Recently I had a two pairs of Sony headphones fail on me, a set of over ears and a set of in ears. The in ear ones still work but a much quieter in the left ear than right ear, but only lasted a few weeks. That being said, I bought them as they were the cheapest pair Argos had in stock and were used mainly during running and DIY, so have been used intensively. The MDR-ZX310AP over ear headphones have failed entirely in one ear, and they’re only just over a year old.
The over ear headphones have now been replaced with a shiny new set of Roxel RX110 over ear headphones, which like the Sony’s have a built in microphone for smartphone use. Both were a similar price when purchased (around £17 for the Sony headphones via eBay, and £13 for the Roxel headphones from Amazon).
First impressions of the Roxel headhones are great. There’s a rattley bit of plastic in the left side which is annoying but not the end of the world once the music is playing. It’s a shame, as the overall build quality is great, and they feel sturdier than the Sony’s. Sound quality is great too, and maybe slightly better than the Sony’s. The Roxel’s are more comfortable, and sit better on my head, with greater articulation of the ear pieces.
Needless to say, after many years of using Sony headphones, I won’t be hurrying back for another pair anytime soon. I’m trying out some bone conducting headphones as a replacement for the Sony in-ear headphones, and I’ll likely write an article on those in due course.