So I FINALLY got the free time together to do this mod! After putting them back on the wire, these headphones have never sounded so good!
Previously, their old-fashioned wireless technology worked very poorly. They always had background static- you know the type I'm referring to if you've ever used a cordless telephone from the 1980s or 1990s. The wireless range on the Sennheiser R60s was terrible, and the batteries didn't last long at all. The Sennheiser rechargeable batteries are locked within proprietary housings, and replacing both of them would cost $50.
After transforming them back into a pair if wired headphones, they sound rather good. The frequency response is acceptable, and the imaging is lucidly transparent. Since the drivers are in open boxes, these headphones don't isolate background noise very well. However, their midrange and midbass response is detailed, accurate, and controlled. The treble is a tad bright, and they distort under the load of heavy, deep bass.
This mod is not only easy, it's free, you don't need any parts that didn't come with inside the original R60s box! Here's what I did, and how I did it without spending any money:
First, I carefully snapped off the covers from the outside of each earpiece.
The amplifier board and battery housing are located inside the right ear cup.
I opened both ear cups in order to determine which driver terminal was positive and which was negative, as they were not labeled on the amplifier board. The wires connect to each driver using a tiny plug. On the left side, you can see the wires are clearly labeled- red (for positive) and green (for negative).
This wire connects to the amp board on the other side. The wireless antenna runs in tandem with these two wires, and they all need to be unsoldered from the board. The antenna wire can then be clipped off.
You'll also need to unsolder this tiny green pin connector from the amp board, as it connects the board directly to the right driver.
Here is said pin connector, after it has been removed from the board.
Next, you'll want to modify the cable. At one end is a standard mini plug, but the other end features a proprietary connection that Sennheiser engineered to connect to their transmitter tower. This will become the new wire for your headphones. The proprietary connection, shown here, will need to be chopped in half.
You'll want to preserve as much of the flexible cord protector as possible. Then, you'll need to clear out all the glue, and pull the jacketed wire back through the hole. I found that I had to pull the wire all the way out, ream the protector out with a tiny screw driver, and then push it back through.
After you've pulled through a few inches, carefully tie a knot in the wire in order to prevent it from pulling back through. This wire is about five feet long, making it roughly the same length as the cord that comes with a set of ear buds.
Next, you'll want to solder everything together. The red wire from the cord goes to the right side positive connection, the white wire from the cord goes to the left side positive connection. The bare wire from the cord is the negative connection, and it needs to be split and soldered to both negative connections.
The Sennheiser R60s have three openings in the right side ear cup- one for the tuning wheel, one for the volume wheel, and small one for the On/Off switch. The stock cord protection will seat perfectly in either wheel opening, using either the last or the second to last groove in the cord protector. I choose the volume wheel slot on the back of the cup. When is say it seats perfectly, I mean it- see how it almost looks like factory work!
Here's another shot showing the final connection.
Are these the best sounding headphones I've ever heard? Certainly not. But, for free, it's a worthwhile mod that breathes life into an otherwise useless set of cans. The whole process should only take you an hour.
