Does Anybody Know How To Repair The Jack End Of Earphones?

LukeS_

I've gone through a few pairs of around €20-40 earphones in the past few weeks due to the little connector on the jack-end becoming loose. I know I could probably spend a bit more and get a good quality pair but it just doesn't seem viable to spend more than €40-50 on a pair of earphones.

I've about 10 pairs of earphones lying around the house with all the same problem where the connection becomes loose which means the sound becomes un-listenable really, but when moving the wire around a bit it'll come back for a second. So is there an easy fix to this little problem or should I just shell out and get a good pair? Any recommendations? I'm looking for in-ear ear canal type ones.

PaudyW

maplin or any electronics shop sell the 3.5 jack bout 1.50, you then cut lead and solder leads to jack, but ive never paid any more then 20 euro for in ear headphones and only had that problem after years of use might be the socket not the headphones some times the thin bit of metal in it spreads and doesnt make a good contact without a bit of fiddling, see if you can bend it slightly so it makes good contact with the jack from headphones when you insert it

LukeS_

PaudyW wrote: »

maplin or any electronics shop sell the 3.5 jack bout 1.50, you then cut lead and solder leads to jack, but ive never paid any more then 20 euro for in ear headphones and only had that problem after years of use might be the socket not the headphones some times the thin bit of metal in it spreads and doesnt make a good contact without a bit of fiddling, see if you can bend it slightly so it makes good contact with the jack from headphones when you insert it

Which bit of metal are we talking about? On the outside on inside of the cable?

I'm sure it's not the phone because I've tried it on my iPhone 4, iPod Touch, HTC HD2 and a little Samsung Mp3 and all have the same problem with all of the earphones.

pleasant Co.

There's a sticky on how to repair a headphone jack at the top of this forum, should provide all the instructions you need

yimrsg

LukeS_ wrote: »

I've gone through a few pairs of around €20-40 earphones in the past few weeks due to the little connector on the jack-end becoming loose. I know I could probably spend a bit more and get a good quality pair but it just doesn't seem viable to spend more than €40-50 on a pair of earphones.

I've about 10 pairs of earphones lying around the house with all the same problem where the connection becomes loose which means the sound becomes un-listenable really, but when moving the wire around a bit it'll come back for a second. So is there an easy fix to this little problem or should I just shell out and get a good pair? Any recommendations? I'm looking for in-ear ear canal type ones.

If you're breaking them that regularly then it's a case of you not looking after them properly. Don't wrap them around the mp3 player or phone, use a small pouch to store them separately. Even a cheap pair can last for a long time, the only bad pairs I've had have been apple's ipod earphones and skullcandy where the soft plastic wire coating splits for no reason, even then they'll still work. Also be careful when you sit down with your player in your front pocket of your jeans as you can unknowingly put a fierce bit of pressure on your headphone jack and player.

PaudyW wrote: »

maplin or any electronics shop sell the 3.5 jack bout 1.50, you then cut lead and solder leads to jack, but ive never paid any more then 20 euro for in ear headphones and only had that problem after years of use might be the socket not the headphones some times the thin bit of metal in it spreads and doesnt make a good contact without a bit of fiddling, see if you can bend it slightly so it makes good contact with the jack from headphones when you insert it

Don't mess too much with the jack, if you bend/twist/shape it too much it won't make the necessary contact's in the mp3/phone/port/etc. You could end up moving the receivers too much so that only your altered jack works. Try something like placing a triangular slip of paper in with the jack and bulk out the jack to give a better fit. I did this to a pair of mine and I've to twist the headphones jack to give me stereo sound. If you're ipod has a loose jack port you can use the charging port and a fiio e3 to get around any issues.

hardCopy

yimrsg wrote: »

If you're breaking them that regularly then it's a case of you not looking after them properly. Don't wrap them around the mp3 player or phone, use a small pouch to store them separately. Even a cheap pair can last for a long time, the only bad pairs I've had have been apple's ipod earphones and skullcandy where the soft plastic wire coating splits for no reason, even then they'll still work. Also be careful when you sit down with your player in your front pocket of your jeans as you can unknowingly put a fierce bit of pressure on your headphone jack and player.




Don't mess too much with the jack, if you bend/twist/shape it too much it won't make the necessary contact's in the mp3/phone/port/etc. You could end up moving the receivers too much so that only your altered jack works. Try something like placing a triangular slip of paper in with the jack and bulk out the jack to give a better fit. I did this to a pair of mine and I've to twist the headphones jack to give me stereo sound. If you're ipod has a loose jack port you can use the charging port and a fiio e3 to get around any issues.

True dat, mine usually last a year or so and I take them everywhere with me. I always unplug them when I'm finished and wrap them loosely in a loop separate to the phone.

LukeS_

I guess it's just the winding them up so. I don't wrap the around my iPhone or whatever but I usually just like wrap them around my hand then throw them into my pocket. I done that today with a pair if two week old ones that I've only been using around the house and it happened. Oh well, out to buy more now with my new lesson thought. Thanks!

I couldn't solder anything as I don't even have a soldering iron to do so so I guess I'll just buy more. Would this still happen if I bought something like the Dre Beats in-ear ones? Can't think of the name ATM.

yimrsg

LukeS_ wrote: »

I guess it's just the winding them up so. I don't wrap the around my iPhone or whatever but I usually just like wrap them around my hand then throw them into my pocket. I done that today with a pair if two week old ones that I've only been using around the house and it happened. Oh well, out to buy more now with my new lesson thought. Thanks!

I couldn't solder anything as I don't even have a soldering iron to do so so I guess I'll just buy more. Would this still happen if I bought something like the Dre Beats in-ear ones? Can't think of the name ATM.

Look for a pair of headphones with a right angled jack as I find that these are the most robust jacks compared to the straight jacks. If you can get photos of a jack before you buy a earphone check out the strain relief on the jack and see if it's more than what your previous pairs have.

A very good guide is here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/478568/multi-iem-review-164-iems-compared-ortofon-e-q5-etymotic-mc5-added-04-28

It's got photos of each and gives a build quality rating plus dollar price so you can get an idea of what is available in your budget and how good it sounds.

If a cable or a jack looks thin and like something that a very cheap headphone or earphone has then it's generally a cheap part and a weak point, some brands have very robust build wheras others are sh*te. Beats by dre are very expensive in the US and massively overpriced in Europe consequently not a lot of people here favour them.

If you're breaking earphones regularly then shelling out big bucks is a waste regardless if Dr Dre has his name on them or not.

cnocbui

You could try these:

http://www.advancedheadphones.co.uk/shop/In_Ear.1/MEElectronics.412/M2-BK/MEElectronics_M2_Sound-Isolating_In-Ear_Headphones.12579.html

At that price you can't go wrong.

i bought the M6 model and the cord, plug and general construction quality is very good for the money. The ones in the link appear to share the same sort of level of construction. I don't know what that model sounds like but the M6s are very good for the price.