cool tricks for not breaking portapros?

Submitted by pity_the_rich t3_10xk17q in headphones

For the tenth or eleventh time, I've ripped the cord out of my Koss PortaPros. I'm prone to getting them caught on just about anything (rakes, doorknobs, fences, most often my knee). I'm planning to send them in (again) and get a fresh new pair for $9 (again), but I'd love to make them last 1, maybe 2, maybe 10 years this time. Any bright ideas on how to make them a bit more durable? The MMCX mod seems cool but I've got about as much talent for soldering as I do moving around through the world, so I'm looking for something a bit less technical. Has anyone found a simple solution for reinforcing the cord connection, or doing something about the cord, or - I don't know, anything?

Maybe all I have to do is something like wear the cord inside my shirt or pay attention to my surroundings. I'm confident by this point that the latter isn't ever going to happen - but if you've got a cool hack for saving another pair of these wonderful guys from my destructive lifestyle, I'd love to hear it.

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Vadim_M t1_j7tza79 wrote

Imposibru not to brake wired headphones. I wear the cord under my t-shirt and it goes to my player attached to the belt. Maybe it's time to buy a pair of TWS and leave PortaPros for PC/home use?

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pity_the_rich OP t1_j7wusad wrote

Ya I think the inevitable truth is that I will just keep breaking them and needing to replace them. I pretty much only use them at home (I gave up on going out in public with anything I care about years ago) - I should really consider a side-career in wear-testing clothes and electronics. I wish there was something to be done about the length of the cord. The flexibility it offers is great, but so often it just ends up a liability.

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Vadim_M t1_j7yormz wrote

I broke like 4 pairs of PortaPros during ~12 years. I've fixed them several times using parts from fallen ones and ordered spare headband form local flea market site. I saw all parts are available on AliExpress including MMCX-ed speakers.

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MagikGuard t1_j7u0twk wrote

Just buy wireless Porta Pros if you like it's sound, there's not much difference in sound between wired and bluetooth especially with aptx.

However, even wireless Porta Pro has small wire, doesn't really stuck on doorknobs though.

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spillthabeans t1_j82wil3 wrote

Try a cable tie to shorten the slack, or a cable clip to your shirt, or even wear them with the cable over the back. I've ripped many cords of headphones from kneeling down to tie a shoe and then standing up

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pity_the_rich OP t1_j89w5f9 wrote

This is good advice - thanks for making me feel somewhat less crazy. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

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spillthabeans t1_j8a8the wrote

Outside of the cable mod for porta pros, I switched to iems for the cable issue; cables are detachable so easy replacement if they break. And some iems are semi-open back like the porta pros too!

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