Replace cables of HD202?

[unhappy_mage]

Hi guys,
I've had the HD-202s from Sennheiser for a while, and they've been great. Today, though, I sat down to the computer and hit play, and got intermittent to no response on the right earpiece. I wiggled the cable around a bit, and it jumped in and out and then died. I opened them up on that side:



and found that there's continuity from the connector to the speaker, and if one plugs a sound source into that earpiece directly it works fine. The only discrepancy I've found is that going from the plug on one side to the speaker on the other side gives 70 some ohms (the speaker is 33.2), but everything else is as expected and I think that's just a cold solder joint. Any ideas on what to replace first? Try truncating an end and see if that helps? Just replace the whole thing?

If replacement is the idea here, is it a good idea to get another $25 pair, or would stepping up to the 280s be a Good Thing? My brother has them, and they seem a little dry and lacking in the bass department (although it's very easy to hear the pitch on them - I use them to figure out how to play a song), while the 202s are a little on the soggy side. Given those evaluations, what would eliminate those problems? Would a $25 pair of headphones and a $50 or so amp be preferable to a $80 pair of headphones (aka hd280s) or vice versa? Source is AV-710 with high-res output on, so that shouldn't be an upgrade concern for a while, anyways.

Thanks for the opinions!

 

[towert7]

Hi guys,

If replacement is the idea here, is it a good idea to get another $25 pair, or would stepping up to the 280s be a Good Thing? My brother has them, and they seem a little dry and lacking in the bass department (although it's very easy to hear the pitch on them - I use them to figure out how to play a song), while the 202s are a little on the soggy side.

I feel the same way about the HD280pro. The bass extension is there once they get borken in, although the inpact is lacking in general. And yea, they are very dry sounding which is their biggest drawback in my book.
Anyway, Just wanted to chime in and say the HD280pro isn't your only sub 80$ choice . I have the Beyerdynamic DT231 and these are sweet for just 59$ (you get almost the whole beyerdyanimc sound, at a fraction of the price, its amazing! Plus they have soft ear pads). They have great bass for the price, and don't sound dry at all! I would take these over the HD280pro's in sound anyday.

~Hope this helps

 

[unhappy_mage]

I feel the same way about the HD280pro. The bass extension is there once they get borken in, although the inpact is lacking in general. And yea, they are very dry sounding which is their biggest drawback in my book.

He did "break them in"; about a day worth of a bass response test looping (it sounds *awesome* turned up, I'd link it if I knew it weren't copyrighted (but think half-steps down the scale way low)) and it's a little louder now than when it started, but not enough for my tastes.

I also need to build a sub one of these days, the Altec Lansing ACS495 one doesn't cut it for me

 

[unhappy_mage]

Anyone suggest a replacement cable, or just get new ones?

 

[legcramp]

nah, a replacement cable+shipping would cost more or near the headphones itself. Get new ones!

 

[weasel2htm]

nah, a replacement cable+shipping would cost more or near the headphones itself. Get new ones!

..and then send me the broken ones

 

[strid3r]

I'd recommend going for an amp if you don't have one yet. I find the hi-res output of the AV-710 to be a bit lacking without one.

As for the headphones, did you try resoldering the wire at the driver end? Tried looking at the pics, but they are kind of blurry and can't make out the connections too well.

 

[VoBoy]

Actually its possible to repair. Was your wire tugged off the soldiering? or is the soldiering off the speaker point?

I tugged my left cup's wire and just snipped a bit of the wire and got the soldier points to connect (since I don't know how to soldier) and pressed down firmly, a bit of super glue application and more tight holding while music is on to tell if it's working, and then rebreaking them in to check if pounding bass would loosen the connection. Still working strong now

 

[Vertigo Acid]

Having opened and attempted to repair a pair of headphones that are built almost identically (HD457), I found it wasn't worth it. Unless the problem is confined to inside the cup part, you're looking at replacing the cable. Since the stress-relief piece is molded into the cable, you'd have to figure out a good way to hold a new cable in-place. There's the classic knot approach, but I said forget it. YMMV

 

[unhappy_mage]

Well, I tried cutting the cord and soldering, and it seems to be working. Couldn't ask for anything more. I think I will be getting new headphones, though - I borrowed the 280s from my brother, and on this card they're a revelation. The last time I had a step up in sound quality like this was when I moved from el-cheapo PC speakers to these headphones. And maybe build a CMoy, at $40 for most of the parts for 2, not too shabby.

 

[strid3r]

Well, I tried cutting the cord and soldering, and it seems to be working. Couldn't ask for anything more. I think I will be getting new headphones, though - I borrowed the 280s from my brother, and on this card they're a revelation. The last time I had a step up in sound quality like this was when I moved from el-cheapo PC speakers to these headphones. And maybe build a CMoy, at $40 for most of the parts for 2, not too shabby.

That's great that you got your headphones working again. Did you end up cutting the wires at the driver side? Let us know what you think of your new cans and amp.