Broken Headphones

AdamScott85

AdamScott85

AdamScott85

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7 May 2016
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Hey guys, so I came home from work today and found that my Beyerdynamic DT770's have been broken. My kitten got caught in the cable at the back and apparentely the cable was completely pulled out of the headphones, seems unfixable so I am a little gutted. So I am looking for some replacements really now, these are out of warranty so it's time for a change. I only run a soundcard, no Amp and all that at the moment. I have been looking at the AKG range and other Beyerdynamic models, just wanting some reccommendations really please guys. I found a pair of AKG K701's which look good, but not sure how they would compare to what Ocuk offer.
 
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You'll need an amp to make the AKG's sound good, they are about as efficient as a block of cheese.

What's your budget, do you want open back (like the AKG K701/2) or closed back (like the DT770), are they for music or gaming and what kind of sound signature are you looking for (bassy, detailed, rich mids for vocals, etc.)?
 
Hi Rids and thanks for that mate. To be honest I like to listen to music and I do game occasionally. The DT770's has really good bass I thought and tbh I loved them, the kitten has really annoying me today haha. I would probably want closed back again but I only say that because I have never tried open back and I am new to audio, hence why I don't yet have an Amp and the works. I will defo invest in all the gear at some point. As for price, to be perfectly honest I would want to try and keep it under £250, any more and the wife might stab me whilst I sleep! I was considering even just going for another pair of Beyerdyamics, just thought I would ask you guys because I know you know your stuff and clearly I don't when it comes to audio. All I know is that I have tried lots of headsets that cost a fortune and none of them for me sounded as good as those DT770's.
Out of curiosity, the cable has been pulled out of the headphones completely, looking at it I don't think I could fix it, but do you think it could possibly be fixable? Will get a pic 1 min.

http://ibb.co/ghMcAm here it is

Thanks.
 
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Maybe headphones with a detachable cable would be an idea. At least replacing a chewed cable (if it ever happens) is a darn sight easier than DIY cable repair. Sony MDR-1A?
 
Sound quality and open back, the HiFiMan HE400i is currently on sale on the rain forest for £180, it's normally £330 or even more. I bought a pair and they have hardly been off my head in the three weeks since I got them, an utterly incredible sound. Easy to drive and only 40 ohms, so can be driven straight from your motherboard, although an external DAC/Amp would be better.

If closed back is essential then I can also recommend the Sony MDR-1A along with Marsman. I have a pair and they not only sound very good but are very comfortable too as long as you don't have huge ears as the pad space isn't the biggest. They normally run around £120 on the rain forest, though I picked mine up as an open box for just over £90 :)

Both of the above pairs come with detachable cables.
 
AdamScott85 said:
Thank you guys, will have a look at these, nice one. How do the Sony compare to the Beyerdynamic DT770's?
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I have the Beyerdynamic DT770 250ohm and the Sony MDR-1ABT.

Between the two, I would say the DT770 is more neutral sounding and separations are better, whereas the MDR-1A is a bit warmer sounding but at the same time a bit more fun and lively.

Comfort wise, the DT770 is probably more comfy as its ear-cups are bigger.
 
I have decided to put the headphones in at the local computer shop on Monday to see if they can fix them, if they can't I am going to get the Sony MDR-1ABT's I think. I have decided to get a gaming headset also, not had one for years. The last gaming headset I had was way back with the Logitech G930, could I get a few reccommendations please for a gaming headset too guys? Pricepoint no more than £150 with these as they won't be my first choice for usage.
 
Should be an easy fix, I repaired my audio technica ATH-M50's after the cable tore at where it enters the headphones and I was even able to install a female 3.5mm jack so that I can now just remove the cable from the headphones whenever I want. Oh, and I had no soldering experience whatsoever before attempting the repair, you just want to find an image to see how your cans are wires and then when soldering don't apply too much heat for too long or you'll damage the drivers.
 
I had an expensive pair of Sennheisers that a puppy destroyed. I was gutted after that and got by on a few different cheap headphones and headsets.

I currently own Sennheiser Game Ones. They're a bit "gamery" with a "heavy duty" microphone stalk but they're open backed and are based off one of their popular audiophile headphones.

I half wish I'd bought some more good headphones and an Amp/DAC to power them and maybe picked up a Blue Snowball instead.
 
AdamScott85 said:
I have decided to put the headphones in at the local computer shop on Monday to see if they can fix them, if they can't I am going to get the Sony MDR-1ABT's I think. I have decided to get a gaming headset also, not had one for years. The last gaming headset I had was way back with the Logitech G930, could I get a few reccommendations please for a gaming headset too guys? Pricepoint no more than £150 with these as they won't be my first choice for usage.
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Just buy a Blue Snowball mic and be done. You'll know what I'm on about if you're often eating at the desk hahaha :eek::eek::eek:
 
AdamScott85 said:
Hey guys, so I came home from work today and found that my Beyerdynamic DT770's have been broken. My kitten got caught in the cable at the back and apparentely the cable was completely pulled out of the headphones, seems unfixable so I am a little gutted.
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They are easily fixable by someone who can solder. DT770's are professional headphones which means that all the parts are available to buy. I've fixed countless sets of these in work due to careless staff who've done all manor of things to them. The cable enters the base of the headphones and splits into L+/L- & R+/R-. These just solder onto tags on the capsule in the left ear cup. The link to the right ear cup that passes over the headband is a separate cable.

Showcomms and Thomman are two of the best places I've found for getting hold of beyer spares.

These pictures are of a set I fixed from work. They are slightly different to normal 770's as they have a level limiter between the cable into the ear cup and the capsule. (Blue pcb) The ear pads just pull off, there are circular snap rings holding the main capsule in place which can be persuaded out with care using your finger nails


Note the lack of a cable coming out of the grommet. I've removed it myself. IIRC, I had to chop off a short section that was damaged close to where it enters the ear cup and remake the connections.


Even the transducer can be removed and replaced if necessary. In this case, I had to pick a few hairs off with tweezers as they were causing slight buzzing when playing anything with a decent amount of bass.
 
There isn't much too them inside then, crazy. I have no skill with this sort of thing so will have to leave it to the PC shop or find someone who can do it for me. I would try myself but I would be afraid that I would damage them even more mate.
 
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