Hirsch
Why is there a chaplain standing over his wallet?
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2001
- Posts
- 7,828
- Likes
- 76
I got something in the mail today. Yes, the US mail delivers Express Mail even on Christmas Day, and my package came Express from Japan. What I got was replacement ear pads for the R10. I had originally simply intended them as a backup, but comparing the new pads to the originals revealed that the originals had been compressed and dried out (hey those ear pads have lasted since 1989..what do you want out of them?). So, I decided to change them right away. Unfortunately, there were no instructions. Fortunately, it's not all that hard. Equipment needed: a screwdriver, paper towels, a cleaner (I used isopropyl acohol). Optional accessories: a prayer book, 1 mg Xanax (see your doctor for prescription).
In getting started, remember that you're about to dismantle a pretty much irreplaceable headphone. This can cause anxiety. If you're a religeous type, use the prayer book until the anxiety goes away. If not, try 0.25 to 0.5 mg of the Xanax. Wait until anxiety goes away.
You're about to undertake something that's going to spread a black gooey adhesive all over everything, including the wooden ear pieces. It comes off easily. However, if this raises your anxiety again, reapply the prayerbook, or take the rest of the Xanax.
Remove the earpieces from the headband. There is a screw that holds the earpiece in place, and serves as the pivot point at the rear of each earpiece. Remove that screw. There is a small plastic washer that sits between the headband and the earpiece that will come loose. Retrieve it and keep it in a safe place. There will still be two pins holding the earpiece in place (these serve to limit the range of motion of the earpiece around the pivot). If you slightly spread the earpiece holder, the earpiece will come loose. Pull the earpiece away from the headband. Move the earpiece outward. You don't want the piece that you're holding, which will have tension on it, anywhere near the wood finish. When the earpiece comes off, there willbe a second plastic washer at the front pivot. Save it.
The earpads are attached to the earpieces by a double-sided adhesive strip. To remove the old pad, simply pry it up and tear it off. The brown material is a damping compound that sits on the wood earpiece. Note that some is actually on the cover of the driver. No way of knowing how many years it's been sitting there.
The most difficult part of the task is to remove the remainder of the adhesive. I didn't want to use something like acetone anywhere near the wooden earpiece. I settled on physically scraping as much as I could, and cleaning the area with isopropyl alcohol, to get a clean area to attach the new pads.
Note that there is a paper strip over the adhesive that will attach to the ear piece. The ear pieces are not symmetrical. You need to attach the right-side pad to the right ear piece, and the left-side pad to the left earpiece. The thick part of the pad lines up with the thick part of the earpiece. If you look closely at the new pad, there are two small metal pins coming out of it. These correspond to two holes in the metal frame of the earpiece.
There are no pictures of the next procedure, as it took both hands. Carefully remove the backing from the adhesive on the earpad. Line up one of the metal pins with its hole, getting the other as closely in line as you can. Slightly fold the ear pad so the metal pin goes into the proper hole, with as little adhesive as possible actually attaching. Press the second metal pin into its hole in a similar manner. Once those are in place, let the ear pad unbend. The ear pad will fall into its proper location on the ear piece. Simply press to attach the adhesive.
The top pad in the first picture is a new one, while the bottom pad has yet to be replaced.
Once the pads are in place, reattach the earpieces to the headband. First, make sure that you have not made any twists in the wire. Place a plastic washer on the front pivot of one earpiece holder. Spread the earpiece holder slightly. Place the earpiece on the front holder, making sure that you've got the correct one and it's oriented properly. Let the range-of-motion limiters fall into their slots. Now place the screw in its position and screw it in until it protrudes enough to hold the washer in place. Slip the washer between the earpiece and the earpiece holder until it slips into place under the screw. Line the screw up with its hold on the earpiece and tighten. Repeat with the other earpiece, and you're done.
The new pads are far more comfortable than the older ones, but there's a catch. Remember, I said the older pads had been compressed? Does the phrase "flat pad" mean anything to you? Yep. The sonics are changed. Initial impression is that the sound is a bit clearer. Spatial location is slightly more defined, and there is a bit more bite to the high end. I was able to trace the sonic effects to the padding of the new ear pads. Simply, the rear padding of the older pads had been compressed to where it wasn't maintaining the angle at which the drivers should be canted. The new pads have altered that angle. So, I've got a new sound to deal with. It's got some good points, and may wind up being better than the original...or not. Too soon to tell. More on this another time...
In getting started, remember that you're about to dismantle a pretty much irreplaceable headphone. This can cause anxiety. If you're a religeous type, use the prayer book until the anxiety goes away. If not, try 0.25 to 0.5 mg of the Xanax. Wait until anxiety goes away.
You're about to undertake something that's going to spread a black gooey adhesive all over everything, including the wooden ear pieces. It comes off easily. However, if this raises your anxiety again, reapply the prayerbook, or take the rest of the Xanax.
Remove the earpieces from the headband. There is a screw that holds the earpiece in place, and serves as the pivot point at the rear of each earpiece. Remove that screw. There is a small plastic washer that sits between the headband and the earpiece that will come loose. Retrieve it and keep it in a safe place. There will still be two pins holding the earpiece in place (these serve to limit the range of motion of the earpiece around the pivot). If you slightly spread the earpiece holder, the earpiece will come loose. Pull the earpiece away from the headband. Move the earpiece outward. You don't want the piece that you're holding, which will have tension on it, anywhere near the wood finish. When the earpiece comes off, there willbe a second plastic washer at the front pivot. Save it.
The earpads are attached to the earpieces by a double-sided adhesive strip. To remove the old pad, simply pry it up and tear it off. The brown material is a damping compound that sits on the wood earpiece. Note that some is actually on the cover of the driver. No way of knowing how many years it's been sitting there.
The most difficult part of the task is to remove the remainder of the adhesive. I didn't want to use something like acetone anywhere near the wooden earpiece. I settled on physically scraping as much as I could, and cleaning the area with isopropyl alcohol, to get a clean area to attach the new pads.
Note that there is a paper strip over the adhesive that will attach to the ear piece. The ear pieces are not symmetrical. You need to attach the right-side pad to the right ear piece, and the left-side pad to the left earpiece. The thick part of the pad lines up with the thick part of the earpiece. If you look closely at the new pad, there are two small metal pins coming out of it. These correspond to two holes in the metal frame of the earpiece.
There are no pictures of the next procedure, as it took both hands. Carefully remove the backing from the adhesive on the earpad. Line up one of the metal pins with its hole, getting the other as closely in line as you can. Slightly fold the ear pad so the metal pin goes into the proper hole, with as little adhesive as possible actually attaching. Press the second metal pin into its hole in a similar manner. Once those are in place, let the ear pad unbend. The ear pad will fall into its proper location on the ear piece. Simply press to attach the adhesive.
The top pad in the first picture is a new one, while the bottom pad has yet to be replaced.
Once the pads are in place, reattach the earpieces to the headband. First, make sure that you have not made any twists in the wire. Place a plastic washer on the front pivot of one earpiece holder. Spread the earpiece holder slightly. Place the earpiece on the front holder, making sure that you've got the correct one and it's oriented properly. Let the range-of-motion limiters fall into their slots. Now place the screw in its position and screw it in until it protrudes enough to hold the washer in place. Slip the washer between the earpiece and the earpiece holder until it slips into place under the screw. Line the screw up with its hold on the earpiece and tighten. Repeat with the other earpiece, and you're done.
The new pads are far more comfortable than the older ones, but there's a catch. Remember, I said the older pads had been compressed? Does the phrase "flat pad" mean anything to you? Yep. The sonics are changed. Initial impression is that the sound is a bit clearer. Spatial location is slightly more defined, and there is a bit more bite to the high end. I was able to trace the sonic effects to the padding of the new ear pads. Simply, the rear padding of the older pads had been compressed to where it wasn't maintaining the angle at which the drivers should be canted. The new pads have altered that angle. So, I've got a new sound to deal with. It's got some good points, and may wind up being better than the original...or not. Too soon to tell. More on this another time...
