[dngl]

I emailed Cardas regarding the loose connector problem we all seem to have with our Cardas cables for our Sennheiser headphones, and got this response:

"Typically this problem is with the spring inside the headphone. Our plug is not the same size as the stock cable and therefore allows a bit more movement. This can magnify the problem.

By January we will have a new plug that fits much tighter into the headphones and this should minimize your problem. I think you should have your headphones checked just to be sure.

You can exchange your cable as soon as they are available through whoever you purchased them from.

Thank you,

Brian Von Bork
Cardas Audio"

Cool, no?

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

I noticed that the plug moved when I got the cable but have never had any "problem" due to it......


But I guess if it gets me a new cable for free, what the hell????

 

[canned]

Mine just "falls" out of the headphone. Totally unworkable. I guess I'll be sending it back. Besides, I don't see that it is superior to the Clou Red I already have and in the bass area the clou is better.
Wait till January?????

 

[andrzejpw]

Hmm, so for the zillions of you who bought it through headroom, you can get a new cable?

That's gonna take a LONG time, or cardas is going to have to import south american monkeys to get it done.

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

mine is from headroom, so I guess I'll just have to get in line now on that one....

 

[antness]

I haven't had a problem with mine. The connector requires a lot of force, almost as much as the stock cable, to remove it.

 

[YoNni22]

My cardas cable has a very slight problem on the left side. Sometimes the looseness creates a static noise. I hope the above note is true that we can exchange them in the future.

 

[tone]

Thanks for the info Jon!

where is this spring that cardas is talking about? i looked at the sockets on my fairly new hd600 and i don't see any spring. what about you guys?

my stock cable's plugs are held in by the pressure contact between the cable's plastic plug and the headphone's socket for the plug. in order for the cardas cable to get a secure connection they'll need to copy the plastic plug exactly otherwise it won't work and the cables will still be loose. the load from the cables should be taken out at the cable's plastic plug to headphone socket connection and not at the electrical connection between the two.

it shouldn't be that hard to make a copy of the stock cable's plugs. its only plastic!

 

[jude]

[size=xx-small] Quote:

Originally posted by tone ....where is this spring that cardas is talking about? i looked at the sockets on my fairly new hd600 and i don't see any spring. what about you guys?....

[/size]Head-Fi member squirt put together some excellent photos of the inside of HD-600s he took during the repair he undertook of his. You can view the photos by clicking here.

Also, regarding the Cardas headphone cable: I have one of the first ones produced, and it has given me no problems at all.

 

[tone]

Thank's jude what a great link!

if the springs on my hd600 were defective then both the cardas cable and the stock cable would both have problems staying connected to the headphones. my stock cable stays connected fine but the cardas cable will pull out of the socket with minimal force (unlike the stock cable).

imho it looks like the spring just establishes the electical connection to the cable prong and is not responsible for holding the cable in place.

 

[Todd R]

The springs are usually the problem, but there is one thing you can check on your Cardas Cables. Compare the stock cable's plugs to the Cardas and see if the length of the step is the same as the stock cable's plug. (The thinner parts of sides #1 & #2 in the picture).
This step is trimmed by back by hand, and may need a little touch up with a sharp razor blade to make sure the Cardas plug can go in as far into the headphone as the stock cable does.
Be careful, don't cut yourself, and don't take too much off, maybe just a thin sliver about .5mm.

 

[tone]

Thanks for the pict TodR!

i wish i had a digital camera so i could send you a pict of my stock cable's plug.

my plugs have a deep groove on the 2 smaller sides of the raised step (the part of the plug that contains the L or R symbos). on the headphone housing side there is a small bump which will fill in each groove when the plastic plug is pushed in. this interference interface is what prevents the stock cord from pulling out of my hd600 headphones and it is rock solid. the cardas cable's plug is physically too small to do this.

if the new cardas cable plastic plugs are big enough to tightly fit the plastic plug's socket on the headphones i can easily cut grooves on the newer cardas's plastic plugs.

TodR could you post a pict of your stock cable's plugs? this might help some of us who have newer hd600s to see what the design differences are. if they are identical to mine (with grooves) i'll be really surprised!

 

[Todd R]

I figured I was going to have to do this anyway

Here is a BIG picture of both plugs. The fine folks at Cardas told me the new plug will match the stock plug much more closely, however I have had no problems with mine fitting and staying in as they are now.
The plugs need to be able to enter the headphone far enough so the groove in the pin can catch in the spring in the headphone. See if this picture clears things up.

 

[canned]

You should not have to do this folks. Cardas should have manufactured them with the correct plugs in the first place.
I sent mine back.

 

[Todd R]

Mr. Canned.
Getting custom made plastic molds built is very expensive (trust me, I used to be in that business). I'm sure they used something that was workable at first, and now that there is a big demand, they can get an exact copy mold made.

Would you drop big $$$$$ on several custom molds for a new product that may, or may not sell? I wouldn't.

At least they didn't hack off the stock Sennheiser plugs and splice them to their own cable like the other guys. I think the Cardas approach is much better even if not 100% perfect.

Anyway, I'm just pointing out a solution to a possible problem that a person could fix themselves.