The BEST Upgrade You Can Make To Your Headphones

incidentally, fake leather flakes sounds like the world's worst breakfast cereal
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▶Features the following videos
"HD 25 - The Watermelon Challenge | Sennheiser" - Sennheiser
• HD 25 - The Watermelon...
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• Dr. Dre Beats Studio H...
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▶Music used:
Lamb - setting sun
BRD Keygen #4
Kalachnikov - Mental delivrance
Maktone - class cracktro#15
4-Mat - eternity
CORE - mr spock's cryo-bed

[@Astrosynthesist]

Matt, you made a simple classic mistake. The 3.5mm jack you originally used was fine - look closely, you didn't plug your plug in all the way. This frequently is the cause of no audio on one channel, mixed audio on the other. Because everything was fragile you were likely too gentle plugging your cable in. The tip signal wasn't touching the tip contact at all, and the ring contact was stuck between tip and ring. False set! All's well that ends well though! Nice repair!

[@RudyMemes]

It ended up working better for him as the new plug really fits the headphones and used up less space total

[@MattKC]

Damn I think you're right, I tried pushing harder into the original socket, and there is just one last tiny click of the plug going all the way in. Indeed I was being very delicate with it, and it had felt like enough of a click that it was all the way in. Ah well, the new plug is definitely better for this project, so nothing of value was lost, and at least I now know the old socket _probably_ isn't broken and might be usable in another project.

[@bland9876]

iu was guessing it was 2 ring vs 3 ring but both are viable things to check when headphones are not working.

[@davidasdasd4666]

@@bland9876 then it would only have 2 solder tabs

[@trankzen148]

@@MattKC No regrets, the socket you ended up buying looks a lot better anyway. I've been thinking of doing the same to my Superlux HD-660 (great cans, lousy cable) and my Anlion Modmic, and this video might just give me the impulse I need to do just that.

[@Arman-sr7wb]

Just give him a little care and old mate senny will be as good as new!

[@henloampepe]

They ain't no Huh Duh 6 hundos but they're pretty cromulent

[@beluga7828]

@@henloampepe it ain't no hundo its hungeo and dankpods is awesome

[@danoV1c]

Ah yes, fellow men of culture

[@genericyoutubechannel3591]

Oh no my pkcell

[@fraggysituation]

A brand new nuuuggggg....

[@jaceknox]

We went from fitting a game into a QR code, to booting Windows 98 on a laptop, to fixing Lego Island bugs and audio, to fixing headphones. Amazing stuff👏

[@partitionhlep]

it's actually windows 98 on a modern laptop to fitting a game into a qr code to fixing lego island bugs and audio to fixing headphones

[@Lvlaple4Ever]

So the videos are getting more boring.

[@krystostheoverlord1261]

"this phallic rubber insert is too small... story of my life" I love this and me too XD

[@DemeDemetre]

ok...

[@Kyharra]

@@A1C6 yea i have a feeling that was the joke.. Doesn't take much to figure that out..

[@TDGalea]

The socket looks absolutely gorgeous on these headphones. Literally looks official from a distance. As others have said, with a bit of blackening and the blob removed, this would literally be flawless.

[@MattRoszak]

Funny that this video appeared just as I was shopping around for replacement padding parts for my wireless Sennheisers. My 5-year old RS 185s are pretty worn out from constant use, but with some new padding they should look quite presentable once again.

[@YOEL_44]

Lucky you, Sennheiser has a bunch of replacement options, my good old JVC HA-S660 are now using a pair of generic pads that are ever so slightly bigger than they need to and fiddle all around when I wear them, but I don't want to replace the headphones cause they have the perfect sound profile for me.

[@DemeDemetre]

nice

[@nixel1324]

Thank you for making the EBF series! I always like seeing people I look up to in comment sections, reminds me that they're not just some username on a product/piece of content, but also just regular people who comment on stuff in their spare time.

[@RisingRevengeance]

Those are pretty good, I use them with my tv setup. Replaced the padding with some soft fabric tho, really dislike what they came with.

[@p1nstark]

Oh damn hello Matt, Loved EBF since forever and hope you best of luck with stuff moving on and i still would want to get EBF 5 once the mobile version is avaiable. Anyway, with my old Audio-technica m30x it has official replacement pads but they are a tad bit pricey so i got some from local shops and they do work but they did fit it a bit odd compared to the original ones.

[@magneticflux-]

Nice! Your DIY tech videos are the perfect combination of calming and super interesting!

[@quokka_yt]

Video: 10 seconds ago Your comment: 1 day ago.

[@TheSteinCollector]

@@quokka_yt you're right!

[@FarmYardGaming]

Patreon, I'm guessing

[@zanik2.054]

Wow, you could not have said that any better.

[@Kat21]

yes

[@Sarah-hs8ir]

“Plus they smell like my friends hair, not that I’ve smelled my friends hair…much”

[@quokka_yt]

Video: 10 seconds ago Your comment: 1 day ago.

[@Left-Earth]

@@quokka_yt Nice catch! 👍✨🏆

[@krtirtho]

How's that possible?!

[@YOEL_44]

@@krtirtho He's a channel member

[@krtirtho]

Thanks for letting me know😀

[@MegaManNeo]

This mod is amazing! Props for upcycling otherwise pretty broken headphones.

[@misteranderbro2328]

Matt: Not that I've sniffed my friend's hair.. Me: :| Matt: ...much Me: :)

[@JomasterTheSecond]

Always good to see ol' mate Sennys getting their love.

[@ellie3859]

The hurr durr six hungoes

[@chrono0097]

@@ellie3859 Ah yes, the headphones that sound suspiciously similar to my headphones

[@juniper-raid]

@@ellie3859 that's pretty dank

[@p3chv0gel22]

Can't blow them up with the Diablo

[@tOSdude]

I would probably retest that old socket if you still have it, I don't think it was plugged in fully.

[@videoviper]

I was looking for a video like this for years. Thank you!

[@michalbilinski4168]

Thank you, Matt - I’m so glad you find motivation and enjoyment out of making those videos. As soon as I graduated I’m gonna support you on patreon - hope to meet you in person some day Cheers!

[@ButtKraken01]

Love seeing your videos! I bought a electronics repair kit recently probably subconsciously due to your videos inspiring me to start tinkering. I've got a few broken mouses and controllers piled up that I'm going to take apart soon.

[@blackbird1665]

As a 14 y/o Sound Technician at my school, maybe I need that some time. Keep the great work up, Matt!

[@reagan410]

You make some of the most mundane things so entertaining, keep doing what you're doing matt!

[@blueyez1980]

Great video! Always get excited when a new MattKC pops up.

[@cbeomjun]

Love the additional b-roll!

[@user-kd5fk7wy6r]

This is a very neat little video, I might end up using the knoledge from this video myself.

[@ChristyOFaghan]

nicely done, and informative for a little bodge repair i'm thinking of performing on an old set of cans

[@trunkmonkey5749]

"I don't like Bluetooth audio" Neither did I until I started high school. Then wireless earbuds are a godsend.

[@TaylerPlays]

Facts

[@A-G-F-]

I still dont like it lol

[@jamescruz8678]

They're great for convenience. Just not for realtime applications or for high-fidelity audio.

[@grootsyt]

@@jamescruz8678 that's why I have headphones with both a 2.5 mm jack and bluetooth.

[@grubdotwebsite]

I just did a really similar thing with a set of 70's AKG monitors! The cable was completely busted and the earpads had gone flat and started to disintegrate, and the headphones perfectly fit a socket I had on hand! (it was just cut down from an old 3.5mm to rca that I didn't need)

[@NAANsoft]

I love your optimistic voice. It feels inspirational.

[@williamg209two]

amazing repair and improvement

[@jafizzle95]

I recently modded some Koss KPH30i headphones. Added a removable cable and larger pads. Sounds fantastic. Was excited to see a headphone modding video from you.

[@sparce206]

Excited to watch this again!!

[@rockaturbo]

Thanks for that Video - it encouraged me to upgrade my own Senheiser with a very broken cable. Also I now have the plug only at one ear and not wires at both. Again, really good inspiration, thanks mate!

[@tszabon]

I have Philips headphones from the 80's and in terms of the materials used, they are still perfect. New Philips headphones - the entire membrane covering the earcups begins to crack and peel off after a year of use. Every time I take them off, some of that black crap is left on my head.

[@EnderSpy29]

really cool man i've always wanted to have a modded custom headset and this has really helped :D since a 3.5mm jack is one of the mods i've wanted to do!

[@dronejunglistplatoon]

Huge fan man! Keep up the great work!

[@qlum]

Cool to see, personally did some similar mods. Personally I choose hot-glue over epoxy, as it's easier to use, still strong enough and also easier to undo if you mess up.

[@volundrfrey896]

I've done this to a pair of headphones. my tip would be to use mini-xlr instead of aux. If your cable is too heavy the the weight of the cable alone can disconnect it from your headphones if you use aux, mini-xlr on the other hand has a button that needs to be pressed to release it.

[@Kylefassbinderful]

That turned out great! It actually looks pretty good.

[@afdrell477]

I believe that stereo was a later addition to the 3.5 jack, so it’s possible that yours broken one was mono, which would probably have mixed the signals

[@ElZamo92]

Not likely since the plug had three prongs to solder stuff to.

[@tehrobotjesus]

@@ElZamo92 switched mono jacks are common and have three terminals.

[@jishan6992]

a MattKC video is always a treat

[@customfreak81]

That's a very tidy repair! For the outside you could use sugru to create a moulded filler between the new socket and the headphone casing, I've used it on similar projects and it works really well.

[@Sillybutts]

Woo, I always like a MattKC video being released :P

[@uyr3936]

You deserve more subs also ive been waching you for a long time so good job so far

[@Kylefassbinderful]

0:33 The three ring 3.5mm headphone jack you're referring to is known as a TRS jack and it only carries two signals, not three. A TRRS jack has a 4th ring and it's capable of carrying three signals. They also come in a 2.5mm form. They're used for balanced audio, three channel audio (ex L, R, Center), a way to add a composite video signal, inline remotes mainly found in older devices and other situations where you need a 3rd signal besides Left and Right audio. Apple used them in their earbuds for a while for inline remotes as well as the mic/play/pause/call button located on the right side earbud cord.

[@neb_setabed]

Love the videos man!

[@lachlanlau]

The magic is in the design, not just the driver

[@scotttait2197]

One of your more practical vids 👍👍

[@Amber_123]

i love seeing people fix or improve stuff when it breaks when most people would just buy a new one. good stuff!

[@Xizax41325]

I did this with my audio technicas like a year ago. It's pretty handy being able to swap cables to change the length. Also thought about splitting the left and right channels into their own connector.

[@danielschmid8530]

God I love watching you. It's so soothing and interesting.

[@ahoj113]

I love Matt’s video. I really do.

[@twoodall88]

Very nice. I just did this to a pair of Sony MDR7506's. Yours came out WAY cleaner then mine.

[@DustyD0]

I had the same headphones years ago, the HD428s, sounded amazing for the low price, but that cable was about as thick and durable as an angel hair pasta noodle. Was planning on doing the same mod at some point as well, but the band broke after a few years of use and at that point figured I'd just get something else instead.

[@Legnug]

I did the same thing to my HD201 headphones after watching this video. It was a bear trying to route the right phone channel wire through the headband! It was my first soldering project and I was thrilled with the results!

[@sixty502]

Amazing video as always! Can’t believe it only has 60 views :eyes:

[@ricardofunes9407]

I was not expecting this, but i'm really grateful for this video! I tried to do some repair on in some headsets i had (Turtlebeach, Razer and Steelseries) which i had in a box waiting to be repaired and messed up big time with the wiring, this should help out!! Maybe you could also do a video on a headset to see how the mic goes? Thanks!! And good content as always!!

[@benfifteen]

I did this to a couple pairs of MDR-7506. Much better than the stock telephone coil, or at least great to have options. I even found some pleather earpads (actually for 770s) that are very comfortable and don't flake. The whole job just required drilling a hole and soldering with a "gold-plated panel-mount stereo jack."

[@Juandachu]

Did this same mod to my Samson SR850s last year. It is a total game changer, now I don´t need to coil a 9 foot cable while sitting at my desk, and I can also switch over to the VModa Boom Pro for a kick ass gaming headset

[@josephjarman3231]

Earliest I'll ever see one of your videos. Super excited for another one!! Can't wait to see what other videos you make!

[@garirry]

I did a similar thing a year or two back with wireless Sennheiser headphones. The problem was that it was wireless-only and it did not use Bluetooth, meaning you had to use an awkwardly complicated adapter that connects wired to the device. It was unusable in practice and was about to be thrown out so I gutted the wireless components and put a headphone jack in it. The sound is a lot better than I thought it'd be, and my mom still uses the headphones to this day.

[@adorable_yangire]

i love modding headphones, i have modded my Harmonicdyne Zeus, i removed abt all possible parts that made them less- open back, and switched the pads to Audio Technica ath-ad500x's pads. the sound is nearly perfect for me now. really clear natural and soft.

[@Girvo747]

I like your JayCar screwdriver set lol. I’ve got the same one, that electronics disassembly kit one!

[@rafaelarevalo8047]

awesome stuff!

[@sparce206]

I'm glad you are feeling better!

[@quokka_yt]

Video: 10 seconds ago Your comment: 1 day ago.

[@FarmYardGaming]

@@quokka_yt How many times are you going to point this out..?

[@chamber_hiro256]

@@FarmYardGaming until he gets attention I guess

[@jettramel]

Great idea, I have a pair of cheap AKGs that need this. Thanks.

[@meunaimharouj6325]

great vid, subscribed!

[@FarmYardGaming]

This one looks really useful!

[@unitedunitedunited_]

Ay, new Matt KC video

[@chrisjlocke]

An excellent tutorial. I've three pairs of broken Sennheiser headphones - rabbit chewed through one set, the cat chewed through another, and another just failed in one ear. Will have to try this!

[@Mynameistux]

That looks OEM. Really nice job

[@ultraNewt]

Did this to my hd558's after a couple of months trying to find a decent aftermarket cable, one of the best and cleanest mods i've ever done. 10/10 would recommend.

[@Naglfar83]

Love your videos! :D

[@imqqmi]

I sure am glad with the beyerdynamic dt 770. The cable is virtually indestructable and the pads are very easy to replace. and the 80 ohm comes with a straight cable and the 270ohm version with coiled cable. I both and both are great! I had a few sennheisers but both had failing cables. The second one at least has a connector though. Anyway, nice repair!

[@umbradomini]

See a new MattKC, I immediately like and then watch!

[@nanomunchies9921]

So interesting! I would love to do this sort of stuff myself.

[@zat-svi-ua]

did the same mod to my HD206. made a paracorded cable for them too (very light, no microphone effect) using teflon coated wires.

[@RyouEmerald]

I have a pair of AD700X I bought about 2 years ago, and while not expensive headphones per se I like them. I had a pair of AD500 before that and liked them a lot, but the wire broke a year in, so I got the AD700X. After a year the wire broke exactly the same, but I actually did something similar to this. I was able to though use the nut on the headphone jack to screw it in as the cord hole was exactly the size of the headphone jack. The only hard part was doing soldering for the first time, and dealing with headphones trying to clamp into eachother. Since then I've had another cord break, but I just unplugged it and threw a new one in. After years of replacing headphones I figure that its not the headphones that break, its always the cord.

[@noskillpureandy]

I have this exact pair of headphones in the exact same condition, so this video will be super helpful for me.

[@FatheredPuma81]

Yea the Sennheiser headphones I use to use in like 2016 had that crappy ultra thin cable. Crazily enough it never broke and luckily even though they were $40 headphones they had a proprietary 2.5mm to 3.5mm plug and came with 2 cables.

[@patrickhosseini3425]

Your videos made me take up electronics in the pandemic. Love the videos

[@cdoublejj]

wow that came out really great for slapping in a cheap basic jack in formed plastic. all though i've drilled out or forced larger cable with lubrication before (non audio) with bits like that. i'll have to try this next time a headphone cord dies.

[@DreitTheDarkDragon]

Nice, I did similar thing years ago with old AIWA headphones, but used CINCH connectors, one on every side :)

[@MarneusAndMilkyBlood]

Damn I have that exact pair, I recalled it about 3 times and I didn’t even thing about modding it that way! I ended up using sugru to have some stress relief on the headset

[@DerBaneLP]

Hey! I used the same glue for the broken motor mounts in my vacuum cleaner, I think you're fine with a cable socket over time

[@grumbel45]

Colored hot-glue is a thing, comes even in black. Gives an reasonably permanent bond for these tasks and is much easier to change or remove if necessary (Isopropanol will debond it). Also bonds well enough to some of the plastics that don't work with most other glues (e.g. nylon, PP, PE).

[@youarieyellowmissile]

I downd know, wo, but my senhiser kable is Brocken exaktly today!6h agow. And your Video came out, just now! So increfiable :D

[@EvilVitJoker]

After 2 months of using my Sony MDR-7506, I modeled and printed the left plastic cover and installed a 3.5mm jack. Now I can use any cable, including the original 3-meter coiled cable

[@SamFailsAtLife]

Awesome Quality Vid

[@andersljung1791]

I went straight for the HD 215s instead, that comes with the plug and coiled cable and they still sound amazing to this day. I think i bought them around 2005 and haven't really thought of replacing them until they break...which seems to take a long time. ;) I have replaced the ear guards but other than that, they just work.

[@mer2329]

if you use your modded cans with a cellphone, you can find aux mic'd cables on ebay often sold for beats headphones, but ive used em for my modded sony MDR-7506s worked well.

[@DavidSanguineti]

But what does the sound smell like?

[@speedwaynutt]

It was wonderful hearing your voice on a Team Triple Jump video.

[@emmettturner9452]

I did this to my Sony MDR BT-22 Bluetooth headphones back in 2010. Searched eBay for 50mm “leatherette earcups.” I also ordered extra and installed some over the flat Parrot SK-4000 speakers I had installed in my motorcycle helmet. I must’ve bought even more because I was recently digging through tornado aftermath and found my old envelope with some extras. After 11 years they were rotting away. I thought I could salvage one but it fell apart too when I tried to clean it.

[@TheLukemcdaniel]

I've got a pair of Chinese headphones that not only have a jack on them for cable swaps, but they have two. left ear is a 6.3mm jack the right is 3.5mm. Both are inter-connected. You can plug in two sources(although ill-advised) -or- plug one into a source, and another pair of headphones into the other ear letting you daisy chain them. Great for road trips in the back seat or on flights if you're with someone you like to share audio with. they came with like 3 or 4 different style/sized cables, including one with a built in mic for use on phones(or can get an adapter for pc). All that for like $30.

[@darkacb8422]

i've actually been thinking about doing this exact mod for a while now. i feel it might work even better with headphones where the rubber thing is circular.

[@StormHawksHD]

Fk yes. Love a good mattkc video in the morning

[@chillmatic4331]

LETS GOOO MATT POSTED ANOTHER VIDEO

[@ewanwickward8587]

6:39 Haha, nut 6:42 Dang it, he already made that joke...

[@myghi63]

what a nice mod!! i'm glad to see that ^^

[@MrScottyTay]

there was probably a mismatch with the rings between the first socket and the cable, one may have been just for pure left/right/ground wiring, whereas the other may have had an extra ring for the mic channel, the mismatch of these rings would make sense why some audio from one channel bled into both sides of the speaker.

[@Rok_Satanas]

I've modified my focusrites with a 3.5mm jack, the just had a cable, but thankfully in my case the hole the cable was coming from was the perfect size

[@MuscleCarLover]

When I first saw the thumbnail I was worried you went Bluetooth as the socket was covered up by the run length, but after watching it, I agree that this is a total improvement that really all headphones should have some form of

[@Khether0001]

if you need to epoxi something like that again, you can use a bit of clay, or blue/white tack, from the outside, model it smooth on the inside to work as the form, apply the epoxi, and after cured, hopefully, it didn't interact poorly with the material (test it first) optionally, you could also protect the plastic around the epoxi and sand it with progressively finer grits to achieve a perfect finish (if there is space for it) but regardless it looks good anyway! awesome video as always!!! =)

[@jouebien]

Those cheap 3mm sockets only work if the connector pluged into them sits flush. If the pins are misaligned you may or may not get a signal or both down one side. With this mod you'll probably notice if you bump or rotate the connector in the socket there is a scratching sound. They make mini XLR which is by far a better connector over the 3mm trs. More importantly with mini XLR you don't get a scratching sound if you bump it.