Headphones question

[Mozart]

A tragedy happened last night, in the middle of a movie my faithful headphones of 16 moths passed away. The left side completely stopped functioning. But what was strange is, I didn't yank or it anything like that, it just stopped. I've never had headphones that don't fail like this. Why does this happen, what can I do to prolong it, and is there any way to fix my dear headphones?

[bhodges]

I had a pair of Sennheiser's that didn't work shortly after I bought them, so I sent them back to the company, and they not only fixed them but re-soldered all the other connections, just to make sure.  I mailed them at my own expense, but they fixed them and sent them back, free.

But depending on how expensive yours are, it may or may not be worth the trouble--you may just want to buy a new pair.

--Bruce

[head-case]

A tragedy happened last night, in the middle of a movie my faithful headphones of 16 moths passed away. The left side completely stopped functioning. But what was strange is, I didn't yank or it anything like that, it just stopped. I've never had headphones that don't fail like this. Why does this happen, what can I do to prolong it, and is there any way to fix my dear headphones?

Your headphones contain a "voice coil" for each ear, which is a very fine wire wound around a spool.  The audio signal is passed through this coil of wire (which is immersed in a magnetic field) to produce the vibrations we recognize as sound.  The wire must have broken or become disconnected.  This can happen due to defect, mechanical shock, or electrical overload.  If the voice coil became disconnected it is possible that it could be reconnected.  If the voice coil itself is broken, probably the entire driven must be replaced.

[Mozart]

Are these repairs i would be able to do myself?

[Gustav]

Are these repairs i would be able to do myself?

What kind of Headphone do you have anyway?

[drogulus]

I had a pair of Sennheiser's that didn't work shortly after I bought them, so I sent them back to the company, and they not only fixed them but re-soldered all the other connections, just to make sure.  I mailed them at my own expense, but they fixed them and sent them back, free.

But depending on how expensive yours are, it may or may not be worth the trouble--you may just want to buy a new pair.

--Bruce

     Sennheiser fixed mine, too. And there was no charge, though the warranty had probably expired. That's a pretty good company.

[head-case]

     Sennheiser fixed mine, too. And there was no charge, though the warranty had probably expired. That's a pretty good company.

If they broke I'm sure they're Sennheiser.  If you want good headphones that don't break, try Beyerdynamics next time.

[Holden]

If they broke I'm sure they're Sennheiser.  If you want good headphones that don't break, try Beyerdynamics next time.

C'mon - they could also be AKG, Sony, Philips, Grado, etc, etc. My Sennheiser HD 540 MkII Golds are now twenty years old and still going strong. I've known of Beyers that have failed. The majority of good phones last the distance. I'd say it's more than likely that ELIAS has a cheap pair from his local Walmart but we'll let him tell us.

[Gustav]

C'mon - they could also be AKG, Sony, Philips, Grado, etc, etc. My Sennheiser HD 540 MkII Golds are now twenty years old and still going strong. I've known of Beyers that have failed. The majority of good phones last the distance. I'd say it's more than likely that ELIAS has a cheap pair from his local Walmart but we'll let him tell us.

I agree completely.

[MN Dave]

Headphones break? Never had it happen. Were you skydiving at the time?

[head-case]

C'mon - they could also be AKG, Sony, Philips, Grado, etc, etc. My Sennheiser HD 540 MkII Golds are now twenty years old and still going strong. I've known of Beyers that have failed. The majority of good phones last the distance. I'd say it's more than likely that ELIAS has a cheap pair from his local Walmart but we'll let him tell us.

Maybe Sennheiser made durable headphones 20 years ago.  I've had two pair that went south.  What irks me most is their "snap together" style of construction, which means that every time you take it apart to fix some problem it doesn't snap together as tight as before, which leaves them open to buzzing, etc. 

[Mozart]

He is right, they happen to be Sennheiser headphones 

[drogulus]

He is right, they happen to be Sennheiser headphones 

    Maybe they will fix them for you.

    I'm not wedded to a brand. I'd like to replace my current ones with some full sized sealed cans with a short cord for my Pod. But it seems that all the ones I might want have these long cords that get tangled up. I can't wear ear buds because they hurt, and I'm afraid to try the really good in-ear type.
   

[Gurn Blanston]

 

    Maybe they will fix them for you.

    I'm not wedded to a brand. I'd like to replace my current ones with some full sized sealed cans with a short cord for my Pod. But it seems that all the ones I might want have these long cords that get tangled up. I can't wear ear buds because they hurt, and I'm afraid to try the really good in-ear type.
   

Don't know if you do any electronics stuff yourself, or know someone who does, but I had my Senns shortened up just last week by a friend of mine, and they are now ever-so-convenient. It is a bit of a challenge, the wire has some sort of coating that needs attacked with a mini-torch before the solder will stick, but the results were great. Needless to say, not a project for your nephew to practice his soldering skills on...



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Now playing:
Kraus: Symphonies, Vol. 1 - Petter Sundkvist; Swedish Chamber Orchestra - Kraus VB 139 Symphony in C 3rd mvmt - Allegro

[Gustav]

He is right, they happen to be Sennheiser headphones 

Sennheiser what? Which model?

[Mozart]

Sennheiser HD 202 Headphones
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-202-Headphones/dp/B000065BP9/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1203235421&sr=8-1

So what are some good cheap headphones? I liked these ones, should I buy them again? Or is there something better for around 30$?


Come to think of it, they made my ears feel really warm sometimes, which isn't particularly great during hot days. In Rhode Island, I even used them as earmuffs.

[Mozart]

Does anyone have wireless headphones? How are they? I doubt I would get the same problem with them but I can imagine new problems arising.

[Bonehelm]

I have the AKG 518 and they are EXTREMELY durable. I dropped them from a pretty high distance (by accident of course), and spilled water on it before, and it s just as good as ever. It never collects dust for some reason 

[Holden]

Get another pair of 202s if you like them. For a measly thirty bucks you can throw them away if they die like the others.

[drogulus]

    You probably know about Headroom, or maybe you don't. It's a good place to go for research on various models of all the major brands. I linked to the full sized list just in case that was your interest. The HD 205's might be worth checking out.

     

     

Don't know if you do any electronics stuff yourself, or know someone who does, but I had my Senns shortened up just last week by a friend of mine, and they are now ever-so-convenient. It is a bit of a challenge, the wire has some sort of coating that needs attacked with a mini-torch before the solder will stick, but the results were great. Needless to say, not a project for your nephew to practice his soldering skills on...



----------------
Now playing:
Kraus: Symphonies, Vol. 1 - Petter Sundkvist; Swedish Chamber Orchestra - Kraus VB 139 Symphony in C 3rd mvmt - Allegro