[busssy2333]

KRK KNS8400
One earphone broke off.

I took it apart ready to repair solder but this wire is a pain to work with.
As per youtube tutorials, I burned away the shielding (can't believe this thin, strandy coating actually keeps the2 wires separated) but then to test before soldering I can barely get it to conduct and work the other headphone.
I then scraped it to clean copper after melting and still the same problem. I am testing by just touching the wires to the other headphones existing solder points on the speaker. I press every strand of the wire against the solder points but it just doesn't work most of the time.

Can I not just use any dual wire like speaker wire or something as long as it'll fit through the internals of the headphone band? Does it have to be stranded wire or can I use something one solid wire?


also there's not enough slack now that I had to tinker with it so much that I'd have to buy new wire but I have tons of various scrap wire if I can just use that.

 

[GREQ]

Yes.
Any copper wire is fine.
Just has to be thin enough to fit into the headphone.

 

[busssy2333]

thanks

"Use any wire, it will be fine but if there is any movement avoid solid core and use stranded.
Use flux and pre tin the wires for proper and easier soldering."

"The wire is called "Litz Wire". It is a pain to work with. I have a solder pot and after cleaning the wires I dip them in to solder pot and it "tins" them. Then you can solder them normally. FWIW"

 

[busssy2333]

I ended up using some thin double speaker wire I had on hand, copper stranded type. Works great now!
I had another slightly thinner wire that was single stranded and they do say single stranded might be a tad better for audio quality but stranded allows more flexibility which this really needs from the adjustable side lengths , and the original wire was stranded too so I did that and I had todo some dentist-level precise drilling to widen a few slots to allow this thicker wire but it worked out.
I don't know if there is a more complicated headphone design, the way these can fold flat to save ~2" storage makes for a lot of extra parts and design. This new wire isn't nearly as flexible as the original Litz wire so adjusting the side lengths is a bit stiffer but they stay put better now anyway.


Now I just need replacement pads, I paid ~$33 from B&H Photo over a year ago it said backordered and month after month they kept sending automated emails Still On Backorder (it's not B&H's fault, all the retailers still say Out Of Stock from KRK) and they told me around December that they're estimated for February but Feb passed and I did find these aftermarket on eBay for like $12 shipped from China but a) they'd have to last 2x longer than the $30 OEM (if they ever even go back in stock) and b) one major choice in buying these headphones are that the pads don't have leather or egg protein or anything, and I'm very vegan and I think maybe these $12 ebay ones are actually leather, the choices are Frog Skin and Protein Leather, frog looks rippled but I think if they were like $5 maybe fake leather but I'm not sure, I'll try emailing them to ask the supplier which can be difficult for something like this but if the OEM ones never become available again then I'll buy the real leather ones, I tried my best and makes no sense to throw away or resell and rebuy different headphones just for the pads not being vegan.
Also think I'm boycotting KRK after this stunt of monopoly of not releasing replacement pads! they want you to throw them in the landfill and buy the new model! SICK!

 

[DeweyCH]

If this is the wire from the drivers to the jack, speaker wire may be a bit too thick. You don't need much - stranded is generally better in this scenario for the flexibility (mostly because if you disassemble your cups again you won't have a stiff solid-core wire potentially yanking on where you soldered to the driver/jack).