headphones and how expensive was the warranty?
Extended warranties always seem like a scam to me, but in this case it could actually help..

>>55934767
You mean these?`
http://www.head-fi.org/t/780859/rock-zircon-mula-iem-impressions-thread

The connector casing looks interesting. You think they don't break because of that?

>>55934467
>>55934579
Earphones = Small audio devices inserted into the ear.
Headphones = Larger audio devices that either rest on the ear or cup over the ear resting on the head.

It's not that hard.

>>55934849
Makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up.

File: .jpg (405KB, 1024x681px) Image search: [Google]

405KB, 1024x681px

>>55934267
If you don't want to buy one of these, use a headphone case. No kidding, untangling and just keeping the headphones in your pocket damages them the most.

>>55934907
These look cool, but 170$? Also the replacement cables I can buy here start at 25€ and go up to 69€, what the fuck?

I read that wrapping a spring around the connector area helps considerably.

>>55935082
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCIo8xGTUX0
This is genius. Definitely will do that next time.

>>55934836
i was just meme'ing but the first pair is still going stronk after 5 months.

>>55935368
well meme'd. How's the sound? Would you buy them again?

Get a small hard case to roll up your earbuds.

I bought a pair of Sony cheapest because they came with the case, I can toss is in my backpack with tons of other junk and my earbuds have never broken. So far it's lasted almost 6 years

>>55935426
indeed. great meme to be honest.
kz ate and kz ate s are also good as well. but zircons beat everything else. thinking of buying some more for a lifetime supply.

>>55934267
Get a pair with detachable cables you fuckwit.

>>55935490
>>55934907
This is good advice. And 6 years is really impressive. However, I don't think this would work for me. I often listen to music while using my bike, walking around, etc. Basically I run the cable under my shirt and use my ear buds all day. I don't think a case would really help.

>>55935519
Calm down, kid. Fucking 4chan culture..
Yes, detachable cables would help, but only if these don't break all the time and aren't too expensive. Also, I've owned pairs that have detachable cables.
Look, buying new cables all the time is basically the same thing as buying new pairs. Moreover the replacement cables are usually made just for that specific pair of earbuds.. it will never be cheap.

I'm just sick of using these products which are basically engineered to break at some point. You think it's not possible to actually manufacture a cable that can withstand daily use? I just want stuff that lasts.. replaceable cables with shitty quality is no solution. It's a joke.

Anyway, thanks to all the people replying in this thread with good recs. I appreciate it!

>>55935491
Alright, will look into them. Thanks for the help!

>>55934579
Pretty sure most tech stores have a similar thing here too, at least I think fnac here in portugal has it, just dont throw away the receipts like a fuccboi

dont spend more than 10$ on them
if they break just get new ones

>>55936713
Sure that's a viable option. For me it's not just about the money. I'm pissed that I have to throw away so much stuff where one of the least complicated parts of it breaks all the time (the cable). If the same thing always breaks at the exact same location then that's a fixable weakness. You wouldn't build bridges like that. When you build something that should last you identify the possible weak spots and reinforce them..

I'd like to have fewer things that I don't have to replace often. It's also kind of an ideological thing.

Now I'm just rambling. But yeah. From a convenience and financial point of view it makes sense to buy 2-3 pairs of cheap earbuds and just replace them. But I feel like that's exactly what the manufacturers want me to do (buy their stuff, all the time) and I just don't want to do that.

tldr: I need to learn soldering

>>55934267
What for? Expensive headphones for home usage don't fall apart, well.. maybe snapheisers do, but others don't. Exchange pads/cables aren't that expensive either.
If you want some IEM for on-the-go simply get cheap chink shit like Rock Zircons, good sound, especially for the price, good build and if they fall apart after 1-2 years.. fuck it, it's only 10 bucks.

>>55938901
Yeah, I know what you mean. And that's the way I did it for years. Somehow this is starting to feel wrong to me. It's just not the way I think are supposed to work, but I guess it's still the most practical option.