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Topic: headphones losing frequency response over time (Read 5553 times) previous topic - next topic
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headphones losing frequency response over time

What causes this? Is it a problem that can be fixed?

I've had two pairs of headphones gone bad in this way. Both times, the lower mids almost completely disappeared after almost 2 years of use. Probably some bass gone as well. No amount of EQ would fix it.

headphones losing frequency response over time

Reply #1 –
Quote from: yanyan on
I've had two pairs of headphones gone bad in this way. Both times, the lower mids almost completely disappeared after almost 2 years of use.


Which model of  headphone ? This is surprising, I never got this on any headphone.

headphones losing frequency response over time

Reply #2 –
Quote from: extrabigmehdi on
Which model of  headphone ? This is surprising, I never got this on any headphone.


The first one was a pair of JVC headphones, and the pair i bought to replace it, which is what i'm using right now, is a pair of Sony MDR-G75 phones.

Granted, they're cheapo headsets but i could make them sound good with a fair amount of EQ-ing. And i take good care of my headphones. No drops or shocks.

(On a side note, i hate that ipods don't have any customizable EQ, but i found that the "R&B" setting comes close to my favored V-shape.)


headphones losing frequency response over time

Reply #3 –
I've never had this in any headphones I've had, from cheapo earbuds to expensive IEMs.

headphones losing frequency response over time

Reply #4 –
This might be a bad connection in common return (broken cable etc.). You can check that with a multimeter. If resistance from L to R (tip to ring) is noticeably off from the sum of L to return and R to return (tip or ring to sleeve, respectively), that would be highly suspect. With some luck, the defekt is at the plug and soldering on a new one fixes the issue.

headphones losing frequency response over time

Reply #5 –
Quote
This might be a bad connection in common return (broken cable etc.).
Good thinking!!!

And open ground (common) creates the famous "vocal removal" effect, which removes the "center channel", including the lead vocal and bass.    A mono file will be silent, but with a stereo source you are listening in "mono" with the same sound in left & right ears. 

If you open the ground connection to the headphones, leaving a common connection at the headphone-end, you loose the current path between the signal and ground.  But, you still have a path between the left & right signal-connections (through the common connection at the headphone-end).  Since current can't flow to/from ground, current will flow (and there will be sound) ONLY when there is a voltage difference between the left & right channels.

This usually can't happen with regular hi-fi stereo speakers, since each speaker has it's own ground connection to the amplifier.  But it can happen with computer speakers that connect to a soundcard using the same 3-wire connection/cable as headphones.

P.S.
Quote
I've had two pairs of headphones gone bad in this way.
Just FYI - Koss headphones have a lifetime warranty.  ...After a couple of failures, that may be important to you.

headphones losing frequency response over time

Reply #6 –
Which headphones?

I remember from the old times that earbuds would regularly "break" due to rough handling. The result was little to no bass and distorted.
"I hear it when I see it."