Looking for especially sturdy PC-compatible headsets.

[RedMiles]

Our family has problems with PC headsets. Our desktop doesn't have speakers connected to it, we only use headphones. Every pair we have ever owned has given out inside a few months of purchase because the cord going into the earpiece has always split open where it goes into the earpiece and the wire inside breaks or frays. I had thought this a result of using cheap, ~20 dollar headsets, but when we purchased a 60 dollar PDP Afterglow headset, we had the same thing happen after about six-eight months of use.

I would go wireless and cut the problem off at the source, but since we use no other sound source for the desktop, the headphones are nearly always in active use and that would destroy an entire box of batteries in no time, and waiting for a rechargeable headset to recharge would be a huge pain under these circumstances (Though I suppose we could constantly rotate rechargeable batteries in and out, but that's an expensive short-term solution to a long-term problem given the average lifespan of rechargeable batteries.)

So I need to find a good, super-sturdy headset that can take that kind of heavy, constant use without cords splitting. The lower the price the better, I'm on a serious budget, but I'd rather spend $120 every three years than $60 every six months. I'm not that concerned about sound quality, as long as it's not 'Everything sounds underwater and I have a tin can over my ear too' levels of bad - I just need a very, very sturdy headset that can handle my family's use.

 

[ssddx]

what featrues do you need?

if you arent opposed to stereo sound (or virtual surround if you have a soundcard which supports dolby headphone or cmss-3d) then i would like to recommend going with some studio headphones. the ath-m50 has a very thick cable (about 3/16 to 1/8 inches thick) and are built like tanks. or you might like headphones from v-moda which are mainly built from metal.

 

[RedMiles]

Our desktop is a lower-end model that doesn't include a soundcard. We use the headsets mostly because they're comfortable and they keep the rest of the house from hearing our games and game-chats and Skype calls.

And, well, I'm more worried about the cable's sturdiness. As I mentioned, our last four headphones/headsets all had the same fail point: Where the cord goes into the earpiece. We chose our Afterglow headset mostly because it had an especially thick sheath of rubber protecting that point, but the cord just broke right where it goes into the sheath which seems to defeat the purpose. The headphones themselves are some of the sturdiest I've ever owned, but that spot is always a fail point no matter what, it seems.

I'd prefer a built-in mic for simplicity's sake.

 

[ssddx]

having cord breakage in that area is not normal wear and tear.

my thoughts are that someone caught the cord with the chair and yanked on the headphones when turning the chair or perhaps had a steep angle or tension on the cord coming out of the headset.

perhaps you can advise if that is the case (in which case... you could likely break most any headset)

what you *could* do is use a coiled cord. this has some give so will stretch instead of putting tension on the connection going into the headphones. another thing you could do is have a headset with removeable cable. that way you can just replace the cable if you manage to destroy it

 

[RedMiles]

I assumed it was abnormal wear, but I had also assumed it was because they were always on, always in use. I'm not exaggerating a bit when I say that the computer is in use ~20 hours a day, and so is the headset. That's a lot of movement and motion when someone is looking around the room, taking them on and off, setting them on the edge of a desk so that the cord is pulled downwards at odd angles by its own weight. It isn't that the cords are pulled out, they just... Eventually split the plastic encasing them and start to fray and snap.

The PDP Afterglows we have DO have a problem with steep angles and tension on the cord though, caused by its own weight. The volume control box is placed very awkwardly, far enough down the cord that if we let it dangle, it's catching on the chair and even the carpet and the sound is constantly being raised or lowered as heads move. It has a shirt clip, but none of my nephews will wear it as they use it, and so there's this heavy bundle of coiled-up cord and the volume control box that's kept looped together with one of the ties it was packaged in that hangs about six inches under the cup and is always pulling on the cord when it's in use or sat down anywhere.

I'm honestly thinking about a wireless headset to just head off the problems with the cables at the source. Logitech G930s seem like a good choice, since they're rechargeable and can be plugged in and charged while they're being used so there wouldn't have to be any downtime, but I'm not sure about how sturdily constructed they are - I haven't seen any reviews that mention that.

Several of my family members have large heads that stress headsets, and I can't really find any info on the G930s that mentions how they handle larger heads, and I'm worried about the plug on the headset even then. It looks to be a typical micro-usb and those don't last long either, one tug on the cord and the jack gets damaged or loosened up and then it's just a mess, had it happen to too many other devices over the years, and I can't find anyone speaking about how sturdy those are either...

 

[thee_prisoner]

The problem with headsets that are being charged while in use cause a annoying hum.

I would consider cable breakage normal wear and tear in the extreme but like ssddx] and I have caught quite a few cables in my chair etc. Headphones have such tiny wires, it isn't hard to break them.

I do like the idea of ssddx recommending a coiled cord, you may have to use and adapter if the set doesn't have one. Is it possible to just use cheap headphones with a separate mic since you don't really care about quality? Military grade headsets, ear buds which doesn't really solve the cable issue.

You said that your computer doesn't have speakers. Are you opposed to those because that would solve part of the problem even if you had to use them part of the day. At least less cable yanking.

My best advice is to move out and get you own setup! j/k but wireless looks like a good idea. Just secure the cords so they can't be moved.

 

[RedMiles]

The problem with headsets that are being charged while in use cause a annoying hum.

I would consider cable breakage normal wear and tear in the extreme but like ssddx] and I have caught quite a few cables in my chair etc. Headphones have such tiny wires, it isn't hard to break them.

I do like the idea of ssddx recommending a coiled cord, you may have to use and adapter if the set doesn't have one. Is it possible to just use cheap headphones with a separate mic since you don't really care about quality? Military grade headsets, ear buds which doesn't really solve the cable issue.

You said that your computer doesn't have speakers. Are you opposed to those because that would solve part of the problem even if you had to use them part of the day. At least less cable yanking.

My best advice is to move out and get you own setup! j/k but wireless looks like a good idea. Just secure the cords so they can't be moved.

I was trying to keep the number of cords to a minimum, as we have no extra USB slots once a microphone or headphones are accounted for. There are only 4 USB slots on the back of the computer; The one up front, along with the front audio jack, stopped working a long time ago. The computer is down on the bottom of the computer desk and it wasn't uncommon for youngsters to kick it or bump it with their knees, and when they did the cords sticking out of the front jacks were usually the target, which damaged the jacks.

The more people I talk to, the more people just suggest something wireless and rechargeable. But I've had no luck finding reviews for wireless headsets that include information like how they handle people with larger heads. One of my nephews is 15 but built like a truck, he has a very large head just because he's the kind of big where school sports teams have challenged him for steroid use. Another was born hydrocephalic and has a large head because of that, and I have to account for them as well. But nearly everyone wears glasses, which do NOT play well with behind-the-head/neck headsets.

I actually like the Afterglow headset we have because they're pretty sturdily constructed for larger heads; The main 'support' is built large and wide, while there's an adjustable band separate from the support structure that has the wires in it, which rests across the head to hold them up. It's pretty nice, because it takes the strain off the structure of the headphones when one of my larger-headed family members puts them off and prevents the kind of hinge-breaking we've dealt with in the past. I haven't seen any cheaper wireless headsets with such construction, though.