Ask anyone who has retired a headset early what broke, and a good share will point at the same spot: the slider where the headband meets the ear cup. It bends every time the headset goes on, comes off or gets hung on a hook. The AULA A700 headband puts an aluminium alloy arm at exactly that point, which raises a fair question about whether metal actually buys you more years than plastic.

Quick Answer

A metal slider generally tolerates repeated bending better than a thin plastic one, and the A700's arm is aluminium alloy with stepless height adjustment beside a 120-degree rotating hinge. AULA does not publish a cycle count or lifespan for the arm, though, so no one can honestly promise it will last a set number of years. The firm cover is the warranty Evetech provides, on a headset it prices at R569.

🔩 Why sliders are the weak point

A headband slider does two jobs at once. It sets how high the ear cups sit, and it absorbs the flex that happens when you stretch the headset over your head. On a lightly built design, that flex lands on a thin strip of moulded plastic, often at a narrow neck where the part joins the cup.

Plastic handles a certain amount of bending well. The trouble comes from thousands of small bends, plus the occasional drop or sideways twist, which can start a hairline crack that grows until the part snaps. Metal parts can wear too, but an alloy arm is usually more resistant to that kind of fatigue at a given thickness.

Aluminium alloy in plain terms

Aluminium alloys are light for their strength, which is why they turn up in bike frames and laptop shells. On a headset, that means a stiffer arm without piling on much weight. AULA's manual lists the A700 at about 297g overall, a figure that already includes the alloy arm, the drivers and the battery.

📏 Stepless adjustment and the hinge

Many sliders click between fixed notches. The A700's arm is stepless, so the cup can stop at any point along its travel instead of jumping between positions. That makes it easier to find a height where the pads sit evenly on your ears rather than a notch too high or too low.

Below the arm, a hinge lets the cups rotate through 120 degrees. Together they share the job of fitting different head shapes: the slider handles height, the hinge handles angle. The cups themselves carry ice-silk fabric pads, which keep contact points smooth over a long session.

🛡️ What the metal cannot promise

A tougher material improves the odds; it does not guarantee the outcome. Without a published durability figure from AULA, any claim that the A700's arm will outlast a particular plastic headset by a specific margin would be a guess. What you can do is look after the parts that tend to suffer:

  • Lift the headset off with both hands instead of pulling one cup outwards.
  • Hang it on a stand rather than stretching it over a monitor corner.
  • Avoid packing it flat under heavy items in a bag.

For comparison with other designs, Evetech's gaming headsets category puts the A700 beside plastic and metal-framed alternatives, and the wireless headset page narrows the choice to models with no cable to snag. The A700 itself carries a 1 Year Local Warranty from Evetech, which covers a manufacturing fault in the arm or hinge during that period.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a metal arm heavier than plastic?

Slightly, in most designs, but aluminium alloy keeps the penalty small. The whole A700 comes in at about 297g by AULA's manual.

Does stepless adjustment wear out faster than notches?

AULA gives no data either way. A stepless slider relies on friction to hold its position, so check that it still stays put after months of use.

What else on the frame moves?

The hinge, which rotates the ear cups through 120 degrees to match the angle of your head.

Can careful handling really extend its life?

Yes. Most slider damage comes from twisting and overstretching, both of which are habits you control.

Does AULA rate the arm for a number of cycles?

No. There is no published cycle count or lifespan for the A700's headband.

Ready for a headset built around a tougher frame? A headband takes a beating every day, so weigh up frames, sliders and hinges across the gaming headsets on Evetech.