I have the Sony WH100XM4 and I do some light workouts in it. But nevertheless I still sweat, a lot. Would the sweat damage the materials in the earcup or headband? Or even worse the drivers? And if it does, what are some ways to help minimising the damage?

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ArkhamKnight0708 t1_j20dtgi wrote on December 28, 2022 at 7:17 PM

Sweat and oils will eventually destroy your pads quicker, and there's no way to minimize other than covering them with something or not wearing your headphones. Padding is generally not expensive to replace though, so maybe buy a couple sets while they're still available if you're worried

As for the drivers and electronics, unless you're obscenely sweaty, you're probably fine

MustafaHamad OP t1_j20e7m7 wrote on December 28, 2022 at 7:19 PM

Do they sell replacement ear cups? I wouldn't worry much about electronics then, that area gets a drop of moisture at most. Thanks for the help!

ArkhamKnight0708 t1_j20ek1u wrote on December 28, 2022 at 7:22 PM

The ear pads should be replaceable, but I don't own these headphones (sound isn't for me) so I have never looked into it. That's an area for Google to help you. The top headband padding is another area that will degrade, so look into that as well.

MustafaHamad OP t1_j20eq0g wrote on December 28, 2022 at 7:23 PM

Ok, thanks so much!

RB181 t1_j212g7p wrote on December 28, 2022 at 10:00 PM

It might be worth getting some more breathable earpads for this purpose (something like velour or perforated leather, as opposed to sealed leather). I'm in the same boat - I have the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2, and the stock pleather pads get way too hot for me when doing any sort of activity with them on, so I'm looking for a replacement that will stay cooler.

Note that any alternate earpads will change the sound signature, and also noise cancellation performance in case of active noise cancelling headphones like the XM4.

ChipsAhoiMcCoy t1_j20z2sd wrote on December 28, 2022 at 9:37 PM

Just my two cents, I don’t think you want to be sweating on ear pads. You’ll have to replace them very often, and could possibly cause actual damage to the drivers if I had to guess.

Best practice to just use earbuds with water resistance instead.

commandermik t1_j21cxii wrote on December 28, 2022 at 11:13 PM

I’ve worked out in my Bang & Olufsen H4s for years now and nothing has happened to them. Sure the lamb skin leather pads are a bit discolored but that’s to be expected. I don’t do cardio in them, just weight lifting so I sweat a bit on them but not a huge amount. Functionally, they’re still perfect. Obviously this is true of my B&O cans, so YMMV.

Timequake-Droid t1_j26jx4c wrote on December 30, 2022 at 12:41 AM

Well these things have planned obsolescence anyways. I think the odds are the wear and tear. Probably won't kill the product before the battery goes.

You should be able to handle a little sweat but yes it will add some wear and tear to the pads. Unless it's an incredible amount of sweat. It probably won't f****** with the electronics.