Oct 19, 2021

HOW TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR HEADPHONES | 10 simple tips

A studio environment can be very demanding to headphones' wear and tear. Cable tripping, accidental drops and plugging them into wrong outputs demands extreme built quality. And we do everything in our hands to live up to the challenge: we only use premium materials, and we test and measure every pair before they hit the road. We give five years warranty on top, just because we trust them so much. All to ensure they last a long time.

OLLO headphones on the synthesizer | photo by Philippe Brodu

But headphones, regardless of their price and quality, will break down in no time if you use them carelessly. As keeping them in top condition is good for both your hygiene and the audio fidelity, we've put together a few tips to do just that.

A while ago, we talked with our community members about everything that can happen when creativity strikes, and we get caught in the moment. In the video below, Bastien Busi and Rafael "Fai" Bautista speak about tripping over the cables, broken connectors, the value of headphone stands, smashing speaker membranes, and give some great advice about packaging the headphones for working on the go.

Our best tips to extend life expectancy of your headphones

Always unplug headphones when not in use to avoid any unexpected damage (hands up if you have ever pulled a cord out of the headphones in a sudden and dangerous way? 🙌🙈).
When unplugging, do it correctly: grab the connector (NOT THE CABLE) and pull it out gently from the audio source, then bend the cable.
We know – point 1 and 2 are a perfect situation scenario! But at least disconnect the cable from the source of power before unplugging. :)
OLLO headphones are made of premium and durable materials (stainless steel, velour, polyethylene leather) but still - every material needs to be cleaned sometimes. So, from time to time, use a gentle, dry cloth to wipe individual parts of the headphones, especially the earpads.
OLLO headphones are partially made of wood, which is sensitive to water and heat, so make sure you don’t leave them exposed to direct sun or rain (they are not waterproof)!
Preserve the speakers for best sound quality: pressing down on the headphones can create air pressure inside the earcup and thus distort the membrane of the speaker. So, when carrying headphones in a backpack, or when laying them down, make sure the earpads are not pressed flat to the surface and airtight.
Change the earpads for hygienic reasons – we recommend doing it every 1000 – 1500 hours of headphones use.
Take care of your ears’ health and don’t press headphones to your ears or drive them too loud. A rule of thumb says not to use headphones for more than 7 minutes at 90+ dB.
Choose headphones that enable you to repair them in case life happens and something breaks. This will save you some bucks and make you a superhero for not overloading the planet with unnecessary waste.
Last but not least: the best protection when on the go is still a case.