6 Ways You're Using Your Headphones Wrong

 

 The most common way to destroy your headphones is by mistreating the cable. The real tragedy here is that the drivers inside the headphones are likely doing just fine—all they need is a cable to deliver the audio. But in models that have hardwired cables, cable damage is often a death sentence. This isn't 

always true—Sennheiser, for instance, makes plenty of headphones that have what appear to be hardwired cables, but with some effort, manual consultation, and patience, can actually be replaced (and, of course, if you or someone you know has soldering skills, then just about every cable can be replaced)

 Why do cables fail in the first place? One common culprit is the wiring getting severed at the connection points—either to the earcups/earpieces, or at the 3.5mm plug. On the outside, the cable could look fine, but internally, there are severed ligaments. The way to avoid breakage is to manage the tension. You should never see your cable turning a 90-degree angle directly where it's plugged in. The internal wires are straining to maintain their connection with the plug, and you're pulling them away, whether you mean to or not. When plugged in, a cable should ideally have no tension at all, but should rest loosely with no obvious pull at either end.