this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2023
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BIFL and Bluetooth are typically an impossible combo because Bluetooth means more batteries and electronics to break/be unreplaceable. Maybe modular systems will come in the future but they'd need to use a completely generic set of batteries.
My best suggestion, based on what you describe as your problem with wired headphones, is to get headphones with a removable cable, as those cables are generally pretty standard. I know sennheiser had a lock in mechanism but you can get third party cables. Also, I was able to take that out of my HD599s and use the headphones with a Bose cable.
That's a bummer with the Bluetooth thing. The main thing that's broken with all my pairs of Bluetooth headphones is the body of the headphone itself. Guess the battery wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway.
I'll look into those sennheisers.
Batteries may last long enough to get a long lifespan out of something like headphones, they just can't last forever, and generally won't be very repairable once the batteries in them die. But if the main body of the headphones are what's breaking, you're probably getting too cheap of headphones. I've had a pair of Bose wireless headphones last a long ass time, I've heard good things about the audiotechnica ATH mX50s which have both a wired and wireless version, and if wired is okay, the Sony MDR7506 is commonly used as studio monitors and should last a long time, but they don't have a detachable cable unless you mod them. Sennheisers are nice enough I would expect them to also last pretty well. Generally as things get nicer, the places that are likely to fail first are the wiring/the main cable (the wire bends until it no longer makes a consistent connection, making your music choppy) or the battery in Bluetooth headphones. And the earpads and headband will wear out. So make sure they have replaceable earpads (anything reasonably nice should), and ideally wired headphones should have a replaceable cable.
If you want Bluetooth make sure the battery capacity and battery life are longer than you need. The more excess you have, the less wear and tear your usage will put on the battery by cycling it deep into low battery levels over and over (or letting it die), and the more breathing room you'll have before the battery life becomes too little to be useful, extending its life.
Between the wires failing and the body breaking, I think you should evaluate how you use and carry your headphones.
My additional tip is to avoid anything that has soft-touch or rubberised coatings on a part that's not easily replaceable.