Recommend me some robust head phones

For the last 12 months I’ve resorted to cheapy (sub £5) earbuds. The reason being that I keep knackering them. Problem seems to be the tiny cables used that I always seem to pull out of the speakers.

Can anyone recommend any with a stout cable? I’ve had Sennheisers, Technics all sorts but none survive very long. Hence the shift to cheapos, but the sound is very poor tbh.

See if you can track down a pair of Ultimate Ears SuperFi 3 Studio ‘phones. They sound excellent, used to retail around £85, but Logitech discontinued them when they took over. The crucial thing, though, is the cables are replaceable. The standard cables are pretty robust, and have 90 degree plugs. I also have a pair of UE TripleFi 10 Pro’s, and I’ve just replaced the cables with these: http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=260885166946&index=1&nav=WATCHING&nid=89394878361
£26, or thereabouts, and really well made. They do some two-core ones for around £15 too.
The SuperFi 3’s are a bit tricky to get to fit, and double-flanged eartips are the best option for me as standard, although I’ve located Triple-flanged ones to fit these phones. Worth it, though, they sound fantastic, very neutral,
not over-bassy.
Shure SE215’s are also very good, but more expensive, around £100 or so, also with replaceable cables. Triple flanged eartips are also available for around £9 for three sets, and are highly recommended.

Thanks for that, the Shure SE215s are looking good and in my price range. The EU TripleFi are well outside my price range, but thanks for the pointers. I’d have never thought that these types were available with replaceable cable.

Check out Jays[/url]. Range from fairly cheap to pretty expensive, sound decent and have nice chunky flat cables.

The Shure’s are superb, honestly, and if you want to use them with an iPhone or Touch you can get an alternative cable with remote and mic, so you can use Shazam on a Touch. The plug is a 45 degree one on the remote lead, which is good when the phone sits on its side in your pocket.
The SuperFi 3 Studios can be got for around the £50-60 mark on eBay, but you have to go through the whole bidding thing, and they’re pretty popular.
Replaceable cables at these prices is fairly new, it used to be from around £250 upwards, and it’s really only on IEM’s,
In-Ear Monitors, for stage and studio use. Does mean the sound quality is top-notch, mind.
You won’t go wrong with the 215’s, and the shape means they sit fairly flat against your ears, so you can have your head on a pillow fairly comfortably.
I’ve got the clear ones, but the transparent black is pretty cool looking.

I have been buying Panasonic ergofit ones for the last 3 years… I have run them through the wash several times and even stepped on them. Still running strong. I only buy anew pair when I lose another. about 15 quid a pair.

Panasonic seem pretty good, but one big advantage with the Shure ‘phones, and other IEM’s is the cable is shaped and designed to loop up over your ear then down the back, so if the cable gets caught on something the earpiece doesn’t get yanked out of your ear and damaged, plus it cuts down on microphony, the rustling noise carried through the cable when it rubs against clothing. Makes a huge difference, and sound quality is gennerally better.
These are well-regarded too:
http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/westone-1-true-fit.html
They don’t have replaceable cables, but the cables are the tougher twisted-pair type, and they have a removable remote. A pair of these or the Shure’s with custom eartips added later would be amazingly good for sound and comfort.