Calling all budding entrepreneurs, I’ve got an idea to make you a millionaire!

So here goes the story which sparked my idea (that for some reason I’ve decided to share with you, maybe some kind of commission might come my way?).  Basically today I got myself a new set of headphones, nothing special and certainly nothing worth blogging about.  These were the first pair I came across, £18 and are made by the epic brand “Lenco”, they are the HEP-100’s, bog standard, but do the job.  That said I’d certainly not encourage you to rush out and buy a pair, unless you have the same concerns I do and have spotted an obvious failing here, where expenditure pays very little role in longevity when it comes to headphones….

My last pair cost me £70, they were pretty mint I must admit, I actually hunted them down, they are rated as some of the best around, the Sennheiser PX200-II gave pretty epic sound quality, were nice and compact and done the job of yelling to the world “I’m listening to music.  I’m not ignoring you.  I’m not ignorant.  I’m just listening to music.  I’ll talk to you when I’m good and ready.” They certainly did that job well, they gave unprecedented noise cancellation, you really could immerse yourself into your own world where you are the DJ and nobody is going to tell you what to play, not even NME!

Anyway, I’m starting to blog about brands of headphones, and even took a sideswipe at NME…not the aim, I’ll move on.  

Back to the initial reason for this entry to LMLiveMusic’s blogasphere.  Does anybody else have that reoccurring problem of their headphones gradually breaking?  The wire at the very base of the connection fraying, hidden away within that plastic “protection” thus out of sight, but overtime said headphones will merely cease to function.  I always assumed it was because I am the epitome of thrift and purchased cheapish ones, but when this same problem happened on my expensive and extensively researched pair, I got concerned that the issue wasn’t the size of my initial outlay but fouler deeds were afoot. 

This is how events normally transgress.

(1) Headphones start to crackle, this usually occurs at around 2/3months of extensive use.

(2) One earpiece goes entirely, so they become monophones or something of that ilk.  Sound through only one earpiece, total nightmare, almost makes you want to walk in a circle to get closer to the sound, entirely distracting, tinnitus-like.  Normally after 4months this phase would appear.

(3) That last remaining, working, earpiece starts crackling and you’re left with terrible quality through just one ear, like you’re listening to music with your ear pressed to a wall and a jiffy bag over your head, but it’s music, your chosen music…just.  At best this can go on until around the 6month lifespan.

(4) Then, suddenly, nothing….silence, the sounds of the world heard in all their excruciating glory.  You look to the screen of your *insert portable music device name here, where your *insert chosen artist + track here ticks along merrily, mockingly…but the ensuing blandness in your ear makes time stand still.

This last transition into complete engineering dysfunction often leaves me frustrated, a lovely condition set of headphones, with a little frayed wire hidden away out of site and a product producing no sound.  I did enquire about a repair job on my latest pair, but apparently it wasn’t “worth the effort”.  He went on to add “it’ll just happen again, it always happens to headphones, you need a 90degree connection, I’ve heard that can help a little.”  That’s interesting, a well respected electrician inadvertently letting me in on a secret of the trade.  Headphones, much like washing machines are designed to gradually “erode” parts away, the manufacturers want you to upgrade to the new model and buy replacements.  There is even a technical term for it “built-in obsolescence”, companies actually invest money into the design procedure to do this. 

Maybe it’s my ever suspicious mind going way overboard, that this practice is actually occurring in headphone manufacturing but it doesn’t take away from the fact headphones need increased sturdiness added, especially on one key area, the connection zone. I mean this product we use is made for the outside, when we’re on the move, being active, yet they break easier than my morning egg.  Moreover and maybe more importantly, despite the price you pay, the lifespan is the same, you only get a few months of unadulterated musical bliss even if you go for the top brands, thereafter they really are much of a muchness.

So, to all budding entrepreneurs who might have stumbled upon this entry, I can give you a starting point.  I hear the key lies in a 90degree connection, go create an indestructible set of headphones, or even a device to aide strength to the obvious area of planned obsolescence I’ve clearly proved exists in headphones, I do believe you’d make yourself millions even if it’s merely as a payoff for the patent by the daddies of the headphone manufacturing world!  Lenco, Sennheiser and all the others.  What you gonna do? LMLiveMusic are coming for you…. and to entrepreneurs who've been reading, lest you forget who inspired you, this blog is here to stay, and the commission really will be gratefully received.

 

Currently listening to: Finch – Letters to You