Thuja

Do you use 'em a lot outside the house? I know at work I accidentally yank my earbud cables all the time, and the more I work the less longer they last 

If they're always inside (which expensive pairs always should be) then....yeah you might be cursed 

Unless you, or like a cat, is stressing the cables all the time

No, they were always inside.  I didn't wear my headphones when I went outside because it hurt my ears whenever I wore my headphones and my glasses at the same time(also my glasses would fog up if I wore them both so I gave up travelling outside with them on pretty quick).  Maybe the stress of me taking them on and off all the time wore it down???  I literally wear my headphones all day so them wearing down wouldn't surprise me but it is terribly annoying.  I'm sure I would've gotten a lot more wear out of these headphones if the headband didn't break.  I don't know, maybe it's a sign that I need to try something else.