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ARCHIVED FORUM -- April 2007 to March 2012
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This is the first Archived Forum which was active between 17th April 2007 and 1st March February 2012

 

Latest post 02-23-2011 12:13 PM by Evan. 12 replies.
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  • 02-22-2011 10:35 AM

    • Calvin
    • Top 500 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-16-2007
    • London
    • Posts 233
    • Bronze Member

    Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    Really, the subject line says it all.  They break on me every few months and I'm amazed that nobody makes a sturdier wire to jack connector.

    It's not as if I'm overly forceful or violent with headphones but after a few months the general wear and tug of being in my pockets means that the connection goes dodgy and I have to switch to a new set.  I now have half a dozen pairs from £20 Sonys to B&O A8s.  5 are sitting in a drawer broken and when my current set go in another few months, I'll take the time to spend an afternoon with some wirecutters, 6 new jacks and a soldering iron.

    Doesn't any company sell 'indestructable' ones?  Similar to the hardbook laptops that are designed for the army and building sites?

  • 02-22-2011 11:16 AM In reply to

    • Step1
    • Top 75 Contributor
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    • Joined on 07-06-2008
    • Manchester
    • Posts 961
    • Gold Member

    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    While you have got the soldering iron out why not make your own short (6cm?) male > female jack lead. You could use some sturdy wire so things might just last longer, then at least it is the small extension that gets trashed and not the headphone plug...

    Olly.

  • 02-22-2011 11:33 AM In reply to

    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    Step1:

    ...... short (6cm?) male > female jack lead....

    Not so short IMHO. Stick out tongue

    You meant mm i think?? Smile

     

    -Dimitris

  • 02-22-2011 1:12 PM In reply to

    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    Calvin:

    They break on me every few months and I'm amazed that nobody makes a sturdier wire to jack connector.

    It's not as if I'm overly forceful or violent with headphones but after a few months the general wear and tug of being in my pockets means that the connection goes dodgy and I have to switch to a new set.  I now have half a dozen pairs from £20 Sonys to B&O A8s. 

     

    Bloody el mate, you must listen through head/earphones a helluva lot then..?

    I'll wager u'll be stone deaf by the time ur 50 Laughing

     

    Michael

    BV5, BV Avant, MX4000, MX1500

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    BL 7000, MCP6500, MCP5500,  BL 5000,  Beo4 (x2), BL 1000 (x2)

  • 02-22-2011 3:01 PM In reply to

    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    Gotta say, those A8's have got the worst headphone jacks i've ever come across. I got through 3 in a month whereby they simply came unstuck/unwelded.

    I'm using BEATS Solo HDs now and they are truly fantastic.

    I'm sure B&O was have a crude joke on its fans with those A8s.   Horrible sounding bass less things! Surely £25 would have been a better price. Yuk, they were nasty!

  • 02-22-2011 6:18 PM In reply to

    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    A8s are the only headphones that don't hurt my ears, I wore them non-stop on a 20 hour flight watching movies and didn't have sore ears at all. Apple ones hurt after about ten minutes.

    I've never had one break though..... I have 3 A8s and an earset for my iphone

    My B&O: 2009 Catalogue and Pricelist

  • 02-22-2011 7:08 PM In reply to

    • Evan
    • Top 25 Contributor
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    • Joined on 12-15-2008
    • Ohio | USA
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    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    I bought my first set of A8s in December and I'm quite fond of them. I came from a set of Denon C360s which have some of the best and smoothest bass I've ever heard, but bass isn't everything to me. That said, the Denons have a mid and upper range lack - time for a switch.

    Jonathan, I'm with you, they are the most comfortable things on the planet. I used mine to and from Germany. The only thing I don't like about the A8s is the amount of external noise they let in! When I wear headphones I want to be completely seperate from everything around me. I also don't want to bother the other people around me with my loud listening (I really wish everyone else could be so courteous!).

    |Current Jack Status: Intact|

    Evan

     

  • 02-23-2011 3:18 AM In reply to

    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    Agreed. A8s= comfort.

    No problem with my jacks after 5 years of ownership.... but i barely use them now as I am not a fan of headphones overall.

    Shock horror... I now use Bose noise cancelling headphones- but pretty much exclusively on aeroplane flights. They do the job.... but around the house I just subject my family to loud music whenever the mood strikes...

  • 02-23-2011 3:50 AM In reply to

    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    Jonathan:

    A8s are the only headphones that don't hurt my ears, I wore them non-stop on a 20 hour flight watching movies and didn't have sore ears at all. Apple ones hurt after about ten minutes.

    I've never had one break though..... I have 3 A8s and an earset for my iphone

    Couldn't agree more!

    They are splendid. Bought mine in 2004 maybe, been in use on and off, works perfectly. Pull them out of the jack by holding the jack-head, not the wire. Laughing

    -Andreas

     

    BLab5, BLab5000, BLab8000, BV10, BS9000, BS3, Beo5, Beo4, BLink1000, BLink5000, BLink7000, A2, A8, Form2

     

     

     

  • 02-23-2011 5:24 AM In reply to

    • Calvin
    • Top 500 Contributor
    • Joined on 04-16-2007
    • London
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    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    Well I walk to and from work as well as most other places (I live in central London) so I use my iPod 2x per day, sometimes 4x (if I'm going somewhere in the evening).  As for my ears I should be ok, 90% of what I listen to is Radio4 (talk radio) or podcasts on history and the like.   I only really put on music if I'm still 10 minutes from my destination when a podcast runs out.  Frankly I'm more likely to go deaf due to the ongoing roadworks around St Pauls I walk past each day.

    Step1, that idea is fantastic.  Great idea I didn't even think about, I'll see how it goes although I'll probably leave my larger headphones with a standard jack.

  • 02-23-2011 5:45 AM In reply to

    • stotty1111
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    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    If you remake/build the plugs use some heatshrink over the plug/cable exit  -  different coloured heatshrink is now available etc

    tony

    I always try to operate using/following the KISS principle --  Keep it simple stupid!

  • 02-23-2011 9:24 AM In reply to

    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    There is a fix on the internet somewhere for the lack of bass - It involves covering the little slits on the side with a dob of resin IIRC....

  • 02-23-2011 12:13 PM In reply to

    • Evan
    • Top 25 Contributor
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    • Joined on 12-15-2008
    • Ohio | USA
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    Re: Why are headphone jacks so awful?

    That bass mod made its way into a thread on here not too long ago...

    Evan

     

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