As said, the biggest concern is probably the pads. There's other things that can wear of course, but the drivers certainly won't feel a few years. One of my favorite pairs is probably approaching 40 years old now. It's needed some repairs, but still sounds good.
this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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Headphones
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WOW, if I may ask what are these 40 year old headphones?
AKG K240 Monitors. They're not the best these days, but I love how vocals sound on them in particular.
I've listened to some newer K240s (mid 00s?), and I agree. They were great on tubes as well.
More than any other piece of audio gear I've owned.
I had a grado sr80 for ten years. someone stole them.
Most headphone pads and headbands do but I don't think that anything on the inside ages enough to be noticeable. One of my main pair of headphones is almost 55 years old (1969 akg k60s) and they don't have any problems, they still sound good! So I think that as long as you don't break them, the pads look fine and there is no weird foam or other they will sound pretty similar to how they did when they were made maybe some small difference in sensitivity or something.
I love these stories. I like to keep my possessions for as long as possible, in as good a condition as possible. So I love hearing that I could very well own my headphones for several more decades
It’s also funny how any time I see one of these stories, it’s always an AKG set that’s mentioned. They’ve clearly earned their reputation
I have a 16 year old HD600 and it still sounds better than every headphone I've heard. I'd say no, or if they do; it's so minimal you'd likely not notice or care much.
A while ago, a work colleague gifted me some headphones that belonged to his grandfather. The were made in 1979 and seemed almost new, the pads were a little stiff and the elastic band on top was worn out, but they had no visible signs of use or age… AKG K340
Sennheisers and Beyers headphones (no idea about IEMs) out of any brand should last the longest as long as they maintain the same quality control. They can last you 20+ years if you take care of them well, with no noticeable change in sound quality whatsoever. Pads are a different thing ofc, but that's pretty much a given for any headphones.
The downside is, well, they don't really release new models.. lol. which can be a good thing actually, but it might be nice to have a Senn planar with the signature mids, personally speaking hehe.
I'm an original owner of a set of HD-580 Precisions, which I bought before they released the Jubilee edition, so we're talking 1993-ish. I've had to replace the headband cushions once, and the earpads several times. Last set I bought are Dekoni Elite Velours, and they certainly outlast Sennheiser OEMs, as they are still perfect after a few years.
So yeah, I have 30-yr old headphones that still work. Original cable is lost, I still have the Cardas cable for it, and I've added a Balanced cable for it to use with my Cavalli Liquid Platinum amp.
I have a set of akg sextetts from probably the late 70s, early 80s. They work fine. So no not really.
Does the price lower? slightly but not by alot and 1990s are my favourite i tried so far for comfort and bass very happy with mine