[larcenasb]

Hello world,
 
BACK STORY: I was listening to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme last night, and then decided to switch gears and popped in my Nirvana: Unplugged in NY dvd... during their rendition of "The Man Who Sold the World", I jumped up and mimicked the guitar solo at its end. The sound had suddenly stopped. I opened my eyes to see my amp not on my desk, but on the floor. My foot tangled in the headphone cable... There was no noticeable damage to the amp, to my astonishment. I then realized the 1/4" plug of my AKG K601s had snapped off somehow. The amp is a Bottlehead Crack that I built myself (I'm proud of my work now!).
 
PROBLEM + QUESTION: So I contacted Blue Jeans Cable (I'm also from WA) and they'll replace the 1/4" plug for $5 - $10 + S/H, which I think is the way to go over having Moon Audio replace the cable w/ Cardas or their Blue Dragon for $200+ -- there's nothing wrong w/ that route that I know of, but I just can't afford that right now. Blue Jeans Cable is asking for the plug so they can trace the wiring points (to find which are grounds and so forth), but it seems the plug was cleanly broken off (right at the solder I think?). And I cannot trace them.
 
Does anyone know which wires are which? There are yellow, red, black and white wires (see picture below).
 
Thank you very much for taking the time to read of my misfortune. I hope at least you're having a good day

 
- Lowell
 

 

[Uncle Erik]

Just order a new 1/4" plug and reterminate it. I like Neutrik connectors - they can take a lot of abuse and are reasonably priced.

If you built an amp, you should have no trouble with a plug. Though feel free to ask for advice. We're here for you.

 

[larcenasb]

Thank you so much for replying

-- I think you're right, I need to problem-solve my way out of this. I've been trying to present myself w/ the right information ...but I cannot find anywhere online covering the colors of wires and which are which, or how to terminate a headphone cable.
 
Can you tell me how to do it? Do I just have to solder the right wires at the right points on the new 1/4" plug? Which wires are which? And yes, a Neutrik 1/4" plug seems perfect.
 
Thank you very much for your time.

 

[dxps26]

http://www.akg.com/mediendatenbank2/psfile/datei/58/k601_k701439d5815555d1.pdf
 
There You Go...

 

[larcenasb]

Thnx a lot dxps26 -- this is just what I needed! Cheers.

 

[larcenasb]

In case anyone else has this problem, Blue Jeans Cable were kind enough to hunt down the info for me, I'm really happy about their customer service -- so much so that I'd rather they fix it for me now so I can give them my business -- here's the info:
 
[size=11pt]"[/size][size=11pt]OK – after a little more digging, I found the wiring legend.[/size]
 
[size=11.0pt]L + Yellow[/size]
[size=11.0pt]L - White[/size]
[size=11.0pt]R + Red[/size]
[size=11.0pt]R – Black[/size]
 
[size=11.0pt]Why they have the goofy drawing is anyone’s guess when all they needed was this info."[/size]
 
[size=11.0pt]Wayne - BJC[/size]

 

[Tomm11]

I joined just to give you some input on your Bottlehead Crack.  Looking for a more "lush" tube sound you may want to consider replacing the 9 pin dual triode (12AU7) with a 6SN7.  You can do so easily with a socket adapter.  Most likely you will have to order one through ebay from china.  But it will make for a drop in option to replace that tube.  It's a Bottlehead approved "mod". 

 

[larcenasb]

Tomm11 -- I can't say thank you enough for taking the time you did to give me that info. I'm actually very interested in the idea but I can only find 12AU7 to 6SN7 adapters online, not the other way around. I'll keep looking though! I'd like to try a RCA 6SN7 red base. Thank you so much again

 

[larcenasb]

Nevermind, w/ a little more digging, I found it:
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/two-Adapter-6SN7-6SL7-12AU7-12AX7-tubes-McIntosh-/250807719544
 
...thanks again Tomm11

 

[Tomm11]

No, too expensive, even for two.  Here you go ...
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/1pc-convert-tube-socket-12AU7-12AX7-6SN7-6SL7-/320659633166?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa8cdb40e
 
 
 

 

[Tomm11]

Almost forgot,  you are very welcome.  My pleasure to try and lend a hand.

 

[larcenasb]

 

[dxps26]

How did the Retermination go?

 

[larcenasb]

Hi dxps26,
 
The retermination went perfect; Blue Jeans Cable was super quick (I do also live in Washington though) and they only charged $5 for the Canare connector, zero for the work of reterminating

 
 

 

[Tomm11]

Sorry to hear about the budget issues.  Unfortunately for you, the 601's can be found new for around 200 bucks.  They may be "grey market" at that price but it makes sales of used 601's tough for those who may have paid closer to the $350 retail.   Are you planning on selling your Bottlehead amp as well?   I hope your finances sort themselves out.  I cant imagine being without my headphone system.  The musical enjoyment I get from it far outweighs the relatively modest cost.  If things do sort themselves out and you do end up keeping your 601's (and amp), I think they sound great with a 5998 in place of the  6080 / 6AS7.  Eventhough I dont find them incredibly "involving", I do very much enjoy the 601's with a lot of my music. Of the phones I have, they are probably my favorites for live recordings (mostly Blues).
 
Best of luck.