[the terabyte]

i received my K340s from germany today and was greeted by a powerful tobacco scent even before i opened the box. i wasn't too worried, as this has happened before and it usually just takes a week or so of airing out and then it's fine. i listened to them for a few hours and appreciated the fluid but somewhat veiled midrange and highs, with ok bass. once i was content in my grasp of how they sound with the stock cable, i began dismantling them to replace the external and intrenal cables. lo and behold, there was a fair amount of what i'd assume to be tar or some byproduct of cigarettes inside. still unphased (i could get it off with little effort), i removed the driver cover and saw this (sorry for the narrow DOF):

now, they sound pretty damn good right now, but i have no frame of reference to how they'd sound without all that stuff stuck to the membranes. so, is there any possible way to begin to clean something like this? i'm not holding my breath, but it seems like the kind of thing that has probably come up for someone before.

 

[Chefguru]

Maybe try that " Blow off duster " product for removing dust and lint from electronics.

 

[the terabyte]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chefguru Maybe try that " Blow off duster " product for removing dust and lint from electronics.

i would, but in order to get the stuff off the top plate there i have to scratch it with my fingernail. i wouldn't have a problem removing the whole panel thing if i knew i could safely submerge it in some liquid that might break down the tar, but i'm doubting that's a feasible solution.

 

[the terabyte]

also, my cable is not steel as has been mentioned in other k340 threads, it's copper. probably not the best, but i'll see how it compares to canare star quad.

 

[some1x]

oh the humanity!

just imagine what those cigarettes did to his poor lungs.

 

[Thaddy]

Like mentioned above, maybe some canned air would work to some degree? Then, maybe you could wipe the "stuff" off the top and give it another blast of the canned air.

Good luck!

 

[KR...]

Holy moly!

Cigarettes are disgusting!

More proof

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

Ugh...I suppose they were sold "as-is," but I'd be inclined to ask for my money back.

 

[Oddball]

Ew. I think that's a pretty compelling argument against smoking.

 

[eric343]

hmm... that stuff is likely on there because of electrostatic attraction. Kind of like those Sharper Image Ionic Breeze air cleaner gadgets, except harder to clean...

Short the diaphragm to the stators, and then try blowing the dust off. Or wait for Kevin Gilmore to come on here and tell you what you need to do

 

[Edwood]

Yummy nicotine residue. That stuff won't blow off. I bet that stuff is harder to clean off than flux even.

I would try a small swab with 100% Isopropyl Alcohol on a small area that's not right on the diaphram. Then see how well it removes it.

-Ed

 

[DJGeorgeT]

Cigar smoke, one of the worst things you can expose your electronic equipment to.

 

[the terabyte]

good news, i managed to get most of the large pieces off the diaphram and the rest of the transducer cleaned up well. as for the rest of the headphones, i completely tore them down and washed each part in the sink. listening now with replaced cable throughout (star quad main, OFC hookup inside) it sounds incredible. i don't know whether to attribute this to the cleaning or the cable, but hey, whatever works. i fixed the headband, too, so it isn't self-adjusting and now all i have to do is order some new earpads to replace these smelly, hard ones. i'm glad it all worked out.

 

[bhd812]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric343 hmm... that stuff is likely on there because of electrostatic attraction. Kind of like those Sharper Image Ionic Breeze air cleaner gadgets, except harder to clean... Short the diaphragm to the stators, and then try blowing the dust off. Or wait for Kevin Gilmore to come on here and tell you what you need to do

I have 2 ionic breeze's in my bedroom where I do most of my smoking, the bad part about them is they have the cig smoke stick to everything like if the smokes is just drawn to anything.

the ionic breeze is a no no for smokers...but hey what go'es in the room white comes out brown...lol

 

[bhd812]

Quote:

Originally Posted by the terabyte good news, i managed to get most of the large pieces off the diaphram and the rest of the transducer cleaned up well. as for the rest of the headphones, i completely tore them down and washed each part in the sink. listening now with replaced cable throughout (star quad main, OFC hookup inside) it sounds incredible. i don't know whether to attribute this to the cleaning or the cable, but hey, whatever works. i fixed the headband, too, so it isn't self-adjusting and now all i have to do is order some new earpads to replace these smelly, hard ones. i'm glad it all worked out.

I know what will clean anything with cig smoke on it, go to a hardware store and buy strait amona, not the bo-peep suddse kind but the kind that has not sud's after you shake it, this will pull all the smoke off