Over time, wear and tear due to continuous use can cause your headphones to produce quieter sound, lose sound in one ear, or even stop working entirely. In most cases, these problems occur because of dirt buildup in the earpieces or damaged connections inside the cable. Luckily, you can easily prevent a vast majority of these issues without sacrificing dependability and comfort.
These five tips will help you extend the useful lifespan of your headphones and enjoy a high quality listening experience for years to come.
Take Care of Your Cable
Remember, your headphone’s cable isn’t indestructible, so constant yanking can lead to internal damage over time. That’s why it’s always wise to roll your headphones up and keep them that way whenever you want to store them. You can easily wound up an earphone.
Besides, some of them come with special pouches for easy storage. But things are slightly different with a pair of headphones, especially if you’re using a large model. If your cable is detachable, you only need to unplug it, wind the line up before securing it with a wrap. It’s still helpful to wind undetachable wires and tie them up, but ensure you don’t tense the cables close to the earcups.
Keep in mind that tension damages connection points, so be keen on how you unplug your headphones too. Most cables will eventually stop functioning irrespective of how you store and maintain them.; that’s simply the result of constant use. If you want to eradicate such a problem, consider buying wireless headphones.
Keep Your Headphones Clean
Note that, even if you're having the best headphones for travel, working, or gaming, they won't be of much help to you if you don't give them proper care and maintenance. Cleaning your headphones is one of your first lines of defense. Besides being suitable for your hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting your headphones improves their sound quality. If you’re using in-ear headphones, sweat and ear wax can build up and clog drivers, affecting both volume and audio quality.
To clean your gadgets effectively, you’ll need a soft, damp cloth, cotton balls, isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, and a pair of towels or clean cloth. If you’re concerned about ruining any fabric on your headphones, consider performing a test on an inconspicuous area before proceeding. However, isopropyl is unlikely to damage leather or PVC (faux-leather).
Finally, consider cleaning your ears as well. This prevents ear wax from building up in your ears, thus playing an essential role in making your headphones last longer.
Store Your Headphones Properly
It’d help if you didn’t place your pair of headphones in pockets or backpacks where they mix with other items and get crushed. By purchasing a dedicated headphone storage case, you’ll keep your gadgets in top shape much longer.
Note that these cases come in many different sizes, so ensure you pick the right one for your headphones. Your headphone case shouldn’t be too tight or too loose.
Keep Them Dry
Do you often use your headphones during morning runs or while in the gym? If so, make sure you keep them free from sweat and moisture. Sweat can stain your ear pads, and moisture, on the other hand, corrodes your headphone’s outer layer.
Luckily, you can pour rubbing alcohol over your headphones to dry them whenever they get soaked. Putting Silica gel desiccant in your headphone case also keeps your gadget dry by absorbing moisture. If you’re a sports enthusiast, invest in headphones that can stand up against sweaty conditions and rain.
Up Your Hi-Fi Game With DACs and Preamps
DACs, also known as digital-to-analog converters, are other effective ways of improving your headphone’s overall audio quality without sacrificing reliability. You can also apply these converters in high quality in-ear models.
Preamp and DACs convert digital signals from mobile devices to analog signals, which your wired headphones will produce from then on. Solutions designed by manufacturers vary from DACs/preamps that you can plug into your phone to small DACs for portable use.
Most DACs offer lower distortion, high signal-to-noise ratios, and can even play high-resolution files without lowering their quality. They also allow you to clearly and comfortably listen to high bitrate and sample rate files.
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Buy Long Lasting Headphones
As you can see, maintaining your headphones doesn’t require much of your time and money. By turning these tips into habits, you’ll make your headsets last through more exercise sessions, travels, and workdays.
But there’s nothing more crucial than having a good, durable pair to start with. So, always rely on top brands with well-established reputations for resilience and performance.
