DIY: Headphone Recabling

[jukebox]

Hey Guys,

One amateur audiophile from bangalore here. The thin-nish cord of my sennheiser hd428 broke right at the plug end, and I was reading up on the web how recabling them can actually make em sound a whole lot better.

I could get another plug soldered on but the problem with the thin, flimsy cable will remain and given my rough usage would prolly snap again very soon. Recabling with a thicker cable would be one option.

I wanted to give recabling a shot before I finally wimped out and gave em to the local electrician, seeing as there is no service/support for Sennheiser in bangalore

I need a mogami 2893 cable and a switchcraft or neutrik plug, and I have no effin idea on where to get them in bangalore. Also, I do remember attending workshop classes in soldering in my engineering days between all the booze and youknowwhat

So I d appreciate any pointers you could throw my way guys

Cheers

 

[gurubhai]

Mogami cables & switchcraft are not available in India.
The Belden 1172 is just as good & available in India. These & the neutrik plugs should be avilable in your nearby pro-audio shop.

 

[linuxguru]

I did an el-cheapo recabling of a low-end computer headphone (not Sennheiser) as follows:

1) Get a Chinese-made headphone jack to dual RCA male jacks cable - get one with gold-plated headphone jack and *separate* shielded OFC cables bonded side-by-side. These run to about Rs.20-40, even with gold-plating and OFC conductors.

2) Cut off the RCA jacks and gently separate the two stereo cables for about 10 inches or so.

3) Strip and solder the cables inside the left and right ear-cans, directly to the driver terminals (the details differ from headphone to headphone).

4) Additional upgrade: If they're closed cans without any liner or filler inside, fill the cans with kapok (silk-cotton) stuffing before re-assembling it. I get the silk-cotton directly from the pods from a tree near my workplace.

Results: The OFC cable improves the clarity and gets rid of cable dispersion effects. The silk-cotton stuffing gets rid of earcup resonances, making it generally darker and echo free. A typical Rs.200 computer-grade closed can now sounds like an entry-level Sennheiser HD180 or similar.

 

[jukebox]

The Belden 1172 is just as good & available in India. These & the neutrik plugs should be avilable in your nearby pro-audio shop.

Okay, hmmm, that seems doable. I checked up on the net, and well, I could manage these

Get a Chinese-made headphone jack to dual RCA male jacks cable - get one with gold-plated headphone jack and *separate* shielded OFC cables bonded side-by-side. These run to about Rs.20-40, even with gold-plating and OFC conductors.

2) Cut off the RCA jacks and gently separate the two stereo cables for about 10 inches or so.

3) Strip and solder the cables inside the left and right ear-cans, directly to the driver terminals (the details differ from headphone to headphone).

4) Additional upgrade: If they're closed cans without any liner or filler inside, fill the cans with kapok (silk-cotton) stuffing before re-assembling it. I get the silk-cotton directly from the pods from a tree near my workplace.

Errm, these headphones have just one cable running to left-ear can ?? What should I do, just go with one of the two RCA cables ??

So, in effect, what I would have to do, is open up the left ear can, remove existing wire, attach the new one and solder away to glory ??

Even at the expense of sounding immensely thick, I should admit that anything other than this rag-tag procedure would be difficult for me. I dont even know what this heat shrink tubing and adhesive caps they keep talking about on other forums. Can you sort of give me a detailed step by step way of going about this ??

Or, I could just go and bicker in the store and try to get them replaced on warranty, but thats just boring ....

Cheers

 

[linuxguru]

... these headphones have just one cable running to left-ear can ?? What should I do, just go with one of the two RCA cables ??

That's easier still - you need to run the cable pair into the left ear can. Separate out the cable pair as before, but only for an inch or so. Connect (solder) the left cable to the left driver. Connect the right cable to the shielded cable that runs to the right earcan through the headband.

So, in effect, what I would have to do, is open up the left ear can, remove existing wire, attach the new one and solder away to glory ??
... Can you sort of give me a detailed step by step way of going about this ??

The details will vary depending on the headphone, but that's basically it. One key part is the use of a strain-relief wherever a cord enters an earcan - it could be as simple as a knot in the cable.

 

[captrajesh]

I did an el-cheapo recabling of a low-end computer headphone (not Sennheiser) as follows:

1) Get a Chinese-made headphone jack to dual RCA male jacks cable - get one with gold-plated headphone jack and *separate* shielded OFC cables bonded side-by-side. These run to about Rs.20-40, even with gold-plating and OFC conductors.

2) Cut off the RCA jacks and gently separate the two stereo cables for about 10 inches or so.

3) Strip and solder the cables inside the left and right ear-cans, directly to the driver terminals (the details differ from headphone to headphone)

Excellent VFM suggestion. My only apprehension is about the 4mm thick cable that it is. Incidentally, I used the same procedure in reverse to connect the myref board to my source. I discarded the 3.5 mm jack and used the RCA ends.

 

[jukebox]

Guys,

I ve been busy with work lately, and well, have been unable to post.

For now, I have cut open the sennhesier original plug (moulded), have re soldered the original connections, wrapped around some insulating tape and this temporary rag-tag solution should hold up until I find Belden cables ( lead time of 8 weeks in bangalore, for both the 1172 and the 1192 star quad mic cable) and get my hands on a neutrik plug

If all else fails, I can keep resoldering as long as this holds up, and then go with the Chinese RCA cables suggestion by linuxguru. The only problem here,as far as I can see, I wouldnt be able to show off as much by throwing big names around

Thanks for the tips guys, and also, I dont know if youtube links would be allowed here, but found an excellent how-to on youtube for the exact same headphones:

YouTube - ‪HD428-Setup‬‏

This is a series of 5 videos, in which the guy does a recable on a hd428 with a mogami cable. Hope someone else finds it useful as well.

Cheers

 

[kaushik]

Recabling..hmm tasty..yummy sounds from exotic copper .
Please get good plugs at headphone end , use RF sockets .
pics please ...!

 

[kaushik]

any updates ? waiting for the progress report