Convert/Adapt your IEM or Headphone to Android Headset (inline mic and volume controls).
Aug 19, 2014 at 4:23 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 3

julian67

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I was a bit frustrated that my Sennheiser Momentums came with a plain cable and an iPhone cable but nothing for Android. I have some nice dual driver Samsung IEMs to use with my Galaxy Note, and some aftermarket IEMs and noise cancelling IEMs which also have suitable controls from manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Digital Silence (Wolfson). But I really wanted to be able to use my Momentums with my Note and not miss calls or notifications or have to fumble around unlocking the screen and tapping I also have a few older IEMs and some Koss KSC75 and I'd like to use with my phone and with a tablet.

Problem solved! I found a great manufacturer/retailer on ebay who makes all kinds of Samsung compatible cables, including generic cables (convert any headphone) and cables specific to your headphone i.e. for Sennheiser Momentum, HD 6/7/8 series, AKG K and Q series and others. He makes also makes cables for Shure SE IEMs and of course lots of stuff for i-Devices. There are also Nokia, HTC and Sony specific cables, possibly others.

I bought one cable advertised for Sennheiser Momentum and described as compatible with Galaxy S3, S4 and Note (3.5mm male to custom Senn male with mic and volume controls inline) and one generic cable (3.5mm to 3.5mm male to female with mic and volume controls inline). They arrived this morning. They work perfectly, seem to be very nicely made of high quality materials, were priced to sell and with free shipping too.

The Momentum cable is perfectly integrated, being a full replacement, so now my Momentums are as good with a Galaxy Note as they would be with an iPhone. The 3.5mm jack is nicely terminated and suitably narrow so it will work fine with any case or cover you use on your device.

The generic cable is an additional cable so it isn't going to be as ergonomically perfect but if you have old IEMs that came with very short cable and extender (lots of sports models are like this so you can use them with player in an armband) then it is actually pretty decent.

The ebay shop name is low20101020

The ebay UK shop site is http://stores.ebay.co.uk/low20101020
The ebay US shop site is http://stores.ebay.com/low20101020

I'm not affiliated, just a customer, and hope that some head-fiers will be pleased to find a really good solution to a silly problem. I was really annoyed that my Momentums were not fully compatible with my Note and couldn't find even one product like this in the UK and it took me quite a while to find this guy online. btw his stuff came well packaged, was despatched same day as order and arrived before the earliest estimated date.
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 1:47 AM Post #2 of 3
That seller has been gradually getting increasing attention for some months.  Provides the cables that the manufacturers will not.
 
Aug 22, 2014 at 7:46 PM Post #3 of 3
That seller has been gradually getting increasing attention for some months.  Provides the cables that the manufacturers will not.


Exactly. The other day I read a blog or interview by a Shure representative who spent ages explaining why Shure think it's impossible to offer good cables for Android. What it boiled down to is "actually we can't be bothered because you'll buy our stuff anyway". Ha! Not again. Actually people using lowest end and no-name Android phones are unlikely to be spending two, three or more times the phone/tab price on Shures, so actually the Android devices they need to cater to are "flagship" models from:

Samsung
Motorola (mostly just for the North American market)
maybe HTC
LG

err...that's pretty much it.

low20101020 can manage it (what is he? A tiny workshop probably or maybe an entrepreneur ((my guess is a sole trader or tiny company)) who contracts people to design and build for him).

Xiaomi can manage it.

For Etymotic, Shure, Sennheiser and other complacent established players it is apparently too difficult because only North American i-Device buyers matter to them. That's OK, it just means their potential customers and/or ex-customers will spend their money with people who don't find it too difficult, who also make very high quality products but at lower costs, with fewer middle men, better and more direct communication and lower price. I wonder how that will work out for the companies who think they are so indispensible that they can ignore the market and ignore the paying customers? Hmmm....
 

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