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Topic: No sound in right headphones speaker (Read 37619 times) previous topic - next topic
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No sound in right headphones speaker

Hello,

I have an Audio Technica ATH M50 pair whose right speaker ceased working a few weeks ago.
At first I thought it's just another occasion of needing to twist the plug to get it back to work, but it wasn't.

I have come to understand that that kind of issue is usually related to a disconnected wire in the headphones' plug, so I replaced it with a new one, but it didn't help.
What else can I try? Should I open all the screws on the headphones, including those of the right speaker's enclosure, and see if all the wires are soldered properly?

I have searched but not found the warranty paper, so I don't really care about losing the warranty, if I haven't already...

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #1 –
Quote from: yonyz on
Hello,

I have an Audio Technica ATH M50 pair whose right speaker ceased working a few weeks ago.
At first I thought it's just another occasion of needing to twist the plug to get it back to work, but it wasn't.

I have come to understand that that kind of issue is usually related to a disconnected wire in the headphones' plug, so I replaced it with a new one, but it didn't help.
What else can I try? Should I open all the screws on the headphones, including those of the right speaker's enclosure, and see if all the wires are soldered properly?


Usually the earpieces are dissasembled by first removing the pads.

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #2 –
I know...

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #3 –
Quote from: yonyz on
What else can I try? Should I open all the screws on the headphones, including those of the right speaker's enclosure, and see if all the wires are soldered properly?


If you don't care about or there is no warranty it doesn't matter. Just pull them apart and see if you can figure it out.

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #4 –
Quote
Should I open all the screws on the headphones, including those of the right speaker's enclosure, and see if all the wires are soldered properly?
Yeah, I'd give it a try.  I almost always open stuff up (if I can get into it) to see if it's something simple like a loose connector, or something.

And, I just checked AT's website.  They don't seem to have a very friendly repair policy.  Some companies have a flat-rate repair charge for "little things" like headphones & microphones.  With AT, you have to send it in for an estimate, and (here in the U.S.) there's a $30 estimate-charge if you decline the repair.

Most modern electronics just aren't worth repairing unless you can do it yourself (and if you don't consider your time valuable  ).  They are manufacured on an assembly line at almost no labor cost.  But if it needs repair, it can take a couple of hours of high-priced labor. 

(I'd generally choose headphones based on sound, not the warranty/repair policy, but Koss has the best deal - "No-Questions-Asked Lifetime Warranty" )

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #5 –
Guess it's time to follow the cable and open the left speaker enclosure. When buying a new cable for the headphones, should I use one which has a gold-plated plug? I have noticed the original plug's gold plating has almost completely worn off, so what's the point?

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #6 –
Quote from: yonyz on
Guess it's time to follow the cable and open the left speaker enclosure. When buying a new cable for the headphones, should I use one which has a gold-plated plug? I have noticed the original plug's gold plating has almost completely worn off, so what's the point?


I've never had to totally replace a headphone cable. Neutrik makes some very nice 3.5 mm right angle headphone plugs with metal shells for under $5 each.

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #7 –
I've opened the speaker enclosure of both speakers. All of the connections seem to be fine on those ends. Guess the problem is somewhere along the cable...

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #8 –
Quote
Guess the problem is somewhere along the cable...
Or, it could be the driver.  If you don't have an Ohmmeter, connect some wires from a battery to the drivers and listen for a click (you probably won't need the phones on your ears to hear the click, and that might be too loud anyway.) 


Quote
I have noticed the original plug's gold plating has almost completely worn off, so what's the point?
It looks better!  Gold doesn't corrode, so there are some benefits to gold plated contacts in some applications.  With audio cables, I don't think I've ever had that problem.  And,  I don't think corrosion/tarnish is a problem with headphone plugs that are getting plugged in-and-out all of the time, because the contacts are "wiped" every time.

P.S.
Gold is more conductive than most metals.  That might be a selling-point for "audiophiles", but the difference is not relevant.  (And, there are other ways to get low resistance.)  And as far as I know, most pro audio cables & connectors are not gold plated.  Pros mostly just want rugged, reliable, cables.

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #9 –
So what kind of cable do I need for my headphones?
Is it a regular mini PL stereo cable of which I need to cut one end and expose its wires, and then solder those wires to the headphones?

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #10 –
Be sure you know which of the three wires was/is the ground wire and which one is L and R. The problem might also be in the cable running through the head bridge which I'm not sure how you could fix. (I guess the external wire is attached to the left cup?)

I know there is some passive circuitry inside my HD 380 (since I've managed to blow it out and they replaced it - covered by warranty), that could also be the problem in your case.

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #11 –
Yeah, the headphones cable goes into the left speaker. I will order a multimeter and find out what wire exactly is causing the problem.
I know the black wire is the ground wire, but as for the green and red ones, I'm not sure which is which. But I can still get a signal on the left speaker when touching the plug with the wires, so I'm gonna have to see which one is it that makes the sounds.

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #12 –
My uncle and I checked the different wires of the main cable, plus the wire which goes from the left speaker to the right one, and they are all fine.
He has a very long experience with electronics, and he thinks it's a bad right speaker. The left speaker does product a click, but not the right one.
Touching the green and black wires produces a sound on the left speaker, but doing so with the red and black wires does nothing.

Where do I get a replacement speaker?

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #14 –
Thanks. We've been emailing each other for the last hour. They said a single driver is 24 USD. Sounds fair, but I'm still working on making sure that it's actually the driver that's not working.

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #15 –
If you have another wire with 3.5 mm or 6.3 mm on one end, you can plug it in to a headphone-out on your amp and connect it straight to the possible failing speaker.  But if the original wire short circuits somewhere, you might still not hear anything.  If possible, I would disconnect the original completely and then try.

Regards,
Peter

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #16 –
I don't think the original short circuits anywhere. I checked all of the headphones' wires with a multimeter. They are all good.
Also, how do I go about connecting another cable to the right speaker? Do I connect it like the left speaker is connected to the original cable?

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #17 –
You can either use another (headphone) cable, and connect it (temporarily) to the terminals of the broken unit directly.  It does not matter if you use the left or right channel.  Alternatively, you can "reroute" the connection from the working end also by connecting it parallel to eachother.  For that you need only two wires. 

BTW, you DID try plugging it into another device, right?

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #18 –
You know, you're never 100% sure of the diagnosis 'till it's fixed.  Somtimes you gotta' take a little risk.    Since the wiring seems to be OK, it's got to be the driver.    What does your uncle think?

Use the multimeter to measure the resistance directly across the driver terminals.  Both drivers should normally measure the same...  I'd guess 20-50 ohms.  (The DC resistance measured with the ohmmeter will be lower than the specified impedance.)

There are 3 possibilities...

- If you measure the same resistance on both drivers, the driver is probably good.
- If you measure an open (infinity) the driver is bad.
- If you measure a short (zero or near-zero ohms) either the driver is shorted, or there's a short in the wiring somewhere.  If you measure a short, disconnect the wires and measure the driver again without any wires connected.

If both drivers measure the same, disconnect both drivers and swap them around.  That will confirm if the problem is  in the driver itself or somewhere in the wiring.  (You might want to the mark the known-good driver before you remove it.)

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #19 –
Good advice, DVDdoug. I connected the faulty speaker to the cable's wires and it still doesn't work. It's time to buy a driver. Just one thing - should I replace both drivers, to have a "matching" sound, or only the faulty driver?

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #20 –
Matching drivers...  I am not sure to what extent AT drivers are out of match in different production batches anyway, and if the difference between an old (used) and new driver is actually audible (apart from perhaps needed burn-in period). 

But if the cans are of some age, in good enough condition to justify the extra $24 (and if the money is not the problem!), I would go for it.  Keep the old-but-still-working driver though!

Good luck,
Peter

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #21 –
Well, one thing to hate about this is the fact that AT charges $20 for shipping, which is ridiculous. Why can't they use cheap, registered mail? It only costs a few bucks.
The headphones are 3 years old, but I don't think I have used them for more than 150 hours (probably less).

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #22 –
Quote
...is the fact that AT charges $20 for shipping, which is ridiculous.
  That kind of thing ticks me off!!!      You'd probably feel better if they told you that they don't sell parts or repair these things.

I felt the same way when I didn't receive something (small & inexpensive) that I'd ordered (from MonoPrice.com).    Customer service was giving me useless "help" like advising me to "check with my neighbors"...  After  3 emails I was getting really annoyed and I was thinking that I'd be less angry if they had told me, "We can't help you, once we ship it, it's out of our hands."  They eventually did re-ship the merchandise.


  But, just to rub it in:
Koss:
Quote
Stereophones that were purchased after July of 1989 are covered by our No-Questions-Asked Lifetime warranty...

...Please include:
$6.00 for the return shipping and handling per stereophone...

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #23 –
I assume you will not pay an additional $20 for the second driver if the send you 2 in stead of one...

Personally I would order two, but that maybe is because I am a little weird :-)  But I can not look into your wallet, and another $24 could be beyond what you can or are willing to spend.

That is all the advice I can give you...  I am not going to tell you what to do :-)

Good luck,
Peter

No sound in right headphones speaker

Reply #24 –
The thing is, I also need a new cable. They want $35 for a frigging cable. I'm assuming I could get one for cheaper from an electronics store, right? Though I could also just buy a plug, but I don't know how to solder it, and I hate this coiled cable.

Edit: My bad. A new cable is $13. I guess $35 is for the service of connecting a new cable. Is $13 a fair price, or could  I get it for cheaper?