Thanks for nothing, Sony. (WH1000-XM5)

  • lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.deOP
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    11 hours ago

    This is the second time these broke on my WH1000-XM5’s. At least they’re easily replacable by just removing a few screws and dropping in a new one.

    Compared to that, this bad boy is over 30 years old and never broke once - thanks to a headband which is made out of metal. Despite that, it’s even more comfortable than Sony’s modern one:

        • Consti@lemmy.world
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          10 hours ago

          The good ones are 30 years old. The one they needed to fix is the sony one, which was not specified how old but “modern” implies not very.

          • saltesc@lemmy.world
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            10 hours ago

            Yeah WH1000XMs are a very popular bang for buck wireless set. 5 is the latest.

            That said, I have 2s that still go strong besides the battery. 4s going strong for a few years. Partner has had 5s for a while, no issues. All plastic hinges.

            Not sure what OP is doing. Seems like a difficult part of the headset to break.

            • lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.deOP
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              9 hours ago

              Not sure what OP is doing.

              Nothing special, I just wear them every day and I have a regular-sized head. I also have XM2’s which still work, they have a more sturdy hinge design. Sony cost-optimized their latest models too much, the headband is much thinner than on the XM2’s as well, which puts more pressure on my head and makes them slightly more uncomfortable. I can only suspect they did that so they have to mold less plastic and save a few cents on each model…

    • whaleross@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      I have a pair of AKG 240 of the same age if not a bit older that have seen plenty of other headphones come and go. Not the best headphones in any other categories but damn the most reliable and durable of studio cans ever built.

    • tal@lemmy.today
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      10 hours ago

      The older headphones there don’t look like you can rotate the pads, yeah? I mean, it’s that rotating hinge which failed here.

      I guess one could say “well, I don’t want headphones with rotating pads”, but it’s that rotation that lets the XM5 headphones fit into a fairly-flat carrying case.

      I will say, though, that the XM5s probably weren’t going to last over 30 years, if for no other reason than because they use an internal battery…

      • lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.deOP
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        9 hours ago

        On their older models, they had a different design and you could fold the earcups inwards. It was a really useful feature, they easily fit into a small bag. The newer ones can’t do that anymore and come with an extremely large carrying case. Sony has really lost the plot, but they still have excellent noise cancelling (the main reason for me buying them).

        But that’s gonna be my last model now.