Dead driver or dodgy cable?
Nov 24, 2008 at 3:51 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

DJShadow

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Hi guys,

My beloved SA5000 (has again) run into some trouble. The sound has completely cut out of the left channel but this isn't an intermittent issue like previously where I could get some sound by wiggling the cable around in the left housing. I heard the sound gradually fade out rather than abruptly stop which leads me to consider the probability that the left driver may be dead
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The headphones are recabled with a stock HD 650 cable and haven't had a single problem for about 18 months. I'll be quite mortified if the driver has indeed snuffed it.

Any ideas?
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Nov 24, 2008 at 4:08 PM Post #2 of 11
Do you have a multimeter? You can open up the driver and test for continuity in the cable and driver. If you didn't do the repair, you can twist the earpad to take it off, then you'll see small screws holding the cup together. I've had the same thing happen to the left driver on mine, and I had to touch up the joint with fresh solder. If you do resolder the joint, be sure to use a heatsink on the wire going to the driver.

I hope you just have a bad joint or cable. Usually, a blown driver will make a little sound unless there's a break in the voicecoil somewhere.
 
Nov 24, 2008 at 8:54 PM Post #3 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by DJShadow /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hi guys,

My beloved SA5000 (has again) run into some trouble. The sound has completely cut out of the left channel but this isn't an intermittent issue like previously where I could get some sound by wiggling the cable around in the left housing. I heard the sound gradually fade out rather than abruptly stop which leads me to consider the probability that the left driver may be dead
frown.gif


The headphones are recabled with a stock HD 650 cable and haven't had a single problem for about 18 months. I'll be quite mortified if the driver has indeed snuffed it.

Any ideas?
confused_face(1).gif



Before you go through the hassle of either sending your headphones for repair or attempting to repair them yourself, I suggest you check your entire audio chain first, if you haven't already done so. It is far more likely that something about an amp would be at fault rather than a driver in the headphones. This would especially be true if you have a tube amp but it is also possible with a solid state amp, either dedicated or integrated. The way you described how you heard the sound "gradually fade out", this would seem to be more likely. Does the left channel on your speaker system function properly? Does the SA5000's left channel sound when plugged into a different amp independent of the system in question?
 
Nov 25, 2008 at 11:39 AM Post #4 of 11
I doubt its anything in the audio chain since I've got rid of my amp and CDP, I now go straight into my laptop via a 1/4 to 1/8 adaptor, so there's little to go wrong. To clarify, when I said 'gradually fade out' I meant that the sound went from being normal to completely silent in about 2 seconds, as though the left channel had a separate volume knob and it was turned down to zero.

Thanks for the help guys, I'll get hold of a multimetre and take it from there, cheers.
 
Jan 2, 2009 at 12:24 PM Post #7 of 11
Turns out that my headphones definitely need some kind of repairing
frown.gif


I now only get sound through the right channel which is good as this implies that none of my drivers are dead, but I'm guessing this means that I'll need another recable?

If someone can confirm this is indeed the case then I'll be thankful.
 
Jan 2, 2009 at 10:54 PM Post #8 of 11
Then its time to open up and look if you dont want send them in. You use the hd650 cable instead of the sony cable. If you have done some soldering it should not be that hard to fix as long its not the same thin cable like that of the sonys. Thats another hell-ish story.
 
Jan 3, 2009 at 12:51 AM Post #9 of 11
Thanks for replying, I'll have to wait until I get hold of a soldering iron and perhaps a multimetre to fix them. I hope that the cable is fine and that its only the soldering joints that are the problem but I'm not sure.
 
Jan 3, 2009 at 2:45 AM Post #10 of 11
The quality of the SA5000 is piss poor..I remember when my left channel started breaking up..Then Shadow said his was too. I gave him my spair 650 cable, and I got mine balanced by Alex. Alex told me the SA5000 has the worst cabling design he has seen in hi end headphones..And these retail for 700.
 
Jan 3, 2009 at 12:06 PM Post #11 of 11
lol if I had the money (which I definitely don't) I'll buy some myself another pair of SA5000 because mine are soon approaching retirement
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My pads are slowly disintegrating - they've had a difficult life my SA5000, but I still love them
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