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Tips & Tricks

5 tips to extend the life of your earphones

5 tips to extend the life of your earphones

We all know that feeling. It starts with a static sound in one side of your earpieces and one fatal day, that side of your earphones stops working. You’re left with a horrible, imbalanced feeling - only being able to hear music on one side is an absolute tragedy. Here are 5 tips to save you from that excruciating feeling.

 

Tip #1: Take care of your cable

 

A. Resist the urge to chuck your cables
Tempting as it may be to bundle cables into your pockets when you’re in a rush, I’d advise you to resist that urge for the sake of the health of your cable. 

Bunching up your cable can create kinks and breakage points over time. Even if your cable looks like it’s in mint condition on the outside, it may not be the case on the inside.

Meme about tangled earphones

 

B. Pulling from the cable - a hard ‘NO’
In your excitement to pack your bags and rush home after work, your instinct might be to yank your earphones out of the headphone jack.

But remember, even when all you can think of is plunging onto the sofa at home - pull from the plug and not the cable. Pulling the cable can disrupt the connectivity of your cable and we really don’t want that to happen. 

Meme about pulling the plug and not the cable

C. How you store your cable matters 
You need the right case and the right technique! When you find the perfect case for your cable, use the over-under technique to coil the cables (shown in the GIF below).

GIF of over-under technique to coil cables

Yes this definitely isn’t a earphone cable, but same principle I guess.

 


Find cables a hassle?

Our recommendation: True Wireless Earphones

Klipsch has a great array of these. They even have the T5 II True Wireless Sport - perfect for workout fanatics.

 

Tip #2: Avoid moisture

 

Talking about working out, sweat can really affect your earphones. And it’s because of a little thing called moisture.

Moisture can come in many forms:

  • Sweat from working out
  • Humidity in the air around you
  • Water droplets in your ears after you shower (whether it’s in the bathroom or the one you had to experience outside because you forgot an umbrella) 

We can’t control the weather. But we can control how we keep our earphones.

A. Silica Gel a.k.a. The ‘Do Not Eat’ Packet
Put Silica gel desiccant when storing your earphones so that it’s able to suck out all of that extra moisture. Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport has a unique moisture removal system that makes use of this silica gel technology to automatically remove any excess moisture from your earbuds, so your water problems are all settled. 

Packet of silica gel

B. Put it in rice
Silica gel is a great preventive measure, but if you’re looking for a cure for your water-exposed earphones, you could put them in a bag of uncooked rice granules for 24-36 hours. 

C. Water resistant and safe. 
Otherwise, just settle for earphones that are sweatproof! Look out for IP ratings when browsing. 

Table of Ingress Protection ratings

Tip #3: Keep them clean

 

Sweatproof doesn’t mean you don’t clean your earphones - because hygiene doesn’t just affect your own health, it affects your earphones’ health too.

Earphones can become dirty because of both the inner environment of our ears and the outer environment where we use our earphones.

A. Earwax Buildup
Earwax can block the treble, alter the stereo image and to top it all off, it looks gross.

Also, earwax tends to accumulate and harden, so do brush it off the driver unit to save your earphones from malfunctioning early on. 

You can easily purchase tools online to clean your earphones for cheap.

If things get a little mucky, you can soak your earbud sleeves in warm soapy water for a couple of minutes. Use a cotton bud to dig deep into every little nook and cranny so that every ounce of dirt, dust and debris is taken care of.

Cleaning earbuds with alcohol swabs

B. Never ever share earphones!  
One huge hygiene crime that many of us are guilty of, is sharing earphones.

Firstly, when we share earphones, not all of our friends may be the best at taking care of them since they aren’t the owners.

Secondly, you never know what kind of germs could be hiding in each person’s ear, and as these germs go on a spreading spree, infections could arise. (As they always say, hygiene is two thirds of health.)

Couple sharing earphones

C. Compressed air can
Also, to take your earphone healthcare system to the next level, get a compressed gas duster to dislodge the dirt inside of your earphone jack. This will protect the contact point of your earphone jack and improve its lifespan. 


Tip #4: Moderate your volume

 

A. Amp it down
Perhaps it’s time for you to turn down the beat. Especially before first plugging in your headphones. The initial shock of really loud volumes can damage your internal speakers, so if you really do want to pump it up, at least don’t do it drastically. 

DJ mixing music

B. Boo to the boomy bass
Also, the crowd favourite boomy bass may not be the best for your earphones’ health.

Heavy bass boost puts a great amount of pressure and can really wear down the internal speakers in your earphone that aren’t designed to process that intensity of low-frequency sound. 

Playing the drums

Truly premium audio products that can take the bassy boom that you love, while giving you clarity and a large soundstage! 

But do be kind to yourself and don’t blast the music too loud. It not only extends the life of your earphones, but your eardrums too.

 

 

Tip #5: Invest in durable headphones

 

Maybe one reason why your earphones aren’t lasting very long is because they just aren’t meant to. 

Long-term over short-term all the way!
Get earphones that are built to last. They may not be cheapest, but it is after all an investment. With sturdy connections, stronger cabling and warranty all in place, they are sure to last you for a long, long time. And the sound quality is guaranteed to change your life

Broken earphones falling apart

This principle applies to audio products in general, so don’t be afraid to invest a little more if it means higher quality and a longer lifespan.