Fixing The One Thing That Always Breaks - The Simple Repair To Fix Broken Headphones

[@Chard9463]

One of the greatest mysteries of the universe: one side in the pair of headphones/earphones breaks easily and stops working, while the other side can survive the apocalypse and last forever.

[@HughJeffreys]

Usually caused by the jack or inline volume controls. Always the weakest link.

[@dresdi]

@@HughJeffreys 🤓

[@Lucasbird47]

@@dresdi 🫠

[@josuke6131]

@@dresdi 🤓

[@AbdAbdAbdAbd]

@@josuke6131 🤓

[@aleksandersats9577]

This doesn't only apply to headphones, it really applies to any cable as most under a lot of use do end up breaking eventually. I've fixed so many speakers and headphones that were thrown away and the fix was so simple.

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

Also the plastic on headphone cables can start to harden, deteriorate and break after a number of years, I recently had to replace the whole cable on some old Sennheiser headphones because of this.

[@beatyoubeachyt8303]

i have a set of 1970s headphones with a cable and it works

[@beatyoubeachyt8303]

Plus They sound better than beats I've tried

[@VulcanFire]

Great video however, you should have replaced the cable with a headphone jack input inside the headphones if there is room. So in the future when the cable inevitably wears out again, it can be easily replaced by just plugging in a different cable into the headphones.

[@foobars3816]

Like how beats would have done it if they weren't an evil company that sacrifices the environment for their own financial gain.

[@David-nd4to]

@@foobars3816 wouldn’t you? I know I would lol

[@julieboruta]

Adding a microphone integrated input Jack on the beats headphones themselves then by buying a new beats replacement headphone cable with both ends having a headphone jock and the cord having a microphone then you don’t have to worry about the cables breaking. Just buy a new beats headphone cable and plug it into the beats headphones. That’s the better solution then just repairing the tip on the existing wire.

[@uncrustable9923]

@@foobars3816 ever heard of the solo pro 3 with the headphone jack? also anything else they have is all bluetooth so you don’t need to worry about cables breaking

[@alexstone691]

I did this after replacing the cable 10 times in 3 years

[@MagnaLynx21]

Having recently got into soldering for working on retro handheld tech, it's crazy how much of a useful skill it is. You can get a basic station, depending on your needs and it can be all you need. A fix like this seems like a great way to learn more about soldering wires, since I've mostly been soldering stuff like battery holders directly onto pads.

[@deleqtronica8733]

I learned to solder 20 years ago by teaching myself how to mod joysticks, I never realized what a useful life skill it turned out to be.

[@sabersz]

It's exactly what I'm looking at doing if I ever need to repair the cable on my beyerdynamic DT770 Pros. It's a 10 ft cable, from standard. It's not only a pain to use daily, but I feel it'll break incredibly quick. I'm happy they're under 3 year warranty but once that runs out I'll just modify them to be mini-XLR and removable.

[@rabbibacongrease88]

This is why I like my Beyerdynamic headphones because when the cord breaks you unplug it and throw it away and plug a new one in and your back in business. No soldering required.

[@dlewis9760]

Commented to someone else about putting a 3.5 jack on the headphone. AKS K240 Studios, same thing. Toss the old, plug in the new.

[@bniisantos]

My back in business?

[@zNoah]

Same with my m40x, just with the added step of converting proprietary 2.5mm socket to normal 3.5mm

[@uncrustable9923]

my old original beats solo had that, after loosing the original cable I bought the dollar store aux cables and one lasts about a year so i just kept swapping them out

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

Some Sennheisers have that too, though they're using a moulded plug with the rubber strain relief built into it. My HD461 are like that. The headphone end looks like it's permanently attached, but if you pull the strain relief part of it straight out (NOT in the direction the cable is coming out of it), it comes out to reveal a 2.5mm plug. I've replaced the awful stock cable which had become sticky to the touch somehow and ontop of that started having one channel cut out with a new one from CN which is of WAY better quality and has outlasted the original by 2.5 years now. Now the main problem left is getting replacement ear cushions that don't suck balls (like those from CN) or cost an arm and a leg (originals from Sennheiser) ...

[@somebodyirrelevant141]

I've always enjoyed watching your videos. They're all very professional, the camera cuts and angles are great, and your grammar is extremely articulate, while also successfully repairing most of the devices you feature. Keep up the great work, Hugh!

[@HughJeffreys]

Thanks!

[@theodoros_1234]

0:59 Poorly made ones could also break inside your device, and I'm speaking from experience. Around 7 years ago, I took some cheap headphones I bought back to the store because the jack broke. They replaced it with the exact same jack you've shown on the video, and the same day I took the headphones back home, a piece broke inside my phone's headphone jack port and was stuck there for a long time until someone I know managed to pull it out. I basically got the no-headphone-jack upgrade (that would soon become a trend among phone manufacturers) early. However, after that I fixed a couple things myself with some better quality jacks, which work pretty well and haven't broken inside my devices.

[@NSHG]

One thing Jeffery might've not covered but I have experienced is also one of the speakers literally dying completely. I've had this issue with a pair of Focusrite Scarlett HP-60 MKII headphones - the cable itself checked out fine, but the the main issue was a dead speaker inside the left headphone. I had a discarded pair of Genius headphones with roughly the same size of speakers, so I harvested one of them and superglued it on the inside of the Scarlett. No difference in sound levels whatsoever, and they sound marvelous.

[@adriancoombs7857]

As always I love your videos, in regards to the headphone repair what I normally do is I put a female 3.5mm adapter in the headphones, that way if the cable goes bad, as it will, you can just buy a replacement and plug it in

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

Great tip!

[@richards1708]

Ok thats genius.

[@MultiTelan]

Now that you worked on them, hopefully they’re much more reliable than they were from the factory. You do great work.

[@kbhasi]

Thanks for producing this video! I have kept a few of my broken earphones because I know that the only problem with them are broken jacks. I don't have the time to repair them at the moment, but this video gives me some inspiration.

[@spiritualdrip1869]

Hugh Jeffrey’s got that asmr tear down silent voice that gives you tingles. 😴😲 5:23

[@CaieJay]

I would just buy actually good headphones instead. Fun repair vid regardless

[@yaboiavery5986]

i bought AudioTechnicia ath-20's which were a third of the price of my old beats headphones that had this issue within a couple months.

[@aleksandersats9577]

@@yaboiavery5986 Huh that's odd, I am using ATH-D40fs, and I've used it for years and before that it was used in a theater as professional headphones for even longer and they still work perfectly

[@pandemichd]

@@aleksandersats9577 I used to use the ATH-m40x's and had them for at least like 5 years. The plastic finally broke on them and seems kind of impossible to fix 🥲

[@yaboiavery5986]

@@aleksandersats9577 oh i mean the beats were the one that had the issue. The AudtioTechnicias are great :)

[@aleksandersats9577]

@@yaboiavery5986 they sure are great! I love my Audio Technica headphones, best ones I've used by far :)

[@ventilate4267]

I soldered a removable jack onto my superlux 681's. Man, I love cheap technology

[@razorsz195]

I actually got gifted this exact pair and on one windy day a shop door latch snapped and the door swung into me, yanking the cable with the door hand when it swung back, so the headphones have sat mint and un-used as i couldn't find a good video showing how to work on them, hopefully i'll be able to get them working with a new cable now, thanks Hugh!

[@uncrustable9923]

same thing happened with my macbook pro, I was In a rush and ran in a room with it in my hand folded up and (it had magsafe) but the charger cable caught the door knob and It tripped me and smashed the laptop

[@dlewis9760]

At one time my sister had about 20 of these in her closet. Long, long time ago. Fun fact. When you go into a store, you sometimes see these promo displays. Most times, the stores DO NOT SET THEM UP. If you, an outside company want to push a product you have to get boots on the ground and have someone set up the display. Stupid. The idea is to make money and the stores go "Nah, it'll be fine". She was one who did. She would have shirts in her car. The stuff was shipped to the stores. So, if she was doing Beats she'd put on a Beats shirt. If the next store was for a Microsoft product, she'd put on a MS Store. She also had to go into the stores to see if the stuff was still set up properly. Reason being, stores cheated. If a competitor also had some promo product, maybe your display would somehow be broken or not powered on, or pieces missing. Obviously because money was being slipped to someone. When a promo was over, the stuff had to come down and had to disappear. That was also her job. Many times, they didn't want the stuff back. It ended up in her closet. Beats, MS Keyboards, MS Mice. Dewalt power tool doodads. The businesses she worked for that did this weird line of work were supposed to gather it back and destroy the stuff. Unless they didn't.

[@uncrustable9923]

yeah I see a lot of people selling items they got from stuff like that on ebay or even the store phone demo units

[@BaconFaceMcGee]

Stunning as usual.

[@markbrelandcomeback8604]

Hugh! Mine has been broken for years, just 3 months ago I was searching everywhere but now you have released this tutorial I shall now proceed to imitate you

[@fancy_martineu]

Finally audio related repairs, my absolute favorite

[@Hello-nh3my]

Really interesting Hugh I thought that you only repair phones but you do a lot of stuff amazing keep up your Excellent work

[@Dennn90]

I have one pair of wired inear headphones since 2008, I can't say I'm using them always, but for at least five years they were my daily drivers, and I've replaced cable twice now, replaced mesh that covers the speakers, replaced rubber plugs many times, they still my favorite pair and a backup. It's a shame that my next phone might be without 3.5 mm jack.

[@ModelsExInferis]

Awesome video mate! I have an old pair of wired Skullcandy headphones I've been keeping on the off chance they're reparable and the fault may just be the cable, so I very much appreciate this guide. Cheers!

[@pascalamissah482]

I've never tapped on a video this fast 😂

[@InToXz]

I Would love to see you convert one of the headphones so that the cable is removable ( soldering a female soket inside)

[@locomotive43]

U r a legend man.. u hav saved humanity

[@TheFlyingBusman]

I’ve done this fix on a few pairs of Beats. The tips on the 3.5mm jacks seem particularly fragile and prone to breaking off. Nice easy repair.

[@kopazwashere]

The best repair to ripped off jack on a soldered headphone would be just putting a 3.5mm connector on the headphone side so you can make the cable detachable.

[@Homme_De_Kro-mignon]

Not a bad idea, but is there enough place inside to fit a connector ?

[@dlewis9760]

I've got some AKG K240 Studios I bought years ago. While not a 3.5 on the headphone side, there is a plug that may be unique but easily attainable. Years later, replacements cables are on Amazon with 3.5 on one end and this plug on the other, also ear cushions that fit perfectly.

[@Mashamazzi]

@@dlewis9760 sounds like the free headphones I got with my Note 10+ all those years ago But I’m sure that already had a detachable cable and bluetooth

[@kopazwashere]

@@Homme_De_Kro-mignon you can make space using a dremel, external connectors on a bracket/cable would also work. Ive done these couple times, one on dt880 and other one on ath a900x. Id use something like a t30-kn tip on a ts100 because the tip he is using (which works for simple wire soldering) is little bit oversized for connector wires. Also on best practice when doing soldered cable repair is make a knot on the earcup side so whem wire gets pulled the wire on earcup doesnt get ripped but the tie gets pulled against the frame. Hotglue would work I guess but it might fall out from abuse (also depends on type of frame)

[@TheSpotify95]

Glad to hear that your Beats headphones can now live on another day (or however long they last). Unfortunately, headphones are made to be disposable, so virtually no one else will do this. It's usually more convenient to just buy new headphones, especially if they were on the cheaper side of things originally.

[@jake78441]

No kidding... Talk about cheap lol but it was interesting to see how to fix them ig

[@chair5728]

Decently high end headphones will last forever, I see people using vintage headphones that still work well. It’s just cheaper or lower quality headphones like Beats or unbranded ones that tend to break, usually because of the cable.

[@George.16hz]

Finally. Hugh just posted another video

[@Skinnypole_clara]

Nicely done Jeff. Perhaps the next repair you can do true wireless earbuds repair? 😉 Just giving you some suggestions 😸

[@FR4M3Sharma]

You could've also used that Liquid Adhesive that is used to on Smart Phones to adhere the Display assemblies and Back Panel. That is actually far much more better and easier to use than hot glue.

[@markus98sb]

If you like repaiable headphones take a look at the beyerdynamic DT770/880/990, you can replace basicallyy everything and they even offer all parts as pares on their website.

[@kopazwashere]

Their jacks are not detachable and it's 2022. Pain in the ass to replace cable. Also 880 and 990s are open back

[@Iisakki3000]

​@@kopazwashereopen back is a pro not a con.

[@injbl3807]

Hugh should try a NAND repair video. I’ve got two iPhones with NAND failure, a complex repair but seems they’ll be going to a landfill

[@mikemiles3068]

Great Video and i dont know how many times i have replaced the pads on my BEATS Solo 3 Headphones

[@longhoanghoang3240]

Waiting for this moment every week

[@fixme.96]

those who can repair things are the best kinds

[@joshuabuilds3051]

Interesting to see how my one wireless earbud tried to demonstrate stereo by playing the absent ear at like 20% volume.

[@HughJeffreys]

No thats just in the recording. My microphone is stereo. I didn't isolate the channels.

[@arphmd]

Hugh: *fixing a broken headphone* Third-world subscribers when its expensive to buy headphones: Yes! Now I can fix my Earpods'

[@billnotpay]

This video costs him $0 but he got nearly the price of the headphones only from the ad revenue 🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿

[@pauldreadlike1]

Fixing charging cables bitten by pets for the next video?

[@L30NBL4NK]

To keep the cable from being stretched, I just make a knot on the cable inside of the ears. Hot glue might hold it in place, but when dried, it might slip, so the cable won't be held anymore. It also avoids the solders from being broken too. :)

[@torbenmayer]

I'm surprised you're able to beat up headphones this far by just using them. If anyone is looking for good headphones: I always recommend the Superlux HD681. They are dirt cheap (around 30€), can be used for professional work using Sonarworks (a software that will balance them, they have a preset in the software for them; they are very balanced out of the box tho, good enough for normal media production). But most importantly, I used my first set of the HD681 for almost 10 years (around 8 hours EVERY day), constantly being plugged in and out of devices, thrown into bags, cars, tents, whatever, before I replaced them. They were still working just fine and nothing was broken, I only replaced them because the earcups and headband got filthy from a lot of hair wax and drinks (partially) spilled over them. If it wasn't for the look and feel of them being basically abused, I'd still be using my first set today.

[@V.n.D]

Still using a set of HD330's I've had for over 5 years. Replaced pads and cable and still going strong. Love them for the price

[@lachlanpoke]

The cables on mine has gotten stiff. So I've stopped using it.

[@issaccartwright736]

I used to wholeheartedly love my OG set of parrot ziks. Then the zik 2s came out, and I was even more blown away, then some 3rd person company made an app that tests each ear through a series of, err, tests. then it would calibrate both ears to perfection, then it would let you eq stuff after that, it was perfect. Hands down the most enjoyable listening experience I have had with a pair of headphones. None of this is supported any more, but they remember the last settings, so I keep them for special occasions. For work, I use AKG K361. These are just loyal, cheap as shit but sound like I wish they made some bluetooth ones to replace my ziks. If a band/song/track/artist sounds shit on these headphones, then sorry. its just how it is. They are kind of portable NS10s. But not as harsh. Also good for teaching in real time how fletcher munsen curves work. What a boomer reply.

[@issaccartwright736]

Beats headphones are for people that truly believe mac n cheese in a burger is a good idea.

[@harpomarx7777]

Audiotechnica ANC-9 accepts a standard stereo cable with male plugs at either end. You just purchase or make a new cable and plug one end into the headphone jack and the other into your device's jack. More headphone manufacturers should get on board with this more simple design.

[@chair5728]

Quite a lot of higher end headphones do this, and it should just be the standard. I wouldn’t want to pay for £300+ headphones just for the cable to snap.

[@olbrzym11]

Do not use replacement 3.5mm jacks! i have done many jacks only repairs and the cheap ones dont seem to last more than few months. They also tend to brake inside the devices. Never had any problems with cheap replacement cables.

[@SlimTony]

My current Headphones are on their 4th plug, their 2nd cable. When your cable dies, it most commonly breaks close to the jack so you can snip 5-10 cm off, resolder (or check for continuity) and are good to go. When you are replacing the cable anyways, think about adding another 3.5 mil jack to the headphone side.

[@danielmiecz909]

Audio gets a lot better than beats, especially build quality

[@libertarian1637]

I love hot glue and find it quite useful. I keep a few different glues on hand from low temp to high temp and I have over a half dozen glue guns from 20 Watts through 200 watts and high, variable, and low temp options. I use hot glue a lot in wood working as well as in repairing electronics and they have glue targeted at both. The most important thing is getting glue and a glue gun that matches your needs; higher wattage doesn’t always mean higher temperatures but does tend to correlate to volume of glue per minute/hour. For most electronics I find low temp high flow glues work best as it gets into the nooks and crannies, has decent adhesion, and is non-conductive, it can also be reworked and removed easier than epoxy allowing repairs of protected components; 60-100 watts seems to work well depending on how much glue you want, as I prefer to be able to pour it on when I want I tend to go to a higher watt gun.

[@eddiew.4650]

Oh yes Beats. The iphone of the headphones world.

[@llochlanhedge3700]

Hi have you tried adding a female jack on the beat headphone that way you can remove the cable.

[@DergEnterprises]

Awesome work!

[@andrasszabo7386]

I have 2 Beats headphones that I have bought used on a flea market. They both have replaceable cables. On one end, there is the standard 3.5 mm jack that I plug into the phone, the other end has a 2.5 mm jack to plug into my headphones.

[@skeelo69]

One of the greatest mysteries of the universe: We can put a man on the Moon, but can't make headphones that don't break.

[@tanmaymondal69]

Love your work 🔥

[@yourlocalapplestore]

I broke my beats 🎧 now I can fix them thx Hugh

[@MilesProwerTailsFox]

the black adhesive you use for smartphones do the trick just fine for the pads

[@Zenefor]

Would adding a trrx female port be more viable? or isnt there enough space for one?

[@travisash8180]

I don't know.

[@HughJeffreys]

I did think about that but there isn't any space inside. But with some headphones its possible.

[@wesleyjohnson1983]

Hugh, my £28.00 sony headphones I bought, or possibly found a year ago, are still in mint condition despite sleeping on them every night for a year. It just shows that expensive stuff is designed to break really quickly. Especially apple products :P

[@aleksandersats9577]

It's usually the reverse actually. Cheap breaking faster as they use less materials and are generally weaker due to it. Meanwhile more expensive ones resort to using metal or higher quality materials that can withstand stress and use.

[@spicemint80]

been rocking a pair of Senheiser H600s for almost a decade as my daily driver, just take care of your shit and it wont break.

[@lindaparker3610]

That's a handy little video 😁

[@kianag6692]

You should reconsider your choice on headphones. The only headphones that died on me were Apple Headsets of the pre Earpods era.

[@Void_9876]

Finally a new vid

[@theodoros_1234]

Thanks for making this video! I've already fixed a couple headphones, so I'm already familiar with the process, but this will surely be useful to other people (it would definitely have helped me back when I didn't have any experience).

[@ArifKamaruzaman]

I'd put a 3.5 jack. But this is easier.

[@AirisuSG]

Soldering is actually a very basic skill and people should not be fearful about it. When I saw that I actually managed fix my broken usb cables with just cheap replacement connectors I felt enlightened.

[@caelari1722]

Can I recommend you to repair wireless headphone like replacing battery which much easier than repairing Apple's AirPods?

[@hirokurobane9145]

Been repairing my headsets for years, if the wires near the plug got damaged, just cut it off, expose the solder points, resolder them, grab that glue gun, then get a custom tip to that soldering iron to uhh, "sculpt" the mess of a glue to my desired shape/design and it's done, though if the driver themselves got some corrosion damage there's no choice but to decommission the whole thing, unless you've got the exact(or better) spare drivers lying around. If the mic's busted then just short the connecting wires, it'll act just like a headset with no mic.

[@alisterrebello5337]

The Beats executive team are tearing off their hair in despair after watching this video

[@Niyaz916]

My wired earphone's left side broken like 6 months ago and right one is still working. I think companies purposefully doing this to make consumers buy their newest models. Like you said in the previous video, planned obsolescence

[@Claro1993]

Isn’t attaching a 2.5 or 3.5mm connector better instead of a new cable?

[@davideaezakmi9530]

I had to click this video after seeing the thumbnail: I have the exact pair of headphones, and the cable has been shredded for months but they still work flawlessly somehow

[@vancedmge3188]

Why don't companies provide detachable cables, like some expensive and In-ear monitoring headphones.

[@IslamistSocialist371]

well,because they expected the consumer buy their product every 1 year

[@Madaraa69]

Good job 👍❤️

[@_Skim_Beeble]

I got so annoyed at wires and plugs breaking I instead bought a set of wireless Sony WH1000 headphones, expensive at AU$500+ but they are the best headphones I've ever owned.

[@aljosamlinaric8705]

I used super glue for sticking down pad cushions. It's not as thick as "b7000" or superglue.

[@kael070]

Not having detachable cables for everything is sad. Save yourself the trouble and get something with detachable cables, IEM's come to mind

[@backyardaviator2920]

Anyways suggestion here,if you want a quality plug/Jack, you can always go for the Ranko Acoustic plugs,not only theyre durable but also quality made since those are specifically built for modders & audiophiles alike. Still glad to see you posted a vid in which you can fix your old cans/Headphones. This would be a big help to anyone wanting to bring their old headphones back to life

[@kissingfrogs]

decent jacks are so hard to find. maybe a business opportunity there

[@pritamsahakeerthi]

Could have used the E-8000 glues on the leather holding the earpads. Worked fabulously on my earpads

[@ahoj113]

Wow, that’s useful!

[@binstar8269]

I've read some other tutorials online, they said that you need this "audio grade solder" when recabling headphones/earphones. Is this a myth or fact?

[@TechLoop-HQ]

Recently my cat decided my gaming headset wire looked like a great toy… definitely worth a shot what’s the worst that can happen right?!

[@lucasetten]

Those headphones most certainly are not worth $140.

[@evila9076]

I've seen 40$ headphones with build quality leagues ahead of that garbage.

[@88tx]

...or just dont use beets lmaoo xD

[@Sixtytwo]

I miss you with James Mayer and Andrina Grande Wallpapers.

[@Schule04]

The biggest issue is making a proper stress relief for the cable

[@ronlevin2339]

What vis the soldering iron and microscope that you are using ?

[@carnifexx]

should be a "Eakins Micscope"

[@moodhot]

i hope this video comes out 12 years ago

[@caravaggio]

When the audio glitches out at first and you think he's really dedicated to this repair video... 😓

[@canlelola]

Dude, really RS or Element 14, I have found some sweet looking, non-china 3.5mm plugs on those sites. I do recall even finding replace cables for headphone, but really basic ones.

[@naheeduddin1672]

Hey Hugh, slightly unrelated but I bought a job lot of broken iPhones and unfortunately there are far more iCloud locked devices that expected. After seeing your old videos on the topic I was wondering how you manage to contact previous owners to get them iCloud free.

[@been01010]

Now to listen to Scarlett Fire!

[@FakeJeep]

While I'd have replaced the cuffs myself... the only other thing was shrink wrap to the copper for sanity/ocd.

[@xt6997]

That ladies and gentlemen is why you only buy headphones that have removable cables.

[@StaticVapour590]

or just buy headphones that are not shitty ones like Beats

[@xt6997]

@@StaticVapour590 nah removable cables are just better in the long run because headphones that have that will last a lot longer.

[@RaddDronzy]

Next time put a female jack right at the speaker body. Then use a male to male aux cable. This way if the cable gets bad you can replace it easily without any soldering.

[@TaimoorInam]

You should have change those Ear Pads if you were planning to use them in future...!

[@Forrest_O.]

I should try something like this. Most wired earbuds are a hassle and I’ll take cheaper on ears.

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

If you have a headphone that uses an aux cable you can just replace the aux cable as they are pretty cheap to get.

[@ectogaming20]

5:22 bro Hugh Jefferys ASMR when

[@pearelectronics3083]

I do have a soldering iron, using this video as a guide maybe I could flip headphones on eBay people sell them with broken cables dirt cheap and I could sell them used for like 3x more

[@kennybacchus1488]

Fixing the. One. Thing. Always breaks the. Simple repair to. Fix broken headphone s