HD 650 right driver "bubble" deflated...help?

[hummingbrook]

Hello head-fiers,

Ive been a long time lurker here, and from my readings bought an HD650, and have been so happy i never saw any reason to register to ask for recommendations and help...until now.

Ive been happy with my hd650 for around a year and a half....until a few weeks ago i noticed that the volume in the right channel was noticeably softer than the left. I did all the usual checks...swapped channels in foobar, reversed the headphones on my head...and the unmistakable conclusion was that the left side was a BIT louder than the right. Not really obviously louder, but enough to distract me from my listening. I also noticed the left side had more body, and had more bass. (more reverberation?)

After removing the pads and the foam, and examining the drivers, i finally saw why. The "bubble" of the right driver (where "580" is written...yes ive read the long thread on that and im not bothered) was...for lack of a better term..."deflated". The left side had the bubble intact and vibrating on tracks...while the right side had a partially collapsed bubble, which vibrated, but never fully "inflated". I assume this was why bass and volme in the right side was weaker (but surprisingly, not distorted).

Am i screwed? Do i have to order new drivers for these, or is this fixable? Are these "bubbles" air tight in that if they collapse, they cant be "inflated" again? i tried playing bass-heavy tracks to try and shake the deflation off, but it didnt work, not even with the bass equalizer turned all the way up.

I hope someone here knows what im talking about, as i cant take pictures as i left my camera at home (im in a dorm now with a crappy iphone cam which cannot capture my predicament). Is there some way i can "inflate" them again, or make them into a bubble again?

Thanks in advance, and I hope im not TOO screwed.

 

[ElephantTLK]

It seems that you will need to replace driver. So this part on image is "flat"?



If this is flat, deformed then only option is to replace driver.

 

[johnwmclean]

You can try this at you own risk, you really have nothing to lose as the driver is not working properly anyhow.
If you have a vacuum cleaner with variable power that would be ideal. Turn it on at it’s lowest setting. Hold the headphone a length, gradually move closer with the vacuum nozzle in alignment to the driver. As you get closer observe the driver stretching it should pop up. The hard part is to apply as little force as possible with the suction vs making the driver pop out again.
You risk putting a tear in the driver if too heavy handed, or even destroying it. I have done this with my HD650 and it worked.

 

[donunus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hummingbrook /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello head-fiers, Ive been a long time lurker here, and from my readings bought an HD650, and have been so happy i never saw any reason to register to ask for recommendations and help...until now. Ive been happy with my hd650 for around a year and a half....until a few weeks ago i noticed that the volume in the right channel was noticeably softer than the left. I did all the usual checks...swapped channels in foobar, reversed the headphones on my head...and the unmistakable conclusion was that the left side was a BIT louder than the right. Not really obviously louder, but enough to distract me from my listening. I also noticed the left side had more body, and had more bass. (more reverberation?) After removing the pads and the foam, and examining the drivers, i finally saw why. The "bubble" of the right driver (where "580" is written...yes ive read the long thread on that and im not bothered) was...for lack of a better term..."deflated". The left side had the bubble intact and vibrating on tracks...while the right side had a partially collapsed bubble, which vibrated, but never fully "inflated". I assume this was why bass and volme in the right side was weaker (but surprisingly, not distorted). Am i screwed? Do i have to order new drivers for these, or is this fixable? Are these "bubbles" air tight in that if they collapse, they cant be "inflated" again? i tried playing bass-heavy tracks to try and shake the deflation off, but it didnt work, not even with the bass equalizer turned all the way up. I hope someone here knows what im talking about, as i cant take pictures as i left my camera at home (im in a dorm now with a crappy iphone cam which cannot capture my predicament). Is there some way i can "inflate" them again, or make them into a bubble again? Thanks in advance, and I hope im not TOO screwed.

I had the same problem with my 580s. very simple to fix. you dont even have to open the cans. Just blow the back of the driver where its deflated and it will inflate in a second. Doing a quick hard huff and puff is all it needs. The vacuum cleaner thing is more dangerous. This one is safe because nothing will touch the drivers and since there is a foam protection thing at the back, no spit can get in there either

 

[Currawong]

The other method would be to find some bluetac, if it exists where you are, and, gently touching a piece to the centre of the bubble, pull it out again. I'd try the blowing trick first though.

 

[donunus]

ooohhh do that as a last resort. blowing the back of the headphones will inflate it. trust me

 

[johnwmclean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif ooohhh do that as a last resort. blowing the back of the headphones will inflate it. trust me

I agree, donunus has the best idea. Scrap my idea with the vacuum, do this first.

 

[donunus]

vacuum plan B
blu tack plan C

 

[hummingbrook]

whew, glad to hear there were at least two others with my problem that ended without any driver replacement. So the bubble can be deformed and restored...theres hope for me yet.

Hi donunus, so blow, eh? ive been hufffing and puffing against the grill, but it doesnt seem to work...is there a way for me to get nearer the other end of the bubble? I assume this involves removing the grill, but i dont know how..is it removable in the first place?

The vacuum trick requires facing the deflated bubble through the removed pads, and ill try that as a second-to-last resort (last being the blu tack). The blowing method of donunus requires blowing through the rear of the bubble, through the grill, am i correct?

Ok...theres a ray of hope. Thanks guys, ill try to experiment. I hope the bubble isnt punctured or anything, so i can restore it. THANKS!!! here goes nothing....

 

[donunus]

Yes, through the grill through the rear... puff hard around the center of the grill so the wind hits the back of the bubble. Heck If you cant puff hard enough, go to a place with an air compressor and try that

 

[hummingbrook]

OH. MY. GOD. It worked!!! Thanks SOOOO MUCH donunus!

Actually, what i did was take out the grille (easier than i expected), and i probed around the rear driver (the part with the circular foam). I blew into it, but it still didnt fully inflate, so pushed a 1/8" plug through the foam, and probed the bubble into normal shape. That did it! the bubble popped back to normal, and the bass was back!! the volume was normal again, and everything reverted to normal 650 perfection. Thanks again!!

Now my next question is, how did that happen? Did i play my music too loud? Im a little paranoid now a a result, and check the bubble from time to time to see if it collapsed again. So far it hasnt Thank God. HOw do i make sure this doesnt happen again? What causes the bubble to collapse?

Thanks head-fi!! guess im gonna have to put off upgrading to the hd800 hahaha

 

[donunus]

Glad I could help. As for the cause of this I'm not sure but I would guess maybe air pressure from the inside??? Maybe pushing it in toward your head and sucking back out creates some kind of effect like a plunger.

 

[ourfpshero]

glad i found this thread. this worked on a jvc headphone as well. i was ready to scrap the drivers and use the shell for a mod

 

[D_4_Dog]

glad that "blowjob" worked for ya hummingbrook =P

Just outta curiosity, did that "deflation" occur on its own or were you modding your Senns and accidentally pushed it in? I'm asking because I too have a HD-650 which i'm very fond of and have been pampering since day 1.

 

[hummingbrook]

no, it just occured on its own. One day i just noticed a slight volume and bass imbalance on the cans, and upon closer inspection, i saw that the bubble was partially deflated. I dont know if it was caused by loud music or bass, a sudden change in air pressure, a "vacuum" effect...all i know is it sounds perfect again now. Im glad it wasnt a permanent thing. Im also glad to know im not the only one that this ha happened to.

Do ALL HP's have this bubble thing? The only other pair i have is a beat-up old Grado sr-125, and it sure doesnt have no bubble. And what exactly is the bubble for? Its not the driver itself, right?