[imatt711]

 
For the past 2 years I've had Klipsch S4i and S5i headphones. I loved the sound but every few months they would fail on me. Usually it was the wire near the jack that went out and I'd have to play with the jack to get both buds to play music. I had to replace them so many times that I was upgraded from my S4i to the S5i for free. Unfortunately my S5i's have now failed and my warranty is up.
 
I'd really like to buy the Klipsch Image X10's, but I don't want to have to send my headphones back every 3-6 months to be repaired/replaced. In light of this, I've been looking into reinforcing headphone wire. I've seen a lot of people mention heatshrinking, but I can't find the answers to what I assume are basic questions. I would greatly appreciate it anyone could help answer these for me.
 
 
What is heatshrinking?
 
Where do you get heatshrink?
A link or two to reputable stores/brands would be awesome.
 
How do I determine what diameter I need? 
Is this something I can look up, is it a standard size, do I need to measure it?
 
I've seen ratios referring to heat shrink (2:1, 3:1, etc.), what are these about?
 
Can I damage my headphones or void my warranty while applying it?
 
What tools do I need to apply it?
I've seen things including an open flame, a blowdryer, and a soldering iron. Are any of these accurate?
 
How do you apply it?
If anyone can get me a link to a how to, or would like to type one up themselves I'd really appreciate it. Also, pictures would be amazing.
 

 

[Revy]

 
 

What is heatshrinking?
 
Heatshrink is a type of tubing that shrinks when heated (as the name implies).
 
Where do you get heatshrink?
You can get em anywhere, most electronic stores carry them (but don't really offer a variety of choices unless it's a fairly big one). You don't really have to get them online.. you'll save more by making a trip down to the nearest electronic store.
 
How do I determine what diameter I need?
You don't have to determine the exact diameter you need, just make sure it's bigger than your wires and the expansion ratio is right (and that depends on what diameter you get).
 
I've seen ratios referring to heat shrink (2:1, 3:1, etc.), what are these about?
Expansion ratio. 2:1 means it'll shrink to 1/2 (50%) of it's original size once heated, 3:1 = 1/3 and so on.
 
Can I damage my headphones or void my warranty while applying it?
There's a chance but I can't say for sure, since you gotta apply heat for it to shrink. Not really sure about the warranty part.
 
What tools do I need to apply it?
I've seen things including an open flame, a blowdryer, and a soldering iron. Are any of these accurate?
Yes. All of them works.
 
How do you apply it?
Slide the heatshrink onto the part you want and apply heat on it. Yes, it's that simple, nothing complicated.
 
 

 
^ Answers to all your question.
 
And I don't really get what you are trying to do..

 

[imatt711]

Thank you so much. I wanted to find a way to protect the jack on my next pair of headphones, and it seems like putting heatshrink over it is the best way to go. I couldn't find any answers to these questions though.

 

[jjinh]

I think your questions have been answered so I'll just add:
 
Quote:

Can I damage my headphones or void my warranty while applying it?

 
You can always cut off the heatshrink you applied if necessary
 
Quote:

What tools do I need to apply it?
I've seen things including an open flame, a blowdryer, and a soldering iron. Are any of these accurate?

 
I prefer to use a cigarette lighter or a candle flame to shrink my heatshrink but ymmv