Avoid Breaking Your Headphones

This article teaches how to keep your headphones looking and sounding great for years by keeping them stored properly and used at lower volumes.

Steps

Preventing Physical Damage

  1. Pull the plug, not the cable. When removing the headphone plug from an audio source, grip and pull the connector. If you pull the cable, you're putting extra stress on the connector, which will eventually damage it.
  2. Pull firmly, not sharply. If the headphone jack is snug, remove the connector with firm, steady force. If you yank it, you can damage the prong.
  3. Don't leave headphones on the floor. This may seem obvious, put putting your headphones on the floor is a surefire way to accidentally damage them. Always place them on your desk or table, or put them away when not in use.
  4. Don't leave headphones plugged in. When you're not using your headphones, don't leave them plugged in. If you accidentally get caught in the cable, you can cause damage when trying to get up or move.
  5. Wrap up the cable when not in use. This is especially important for portable headphones without braided cables. If the cable gets tangled or bunched up, it can kink and wear away the connection. Don't just stuff your earbuds in your pocket.
    • You can use a binder clip or cut some notches into an old rewards card as a cheap way to securely wrap your headphone cables.
    • Avoid tying the cables or putting any stress on them.
  6. Don't dangle the headphones. If gravity is tugging at the headphones, you're putting unnecessary stress on the cable's connection to the headphones. Avoid letting the headphones dangle from your desk or bag.
  7. Avoid contact with water. Like all electronic devices, headphones and water don't mix. If they do get dunked, remove them from the water immediately, pour rubbing alcohol over them, and let them air dry for a few hours.[1] This should allow you to recover from most minor water incidents.
  8. Avoid sleeping with your headphones on. Besides the damage that it can cause your hearing, rolling over while you sleep can bend or snap your headphones.
  9. Get a case or protective bag for your headphones. If you're transporting your headphones often, consider picking up a case or soft bag for them. You may be able to find a case for your specific headphones, or get a generic case designed for many different headphones.
  10. Splurge for higher-quality headphones. Cheap headphones cut costs everywhere, including construction quality. If you put your headphones through regular punishment that can't be avoided, you may be better off with a more expensive pair that can withstand a bigger beating.
    • A braided cable will prevent the cables from becoming tangled and knotted, which will preserve them much longer.

Preventing Damage From Audio Equipment

  1. Turn down the audio before plugging your headphones in. Plugging headphones while high-volume audio is playing can damage them. Turn down the volume from the audio device before plugging the headphones in, and keep them off your head until after plugging them in.[2]
    • Once your headphones are plugged in, raise the volume until it's at a comfortable listening level.
  2. Keep your volume low. High volume can not only damage your hearing, but can also blow out your headphone speakers. This can cause permanent distortion and buzzing. If you hear the sound start to crack, your volume is too high.[3]
    • Avoid setting the audio volume to its maximum, as this can increase the chances of damaging the headphone speakers. If you need to increase the volume of your headphones but can't increase the source volume any more, look into a headphone amplifier.[4]
  3. Turn down the bass. Most headphones don't have powerful bass drivers, and heavy bass can quickly damage the speakers. Bass is a low-frequency sound, which can put a lot of stress on speakers that aren't built for it. Use your source's level mixer to lower the bass levels, and make sure any "Bass Boost" option is disabled.
  4. Use headphones that can handle the output. This isn't really an issue if you're plugging headphones into your phone or computer, but when connecting to high-end stereo equipment, make sure that your headphones can handle the power output. Using weak headphones on a powerful source can quickly blow them out.
    • Check your headphone documentation to determine the ohms that it can support, as well as the ohm output of your audio source.

Tips

  • If you wrap your headphones around your music player when you are not using them, make sure that they're not plugged in, because this can break the wires.
  • When buying headphones, look for ones which have some sort of strain relief (this is a flexible comb of plastic on the end of the connectors). This can help to prevent you pulling the wires out of the headphones.
  • If your stereo or MP3 player has a volume limiting system, use it. It will prevent you from damaging your hearing and prolong the life of your headphones
  • Take them out of your pockets before washing your clothes.

Warnings

  • Listening to loud music for prolonged periods of time will permanently damage your hearing.
  • If someone else can hear the music from your headphones, it means you have an open headphone. Normally, in an enclosed headphone nobody can hear your music. But, if you have an enclosed headphone and someone can hear, it's too loud.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/2pgur9/one_of_my_earbuds_accidentally_fell_into_my_coffee/?st=iylyt795&sh=946502d7
  2. ↑ http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/this-is-why-your-headphones-keep-breaking/
  3. ↑ http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-Maximize-the-Lifespan-of-Your-Earbuds-/10000000177630660/g.html
  4. ↑ http://www.audioholics.com/home-theater-connection/avoid-blowing-speakers
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