shrewdgamer
Head-Fier
Are there any tests I can run to see if there are any impure elements on a headphone or earphone?
Are there any tests I can run to see if there are any impure elements on a headphone or earphone?
- Thread starter shrewdgamer
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silent-circuit
Headphoneus Supremus
What do you mean by 'impure elements'? Distortion at specific frequencies?
ProtegeManiac
Headphoneus Supremus
If you can pause your music and crank up the volume to full and nothing comes through that's as clean as it gets.
Could be wrong, but I think he means like germs or other contaminants.
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ProtegeManiac
Headphoneus Supremus
Like people who think Focals are mini Chernobyls?
tomb
Member of the Trade: Beezar.com
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Only if you start grinding on the beryllium drivers and create beryllium dust.
tomb
Member of the Trade: Beezar.com
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Wipe the parts that contact your ears, face and head with a Clorox wipe and forget about it.
It seems like a good question, especially given then times. If it's really a concern, then you might want to avoid previously used headphones altogether.
I'm on sort of the same page on this as tomb though. The last time I was in a store trying out their demo units, I took my own sanitary wipes so I could thoroughly clean all the headphones before trying them on. If that's your situation, I'd recommend cleaning the whole thing, and not just the areas that contact your face or ears.
I used alcohol-based wipes (with an orange scent
), rather than the Clorox type which has bleach. Not really sure which is better. And it may depend somewhat on the materials in the headphone. If you use a cleaner with bleach, and have very sensitive skin, then you may want to give the headphones a second wipe with just some water to remove some of the cleanser, so your skin isn't irritated. The alcohol-based cleaners will tend to evaporate more on their own. But could also leave a little oily residue if they're the type used for hand sanitizing with some skin lotion mixed in to prevent dryness.On the one pair of used DT-770's that I bought, I also removed the earpads and thoroughly cleaned off the cloth filters covering the drivers with some Scotch tape rolled around my finger, or a lint remover, to pick up as much hair and dead skin as possible. And also wiped them with the alcohol wipes. If you are not careful though, you can damage the drivers doing that. The velour earpads on the DT-770 were washable in soapy water btw, so I did that as well. (I believe Beyer recommends using a little laundry detergent. But I used some mild lotion-free dishsoap.)
These headphones were demo units that had been heavily used for years btw, and probably never cleaned since they were new. And the velour pads were just in a gross condition! So I ordered a couple sets of new pads from Beyer to replace them. And tried to minimize my contact with the old ones as much as possible, even after cleaning them, until the new ones arrived. (All of the parts on the DT-770 are replaceable btw.)
If you are dealing with something similar where there's been alot of heavy use, then replacing some parts, especially the pads, may be a better option than trying to clean and reuse the old ones.
UV/black lights can probably show you some of the contaminants. (Just be prepared to be grossed out!) For radioactive headphones, I'd recommend a Geiger counter. LOL
Some UV/black lights can get quite hot btw. So I would not hold them too close to a pair headphones for very long, because the heat could possibly damage or warp some of the more sensitive components in the headphones. Particularly the diaphragms in the drivers.
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ProtegeManiac
Headphoneus Supremus
You mean like the pandemic? Put it in a bag with a UV lamp. Don't open the package without a mask and gloves especially if it didn't travel too far for any virus from the previous owner to still be alive in there, discard the exposed shipping box and bring the retail box in.
If you don't have one large enough wear gloves and a mask when you open the package and set it down near a window where it can get sunlight but no wind passes through that window and don't touch it for a few days.
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shrewdgamer
Head-Fier
No, I've had these concerns from long before the pandemic.
Should I assume they came in contact with crap, piss and toilet water?
ProtegeManiac
Headphoneus Supremus
That's why I said "like," ie by "dirty" you mean "microbes and pathogens" as opposed to audio's "very black background."
Dude if you're afraid that somebody wore the headphones in the toilet or don't wash their hands before going back to their audio system, you either just never buy used, or do the same mitigation procedures that people do with deliveries during the pandemic. Just don't douse the drivers with alcohol or any liquid.
Agree with this.
I probably should have just have replaced the filters that cover the drivers on the used pair of DT-770's that I tried, rather than cleaning them. Because they are removable/replaceable. The filters on the DT-770 are a little difficult to get out though. And I was afraid I might damage the drivers in the process, as some other users have done. Potentially bricking the headphones, and making them unreturnable. Plus, I didn't have any fresh replacement filters at the time.
I was quite careful though when cleaning the filters. And made sure to wring most of the alcohol out of the wipes before using them, so the chances of any fluid seeping through to the actual drivers was minimal.
Beyer includes a new set of filters free with their replacement earpads btw.
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