How Often Should You Replace Your Gaming Headset? (Explained)

Could you imagine if a gaming headset had an expiration date? That would be silly.

Thankfully, headsets don’t expire like an old tomato, but they can become damaged. So, when it comes to how often you should replace your gaming headset, it depends on the quality of the gaming headset and how well you take care of it.

In this article, we will be going over the expected lifespan of gaming headsets, how you can prolong their life, what causes gaming headsets to malfunction, and if there is any point in trying to repair them.

By the time we’re done, you’ll have the knowledge to keep your gaming headset looking nice and working properly for years to come.

How Often Should You Replace Your Gaming Headset?

Gaming headsets can last anywhere between 3 months to 10 years and should be replaced whenever they become damaged. You should expect your headsets to last roughly 3-5 years on average, but your mileage may vary. To get the most out of your gaming headset, you should take good care of it. If it becomes damaged, some things can be fixed, but for the most part, you should just throw it away and buy a replacement.

What is the Expected Lifespan of a Gaming Headset?

The typical lifespan of your gaming headset relies mostly on the quality of the headset and how well you take care of it. It could last for three months and go out just because they were cheap. 

Or, they could outlive you if they are high-quality headphones and you take care of them properly. But generally, you can expect them to last around 3-5 years on average.

Taking proper care of your gaming headset and performing routine maintenance will keep it performing optimally for years to come.

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Do You Take a Good Care of Your Gaming Headset?

Gaming headsets can get very expensive. Typically, if you buy a high-end headset, it’s going to last longer and perform better than a cheap one off the shelf at the dollar store.

The first step to owning a gaming headset that’s going to be a long-term investment for your set-up is buying a high-end headset from a reputable brand. Because, in most cases, you get what you pay for.

Protecting your headset from grime and liquids will not only prolong its life and performance but will help keep you from getting sick. Headset users are more susceptible to ear infections due to the moist conditions and general lack of cleaning inside the earcups. Furthermore, you should never share headsets due to the risk of spreading contagions.

This is why routine cleaning and replacing worn-out earcup pads are important. Another thing you can do to help your gaming headset last longer is to store them properly when not in use or during travel.

Most premium gaming headsets come with a case, so you should use it wisely. The case will protect them from spills, dust, and accidental damage.

Listening to your music can be relaxing, and playing games with the sound cranked up can be exhilarating. But listening at full volume too often will wear out the voice coil, which is what causes a speaker to become “blown”.

Moderate your gaming headset’s volume to be easy on the speakers. Plus, you could cause hearing damage which would suck, so take it easy on your ears as well.

Next, if you have a wired headset, you should always make sure your cable is free of kinks and tangles. This can lead to shorts in the wires, and nobody wants that. This can cause issues not only for you but for your online friends as well, with loud pops and crackles ruining everyone’s experience.

The last (and maybe the most important) tip for you to keep your gaming headset working for as long as possible is to be gentle with it. If you throw your headset before rage quitting all the time, you can’t expect it to be around for long.

You shouldn’t twist or over-expand the headband any more than necessary. Every time you do, you weaken the material, which can cause your headset to break. So, if you follow at least one of these tips, make sure you follow this one.

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What Causes Gaming Headsets to Stop Working?

It’s frustrating when you plug in a gaming headset, and it doesn’t work. But what causes this?

Well, for starters, it’s probably a damaged wire. If any of the wires in your headset or cables become damaged, they will no longer be able to send power and signals properly.

A damaged amp could also be the cause of your problems. The amp helps send and receive power and signals by amplifying or reducing currents. Without an amp, those bassy tones we all love will be muted and dull. If an amp goes out, you will either have very low-quality audio or no sound at all, depending on the damage.

If you have ever heard a crackly speaker, it’s due to the speaker being blown. Without going in-depth on how a speaker works, there’s a vital component called a voice coil. If it breaks or becomes damaged, the speaker is basically toasted. This happens from frequent sudden or loud sounds overstretching the coil to the point of breaking.

A common failure to occur with gaming headsets is the mic. The mic consists of long tiny wires which are fragile. So, you should handle the mic carefully. While you can still use a gaming headset without the mic, it pretty much turns the headset into headphones, and now you can’t voice chat with anyone.

The most obvious reason a gaming headset is broken is it’s literally in two pieces. When the headband breaks, it’s usually because the user broke it. Either by over-stretching it or by some other kind of accidental damage.

But, if your headset is relatively new and this happened out of nowhere, it could be due to a defect. We would recommend contacting the manufacturer and seeing about a replacement if this is the case.

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Can You Fix a Broken Gaming Headset?

Fixing a broken headset can be both easy and hard. It depends on your skills, the tools at hand, and the scope of the damage.

Usually, it’s just a broken wire. Wires will either break at kinks or the solder joint. Splicing a wire and adding some tape is simple. But this will always be a weak point and could result in lowered sound quality.

Soldering takes some skill and a soldering iron with some solder wire. It’s easy to solder a wire into a joint once you get the hang of it, but be careful not to burn yourself.

If your speaker is blown, you might as well chalk it up to a loss. Yes, they can be repaired, but really, it’s not worth the hassle.

For a broken headband, you are pretty much left with one option–duct tape. While this can temporarily “fix” your gaming headset, this is only recommended for the short term until you can get a better one.

Unlike popular belief, duct tape doesn’t fix everything.

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Final Words

Gaming headsets are usually an investment most people want to take care of. So, if you find yourself asking how often you should replace your gaming headset, the good news is that there is no expiration date.

You can either replace your headset if it breaks or whenever you feel it’s time for an upgrade. If you treat your headset right, it can last you for many years.

This concludes our article. If we were able to answer your questions, please consider sharing this article with your friends on social media so we can help others. And before you go, leave us a message in the comment section below telling us your thoughts. We love hearing from you!

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