[Utopianemo]

I saw one(unanswered) post referencing the same problem; my re-400's developed a bad connection at the jack.  No problem; I ordered a neutrik replacement.  Then I open the cable.............
 
The ridiculously thin cable had a left signal, right signal, and 2 grounds in it, which is what I expected.  What I didn't expect, however, was that none of the wires have any individual jacket or shielding.  Each signal/hot has a color of fiberglass-looking thread spiraling around the outside of the conductors, but it's not sufficient to keep the conductors from touching.  
 
I tried every combination of ground/signal on the leads of the replacement jack, and I can't get any audio, which is expected because it looks like the conductors are all touching inside the cable.  
 
Has anyone seen this with the re-400's or on other headphones?  I have no idea how to make them work, or for that matter, how they even worked in the first place.  I thought that maybe there was an insulating filament in the center of the cable that kept them separate, but stripping the jacket back only reveals more uninsulated conductors.

 

[kimvictor]

  I saw one(unanswered) post referencing the same problem; my re-400's developed a bad connection at the jack.  No problem; I ordered a neutrik replacement.  Then I open the cable.............
 
The ridiculously thin cable had a left signal, right signal, and 2 grounds in it, which is what I expected.  What I didn't expect, however, was that none of the wires have any individual jacket or shielding.  Each signal/hot has a color of fiberglass-looking thread spiraling around the outside of the conductors, but it's not sufficient to keep the conductors from touching.  
 
I tried every combination of ground/signal on the leads of the replacement jack, and I can't get any audio, which is expected because it looks like the conductors are all touching inside the cable.  
 
Has anyone seen this with the re-400's or on other headphones?  I have no idea how to make them work, or for that matter, how they even worked in the first place.  I thought that maybe there was an insulating filament in the center of the cable that kept them separate, but stripping the jacket back only reveals more uninsulated conductors.

Hmm they are likely enamel coated, so that might be your issue. Strip the enamel(the color) with something sharp. You should see copper color. You might have soldered enamel covered cable, which would not conduct any signal. I've had this issue with SRH940 cable. It has to be coated with something to prevent shorting.

 

[cel4145]

I don't know the answer to your question. But you might try researching and asking questions here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/632802/hifiman-iems-re-400-and-re-600

 

[Utopianemo]

They're not enamel coated as far as I can tell; just fine copper strands about a hair's thickness.
 

 

[Utopianemo]

Thanks.  Daunting thread, but I'll give it a shot.