Broken charging ports are also potential culprits. A worst-case scenario is a failed circuit board. Technicians we spoke with say that it's not worth it to try repairing a circuit board, but that replacements are sometimes available. If the plastic case that holds together your headphones breaks, you may be out of luck, though a repair service might be able to swap it out if parts are available.
Or you might also be able to effect a workable, though unlovely, repair on your own with a product like Sugru, a moldable clay. Name-brand headphones typically come with a one-year warranty. Companies may extend their coverage as a courtesy. And if your headphones are no longer covered by the warranty, the manufacturer may still be a good bet for a repair. Well-known manufacturers—including Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, and Bose—all maintain repair centers.
Jonathan Grado, vice president of marketing at Grado Labs, a company with a reputation for repair-friendly products, says his company will fix anything other than ear pads, even on headphones that are half a century old.
There aren't any particular reasons to privilege the manufacturer for a repair if you can find another option you're comfortable with. Other services may even be cheaper and just as reliable. Some local businesses steer clear of complicated jobs, but we called services around the country and the majority said they would be happy to fix a cable or a jack.
Do some digging. You can also try an online service. The company also sells refurbished headphones and has a trade-in service if repairs are cost-prohibitive. And Joe's also sells parts to shoppers who want to try a repair on their own. But keep in mind that many headphone repairs require soldering, and a botched attempt could ruin your headphones for good. Before you pick a service, get an estimate on price and how long a repair will take—and don't be surprised if you have to wait a few weeks.
Ask whether they use original parts though that doesn't matter with jacks and cables. And make sure they'll stand by their repairs. A guarantee of a month or two should be plenty of time to ensure that you're not dealing with shoddy work.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that most rechargeable headphones use USB-C. I want to live in a world where consumers take advantage of technology, not the other way around. Access to reliable information is the way to make that happen, and that's why I spend my time chasing it down.
You can verify this by plugging your headphones into a different input and listening for audio there. Listen for cable issues. Plug the headphones into an audio input, then bend the cable while you listen.
If you can hear some audio through your headphones, move on to fixing the cable below. Try pushing the plug.
If you can only hear audio when you push or manipulate the plug end of the headphones, skip down to fixing a broken plug below. Consider attempting to repair an over-the-ear earpiece. If your headphones have a detachable cable which can connect the earpieces as with most Bluetooth headphones , try using your detachable cable with a different set of over-the-ear headphones. If you find that the other set works, your main set's earpieces are most likely to blame; you can try to fix them by using your headphones' documentation and recommended repair strategies.
Set up a multimeter. If you haven't found the problem yet, use a multimeter. You can find one at a hardware store. Set up the multimeter as follows: Set the multimeter to test continuity, marked by or a similar symbol. Plug the black lead into the hole marked COM. Test your wires with the multimeter. The multimeter will beep if there are no breaks in the wire; to test the wire, follow the below instructions: Make one slit next to the plug, and one slit next to the earpiece.
The bare copper wire usually has a clear protective coat, so gently scrape the coat away with a knife. Wait for a response from the multimeter; if it beeps, the problem is in the plug or earpiece.
If it does not beep, make a slit halfway along the cable and test each half of the cable. Make another cut in the half that does not beep. Repeat until you've found two points a few inches several centimeters apart that do not cause the multimeter to beep. Continue on to fixing the cable , skipping the test step. Part 2. Test the cable.
To figure out where the break in the wires is, wear the headphones and turn on audio, then bend the cable to a right angle across the tip of your thumb. Slide your thumb along the length of the cable. When the sound crackles or cuts in and out, you have found the problem.
If the problem is near the plug, see the next part for repair instructions. Otherwise, continue to the next step. If you already found the problem with a multimeter, skip this step. Strip off the insulation. This is the area you'll need to repair. If your cable looks like two cables glued together then each one will contain an insulated wire the signal and a bare wire the ground.
Apple headphones and other headphones with single cables have two insulated wires the left and right signal and a single bare ground wire. Cut the cord. Cut the cord in half. If the wire inside is shredded, cut on either side of it to remove the problem. If you do this, remove the same amount from the left and right cords. Uneven lengths of cord can cause electrical damage to your headphones. This will save time, but the repair will be less sturdy.
Slide on a shrink tube. This is a rubber tubing that looks just like the rest of your headphone cable. Slide it onto the cable for later. After your repair, you'll slide this back over the open area to protect it. If you had to cut the wire several times to find the problem, slip on a tube over each cut. Splice the wires. This means you'll be joining the wires together. Make sure to connect wires with the same color insulation or no insulation.
You have two options: a pigtail splice and an in-line splice. Place them parallel to each other and twist them together to join them. This is quick and easy, but the repair will be bulkier.
For an in-line splice, overlap the wires end to end, then twist them in opposite directions. This is more difficult but the repair is easier to hide. Solder the connections. Use a soldering iron to melt a small dab of solder over the wires. Repeat for each splice, then let the solder cool. Bare wires without insulation usually have a thin enamel coat. Sand this off or burn it off with the soldering iron before you solder.
Avoid breathing in the fumes. Slide your shrink tube over the repair. After the shrink tube is properly fitted over the repair site, you can use a heat gun to constrict it. The tube will shrink down to about a quarter of its original size, which will allow it to fit snugly around your newly-repaired cable, keeping it strong and protected.
Part 3. Purchase a new jack plug. You can find these for cheap online or at an electronics store. Select a metal plug with stereo connection and a spring. Make sure it's the same size as your old plug, typically 3. Cut the old plug off. Place your knife or scissors about an inch above the point where the cable connects to the plug, then slice through the cable.
Remove the shielding from an inch of the cable. With a pair of wire strippers, strip about an inch of the cable's cover from the end. You should see a wire for both the right and left earpieces, as well as at least one ground wire. If there are two ground wires, you'll need to solder them together later. Sort the wires by color. Typically, you'll find a red wire for the right earpiece, a white or green wire for the left earpiece, and one or two black or bare copper wires for the "ground" wire s.
Strip the ends of the wires. If your wires are enamel-tipped, you may be able to skip this step. Twist like-colored wires together.
If you have two ground wires, you'll need to twist together their ends before you can solder them. If all of the like-colored wires are distinct, just make sure that any frayed ends of the wires are twisted together. Remove enamel from the end of the wires. If your wires are tipped in an enamel cap, you'll need to burn it off by touching the soldering iron to the end of each wire in order to expose the copper ends of the wires.
Slip the headphone jack's sleeve onto the wire. It should fit with the portion which will screw into the plug facing the bottom of the wire. The plug base should have two pins sticking out of the end. Once the wires are connected, tightly wrap the exposed area in electrical tape.
Alternatively, slide some shrink tube over the cable while you're working, then use a heat gun to make it constrict around the repaired cable. If your headphone's plug is damaged, purchase a replacement at an electronics store or online. Choose a metal plug with a stereo connection and a spring that's the same size as your current plug.
To replace a broken headphone plug:. Slice off the old plug. Cut through the cable about an inch above where the cable and plug meet. Some cables can be screwed off, but the problem likely lurks at the base of the cable, so you should cut it, regardless.
Use scissors or wire strippers to remove an inch of the cable's cover and expose the wires. Sort the wires by color and type, then use a lighter to burn off the enamel coating. Twist like-colored wires together. If there are two ground wires, twist the frayed ends of both together.
Slide your new headphone plug's sleeve over the wire so the part that connects with the plug is facing the exposed wire. Melt a tiny dab of solder on the end of each wire, then allow the solder to cool. Add solder to one pin in the plug's housing and apply heat to melt the solder. Touch the soldered end of the wire to the soldered pin to connect the wire to the plug. Repeat the process for the other wires. Roughen the edges of the soldered wire with sandpaper to make it easier to connect with the plug pins.
Assemble the new headphone plug by screwing the jack sleeve into the plug. Make sure the wires aren't touching and the sleeve is tightly secured. If one earpiece isn't working because of a short in the cable, fix that portion of the cable.
However, if the problem lies with the earpiece, the fix is more complicated. Due to the varied designs of different headphone brands, replacing a broken earpiece is a job best left to the manufacturer or another professional.
If your headphones are no longer under warranty, try the following:. Disassemble the broken earpiece. Consult the manual or the maker's website for guidance. You may need a size 0 crosshead screwdriver if there are screws to remove. Some earbuds can be tugged apart. If you see severed wires, reattach them to the headphone driver by soldering them to the bare pin.
If several wires are loose, check the manual to determine which wires go where. Make sure the wires are not touching one another. Reassemble the earpiece and test it.
If there are no loose connections in the earpiece, the headphone driver may be defective. To replace the driver:. Cut the rubber seal around the driver and remove it. Put the new driver in the empty slot, making sure not to touch the thin diaphragm. Add a tiny bit of glue around the edges to keep it in place. Reassemble the repaired earpiece and test it out.
0コメント