[dj2thirteen]

Have possibly a bit of an odd request from a head-fi peeker (rarely post, on/off viewer). So a relative of mine swears by the ATH-M70x's as of this moment for his own personal music mixing/editing ventures, doesn't dabble in full on monitors due to living with other folks in the same house. He's had a pair for about over 2 years know and has has major issues due to the headband design, most likely because of the way the swivel joints are placed (and possibly how he places them over his head, although i haven't noticed anything serious before) the right end of the head band has cracked/broken many a time. He's had to get it shipped out to Audio Technica 3-4 times during the warranty period and now with warranty up is looking for an alternative method to deal with this issue. He is not worried about the swivel but more so just being able to place them on his head with out having to deal with this repetitive issue every couple of months at a time. I've contacted various DIYer's and customizing folks either telling me they only focus on wiring or have given no response at all. Hope to hear back more so on how we can get this issue dealt with...other than the obvious option of getting a different model/brand. (Photos below)

 

[knilon]

Hello,

So I had the same problem with my ATH-M70X headphones breaking in the exact same place. I fixed/reinforced mine by doing the following:

1. Gently sand the metal and plastic at the broken hinge.
2. Use a slightly wet paper towel to dampen the area at the broken hinge. Damp not soaking wet. This improves the bond quality of the gorilla glue.
3. Use gorilla glue to bond the hinge back together. Be sure to clamp, vice or restrain the headphones for a good bond.
4. Let the glue set fully.
5. Use fiber fix 1 inch strips to permanently bond both hinge to the headband. Be very precise about placing strips right at the hinge. This is permanent. Follow their instructions on how to prepare the tape.
6. You only need to wrap each hinge 3-4 times. Cut the fiber fix after you start applying it to the headband, not before.

Fiber fix is a flexible grid tape that is coated in an epoxy-like substance. It cures and dries hard as a rock. You can sand or grind it down a bit with a Dremel to shape it. This is a very permanent fix.

NEGATIVES:
You will lose some adjustability in your headband. The tape restricts the ability of the headband to size back down. This may prevent you from getting your headphones back into the travel case.

Note:
I bought a replacement headband from FullCompass (around 120 USD). That replacement lasted only a few months before breaking a second time. SUPER annoying. Also, I used just fiber fix (no gorilla glue) to reinforce the other side of my headphones. I'm hoping this will prevent the other side from breaking

I'll update this thread in a few months with comments on durability of the fix. The sound is pretty decent with these cans but, Audio Technica really failed in the design department....sigh
GOOD LUCK