How to repair cable on sennheiser HD555

tnt3k

tnt3k

2[H]4U
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Dec 3, 2006
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unfortunately i had these for a long long time and i just realized this happened:

photo.jpg


is this possible to fix? i dont want it to get any worse. any help would be appreciated. thx
 
Just wrap some electrical tape around it. The cable on those headphones is not made to be replaceable so you would have to send them back the Sennheiser for repair or contact someone at heafi.org that does cable replacement.
 
ah.... that sucks... electrical tape it will be. thanks
 
You can buy liquid electrical insulator stuff that dries into something like electrical tape. That would look more professional. I've never used it and can't remember the name of it but saw it for sale at a hardware store one day.
 
I'd probably look for some black duct tape. That and try to push the insulation to cover the gap. As is you don't want to fill the gap as much as protecting the wires from getting pulled on.
 
deja-vu

I had the same headphones and the same thing happen. Know what I did?

emailed Sennheiser and sent it in, the repair was pretty cheap - I think I spent $25 including shipping.

It was worth it not to have done a ghetto job myself or buy new phones.
 
outspoken said:
deja-vu

I had the same headphones and the same thing happen. Know what I did?

emailed Sennheiser and sent it in, the repair was pretty cheap - I think I spent $25 including shipping.

It was worth it not to have done a ghetto job myself or buy new phones.
Click to expand...

and how long did it take? and will they accept without box or receipt?
 
outspoken said:
deja-vu

I had the same headphones and the same thing happen. Know what I did?

emailed Sennheiser and sent it in, the repair was pretty cheap - I think I spent $25 including shipping.

It was worth it not to have done a ghetto job myself or buy new phones.
Click to expand...

Was that in warranty or after warranty?
 
Recable them with some decent cable, this gives you an excuse :)
 
tnt3k said:
and how long did it take? and will they accept without box or receipt?
Click to expand...

It took about 7-8 working days. You just package it however you want, no need for receipt.

450 said:
Was that in warranty or after warranty?
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After warranty, I had these earphones for about 7 years before the cable got messed up then 2 more years after that. I only got rid of them after buying new ones for no real reason.
 
Tau said:
Recable them with some decent cable, this gives you an excuse :)
Click to expand...

some cables are expensive. i'm not sure i'm skilled enough to recable these headphones much less know what i'm doing. unless there's a guide with pictures
 
tnt3k said:
some cables are expensive. i'm not sure i'm skilled enough to recable these headphones much less know what i'm doing. unless there's a guide with pictures
Click to expand...

:( that sucks, but you wont run the risk of killing your cans.

Atleast the cables not gonna cost ~$200 ;)
 
cables cost like 7 bucks on the company website i had it happen twice on my headphones.. the 2nd time they replaced it free.
 
Pull the insulation up to the connecting and tape it once around with electrician's tape and then put a bit of thin, black heatshrink tubing over top to make sort of a strain-relief. Should look decent enough.
 
Don't be silly people. The fix is easy.

You need the following tools:
Soldering iron, solder, some wiring (I used a few things, anything works), an audio cable splitter, electrical tape, and/or shrink tubes. You will also need a normal 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to connect the headphones of course. Originally mine came with a 3.5mm to 2.5mm.

I have some HD590s. I paid 165 for these 5 years ago and was not about to throw them away. I had the same problem, except the plug and the wire both had connection issues. I went ahead and rewired the entire thing. I used a PC speaker cable just for the wiring, an audio cable splitter, and a little solder. Each headphone in the screenshot below gets same soldering treatment.



Once I had it all together, they were as good as the first day I bought them. These have been on my head literally 12 hours or more a day for 5 years.
 
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Not all of us are geeks and even own a soldering iron. To have to go buy a soldering iron and all the other stuff and then spend time doing it when it can be fixed with a little electricians tape in less than a minute...well..I know which option I would choose.
 
Udo said:
Not all of us are geeks and even own a soldering iron. To have to go buy a soldering iron and all the other stuff and then spend time doing it when it can be fixed with a little electricians tape in less than a minute...well..I know which option I would choose.
Click to expand...

last time i soldered... i think i soldered the wrong wires together... then it went downhill from there
 
tnt3k said:
last time i soldered... i think i soldered the wrong wires together... then it went downhill from there
Click to expand...

Yea, I have no patience for that kind of thing. I remember back in the early '70s my Dad built our 26" color console TV with one of those Heathkit deals. Took him about 3 months to build and for another $100.00 probably could have just gone to the store and bought one. Obviously I never took on too many of his genes.
 
dustNbone said:
My HD280s have a replaceable cable. It just plugs in. I think the cable is like 18 bucks from Sennheiser. I would find it odd if the higher end 555s didn't have a similar setup.

Dustin

Edit: Here's the cable in question. http://www.sennheiserusa.com/serviceandsupport_part-finder_cables_510626

$6.70
Click to expand...

Even HD595 don't have a replaceable cable. I saw someone post one day that they did. Luckily I didn't pull too hard when I checked to see if he was correct or not. He was not correct.HD600 and HD650 have replaceable cables though.
 
Interesting that they'd list a replacement cable but not have it be replaceable. I guess you still need to solder the new cable then? Funny thing is that the replaceable cable on my HD280s seems to be incredibly well made, I can't see how it would pull apart like the one shown in the above posted picture without doing major damage to whatever it was plugged into at the time. I beat the snot out of my headphones, they come with me everywhere I go and after 2 years of that I see no visible wear on the plug.

Dustin
 
They do have replaceable cables. (atleast the 600/650's do. They are not the jack style like th HD500's were though.

You need to open the earcup and the cable unplugs from the driver inside it and is replaced that way.

IMO Use this for an excuse to upgrade to a decent cable ;)
 
OK now I see the distinction. The 280s require that you pop open the earcup as well, I didn't realize there was an even simpler system. Actually, I wouldn't mind replacing the 10 foot coily cable on my 280s with something shorter and less curly :) Anyone know if there's such a cable available with the correct connector for the Sennheisers?

Dustin
 
dustNbone said:
OK now I see the distinction. The 280s require that you pop open the earcup as well, I didn't realize there was an even simpler system.
Click to expand...

On my Shure 840s you just twist the cable and it releases.
 
dustNbone said:
OK now I see the distinction. The 280s require that you pop open the earcup as well, I didn't realize there was an even simpler system. Actually, I wouldn't mind replacing the 10 foot coily cable on my 280s with something shorter and less curly :) Anyone know if there's such a cable available with the correct connector for the Sennheisers?

Dustin
Click to expand...

demografik said:
correct answer. there are re-cabling tutorials.
Click to expand...


You can get some Mogami/VanDamm Quadstar for a buck or two a foot from Mouser/Newark. Pick out a good quality Amphenol 1/4" TRS and away you go. Should cost you ~$25 and will blow the stock cable out of the water :)

I will post some pics when i get around to opening up my new set og AKG 601's :)
 
Tau said:
You can get some Mogami/VanDamm Quadstar for a buck or two a foot from Mouser/Newark. Pick out a good quality Amphenol 1/4" TRS and away you go. Should cost you ~$25 and will blow the stock cable out of the water :)

I will post some pics when i get around to opening up my new set og AKG 601's :)
Click to expand...

how different are the cables compared to the stock ones?
 
tnt3k said:
how different are the cables compared to the stock ones?
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Depends on alot of things... mostly your ears.

Your system is only as strong as the weakest link... Most being the connectors/solder/cable.
 
Tau said:
Depends on alot of things... mostly your ears.

Your system is only as strong as the weakest link... Most being the connectors/solder/cable.
Click to expand...

in my case its probably the macbook and its sound card
 
Tau said:
Depends on alot of things... mostly your ears.

Your system is only as strong as the weakest link... Most being the connectors/solder/cable.
Click to expand...

The stock cable shouldn't have any failures or weak points in the cable. If it does, you either broke it or should get a replacement.
 
Tau said:
Depends on alot of things... mostly your ears.

Your system is only as strong as the weakest link... Most being the connectors/solder/cable.
Click to expand...

You're saying the weakest link in a system are cables? Just want to make sure I have what you are saying is correct before we get into a debate. :)
 
Obi_Kwiet said:
The stock cable shouldn't have any failures or weak points in the cable. If it does, you either broke it or should get a replacement.
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I was refering to the construction methods used when manufacturing that cable. Nickle/Tin plated connectors, poor solder, unsheilded... etc. - There are FAR superior ways to manufacture a cable :)

Udo said:
You're saying the weakest link in a system are cables? Just want to make sure I have what you are saying is correct before we get into a debate. :)
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I am saying the most common poorest part of an audio system is the cable/solder/connectors. We can argue all day about other things PCB construction quality, internal driver plumbing, etc.


You would be surprised what a diffrence properly constructed cables will make.
 
dustNbone said:
My HD280s have a replaceable cable. It just plugs in. I think the cable is like 18 bucks from Sennheiser. I would find it odd if the higher end 555s didn't have a similar setup.

Dustin

Edit: Here's the cable in question. http://www.sennheiserusa.com/serviceandsupport_part-finder_cables_510626

$6.70
Click to expand...

Ease of cable replacing has little to do with the class of headphones, I'm afraid. Sennheiser is good about some of their cans but not all.

555 is unfortunately solder or bust.
 
Udo said:
Just wrap some electrical tape around it. The cable on those headphones is not made to be replaceable so you would have to send them back the Sennheiser for repair or contact someone at heafi.org that does cable replacement.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I beg to differ. You CAN buy a replacement cable for the Sennheiser HD555. There's also a "How to replace the cable" guide you can download as a PDF document from the Sennheiser website:-(http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/products.nsf/resources/55D807FA7CA301A7C12574330042F1C3/$File/HD%205x5%20Kabelmontage_eng.pdf)
 
tnt3k said:
i just don't want it to degrade it further. btw does cable length also affect signal quality?
Click to expand...

Yes. There is more resistance in longer cables because there's more material that the signal has to go through. The gauge of the cable also affects the quality.

But if you're talking about getting a cable that is several feet longer/shorter for your cans, there won't be a noticeable difference unless the gauge for the replacement cable is different.
 
EsoxLucius said:
Sorry, but I beg to differ. You CAN buy a replacement cable for the Sennheiser HD555. There's also a "How to replace the cable" guide you can download as a PDF document from the Sennheiser website:-(http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/products.nsf/resources/55D807FA7CA301A7C12574330042F1C3/$File/HD%205x5%20Kabelmontage_eng.pdf)
Click to expand...

Tip: the cable clamp may be hard to get out. Don't be surprised if you have to use a lot of force. Other than that it is very easy.

I am amazed by the unhelpful bullshit in this thread.
 
Udo said:
Not all of us are geeks and even own a soldering iron. To have to go buy a soldering iron and all the other stuff and then spend time doing it when it can be fixed with a little electricians tape in less than a minute...well..I know which option I would choose.
Click to expand...
I think you're on the wrong forum! :D
 
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