How would you describe this damage, what could have caused it, and can it be repaired?
I one found this damage on my headphones on both sides, it is unclear what caused it, and the continued uses causes the damage to expand. I'm siriously concerned as I'm sensitive to such issues. The headphones are less than a year old.
Those cushions wear out after a while, you can buy replacements. Make sure to buy the exact same type and thickness or the sound might be much worse.
You can buy replacement earpads for most brands of headphones.
Seconded.
And if they're not available for this model/brand, switch to another if possible. There are a lot of headphones with replaceable pads, many of them very affordable.
wearing glasses?
Yes, but they are very rounded at that part, so I'm unsure how it could've damaged it.
The fabric is thin and wears out over time from taking them on and off. Mine eventually just crumbled into tiny flakes everywhere
Theyre made of cheap "pleather" material that flakes apart with time. I have some expensive headphones that have done the same. You can just buy replacement ear pads and slip them on like a fitted bed sheet.
The fake leather is polyurethane, which goes through hydrolysis. Basically humidity destroys the bonds.
and sweat is amazingly corrosive
Just the pressure of the frame is enough to cause this. It's a stress point for the material
These kind of pads are not really made to least long. Normally you can replace them
Round things still are subject to friction.
That's like saying "Water is soft and conforming, I'm unsure how it could carve a canyon."
I wear glasses, using the same headphones since 5 years and they never caused any damage. All the recommendations saying "just get new ones" are pure consumerism and what got us into this state of filling up our oceans with rubbish. Buy quality headphones not cheap crap and you won't have this issue.
These being senns, I don't think they fall into the "cheap crap" category.
Also, replacing the foam is far better than replacing the whole unit. If you have a recommendation for foam pad replacements that will last years, that would be awesome!
Last time I had the pads on mine disintegrate, I found some replacements that were made of real leather. I haven't had to replace them since. Some brands also make fabric pads; I'm sure they probably last longer than polyurethane, but I would expect them to wear out eventually.
Ah yes, the famous "repair worn out pieces", that consumerism is known for
Buying cheap crap only to replace it with another piece of cheap crap soon is consumerism, yes
you don't seem to understand what people are saying. but good for you for trying
Buy new ear pads is consumerism, but buy another pair of headphones is good?
do you wear earrings or glasses?
I was also thinking glasses.
i'd see if you can find velour replacement pads. this will reduce the head seal, which will let more sound in and will change the sound signature a little, but it will also last a lot longer for normal day to day use
It’s normal wear and tear, it’s in those particular spots because you wear glasses.
The cushions or pads are a wear part and are user replaceable.
I had a pair of headphones where the pads were non-replaceable. They completely disintegrated and turned to dust, and that's when I found they were glued on and not designed for replacement.
It was under 12 months since I bought the headphones so I contacted the manufacturer asking about replacement pads and stating I was happy to pay for them... Only for them to tell me (as I knew they would have to) that the pads are not replaceable and no replacement pads exist.
I was entitled to a replacement under law, and so they had to send me a whole new pair of headphones.
They didn't even make me send the old ones back either, so I ripped the ear pads off and replaced them anyway! And now I have two pairs of headphones for the price of one!
Infuriating manufacturing choice to make consumable wear components non-replacable.
In the future rather than ripping off glued stuff, alcohol and (if you’re very, very careful and understand what you’re doing) acetone can be used to break down glues. A product called “ca release agent” makes cyanoacrylate glues (superglues) come off.
Heat will also loosen glue that’s thick and rubbery and accelerate the chemical reactions above. Be careful and use ventilation.
Could also try Goo Gone. It's specifically meant for removing adhesives, though I don't think the basic version works on CA glues.
Thanks for the tip. In this case it was fine as the glued part was going to be completely covered by the new pads so any small mess was inconsequential to both the looks and the operation.
Wear, wear, yeah.
Can you swap out the padding? If not you made the wrong choice when purchasing the headphones TBH
Putting a piece of tape (perhaps duct tape, or electrical tape) over the holes will probably keep them from unraveling further.
Buy ear cup replacements off AliExpress for a few dollars.
You can also put on ear booties to cover the headset.
It's the elf transformation
Damn knife-ears
I would have replaced those cushions as soon as I got them. They look really uncomfortable.
They wear out. The unfortunate thing is that the replacement ear pads don't tend to last as long. So buy them if you have to, but keep an eye out for new headphone sales over the next few months.
Why would replacement pads be worse?
Pleather/fake leather ear pads do that after continuous use for a long time and it's unfortunately normal. You can change them with new ear pads and if you're lucky, you can find them made by different materials. Be careful, the material of the ear pads actually effects the sound that you will hear from your headphones.
Yup replaced mine a few times. Cheap ones are just as good. I add a dot of double sided tape or glue gun to secure.
I say go extreme with the repair and then post a pic of it. Use Flex Seal on them! You'll never have to worry about them ever falling apart again!
Obviously joking they'd be solid as a rock
I have glasses and the same problem, I think the glasses chafe against the plastic leather without one noticing until it breaks.
That's normal wear and tear for over-ear headphones. You should expect for these ear cushions to eventually wear out. They are constantly rubbing against your glasses, earrings, headband, etc. as well as just your ears/head. Unfortunately, they should be considered consumables. Fortunately, as others mention here, there are multiple first-party and third-party replacement pads on the market, so you can replace just the pads as they wear out.
There's a company that sells "reasonably good" replacement pads for most headphone models, and they include links to tweets and posts of people who bought those pads to prove that they fit properly. I don't remember the name tho