All mechanisms break down sooner or later, and it’s good if the wire from the headphones breaks far from the jack (plug). But what if the plug came off, but the wire is intact? Completely change the headset? And if the headphones are expensive? There is an exit! After reading the article, the reader will learn how to independently repair headphones in any condition, regardless of whether he knows how to solder or not.
Content
Why do headphones break?
The main reason is "factory settings". Each model is designed for a certain service life. Good headphones are not those that do not break, they are those that are constantly bought. So if your favorite couple broke down, don't blame yourself. These are all the tricks of greedy manufacturers and monster engineers who cash in on unhappy customers.
Expensive headphones last longer, but also break. Their price is due not only to quality.Premium technology costs as much as consumers are willing to pay for it
Headphone wire colors
- In most headphones, there are only two pairs of wires - for the left and right channels.
- If there are three wires in the headphones - this is left, right and common - a master controller that controls the volume of both channels.
- If pairs of 4 are left, right and ground for each.
- Five wires are left, right, ground for each and a microphone channel.
Of course, there are other options (for example, headphones with a microphone and one speaker), but the vast majority of models are designed exactly as described above.
The wires are usually doubled, that is, the wire with the "ground" contains an additional layer of insulation.
The left channel is green by default and the right channel is red.
In some models of headphones, the plug is marked (L (left), R (right), S (stereo), M (microphone). Ground contacts are not marked additionally. If there are no pin designations, you need to look to see if there is a plug on the body remnants of the plastic winding of the corresponding color.It is extremely rare that the wires break out completely.
What is the sound in headphones?
Many cores are channels, each of which outputs the content of a specific frequency band to the master bus in dynamics (in what is inserted into the ear). Thus, it is clear that damage to at least one of these veins completely eliminates the frequency range for which it is responsible. Why is this not heard?
It's about two things:
- stereo;
- the rest of the veins.
If one frequency is missing on the left, it will be heard on the right.In addition, when the frequency under which the channel was output loses it, the residual signal is transmitted through other cores. Thus, the overall load on the sound increases. It starts clipping and overloading. Why do cheap headphones for 30 rubles sound so bad? The number of people living there is minimal and they do not pull modern music in any way. What can I say, even radio broadcasts are broadcast with difficulty.
As for grounding, everything is simpler there. As long as at least one vein is functioning, it is. But as soon as she frays, the sound will change.
It is this factor that is the reason that the contacts are tinned, and not exposed with a clerical knife.
A good example of frequency loss is an audio splitter. A device that splits one headphone input into two. Not only the volume sags, but also the frequency range. The sound stops pumping, it becomes quiet and flat, the dynamics disappear. All for the same reason. The number of veins remained the same, but the number of outlets doubled.
How to strengthen the headphone wire
The easiest way is to do some extra winding, especially where the wires connect to the plug. It is in this place that the chafing of wires most often occurs. Soviet headphones were made from dense copper veins, which were difficult to cut. Modern cheap headphones have extremely thin wires that can be cut.
On expensive models, you can see reinforced fiber at the bend of the wires or a thicker elastic layer. Such protection will ensure smooth deformation of the wires and save them from separation.
History reference
The first models of studio headphones had armored wires.Producers and sound engineers could not afford to miss any moment during the performance, so they wrapped the wires with an additional layer of insulation. They did the same with microphones. If you look at photos of pop music concerts (especially rock music) of the late 20th century, you can see a solid layer of tape on the microphones. The modern music industry is moving to a wireless option and soon there will simply be no need to repair plugs.
Also, you can treat the wire with a layer of paint or varnish, which will save the headphones from hypothermia. You may notice that in the cold season, the headphones harden and the chance of damaging the wires is much greater than in summer. Both too low and too high temperatures can cause damage to the accessory.
ADVICE! Don't let the wire tangle on its own. Confuse it intentionally! Fold it so that there are no kinks. In this state, it will not twist or tie into a knot.
Shorten it. The longer the wire, the more likely it is to break or fray in some place. The short wire will not get tangled and will provide comfort and convenience in operation.
Another good and creative way to strengthen and reinforce the wire is to braid it with sewing thread. This method will not only protect the headphones, but also make them unique by painting them with unusual patterns or patterns. In the cold season, they will be protected from frost and will definitely not crack.
How to connect the wires to the plug?
We note right away that the wires can simply be twisted, but to get a truly strong and high-quality connection, the wires need to be soldered. In fact, there is nothing complicated in the procedure.
Tools and consumables:
- soldering iron (any will do);
- solder and rosin;
- clean connector (jack 3.5 mm);
- insulating tape;
- scissors;
- paper cutter.
REFERENCE! You need to pay attention to the number of segments on the plug. It must match the number on the old ones, otherwise part of the frequency range will be cut out.
Action algorithm:
- Carefully cut the wire across so that both strands are the same length.
- Cut it lengthwise, dividing it into two wires. Do not damage the winding of the pair, as it is an additional protective layer and protects the accessory from breakage.
- Each wire must be tinned in aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). It is not necessary to strip with a knife, as thin veins will be damaged and sooner or later will break
- Connect the wires to the corresponding pins on the plug.
- Solder using a small amount of tin. It is better if they do not touch each other, so as not to provoke a frequency conflict.
- Isolate the layer with electrical tape.
- Do the same for other contacts.
- Wrap the resulting connection with electrical tape in several layers and put on a reinforced layer. If there is none, you can use ordinary aluminum or copper wire, and then wrap it with electrical tape again.
If everything is done correctly, the headphones will sound as before. If you hear subsidence about the volume / depth / brightness of the sound - one of the points is incorrect or the contact is partially or completely broken.
You should not use cheap solder, as the resistance of tin will not allow you to transfer the entire frequency range. The sound will be cut off and no equalizer will fix it.
Pro Tips
- When buying cheap headphones, expect a lifetime of a year. They do not live longer with almost anyone.
- If you are repairing an expensive pair, you will need a good soldering iron with a thin nozzle so as not to flood everything around with solder.
- Copper, silver, gold - all this is clearly better than tin. Good sound requires good materials.
- The reinforcement of the earphones greatly extends their service life.
- Tin contacts can be not only aspirin. There are many ways. If the reader is repairing expensive studio headphones, you can clean them with a knife, since the thickness of the copper will allow this.
Conclusion
We hope that this article has dotted the “i”, told the reader how the headset works, and suggested how to fix it yourself. Let's go over the main theses of the article:
- you can practice on the example of cheap unnecessary headphones, instead of spoiling an expensive pair;
- cheap solder = cheap and low-quality sound;
- absolutely all the headphones break, but the difference is in the service life.
Try twisting the pins before soldering. If the sound passes - feel free to fix it, if not - review the connection diagram. Take care of your favorite headphones, do not throw them anywhere, do not leave them in the cold and they will last a long time and without failures. And if the trouble has already happened - our instructions will definitely help fix everything in a matter of minutes.
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