Repairing Headphones with Microphone (TRRS Plug)

Do you have a pair of headphones that have a microphone, bass boost, or some other feature that typical headphones don't have? This video demonstrates how to replace the plug on headphones with these features. I used Iphone earbuds that I got with my Iphone for this video demo. If you have photos you'd like to send me (of wire colors, etc.), my email address is: [e-mail].
To purchase an inexpensive wire stripper, electrical tape, and solering gun, check out my Amazon eMarket. There is also a set of Bose In ear Headphones (in case you give up, ha). The link is located on my homepage on the right side or by clicking this link: astore.amazon.com/richsm-20
The plug you will need to purchase is a TRRS. I purchased mine at (just copy and paste the link):
www.showmecables.com/product/3...
Here is the order description:
Part Number: 945
Description: 4 CONDUCTOR 3.5 mm PLUG WITH METAL HOUSING
The part costs $4.15 + shipping and handling. (Price may vary)
You can also purchase a GOLD PLATED TRRS plug from Ebay at the following link:
www.ebay.com/itm/GOLD-PLATED-M...
If you have any questions feel free to comment below. GOOD LUCK!!!

[@alexosow]

Listing to this without sound

[@justkage6013]

xD

[@niya2456]

Listening *

[@priyanshuupadhyay4854]

Just unplug the head phones from you iphone simple 😆

[@alexosow]

@@niya2456 Dude really had the nerve to correct my on my grammar 4 years later. I was a high school freshman when I posted this, I'm a senior now.

[@mars5596]

Party loollll

[@TF5Blazer]

My volume/ mic button on the headphones aren't working how do I fix this?

[@Kyliej0nes]

MOREVENOM you found a way yet?

[@ryalv4054]

@@Kyliej0nes have you?

[@xenondestiny]

@@ryalv4054 have you?

[@ryalv4054]

@@xenondestiny nah but twist it and try

[@ryalv4054]

@@xenondestiny or open your app up and then try also

I saved two of your videos about this subject on my Watch Later playlist because I really liked your explanations. Even though I couldn't hear them. Cause, you know, my earphones just broke... This is one.

[@BenDreemurr44]

🤣🤣

[@Salmoninyourrice]

You know my headphones were broken until I came to your video they magically just fixed themselves. Thanks.

[@RichsMethods]

+Maya Beans Well that's awesome. Come back if you need help again. I guess I'm somehow capable of channeling the headphone Gods.

[@laughingconstantly5712]

no they just were tuinking ur were gonna take them apart they wemt oh shit and fixed themselves lol

[@laughingconstantly5712]

no ur headphones they were just thinking oh shit we are gonna be taken apart and fixed themselves lol

[@nina7229]

lmao same , my sound kept going in and out and i watched his video and my headphones have been working perfectly since 😂😀

[@shalognion9473]

+RichsMethods I have earplugs so when I put them on I couldn't hear anything

[@warylailo]

Ur acting is close to the top actors lol

[@RichsMethods]

+warylailo Wow, thanks. ha

[@jokerortiz3543]

+RichsMethods Hey can you add a mic to a pair of headphones so that there like the iphone ones?

[@ReplayedCo]

sarcasm?

[@dineshchandra6049]

hi, My earphone has the 3 copper wire so how to decide which is for mic and which is neutral wire. Thanks in advance

[@5secondsoftop617]

Dinesh Chandra

[@tsiff3375]

The quality is way to good for nine years ago

[@Kitkat-nm3rz]

true

[@dracorodis5690]

It's now 2022

[@Breeze700]

GREAT tip on the playdough. Always trying to use pliers or clips to keep it steady, but playdough is such a great idea. Thank you!

[@blahinc1975]

Great video. Slight correction which result in the remote and volume controls working. The red/green copper wire surrounding the white wire is more likely a second ground not the microphone wire. The white wire is actually the microphone and needs to be connected to the sleeve on the plug. If you twist the copper outer wires together and connect to the same terminal as the speaker ground your remote will work. That is connect the copper wire to Ring 2 on your plug.

[@raphatube08]

I also fixed my urBeats Headphone (2014 edition), actually right now. Thank's to share this video! But I got some differences with someone that said about collors. Here I go: UrBeats have 6 wires: - Green: ground - Green with cooper (Twisted): Left Speaker - Red: ground - Red with cooper (Twisted): Right Speaker - Cooper: Ground - White (inside cooper): Mic I remove tha original cap from TRSS plug using heat gun The original conector has 4 places to solder: (From BOTTOM TO TOP) 1st: White (Mic) 2nd: Ground (red + green + cooper) 3rd: Green Twisted (Left) 4th: Red Twisted (Right) I hope it helps someone who want to fix by yourself his headphone

[@PhoenixLex]

+raphatube08 Hi, thanks for this comment, I've been trying to work out those wires for a really long time. After your repair, do your controls and microphone both work?

[@raphatube08]

+Lex Hi Bro, how u? So, I lost 2 trss plugs when I was soldering, because they have a minimal space to solder and I made a jumper between two "spaces" lol , also, I don't have a Lens that technicians used to soldering. After that, I got those working great. Everything is working (control and microphone), left and right are correct too. Be careful with soldering, if you spend a little time in contact with trss plug, probably you will lost the plastic protection that separe two metalic contacts. (That was my fault).

[@them8tysibulba]

Wow I spent months looking for a diagram or something else explaining what does what and how 6 wires are reduced to 4 connectors. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I only have one question though: when you say 'from bottom to top' does 'bottom' mean the tip or the sleeve (4 connector plug=TRRS plug= tip ring ring sleeve). It would be very nice, if you could help me with this.

[@unsilenceable]

raphatube08 isnt ìt copper not cooper?

[@xrvidenx]

my right side of my headphonea does not work.. i can only hear with one, some times when i move the plug on my phone, then i can hear on them but its really sensitive..... someone help mee!!!

[@shmoneybruh22]

Same thing happens with me

[@user-nx9qh1po1n]

+The Gaming Potato Me w

[@jumpyboicjgt3560]

+A.S. MC me too

[@philippatek1527]

im here for that too but commenting me too won't help :(

[@yogucci7948]

Same

[@helenlynne172]

Great video - just the one I was needing. Have subscribed and made notes - THANK YOU :D

[@GermanGergo]

My gaming headphone had a broken wire and i repaird it with you're instructions and it works like its brand new even the microphone So thank you for the video man it realy helped me a lot you realy got the skill to this and to teach :D

[@ashishgautam109]

Is it possible to replace 3.5 mm jack and use USB jack?

[@buzin-b]

i rather buy a new pair

[@llean3535]

SUCK IT before you buy a new one, just try it and it might get fixed

[@randomaster]

i would like a new pair too but my earbuds were OVER $100

[@signedup2462]

Just send your unwanted earbuds to me. I will 'dispose of them at no further cost to you

[@trionic5]

Mine are $80 headphones (and they are brand new) but my cat tripped on the cable and bent the jack

[@Z9E4D]

A big thank you to richsmethods for this great video. I have successfully fixed my ibeats earphones using these instructions, rather than simply throwing away a faulty pair of ibeats. :')

[@RichsMethods]

Hey thanks, I was pretty pumped too to see how well it worked. Thanks for watching!

[@killerdestroyer8786]

How do we fix the microphone all that pops up are vids about trrs things and fixing 1 side of headphones.

[@Kyliej0nes]

KILLER DESTROYER found a way yet?

[@spadez5994]

On my apple earbuds there is no sound and when I try using the mic it doesn't work

[@Blancos6]

I have been looking for something that actually explains how these suckas work. You are the man! Thank you for taking the time to answer basically all the questions I had! :D

[@bittenheroes]

Took me quite a while, and the cables were coloured differently, so some speculation involved, but it all turned out and my headphones + hands-free work perfectly now. Thank you!

[@karimmobarez]

it's a very useful video ... but unfortunately I have different wire colors of yours .. green, blue, red, copper &red copper

[@alberoDiSpazio]

i have green, blue, red , and bare copper wrapped around a yellow. that's like 5 wires.

[@rimurutempest423]

Green is right speaker Red is left speaker Copper is ground Red copper is ground for mic Blue is the mic

[@KLIZLR]

يا عربي ارجع بيتك😂

[@bones8942]

I can't hear the Audio because my earbuds are broken

[@brittneyandlissy]

Same

[@BenasonPlays]

Speakers?

[@bones8942]

They are fixed now

[@isai3056]

Me too

[@brandonman02]

While I wa watching your video my earbuds started working, your a miracle worker!

[@elliotquinn1428]

Hey I did a google search for a Klipsch S4i repair because I wanted to figure out the microphone problem and found this answer, hope it helps! The correct wiring should be as follows: After you clip off the plug and strip back some rubber sheathing you will see wires separated in to 4 twists. 1-Red, 2-Blue(or green), 3-Copper and 4-red+blue(or green)+white. Red = Right Ch Blue(or green) = Left CH Copper = Ground White = Remote Blue(or green) + Red that were surrounding white wire Need to be twisted together with the copper ground wire. This is critical! Once I did this the sound was exactly as the new pair I had, Bass, highs, stereo separation were back! Just wanted to pass this along.

[@RichsMethods]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep a copy of this in case someone asks.

[@baja30]

Couldn't you just rip apart the jack you just cut off and use that? Instead of buying a new 3.5mm jack?

[@RichsMethods]

Yes I was thinking of making a video showing how to do this.

[@ArthurReis97]

RichsMethods I would really appreciate if you make this video :D

[@JoshWithTheS2K]

RichsMethods I would appreciate that as well. Even more if they are the iPhone 5.

[@wasee6221]

Its easy :/ I fixed all of my earphones and headphones,1 skullcandy,bose,beats and a currently doing the sony...and used the same jack.Well the 4rings with mic and vol,play/pause earphones are tricky and usually dont work,so need a tutorial for that :D

[@RichsMethods]

Wasee Mustafa Arthur Reis L. Joshua Rodriguez Depending on where the short is occurring, you might only have a small amount (or none) of the wire left over to solder back together. You could resolder to the original jack (the metal part), but you'd have to remove the plastic coating and carefully resolder to the each respective connector. It's tricky, but doable.

[@KingOfNaples]

wow, is there not some simpler way? -___-

[@jouryhammad8325]

Magic Carrot there is, buy a new pair

[@alexmendez713]

Magic Carrot this is the simple way

[@larl07]

A medal to everyone who watched this whole (very informative) video. The unfocused lenses drove me up the wall.

[@RichsMethods]

Sorry, my camera was having some issues when I filmed it. Probably not a enough light. Thanks for watching though.

[@larl07]

No worries, all the info I needed was right there, so many thanks!

[@RichsMethods]

Yes, I believe this is what they commented... "Tried it in my BEATS by dr. dre solo HD and it works fine! I just placed the red wire on the inside ( 5:28 ) and the blue one on the outside ( 5:21 )" Hope that helps!

[@ControllerMind10]

Buy wireless headphones guys then you never have to deal with this problem

[@centiments11]

DeemoReacts Fuck you bitch

[@isai3056]

Vincent Arquillo lol

[@centiments11]

LIL Yatchman nyahahaha

[@ViniciusMartim]

The problem them will be battery =(

[@heavendenies8881]

Until the signal starts cutting and they are no longer detected... Good luck fixing that.

[@itorres008]

Thanks for the helpful video. I find one of the most confusing parts of this is figuring out what cable goes where for your particular equipment (L, R, Mic). Then sometimes different names or references are used for the same parts and that increases confusion. For example, on the graphic at 6:00 you write about connecting a cable to the "ground" and another to the "outside" connector. I would suggest you establish, for the particular application, which cable is what (L, R, Mic, Ground) and to what part of the plug it should connect - Tip, Ring1, Ring2, Sleeve...then also identify which or the connectors on the plug correspond to which of those...the outer one as sleeve, the center one as tip and which ones correspond to R1 and R2.

[@tylerxx2173]

U just got a new sub awesome channel bro

[@RichsMethods]

@MOSHESTREET No problem. Keep me posted...

[@dmkarekar]

thanks buddy for such detailed video , wl coz of you my JBL are again on the move after 8 months

[@rhonda6004]

Very well explained- thanks for all the tips.

[@bryanwood9524]

Thanks a milion ws going crazy without my headphones , had no warrenty so you are a life saver for my pocket book

[@RichsMethods]

Sounds good. I'll try it next time. Thanks!

[@sayedmohdsalman]

Thank you for this video... I want to know how to fix earpod volume buttom... Which we also use it to pick / disconnect the call .... Appreciate your help

[@chintan443]

Thanks RichMethods! i didnt get gold plated TRS jack so brought Dick Smith Aux in cables having gold plated jack and then repaired my Skullcandy Agent!! thank u very much!!

[@guido69x]

the plug with 2 rings is a stereo plug with 3 wires (left,right and ground),mics are usualy mono so they use jacks with one ring only (2 wires,the one with the signal and the ground).So the plug you are using has the connections to the stereo speakers and the mic. Nice video .Cheers

[@RichsMethods]

He thanks for the compliment! You most likely have a short occurring somewhere in the plug. Your best option would be to replace the plug unfortunately. You could also try cleaning your headphone jack. I have a vid on this as well hyperlinked within this video.

[@Hunter-de9py]

Yes. I figured out my beats. Soldered red and green to where they go. Grounded the other 3. They work perfectly

[@tech_3377]

RichsMethods Thank you so much!!!

[@mannypalma7635]

you are magic I just watched your video my headphones just worked 😀😀😂thanks

[@tim1133]

It's rather easy, just fixed mine today. After a while of trial and error I figured out where the other red and green wire are supposed to go. You have 4 "pins" on which you solder all the wires, to go from inside out: Most inner pin: green 2nd : red 3rd : 2nd red & green + white (it is inside the copper wire) Most outer (largest pin): copper (ground) To figure out which are 1st and which are the 2nd red and green wires. Just try them on the inner pins. The pair that produce music go there.

[@RichsMethods]

That's awesome. Glad to help out!

[@RichsMethods]

@jbond5081 Sounds good. Let me know if it works. I only had one viewer try it out so it'd be good to know if it does work. If it does not work (neither the microphone nor the volume control work), just unsolder the wires using the soldering gun, cut off the wire to get a "fresh piece" and connect the whole thing to the large outside connector like I originally showed in the video! Thanks again, I appreciate your help!

[@lecruz123]

I followed your instructions and my sound and mic work. Thanks. However, there is one issue: My volume and start/stop/phone buttons, built into the cord, no longer work. What did I do wrong?

[@HockeySniping]

Hey can you fix this one problem I am having? Or can I even be fixed? One day I have my ear bud beat URbeats and I dropped them on the ground in my room and ran over them with my wheeled chair, smashing in the dial down button for volume. Is there a way to fix it ? Could you maybe make a video?

[@RichsMethods]

You have to be careful when removing the white fiber. It should be bundled together.

[@alexrivest2537]

thank you so much this is the only method that worked for me

[@RichsMethods]

Ya, with some of my iPhone cases I had to use a Dremel to make the Headphone opening a little larger. It's diameter is around 8 mm or 3/8 of an inch. So it is somewhat large.

[@RichsMethods]

at the 1:00 time-point of my 3rd headphone video (this video) I show two different plugs and how to tell which one you need. If that doesn't help feel free to send a pic.

[@TheNoble6X]

Hey thanks I really like your video but I have a question , is it possible to remplace the jack(TRRS) of my iphone headphones by the jack (TRRS too ) of my samsung headphones ? Thanks

[@RichsMethods]

@spairpartsdealer It seems like there may be an issue with the right speaker itself. Have you gotten the right side wet or has it been exposed to moisture? There may also be dirt collected on the speaker. Try using some compressed air to clean it. It could be the plug and/or cable, but consider the stuff I mentioned above.

[@ThickpropheT]

I have a samsung omnia 7 with trrs. I wired the red/green wire & white wire to the lead with the hole in it (which usually is supposed to be ground, rather than the diagonal lead, but I'm not sure about iPhone) and the two smaller copper wires that you twisted together to the diagonal lead. With this configuration, both my volume & pause controls work, as well as the microphone.

[@signedup2462]

Thx for sharing. Did you ever figure out the volume button?

[@RichsMethods]

@MOSHESTREET I would treat the blue cable as the red/green twisted cable in this video- I think the blue cable in your case is your microphone wire (as was the green/red cable in my video).

[@RichsMethods]

@562shuffling No problem. It should still work if you use a TRS plug, like the one on my first and second videos.

[@RichsMethods]

Hey thanks for the info!

[@MrSoftfeeling]

Thank you for sharing this .. but when u solderer the 5 cables to the jack . Do u have the rest of video ?! Thank you again

[@cousin8100]

Thanks! repair works perfectly!

[@RichsMethods]

Nice. Thanks for letting me know!

[@RichsMethods]

Nice, Thanks for watching!

[@njcholasng]

The plugin is alway be my problem with my headphone, and i don't even know that if i can get any TRS plug around here ~.~ Anyway, tks 4 your vid, it could hepl me a lot, keep working and stay awesome

[@RichsMethods]

@zzlint The red and green are most likely the audio, the blue is prob the microphone (or other accessory), and the copper is the ground.

[@RichsMethods]

Thanks! I'm going to write this down as well.

[@MrAndrimalari]

FIXED. Great video. Thanks. :)

[@RichsMethods]

@MrICYFRESH23 Did the plug look like any of the plugs shown at the beginning of this video? In other words, does the plug have 2 or 3 lines on it?

[@RichsMethods]

Yes, you can. Use my "How to repair headphone wire video" to see how to reconnect the ends of the wire.

[@RichsMethods]

Yes, it works- at least it has for me. The housing itself can last a long time as long as you take care of it. I can't give you a time frame though.

[@RichsMethods]

@djjoni2 You're welcomed, and thanks for the tip!

[@videomystery1264]

Thank you so much for making these videos. Here's my problem: I have a pair of Logitech G430 headphones with microphone. I use them in my work and I use them daily, and I just can't afford to replace them right now. They have the cloth-covered wire instead of plastic. One of my cats chewed the wire in half. I tried splicing it back together but nothing happened. After watching your video I'm going to try it again but when I do I'm going to solder the wires instead of just twisting them together. Do you think that will work?

[@RichsMethods]

@tejizo Continued from last comment- the ground connector is the connector that is sticking out at a diagonal. You will also be connecting the ground (the copper wire) to this connector as well. I have not tried this myself and basing this off of what a user told me (which worked for him). Let me know if it works for you as well! Feel free to ask if you have more problems. Thanks!

[@RichsMethods]

The plug on headphones with a microphone are a little different from your typical headphone plug. The Headphones with mic have an extra ring of metal on the plug (the plug itself is called a TRRS Plug- meaning Tip Ring Ring Sleeve Plug). Your PC probably cannot provide output to a TRRS plug, it can only provide output to a TRS plug (Tip ring sleeve- like those seen on conventional headphones).

[@RichsMethods]

You could try to cut the bad portion out and reconnect the wires individually. You'll have to make sure you remove the enamel coating like I show at the 6:10 time-point in this video. Also make sure you wrap the wires individually in electrical tape. -RM

[@RichsMethods]

Did you connect the white ground wire to the ground connector? Also, there might not be a good connection on the red/green striped wire.

[@RichsMethods]

Here is a reply I received from a viewer a few months ago: I just placed the red wire on the inside ( 5:28 ) and the blue one on the outside ( 5:21 ). As for the other's I'd follow my steps in the video.

[@tookitogo]

Instead of using a lighter to remove the enamel, apply flux to the unstripped wire, and then heat with the soldering iron with a blob of solder on the soldering iron. In other words, tin the wire without stripping it. The enamel will burn off and the solder will tin the wire directly. This gives you much better control over how much of the enamel is removed -- plus, tinned wire is easier to solder. For fine electronics like this, I highly suggest using a pencil-style soldering iron, not a soldering gun. The guns are designed for heavier soldering, so it's easy to overheat the plug and melt the plastic parts.

[@viniciuscosta8835]

thanks man! It worked!

[@Cursseed]

Thanks , Appreciate Your help

[@RichsMethods]

Wow. Nice job. Thanks for watching.

[@Vortex2005]

Hey when i tap my headset speaker thing (from where you hear the sound)i can hear the tap in my speaker but when i speak i cannot hear myself my sound driver is updated to 2017

[@RichsMethods]

The blue might be the ground for the microphone. Does the Green/Red Microphone wire have a white or copper colored wire mixed in it? If it does not, then the blue wire is probably the ground and would be connected to the ground connector (with the other ground wire from the headphone).

[@DiscReplayQC]

Super helpful thanks!

[@kingluxxenburg703]

Thank you man.

[@ZUKOKBG]

thanks a lot for the quick reply i'll try it out thanks

[@Sheldonmiranda07]

ty bro i just nw fixed my earphones 2 minutes bck...and strtd dancin because i was so happiee... damn and it workd jus as new... tysm :) :) :)

[@RichsMethods]

@edwinl707 The plug looks like it would work to me. I'd get it, and it also save you some money. Thanks for pointing this out! The metal housing plug I show in my vid probably would be more durable, but this one should work just fine.

[@47akboy]

thank you so much i thought that was it for my headphone.

[@alexunder92ss]

Thanks! I will try to do as you said, an let the green and blue wire at the end. Then I will try both variants to see the effect. The white and the copper can touch each other?

[@RichsMethods]

@vinny876543 Ok, the blue, green, and 2 grounds are your "normal" headphone wires. Treat them like I do the Red (blue in your case), green and copper wires in the video (Start the vid at 2:10 for a description). The red/white wires are your extra features, like bass, microphone or volume control. I'm not sure if the 2 red/white wires serve the same function, but I would connect them to the out side connector (the microphone connector in the video).

[@RichsMethods]

Yes, for this plug you do. I couldn't find a TRRS plug that was a screw type (no solder).

[@RichsMethods]

You might want to do that because that way you make sure you are making a connection with the ground connector (the largest one). Then you can connect the regular ground (the bare copper wire).

[@dmonroy01]

Hi! Thanks for the video!!!, Audio and Mic are working, but I cannot get to make the remote volume adjust to work. Did you find any way to fix that? Thanks in advance!!!!!!

[@diegodelossantos9244]

hello rich, i ihave the same iphone headset with mic. the left is ok but the right speaker has no sound. will this video fix it. thanks

[@RichsMethods]

@DazedEdits Water damage can harm the earphone. I'd try using some canned air to lightly (very lightly) blow any debris from the earphone. Also, since the right side is working fine, it makes me believe it is water damage. You could try replacing the plug though just to see, but you may need a new set.

[@blahinc1975]

To get my jays four remote working on my iPhone 5 I connected the red wire to Tip, green to Ring 1, blue ground to Ring 2, white to sleeve and the copper wire surrounding my white wire to ring 2. Another tip is buy 2 plugs as it takes a while to practice your soldering. Use blu tack to insulate your wires inside you plug to stop it shorting. Some people recommend glue but blu tack is easier to work with. Total cost =$10 or 2 plugs. Beats replacing $80 headphones

[@RichsMethods]

@Mar10Man94 That is a good question. I'll let you know if I find anything, but I'm not sure where they go.

[@mebart6667]

I just bought a new EarPods and it works perfectly till the next day, The right side doesnt have anysound but the left does. Left side works perfectly (loud or low) . Do u have any idea why it broke and Jow to fix it?

[@RichsMethods]

I've never tried it but you probably could. Use my "Headphone Wire Repair" video to see how to reconnect the earbuds. It should be pretty easy.