Check out the Vmoda ones at Radio Shack. I love them. I've abused them some and they do really well.

What do you mean by "extend the life"? What's happening to the ones you've had?

Cord wears out. Either at the ear piece, or the jack.

Honestly, I'd go to Radio Shack and tell them. They offered to sell me warranty with those VModa ones for pretty cheap. I declined, but I really like the headphones and got pretty decent service. With the warranty, it sounds like what you need.

I'm sure other electronics stores can do the same things, but I got good service from Radio Shack, so I'll plug them.

Sony MDR-V150's. You can get a pair for about $25.
I've owned a half-dozen of these over the years.
They sound great, but they need to be carefully handled.
Every pair I've owned has broken the exact same way.
They have improved the durability of the design over the years, but you can't just toss these around.

Or...JVC HARX300's. Those go for a shade under $20.

I buy headphones on a regular basis from Burlington Coat Factory.
You won't find recognizable brand names there, but you can get a quality sound for a cheap price.
I routinely buy headphones and earbuds there for $10 or less.
Just bought a pair of "over the ear" iVibes that I love. Great mid-range and low end.
They leave a little to be desired up top, but again they only cost $11.

I have these:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

Skullcandy Agent.

They are awesome. I wear them to mow and they're perfect for drowning out the mower.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+E...rbud&cp=1&lp=6

I've boughten these 3 separate times enforce finally getting the insurance beat buy offers.. The headphone jack always ends up coming apart, but for the 5 or so bucks the insurance that lasts 2 years I'm not complaining. These are the best sounding for the price I've experienced

<blockquote>I buy headphones on a regular basis from Burlington Coat Factory.
You won't find recognizable brand names there, but you can get a quality sound for a cheap price. </blockquote>

At some point won't you end up buying enough to equal one pair of sturdy high quality headphones? I mean...listen to Paradise City on a good pair of headphones once and you'll hear things you never could before.

I have skullcandy titans. Theyre earbuds.

Usually ill have a pair of headphones for about a month before they crap out but ive had these for about 4 or 5 months and theyre still going strong (knock on wood)

I misspoke. I probably only buy a pair of headphones once every 6 months.
I might spend $30 annually on headphones.

I currently have three pair of 'over the ear' headphones:
1. A pair of Sony MDR-V150's (held together with duct tape)
2. A pair of Skullcandy SCS-SCBP3.5's (which I hate...they require batteries for the subwoofer action)
3. A new pair of iVibe I-V110's (the high end is average, but the mid-range and low-end are excellent)

The iVibe's ran me $10 at BCF.

The iVibe's were the last headphones I purchased.
The Skullcandy headphones were a gift.
The Sony MDR-V150's I've probably had for about a year now.
I've spent maybe $36 on headphones the past 12-15 months.

I have picked up a few pairs of earbuds though (for the gym). The iWorld earbuds (modeled after the Beats By Dre earbuds) are amazing. They fit comfortably and have excellent sound quality. I messed them up during a workout though.

The iWorld earbuds were also $10 at BCF.

If you want good quality for a low price, that's the way to go.
You can also find quality OTE headphones at Big Lot's.
Online? Try Amazon.

Sennheiser HD 201 headphones are really great for their low price (I got mine for $21). I use them on my desktop PC. The cord is 3m long which is great for having it connected to the back of my PC and going around my desk which the PC is in. Might be a but inconvenient to take places without a cord length reducer thing. But overall great headphones for the quality and price, definitely worth it!

Can't post pics yet so here's the link to a photo of the headphones: img.diytrade.com/cdimg/1150214/12582838/0/1271917987/Economy_Sennheiser_HD201_hot_paypal.jpg

I spent $55 on mine and have had them a bit over 2 years.

Seems to me you could save some money by buying higher-quality gear. :D

I use the Sennheiser HD202's for my guys recording in my home studio. They are cheap to replace if they get broken and a great bang for the buck.

I personally use Audio-Technica's ATH-M40fs in my studio... but they are more of a flat response for mixing purposes.

http://ak.buy.com/PI/0/300/203325391.jpg

I use one of these inexpensive Radio Shack switches for switching between headphones and normal speakers on my PC. The switch has a long enough cable to go behind my desk and to the back of the PC and I just plug my headphones into the switch that sits on top of my desk.

http://daxxtech.tripod.com/articles/hpsw/hpsw2.jpg

I think there are several other variables to consider.
What are they being used for?
How often are they being used?
How are they being stored?...

Headphones break. Cheap headphones break. Expensive headphones break.
I'm a heavy-user and I tend to be hard on mine anyway.

So I'm not sure spending more money would do me any justice.
I'd NEVER pay $50 or more for headphones unless I was using them for mixing purposes. For casual usage (listening to music), I'll always run with headphones under $25. And I think I showed you my watering holes for buying them cheap, you'd see why. For the buck, you just can't beat the headphones I come by. Quality, look, durability. I'd wager half my paycheck on that.

I do want a pair of Beats though. Just can't bring myself to spend that much right now.