

Ugly, but they work Great! by Brett

It always happens when you get them broke in just perfect to the shape of your head. That’s right, your favorite headphones, after years of abuse, finally start to give out. Many, like mine, will show their age where they are the most vulnerable, the cord.

Snap, crackle, pop your music goes- or worse yet, you lose the right channel completely during Season 4 of Deep Space 9. This cannot be allowed to continue- not when there are episodes of Star Trek at stake.

Tools Needed:09-26-2005 006

  • Permanent Markers (2 colors preferred)
  • Electrical Tape
  • Soldering Iron
  • Donor Wire (Lamp cord optional, but durable)
  • 3.5mm Female Jack
  • Multi-meter
  • Power Drill
  • Wild Cherry Pepsi (Optional, but required)

Now, before we get started, I know what your thinking- Why don’t we just replace the wire with a new one from a cheap pair of headphones? The answer is simple. Because I said so. Besides, that’d be way to easy and it probably break in a month or two.

So, the basic idea is this. Take apart the headphones, trace wires with multi-meter, mark polarity on the speakers, rip out the old wire, drill bigger holes in both ear cups, run the lamp cable from L to R to make them like the new single wire headphones, wire in the 3.5mm jack, solder the connections, tape where needed, take a swig of the Wild Cherry Pepsi, and finally put everything back together (don’t forget to zip tie the lamp cord for that extra WTF look.)

09-26-2005 004 09-26-2005 003

Take another swig of that Wild Cherry Pepsi and admire your work. With that jack there, you have not only provided a point of disconnect / strain relief in case the cord gets pulled on, but you’ve also left yourself open for upgrades. Want in-line volume control? Done. Want to connect directly to your receivers output RCA jacks? Done.

…and yes, I wear these out in public just to see the smug look on the face of every person with tiny iPod ear buds on.


Patrick said...

Would this work with an aviation headset?

Brett said...

Pat! How the hell are ya? Don't see why not. This mod can make Star Trek sound better on any headset!

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